Workshops

All workshops and most meal events will take place at the Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick 99336.

Wednesday

9 - 11:30 am
Pre-Conference

Communicating in Tough Situations
Economic Development Successes in the Tri-Cities: Collaboration in Action
Guarding the Public Checkbook

3 - 4:30 pm
Workshops

Budgeting Essentials
The return of a perennial favorite, this session will provide you with the essentials of developing a budget that reflects community priorities and provides accountability. During these difficult financial times, the material that will be covered is essential for newly elected officials and an excellent refresher for municipal officials with budget experience.
- Get practical advice for linking your budget, planning and programs to your community vision.
- Find out how to put together a budget that tells your city story and gives citizens accountability.
- Encourage all departments to work together to meet your city’s goals.
Speakers:
Mike Bailey, Finance Director, Lynnwood
Gayla Gjertsen, Finance Director, Tumwater
Ten Commandments of Economic Development
Have you ever wondered what economic development looks like? Imagine a community where everyone has their own business, candy grows on trees, plenty of money is in your pockets and it lasts all year long. This session will provide you something better than a never-ending supply of money and candy. It will provide you with the knowledge to create an economic development community with 10 commandments handed down in stone by one of the countries leading educators and humorists. Well, maybe not better than a never-ending supply of money or candy...
- Learn how to recognize if your community has economic development
- Understand how achieving successful economic development is easier than going to the moon
- Discover the 10 Commandments of Economic Development
Speaker: Maury Forman, Manager, Education & Training, WA State Dept. of Community, Trade & Economic Development
Lessons Learned: GMA Updates
The Growth Management Act requires cities and towns to review and update, if necessary, their local comprehensive plans and development regulations every seven years. Over 100 cities were required to meet this requirement in 2004. All others are required to meet this obligation by December 2005, 2006 or 2007. Learn from the valuable experience of other cities:
- Avoid procedural pitfalls
- Set realistic goals and timelines to complete your update on schedule
- Identify and focus on the important parts of your GMA plans and regulations
Speaker:
Laura Hudson, Manager of Long Range Planning, City of Vancouver
Leonard Bauer, Managing Director of Growth Management Services, WA State CTED
Perk Up Your Presentations
Add pizzazz to your next presentation and watch your audience sit up and listen. Practical tips on:
- Connecting with the audience using questions, stories, and sound bites.
- Voice and body language tips for sounding confident and convincing.
- Creating PowerPoint slides that you can actually speak from and that audiences truly enjoy.
Speaker: Michael Buschmole, Applause Associates
Success Through Interest-Based Problem Solving
City officials negotiate all the time – with their peers, with their constituents, and with activists and lobbyists who have particular objectives in mind. This workshop introduces ways you can use the same principles that generate win-win solutions for labor-management to successfully negotiate mutually satisfactory policy outcomes.
- Learn why interests are keys to success.
- Distinguish interests from issues and positions.
- Explore processes that apply these principles in policy setting and in building better community relations.
Speaker: Cynthia Stewart, ADR Options Consulting, Inc.
What Cities Need to Support Tech Sector Growth
Are you wondering if your city has what it takes to land tech companies? This workshop will give you an understanding of where the technology sector is going and what tech businesses will be looking for in cities throughout the state. Find out what core community components and infrastructures will support future tech growth and get the inside scoop on how tech entrepreneurs make location decisions.
- Get the industry trends that will define tech industry growth potential for your city.
- See how education and quality of life issues play major roles in tech industry growth.
- Learn about the needs of tech companies and what your community can do to fill those needs.
Speaker: Lee Cheatham, Executive Director, WA Technology Center

