Inside This Issue
SPRING TRAINING CAMP |
District 1, 2, 7 & 8 - watch your email for the northern Wisconsin Training Days brochure. This year's 2-day training "camp" will be held May 4-5, 2017, at The Waters of Minocqua.
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DISTRICT MEETINGS COMING UP |
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District 4 - March 2 - at the Buffalo Phil's Restaurant in Wisc. Dells. (Registration closed.)
District 5 - March 2 - at the DoubleTree Hotel in Brookfield (Registration deadline is Monday)
**REMEMBER: You may attend any District meeting that is of interest for you. It does not have to be in your district.
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BOARD OF REVIEW CLASSES |
The DOR & WMCA are in the process of training the Trainers for the 2017-2018 training years.
Please watch your email and the next E-Newsletters for 2017 Board of Review class dates and locations. |
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Dues Renewal Payments
Have you paid your dues for 2017. Please get your payment in before March 15. After that you could be removed from Clerklist, Log-in area, and the Membership Directory.
Remember: If you are working toward certification, you need to have continuous membership to receive and retain that certification.
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| Would You Like a Hawaiian Vacation? |
The International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) has an educational foundation (IIMC Foundation) that runs fundraisers to generate fund for scholarships for their education programs. One of the most popular fundraisers is their Hawaiian Trip. Click here for a flyer with full information of how to enter.
You do not need to be a member and you do not have to be present to win.
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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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February Message from
President Chris Astrella
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Can you believe we’re already past the half way point of February? 2017 is FLYING by…and before you know it summer will be here. I hope everyone is enjoying a small taste of spring and gearing up for a two-election year, then a well-deserved break from elections until 2018.
After only meeting in October, the WMCA Board of Directors met twice in three weeks and has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. We selected a new web site vendor, approved a social media policy, a Facebook page (!), and referred one Constitutional Revision to the Manuals Committee to bring forth to you this summer. The board has been great to work with and supremely focused on being task oriented, while having a little fun too. I know each President believes their board is the best; the current board is living up to the expectations I have set for them and raising the bar from previous boards. It’s an honor to work with them.
A new feature I’ll be bringing to my monthly message is the recognition of retiring clerks and clerks that are moving on from the profession. As you may know, clerks who have been members for 10 years or more become a Clerk-at-Heart when they retire or leave the profession; and the only way we know is if you tell us! If you know of someone moving on, or if you are moving on, send an email to our Executive Director, Faith, at coordinator@wisclerks.org. She’ll make sure to let me know and I’ll make a special note of it in my monthly message! Below are the clerks that have retired since August 1st of last year, and you’ll see one at the bottom that’s about to:
Jim Anderson, Clerk, City of Marinette; Retired: August 2016
Vicki Marie Busick, Clerk, Town of Birchwood; Retired: July 2016
Sandy Grenlie, Clerk/Treasurer, Town of Farmington; Retired: Dec. 2016
Carol Strause, Clerk/Treasurer, Village of Brooklyn; Retired: August 2016
Michael F. Weber, Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer, Village of Hales Corner; Retired: Dec. 2016
Joan Dykstra, Clerk/Treasurer, Village of Johnson Creek; Retiring: 3/17/2017
Join me in congratulating them on their years of service to their municipalities, neighbors and colleagues. The knowledge and history you all have brought will be missed, but I think I speak for everyone they’ve all run their last election!
I hope each of you is having a great start to 2017 like I am, and are looking forward to some warmer temperatures and more sunshine (and baseball!). As always, the honor of being your President is mine, one that I am proud to hold. Thank you for the opportunity and I hope to see you in my travels around Wisconsin!
Chris Astrella WCPC
WMCA President
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Shop! Shop! Shop! and let WCEF be your cause
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Are you an on-line shopper? The next time you need to purchase something on-line, consider using AmazonSmile and iGive. These are organizations that donate a percentage of your purchase to charitable organizations. And guess what? WCEF is a charitable organization! Here’s is some information about these oh, so easy fundraising opportunities:
In 2016, WCEF registered for iGive, and your District Directors helped to spread the word by handing out information at district meetings/trainings. It’s been a slow start, but it’s still a fundraising effort for WCEF to continue to pursue.
Here’s the information: Shopping via iGive is essentially a store rebate program where iGive members have the opportunity to donate their rebate to their chosen cause. iGive receives compensation beyond the posted donation amounts, and many stores pay to advertise on our site. We manage with a streamlined overhead, and use of the best in automated systems to provide our members and causes with this free service. When iGive members shop via our special links, an "iGive Cookie" is assigned to your browser. This tells the store, "Here is an iGive Member" using a meaningless member ID number. The store reports back with this number and the amounts for the donation to your cause. We never have access to any payment information.
Click here for the website to sign up to iGive.com.
After using an iGive link to the store's website, you shop as you normally would. There are no extra steps, no iGive notifications when making payments. The donations happen behind the scenes, and often the store's support teams are unaware of the iGive Affiliate Program.
