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2021/10/07 - Walter's Blog: IML Conference

Democracy on the Front Lines 
City Administrator’s Blog 
Walter Denton 

 

I recently attended the Illinois Municipal League (IML) Annual Conference in Chicago. The IML Conference consists of managers, administrators, and elected officials from around Illinois to learn about legislative updates, best practices, and legal issues. Sometimes there is criticism over conferences, suggesting that they are junkets or vacations. Mayor Roach and five City Council members attended the IML Conference this year, and I believe their participation in the conference is essential for an informed and effective governing body. 

We entrust elected officials to run the City of O’Fallon’s $80 million budget when they often have little experience or expertise. The IML Conference is critical training for our elected officials to learn about the business of governing. There are so many changes every year due to state laws and court cases, it is impossible to keep up with it all. The IML Conference features presentations that highlight the major issues and provide guidance on how cities should proceed. City Council members also have the opportunity to network with elected officials from other cities to learn about best practices in local government. 

Here are highlights from the sessions I attended: 

  • Five Steps to Downtown Revitalization: The session featured best practices for downtown development, and we are fortunately working on most of the recommendations, including conducting a market analysis, using incentives, wayfinding signage, sponsoring special events, and creating a building inventory of available properties. One strategy we have discussed but not achieved yet is the development on gateways and streetscape corridors. Our hanging lights are a good start, but it would be nice to have signage at the entrances to the Downtown District and the Lincoln corridor needs some help. 
  • FOIA and Open Meetings Update: Most of the session was a discussion of remote meetings and how they have been used during COVID. The City of O’Fallon currently runs a hybrid process where elected officials and public have the option to attend either in person or remotely. The IML is sponsoring a bill to continue the use of remote meetings permanently. 
  • Federal Infrastructure Bill: Since the bill has not passed Congress, there is still uncertainty over it what will ultimately include. Regardless, the proposed bill currently includes very little direct payments to local governments. Most of the funding will go to the states, which will then provide to cities through competitive grants and loans. Therefore, we may see some money from the bill, but we will have to apply to the state to receive it. There are also funds in the bill for electric charging stations, and we are looking for opportunities to provide those services in O’Fallon. 
  • Legislative Update: This session featured four state legislators to discuss state legislative issues. The IML moderator questioned them on remote meetings and restoring full state funding to cities, but the legislators did not provide any guarantees. 

Conferences are a great opportunity to learn new concepts and recharge your batteries, and these meetings did not disappoint. We will utilize the information learned from the conference to make O’Fallon a better community. 

Comments or questions?