Thursday

10:45 am - Noon
Workshops

It’s Our Water: New Statewide Water Conservation Requirements
Passage of the Municipal Water Law in 2003 called for the development of new water conservation requirements for municipal water suppliers. The state Department of Health is currently working on the new conservation requirements that are scheduled to go into effect by the end of the year.
- Find out what the new requirements mean for your city or town.
- Learn how you can provide input as the new requirements are finalized.
- Gather information about effective and affordable water conservation efforts for small cities.
Speaker: Richard Siffert, Program Development Section Manager, WA State Dept. of Health, Office of Drinking Water
Marketing on a Miniscule Budget
If you’re trying to stretch your budget to enable more marketing, or if you’re looking for tips for marketing your community from one of the leaders in the industry, this workshop is for you. Many cities right now are looking for more inexpensive ways to market their communities - this workshop will provide tips and tricks for getting the most bang for your marketing buck.
- Learn how to get free publicity.
- Find out how to identify and cater to niche groups.
- Get the inside scoop on where and when to place ads to maximize budgets.
Speaker: Roger Brooks, President, Destination Development, Inc.
Raising Taxes and Fees: How to Tell When the Time is Right
Is there ever a right time to raise taxes and fees? How can you involve your community in the process?
- Look at low-cost, minimum staff time strategies for engaging citizens and effectively gathering community input.
- Experiment with AWC’s pulse pads, an interactive tool cities can use at no cost for citizen meetings.
- Develop guidelines for making the best possible decisions.
Speaker: Eric Wilson, Northwest Public Affairs
TPEAC: Transportation Tools Made Easy
Save money, save time and provide certainty for project permitting. TPEAC (Transportation Environmental Permitting Efficiency and Accountability Committee) gives your city the tools to plan and manage infrastructure projects, and make life easier for your community.
- Streamline your project permitting by using a one-stop approval process.
- Cut down on permitting frustration with an easy-to-use on-line tool that lets both the consumer and regulator track an application through each step in the process, giving you interactive real-time feedback.
- Integrate environmental/watershed/agricultural plans with land use plans to identify risk at the earliest stage of a project.
Speakers:
Senator Dan Swecker, WA State Senate
Scott Boettcher, Regulatory Improvement Advisor, WA State Dept. of Ecology
Rick Anderson, Consultant, EES-HDR
Why We Have to Re-examine Healthcare and How We Can Do It
Healthcare costs are explosive. By 2010 healthcare costs are estimated at over 19% of the GDP. In practical terms healthcare costs could be 75-100% more for your organization over the next five to seven years. And this doesn’t even touch costs associated with time loss and productivity. What we can do to bend the cost curve downward?
- Discover what is driving health care costs.
- Look at the current state of the art in controlling costs.
- Identify the elements for a more effective future strategy.
Speaker: Neal Sofian, CEO, The NewSof Group

