1) LKM Policy Committees

The LKM policy committees are responsible for reviewing the Statement of Municipal Policy and discussing the LKM legislative strategy. The policy process begins in August. To join one of these committees, simply contact Anna DeBusk at adebusk@lkm.org or (785) 354-9565.

The four committees include:

• Finance and Taxation Policy Committee
Reviews and recommends League positions on finance and taxation issues, including local option taxes, property tax lid, tax exemptions, motor vehicle tax, etc. Meeting: August 15, 2006

• Utilities and Environment Policy Committee
Reviews and recommends League positions on water supply, water quality, water planning, solid waste, air quality, and other environmental quality issues. Meeting: August 17, 2006

• Public Officers and Employees Policy Committee
Reviews and recommends League positions dealing with a range of employment matters, including wage and hour laws, unions, workers compensation, unemployment insurance, etc.; handles League positions relating to public officials, including ethics, elections, and other requirements of holding public office. Meeting: August 22, 2006

• Legislative Policy Committee
Reviews and recommends League positions in all other policy areas and provides general oversight of the policy statement. Meeting: August 24, 2006

If you have any questions, contact Kimberly Winn at (785) 354-9565 or kwinn@lkm.org.

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2) LKM Governing Body

LKM President Michael Boehm, Mayor of Lenexa, has appointed a seven-member committee to serve as the 2006 LKM Nominating Committee. These appointments were confirmed by the LKM Governing Body at its June meeting in Lenexa. The Committee will be chaired by Richard Jackson, LKM Past President and Commissioner for the City of Ottawa.

There are four director positions on the Governing Body, each with a three-year term of office considered each year. In addition, the Committee will consider nominations for President and Vice President for one-year terms.

LKM encourages officials from all member cities to participate in our organization and to consider serving on the LKM Governing Body. Being a part of the Governing Body is an excellent way to shape the future development of your organization. LKM welcomes officials from both large and small cities, from all regions of Kansas, to nominate their colleagues or even themselves for Governing Body positions.

Article 4 of the LKM Bylaws charges the Nominating Committee with submitting a written report a least 24 hours prior to the start of the annual business meeting of the organization. This year’s business meeting, including elections, will be held Tuesday, October 10 during the LKM Annual Conference at the Expocentre.

The 2006 Nominating Committee Members are:

• Richard Jackson, Commissioner (Chair)
City of Ottawa • 101 S. Hickory St. • Ottawa, KS 67460
• Courtney Christensen, City Administrator
City of Mission Hills • 6300 State Line Rd • Mission Hills, KS 66208
• Nancy Farmer, Councilmember
City of Hoisington • 109 E. 1st • Hoisington, KS 67544
• Robert Homolka, Mayor
City of Ellsworth • 121 W. First St. • Ellsworth, KS 67439
• Marietta Lucas, City Clerk
City of Chapman • 402 Marshal • Chapman, KS 67431
• Tom Myers, Mayor
City of Emporia • 522 Mechanic • Emporia, KS 66801
• Ron Warren, Commissioner
City of Liberal • 325 N. Washington • Liberal, KS 67905-2199

Nomination forms have been mailed to city clerks and mayors of all LKM member cities. Additional copies are available by calling Anna DeBusk at (785) 354-9565 or by e-mail at adebusk@lkm.org. If you have any questions, contact Kimberly Winn at (785) 354-9565 or kwinn@lkm.org. In order to facilitate the process, we ask that all nominations be received by Friday, September 8, at 5:00 p.m.

Guidelines for LKM Governing Body Selection

Pursuant to Article 4, Section 3 of the LKM Bylaws, the Governing Body hereby establishes the following guidelines for LKM Governing Body and Officer Elections:

Section 1. Primary Considerations. The overall strength of the individual candidates for the LKM Governing Body should be the primary consideration of the nominating committee. Candidates should be evaluated based upon the length of term in office, past service to LKM, potential leadership contributions, and their willingness to serve the organization. In addition, the nominating committee should consider the following factors:

• Class and Size of City. A concerted effort should be made to provide for diversity on the Governing Body based on city population. As is traditional, there should be a representative on the Governing Body from each of the cities with a population in excess of 120,000.

