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WCEF Conference Scholarships |
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In 2015, the WCEF is offering the opportunity for WMCA members to be awarded one of two $500.00 scholarships to attend the WMCA annual conference, this year in the City of La Crosse. The scholarship awards are reimbursable with receipts turned in for conference expenses such as: registration fees, hotel accommodations, and mileage or transportation fees. Take full advantage of your WMCA membership and apply for one of two $500.00 WCEF Scholarships to the annual conference in August.
The scholarship application deadline is June 1st. Click here for a fillable form.
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THE WMCA MISSION:
To be the premier source
for the personal empowerment
of municipal clerks in Wisconsin
through education, professional development, and the promotion of excellence.
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Not only your income taxes are due today.
April 15 is the deadline to mail in your UW-Green Bay Institute or Master Academy Scholarship Application. Download the fillable application here and get it in the mail today.
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Education! Education! Education! |
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A Message from your President
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| Greetings Everyone,
I hope all of you had a “non-eventful” Spring Election and everything went smoothly.
I’d like to give you a couple of reminders regarding educational opportunities. There are eight District meetings fast approaching and I hope you take the time to attend one of these important spring meetings. Several topics are on these agendas to include Liquor Licensing, Election Training, Board of Review, and Publication Notices. Also, District Directors will be elected to serve you on the 2015-2016 WMCA Board of Directors. If you haven’t registered, I encourage you to check out the articles below and follow the link to register. Another important education opportunity coming this summer is the UWGB Clerks & Treasurers Institute and the Master Academy. And let’s not forget our 35th Anniversary Conference in August. Check out the details of all these educational options and much, much more in this E-Newsletter.
I like to leave you with something to think about, so here it is: There are three kinds of people who work for organizations:
1) Those who make things happen.
2) Those who watch things happen.
3) Those who try to figure out what happened.
I know Clerks are all number 1. Keep up the good work and I hope to see many of you over the next few months.
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| DISTRICT MEETINGS |
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Every WMCA District has a Spring meeting and education day set. You can find all of the details and register for a meeting through the WMCA website.
The main topic at your District Meeting –
District 1, 4, & 8 – Liquor & Cigarette Licensing
District 2 – Closed Sessions-Agendas, Notices & Minutes
District 3, 5, 6 & 7 – Election Training – latest info on the reinstated Voter ID Requirement
District 5 – will also have Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Remember: If you see an education session in another district that you really want to attend, you are welcome to register and attend any meeting you want.
Every district will also be holding a business meeting and one item on the agenda will be the election of District Directors for the 2015-2016 year.
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BOARD OF REVIEW
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All WMCA District meetings (except District 5) will also hold a Board of Review certification training. All Board members are welcome to register and attend any of the sessions listed, if you need to certify or re-certify. Check out the Board of Review webpage on the WMCA website for locations, times and to register on-line.
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| UW-GREEN BAY CLERKS INSTITUTE |
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The UW-Green Bay Clerks Institute is July 12 through the 17th this year. The Municipal Clerks Institute consists of three years of one-week programming which increases in difficulty. New students must sign up for Year One. The program is held annually and consists of 33-34 hours of classroom instruction per year for a total of 100 hours of the best education a Wisconsin municipal clerk can receive. Click here to go to the UW-GB website for full details.
After you have graduated from the Clerks Institute, the Master Academy of Civic & Public Affairs is a great next step to further your education. The Master Academy will be held July 27-30, 2015. Click here for the UW-GB webpage to watch for further details.
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35th Anniversary WMCA Conference
Education . . . Strength of a Mighty River |
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We are finalizing the last details and the full conference education line-up and registration forms will be emailed to you by the end of April. The conference educational line-up includes:
Tuesday – Pre-Conference Classes – the New Clerk’s Class; a half-day UW-Green Bay Master Academy class on Courageous Communication; and an Athenian Dialogue – “All the Kings Men.”
Wednesday – Spend your morning at Parliamentary Procedure Class or with the GAB-for the latest in legislative updates and what’s new with SVRS and the MyVote Wisconsin website. The afternoon will provide several opportunities to attend Vendor Demonstrations. Come and find the product you have been searching for.
Thursday – a full day of breakout sessions. 1 ½ hour classes with a wide range of topics of interest including Customer Service; Payroll Payouts/Terminations/Separations; the New Delinquent Utility law and Levy Limits and TIFs – and many more. There will be something for everyone!