1:45 - 3 pm
Workshops

Economic Development: A Framework for Success and the Role of the Elected Official
This session will offer a practical approach to economic development that any city government can use to define and achieve desired results. You will learn the often missed steps that create the conditions for the right economic progress to occur in your community. Special emphasis will include the unique challenges and leadership role of elected officials in creating and maintaining these conditions throughout the economic development process.
- Develop a clearer understanding of your leadership role in economic development.
- Understand the steps you and your council need to take to create necessary conditions for economic progress.
- Outline a framework for economic development that you and your council can use.
Speaker: Rob Larsen & Art Frohwerk, Clear Path, LLC
Future of City Finance
A variety of factors have led to a decline in city finances the past several years, including tax limiting initiatives, unfunded mandates, the economic downturn, and increasing costs of providing city services.
- Discuss the policy issues that may affect how your city finances its operations.
- Discuss budget strategies that address operating and capital needs during financial downturns and plan for balanced decisions during an economic upturns.
- Discuss how courts have addressed authority for local taxes, fees and expenditures and how they may impact your city’s revenue structure.
Speakers:
Stan Finkelstein, AWC Executive Director
Hugh Spitzer, Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC
High Noon in City Hall - Who’s Running the Show?
Just who makes policy in city hall? Who’s making the decisions that matter? Who’s putting the policy into action?
- Straighten out lingering misconceptions over roles and responsibilities.
- See if your manager/mayor/council working relationship fits your city’s form of government.
- Look for ways to deal with those tense decision-making moments that sometimes pop up in city hall.
Speaker: Jeanne Harris, Facilitation Resources
Initiative Alert: Property Rights Heading North?
Last November Oregon voters passed Measure 37 that requires governments to compensate land owners for land use restrictions, or alternately, to remove the restrictions. Now, many are anticipating that a similar initiative will be introduced here in Washington.
- Learn how an equivalent of Oregon Measure 37 would affect Washington cities and towns.
- Gather ideas on explaining to citizens how such an initiative could affect their own quality of life.
- Get an update on the status of any pending property rights initiatives and opposition campaigns.
Speaker:
Genesee Adkins, Sate Policy Director, Futurewise
Bob Mack, Vice President, WA State Governmental Affairs, Smith Alling Lane, PS
Linda Ludwig, Senior Staff Associate, League of Oregon Cities
Dan Wood, Director of Government Relations, Washington Farm Bureau
The Changing Roles of Tribal Governments
Tribal governments play an important role in the political, economic, and cultural landscape of Washington State. Their visibility may seem threatening to some, but stronger and healthier neighboring communities can be an asset to your cities as well. A representative of the State Attorney General's Office will explain the legal and historical context of tribal/local government relationships, and show how the state has forged positive relations with tribal leaders.
- Understand the nature of tribal governmental authority.
- Learn about the legal relationships between tribal governments and other sovereigns.
- Identify ways to work with tribal leaders to reach mutually beneficial agreements.
Speaker: Fronda Woods, Assistant Attorney General, WA State
Tips for Partnering in Tight Times
Get past the theory. Get past the talk. Come to this workshop and get practical tips from experienced practitioners about how to create partnerships, how to manage partnerships and how to get results. With a focus on tips for creating partnerships that will result in cost-savings, don’t miss out on this session.
- Get insights from leaders who are implementing successful partnerships.
- Learn about realistic partnerships that make sense for your city.
- Leave this workshop with tips you can actually use to create partnerships back home.
Speaker:
Rich Conrad, City Manager, Mercer Island
Michael Echanove, Mayor, Palouse
Scott Staples, City Manager, Toppenish
Jim Lowery, Lowery's Professional Services

3:15 - 4:30 pm
Workshops

Boost Your Economy with Historic Preservation
Historic preservation is about saving wonderful old buildings, barns, courthouses and cultural sites, but it is also about economic development. Discover how both small and large communities have used historic preservation and historic districts to generate revenue.
- See how historic preservation can become a new tool in your economic development tool box.
- Learn how to increase gross sales receipts.
- Spark private investment with a small public investment.
- Use historic preservation to increase rental income levels 2
Speakers:
Christopher Batten, Designated Broker, RenCorp
Joan Murray Simpson, Former Mayor/Public Policy Chair, WA Trust for Historic Preservation
Megan Duvall, Certified Local Government Coordinator, WA State Office of Archeology & Historic Preservation
Susan White, Councilmember/Board Member, Des Moines, WA Trust for Historic Preservation
Tonie Cook, Management Analyst, City of North Bend
Practical Leadership for City Councils
Dedicated city leaders focus sharply on their goals, but sometimes find themselves—and their city hall—tripped up by the process of getting there. Learn a new way to observe how you and your group function and bring out the best in your council.
- Discover what Jane Goodall’s chimpanzees teach us about human beings; the role of fear, shame and guilt and how love and imagination help the effective leader get things done.
- Experiment with highly practical ways to let your council grow and thrive.
- Collect six checklists that provide specific tips for the leader to succeed.
Speaker: Ann G. Macfarlane, Jurassic Parliament
Partners in Development: Making the Most of Your Building Department
Your building department is often the first step to successfully developing your city’s economic growth projects. By working together as a team, electeds and building officials can provide safe shelter for our families and businesses.
- Get the inside scoop on what it takes to get a project up and running.
- Discover how you can become a champion of building safety in your community.
- Pick up important tips on how to use your building professionals to help your city grow in a safe and prosperous manner.
Speaker: Antonio Baca, President, WA Association of Building Officials

