News and Notices Spring 2020

Fall Workshop Attendance Breaks Record

The Local Government Center ended its 2019 Fall Town and Village Workshops with record-breaking attendance. Nearly 900 participants attended nine workshops across the state of Wisconsin. This would not have been possible without the assistance and collaboration of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, the UW-Transportation Information Center, and the Wisconsin Towns Association. Find more information about the workshops on the Local Government Center website.

Upcoming Webinar Series

The Local Government Center has several upcoming webinar series. The first of these is the Local Land Use, Planning, and Zoning series starting March 11. This statewide teleconference series has dates throughout March, April, and May. For more information and to register for the webinar series, visit the Local Government Center website.

Planning is nearly complete for the Local Government Issues, Challenges, and Strategies 2020 teleconference series, and information will soon be available on the Local Government Website. The popular Alcohol Beverage Regulation, and Licensing program with a new program occurring in April 2020.

Chuck Law Retires, Granted Emeritus Status

Chuck Law, former LCG Center Director, retired after nearly 20 years of service in community planning and economic development, funding mechanisms for downtown redevelopment and rural landscape preservation. Recognizing Chuck’s long and distinguished service, UW Chancellor Blank granted Chuck “Emeritus status.” In her letter, Chancellor Blank noted Law’s impressive professional achievements and the distinctive contributions made to his profession and to the University. Chuck’s leadership and advocacy for local government education will be missed by the LGC team and partners.

Foth Named Interim Program Director

Following former director Chuck Law’s retirement, Daniel Foth was named Interim Program Director of the Local Government Center. Foth has worked at the Local Government Center since November 2018 as a Local Government Specialist.

2020 Census Approaching

The 2020 Census will start on April 1, 2020. The purpose of the 2020 census is to provide up-to-date statistics on the demographics of your community and to determine future redistricting and representative apportionment. For these reasons, getting an accurate count is incredibly important.
Here are a few suggestions on easy ways to potentially boost Census response rates in your county(s):
1) Suggest for all organizations to post on their webpages/ relevant social media encouraging their supporters to respond to the Census when it is available on April 1. Make sure to include a link to the Census page for easy access.
2) Mention the Census at organization meetings and discuss the importance of filling out the Census. Provide a link to attendees so that they can find the Census and fill it out on April 1.
3) Tie into your local Complete Count Committee to support their efforts and help them with anything they may need to get a Complete Count of your county(s).
For more information, visit the Local Government Center’s 2020 Census page.

New LGE Team Members Hired

The Local Government Center recently hired three new employees. Karen Moore began working as a Local Government Specialist in January, specializing in the “Essentials Distance Education Series” for local officials, “Issues, Challenges, and Strategies Distance Education Series” for local officials, public policy education, legislative updates education, parliamentary procedure, open meetings, and diversity issues in government.
The LGC also hired two new student employees from UW-Madison. Hannah Katz began working in September 2019 and is a member of the class of 2021, majoring in journalism, political science, strategic communication, and is pre-law. Amy Shircel began in January 2020 and is a member of the class of 2020, majoring in political science, environmental studies, global health, and public policy.

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