• Elected and Appointed Officials. The large majority of the Governing Body members should be elected officials. The office of city manager/city administrator should be represented by one or two members. Other appointed offcials may be represented by one or two members.

• Regional Distribution. It is important to try and reach a regional distribution that is as diverse as possible. We use the KDOT regional lines as a benchmark, but we all recongnize that this is not a perfect system. Regional diversity is a general goal that we strive to maintain.

• Gender, Race, and Ethnicity. The Committee should factor in gender, race, and ethnicity considerations in order to achieve diversity as well.

Section 2. Officer Candidates. A) President. In keeping with long-standing LKM tradition, the Vice President ascends to the position of President. This policy enables the Vice President to participate on the LKM Executive Committee for a year before leading the organization. B) Vice President. Candidates for Vice President should be evaluated primarily based upon the length of term in office, past services to LKM, potential leadership contributions, and their willingness to serve the organization. Other considerations include: 1) at least one year of prior service on the LKM Governing Body; 2) alternation between large and small cities; and, 3) geographic diversity.

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3) NLC Board of Directors

A number of years ago, the LKM Governing Body established a process for considering the possibility of endorsing candidates who are seeking positions on the National League of Cities' Board of Directors. This process requires staff to establish a deadline for applications for endorsement. Such applications are then submitted to the Awards Committee for consideration. The Awards Committee meets to consider the applicants and then makes a recommendation to the LKM Governing Body. The LKM Governing Body then makes a final determination on which candidate(s), if any, will be endorsed.

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for a position on the NLC Board of Directors, please submit a statement of interest, resume, and any other pertinent information to Kimberly Winn, kwinn@lkm.org, by August 15, 2006. All applications received by this deadline will be forwarded to the Awards Committee for consideration.

This process is for those seeking LKM endorsement for their candidacy. There is a completely separate application process which must be completed in order to become a candidate for the NLC Board of Directors. Contact the NLC at www.nlc.org for more information concerning the process for actually applying to be on the Board.

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4) Excellence in Local Government Award

The Excellence in Local Government Award is presented annually to an elected city official who has demonstrated outstanding service to not only his or her own city, but has also shown an active commitment to strong local government and service to the League of Kansas Municipalities (LKM).  A list of guidelines and criteria for selection may be found at www.lkm.org/misc/2006-excellence-in-local-government.pdf.  Nominations must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 1, 2006.

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5) Cities Benefit from Energy Savings

The State of Kansas Facility Conservation Improvement Program (FCIP), administered by the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC), utilizes a State contract with pre-qualified Energy Services Companies (ESCO’s) to provide upgrades to lighting, water utilization systems, heating and cooling systems, comfort controls, stadium and street lighting, water and waste water treatment plants, and more, to help municipalities reduce energy use in city buildings and services and save taxpayer dollars.

The ESCO identifies and evaluates energy-saving opportunities and recommends an improvement package to be paid through energy savings. The ESCO guarantees the savings will meet or exceed annual payments to cover all project costs—usually over a contract term of 10 to 15 years—if the savings don’t materialize, the ESCO pays the difference. The ESCO provides one-stop, turn-key energy services from project identification and analysis, to design and implementation, to maintenance, to performance measurement, and verification.

Participating with the FCIP’s pre-approved contract eliminates the need to issue and advertise a RFP and provides a streamlined approach to making facility improvements. With a single contract a municipality, a school, or public agency can tackle multiple energy-efficiency projects throughout all of their facilities, rather than doing one project at a time.

For more information about the Facility Conservation Improvement Program, Energy Savings Performance Contracting, and Energy Service Companies, please visit the KCC website www.kcc.state.ks.us and click on Energy Office or call the KCC Energy Office at 785.271.3170.

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6) Apply for Prestigious Innovations Award

Harvard University invites you to apply for an Innovations in American Government Award.

Administered by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in partnership with the Council for Excellence in Government, the Innovations Award is heralded as the premier public-sector award in the nation. It is given annually to programs that serve as examples of creative and effective government at its best.

All units of government--federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial--are eligible to apply.

Each of the five winners of the 2007 Innovations Award will receive a $100,000 grant to support replication and dissemination activities.

Applications and additional information are available on their website: www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu

Applications are due September 12, 2006.

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