Sponsored by the Washington Association of Building Officials
Spotlight on AWC's Municipal Achievers
AWC’s Municipal Achievement Awards promote and recognize innovative and effective city government programs that significantly improve the quality of life in local communities. This session focuses on innovative and practical programs submitted during AWC’s 2005 Municipal Achievement competition. Whether a city has overcome funding obstacles to make infrastructure improvements or created a unique collaborate partnership, you can learn a lot about programs that might benefit your community.
- Share ideas with cities of all sizes.
- Tailor another city’s program to fit your community’s special need.
- Take time to congratulate your peers.
Speaker: Panel
True Urbanism: Demographics, Diversity and Density
We are embarking on a new era. The demographic composition of our communities is changing, along with our citizens’ needs and preferences for where and how they live. This has profound and dramatic implications for our town centers. In this workshop you will learn about these changes and how to respond.
- Learn how to adopt new attitudes, new tools and new techniques.
- Recognize that “density” is not a four letter word. Make it work in your city.
- Realize that thriving communities provide connectivity, choices and community.
Speaker: Mark Hinshaw, FAIA, FAICP, Director of Urban Design, LMN Architects
Where to Go for Infrastructure Funding
Where do you start on the road to finding financing for a critical infrastructure project? What are the steps you have to take for a successful journey? What do you do “if first you don’t succeed?”
- See a demonstration of on-line one-stop shopping for infrastructure financing and learn how to find specific, current project funding.
- Get advice about project planning and what work your city needs to do before they ask for financial assistance.
- Learn what the Local Government Infrastructure Tracking System has to do with available funding.
Speaker: John LaRocque, Executive Director, Public Works Board
Policy Roundtable - Tourism Economies
Meet with other city officials from communities with tourism-based economies to discuss new trends and challenges, share your concerns and insights, and learn how other city officials throughout the state are working to move their economies forward.
Facilitator: Roger Brooks, President, Destination Development, Inc.

Friday

9 - 10:15 am
Workshops

Small City Clinic
If you are from a small city and would like to improve communications with your legislators, know what other cities are doing to “lobby” for their issues, and know what steps to take this year so that your legislative voice is heard in 2006, then please come hear some invaluable information.
- How lobbying by Small Cities affected the outcome of the 2005 legislative session, and what lobbying techniques were effective.
- When using other lobbying techniques, including private lobbyists, makes sense.
- What your legislators need to learn from you about your city.
- Some hints about when to communicate what information to your legislators.
- The power of two (or three or four!)
Policy Roundtable - Telecommunications Federal Issues
What’s impacting your city on the federal front? Get an update on emerging telecommunications issues that will impact your community.
Facilitator: Jim Haggerton, Councilmember, ITC Steering Committee
Policy Roundtable - City/Ecology Relationships
Here is a fabulous opportunity to speak with our state’s ecology expert in an informal setting! Come prepared to ask questions, share your ideas and talk about your city’s successes as well as your city’s needs and concerns.
Facilitator: Jay Manning, Director, Washington State Department of Ecology
Policy Roundtable - Military Base Communities
This roundtable discussion will provide communities with military bases an opportunity to discuss common challenges and issues for financing city operations, as well as an opportunity to address the next steps in the current round of military base closure recommendations.
Facilitator: Patty Cohen, Mayor, Oak Harbor
Policy Roundtable - Rewriting Court Statutes
The Administrative Office of the Courts has proposed rewriting the court statute. Learn what the judges envision for the system and share a local elected’s perspective.
Facilitator: Jeff Hall, Executive Director of the Board for Judicial Administration
Policy Roundtable - State of the Cities: Where Do We Go From Here?
AWC’s 2005 State of the Cities report documented declining fiscal conditions in cities. Participate in this roundtable discussion to identify where your city fits in the broader picture of city fiscal health and consider where cities go from here.
Facilitator: Ron Lucas, Mayor, Steilacoom
Policy Roundtable - Tackling the Tough Budget Choices
Almost every city council in Washington is being asked to make tough budget choices. Take this time to network with peers, and share decision-making strategies used to make sometime unpopular, but fiscally responsible decisions.
Facilitator: Cynthia Stewart, ADR Options Consulting Inc.
Policy Roundtable - Working with Contractors
Are you are a small city that has experienced problems working with contractors? Do you need to know the details surrounding selection of a contractor and contract management? Come talk with experts who can answer your questions and give you practical advice.
Facilitators:
John Carpita, Public Works Consultant, MRSC
Deborah Pennick, Program Manager, WA State Auditor's Office

6/15/05