Friday – we finish up the week with, “Reinvention Made Easy – Change Your Strategy, Change Your Results,” with Jim Matthis. Hopefully you will travel home on Friday afternoon full of new ideas, refreshed and rejuvenated.
Hopefully, you’ve made your hotel reservations for the 35th Annual WMCA Conference in La Crosse August 18-21. Hotel information can be found on the WMCA website.
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Ed2Go is Now Available
From UW-Green Bay Government Affairs
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| UW-Green Bay’s Government Affairs in partnership with Ed2Go is now offering over 300 online continuing education courses in a variety of topics. Our offerings are highly interactive and entirely over the Internet. All of our courses are led by expert instructors, affordable, fast and convenient. Sessions start monthly with a convenient six-week format. You have access 24/7. How good is that! You’ll receive an award of completion with a passing score.
Please go to our UW-GB website and click on Ed2Go. Explore our catalog. There is sure to be a course that fits your needs. This is another way UW-Green Bay Government Affairs is making education affordable and accessible to all.
Kassie Van Remortel
Director of Governmental Affairs and Economic Development
Office of Outreach and Adult Access
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Phone: 920.465.2468
E-mail: vanremok@uwgb.edu
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Grants Training
in Franklin / Milwaukee, WI
May 18-19, 2015
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Milwaukee County Sheriff's Training Academy and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grants workshop in Franklin / Milwaukee, May 18-19, 2015. This training is for grant seekers across all disciplines. Attend this class and you'll learn how to find grants and write winning grant proposals. Click here for full event details.
Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county and state agencies as well as nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities are encouraged to attend.
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Proclamation Signed for Clerks Week
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Governor Walker has signed a Proclamation making May 3-9th Municipal Clerks Week this year. Click here to open a copy of the Governor’s Proclamation. This is the 30th anniversary for this proclamation to the municipal clerks of Wisconsin. The first proclamation was signed in May 1985 by Governor Anthony S. Earl.
Many municipalities like to do their own proclamation at their local meetings. A sample proclamation is attached here. Happy Municipal Clerks Week everyone!
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Looking for Lifetime Achievement Award Nominees
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Now is the time to start thinking about nominating a clerk for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Nomination papers must be returned to the WMCA Executive Director via “Certified Mail” prior to June 15th. (A postmark of June 15th will not be accepted.)
The WMCA Lifetime Achievement Award is the recognition by one’s peers for a job well done, not just this year or last, but over a period of time. As we well know, the municipal clerk most often serves longer than any member of a governing body, thereby accumulating a record of civic contribution likely beyond that of the governing body. The clerk may be thought of as the silent public servant, but those in-the-know can testify to the scope of that service and its effectiveness.
Among the membership of our professional organization are qualified men and women whose receipt of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual conference in August would continue to validate the award.
If you know of a clerk deserving of this prestigious award, go to the WMCA website, under Programs to find the Lifetime Achievement Guidelines and Procedures and the Nomination form. There’s a lot of detail that must be submitted with the nomination, so don’t delay.
Teri Lehrke, WCPC
Lifetime Achievement Chair
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| BOR/Open Book Calendar Update |
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Last month, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue sent out an email to all clerks stating that to help better serve your municipality they created a 2015 Board of Review (BOR)/Open Book Calendar on-line. You can enter your BOR/Open Book information in the calendar and edit the information as needed.
The purpose of the calendar is to create a tool for property owners who reside out of town to have a one stop place to find out when Municipal Board of Reviews are held. Clerks should be aware that the web page does not list the location of the BOR. The Department of Revenue will look into including that for next year. The page does, however, list address information for the Clerk. The DOR suggested we alert our WMCA members that they are using the address they have on file for the clerk. For some small municipalities that may mean that your home address is displayed. You need to contact the Department of Revenue if you want the address changed on the calendar.
Here, again, are the instructions for entering information:
You must have a WAMS ID. If you don't have a WAMS ID, review these instructions.
Steps:
1. Visit the Board of Review Calendar Entry page: revenue.wi.gov/Internet/slfborcalendar-inquiry.html
2. Use your WAMS ID to login to the BOR/Open Book Calendar
3. Choose your county and municipality
4. Select the assessment type
5. Enter your municipality's BOR and Open Book information
6. Click "Save" to finish
Note: For more information, review these instructions
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