350,000+ shoppers since 1997 have donated more than $7 million to over 35,000 charitable organizations. iGive members average $100+ annually for their cause. 350,000 people are helping the causes they care about, simply by shopping, and all for free. Whether the cause is big or small, it always needs more money to accomplish its goals. You can help, simply by doing what you normally do, at no cost to you or your cause.
AmazonSmile
Many of you are probably already familiar with AmazonSmile, but here’s the information: AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.
How does AmazonSmile work? When first visiting AmazonSmile, customers are prompted to select a charitable organization from almost one million eligible organizations. In order to browse or shop at AmazonSmile, customers must first select a charitable organization. For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the customer’s selected charitable organization. Is there any cost to charitable organizations or to customers? No. There is no cost to charitable organizations or to AmazonSmile customers. The shopping experience is identical to Amazon.com with the added benefit that the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate to the charitable organizations selected by customers.
So Shop! Shop! Shop! and let WCEF be your cause J
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 Let's Work Together
Professional organizations and associations (like the League of WI Municipalities, Wisconsin City Managers Association, Wisconsin Towns Association) have reached out to WMCA in order to share information they feel would benefit clerks. The WMCA Board of Directors agrees cooperating and sharing information with them is the best for you!
As you will read from the following articles we will be cooperating with these organizations, and others, to help you get the latest and greatest education you need. Keep an eye out for more in the future and as always if you have suggestions for further opportunities, please let us know! |
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| After a Successful 2016, Focus on Energy is Providing even more Options for Agriculture, Schools and Government Facilities to save Energy and Money
Madison Wis. (February 2017)— Focus on Energy’s Agriculture, Schools and Government (AgSG) Program provides cash incentives to aid in the installation of energy efficient equipment. Customers eligible for this beneficial program include: agricultural producers, tribes, federal, state, county and municipal entities, water and wastewater facilities, K-12 schools, colleges and universities. In 2016 alone, this statewide program provided nearly $6.4 million in financial incentives to more than 1,150 Wisconsin agriculture, schools and government facilities. Through their participation, these facilities have saved a total of $11,121,065 on their energy bills.
The AgSG Program is determined to make 2017 a year of savings for all qualified customers. Special offerings have been created for each sector including: a Multiple Equipment Bonus for agricultural customers, a Water and Wastewater Bonus and Wastewater Bridge Initiative for water and wastewater facilities, and a Comprehensive Lighting Initiative for all eligible AgSG businesses.
Focus on Energy is continuing to offer a Delivering Energy Efficiency Together (DEET), an initiative that rewards K-12 schools for reducing their energy consumption through energy-smart choices like turning off lights in unoccupied classrooms. Currently the three school districts participating in the DEET initiative have earned $36,896 in incentives during their first year in the program. These districts are loving the significant savings they are seeing just by making small, everyday changes.
“For over 14 years, our staff has been conserving energy, so it’s great our buildings can now receive an incentive to do even better. Participating in the DEET initiative has been a good fit for all our school facilities,” said Kermit King, Energy Manager for the La Crosse School District.
These unique opportunities, plus custom incentive rates of $0.03/kWh, $100/peak kW, and $0.60/Therm equal a continuum of savings that customers of qualifying electric and natural gas providers will not want to miss. In addition to these exclusive offerings, the AgSG Program provides expert Energy Advisors located throughout the state to help guide customers through potential energy saving projects and assist them in receiving the proper incentives.
To learn more about Focus on Energy offering details and to find an Energy Advisor near you, visit focusonenergy.com/AgSG or call 888-947-7828 to speak with an AgSG representative.
About Focus on Energy
Focus on Energy is Wisconsin utilities' statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource program funded by the state's investor-owned energy utilities and participating municipal and electric cooperative utilities. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus on Energy information, resources and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect our environment and control Wisconsin's growing demand for electricity and natural gas. For more information call 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.
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ARMA Milwaukee invites you
to their next meeting |
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On March 29, 2017 ARMA Milwaukee will be holding their bi-monthly meeting and Mr. Joseph Suster of NARA Chicago branch will be presenting the topic of current trends in government records. Details are available at this link. https://armamilwaukee.org/calendar-of-events/
The meeting will run from 7:30 - 11 am at the Radisson Hotel at 2303 N. Mayfair Rd., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The cost is $35 and includes breakfast.
Currently ARMA-Milwaukee chapter only has two municipal government members, and ARMA feels like it is an opportunity missed for other cities, towns and villages not to also be involved. ARMA Membership is not necessary to attend the meeting, but hopefully after seeing what ARMA has to offer, many would join.
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Last Chance to Become a Board of Review Trainer for WMCA
Looking for Volunteers from
District 1, 3, & 6 |
The WMCA is looking for a few new members of our Board of Review training team this year. We could use a volunteer or two from Districts 1, 3, and 6. Training dates are set to start next week at the Department of Revenue, so if you are interested in becoming a trainer, please contact Executive Director Faith Elford at coordinator@wisclerks.org right away.
This is a volunteer position. You do earn points toward your WCPC certification for being a trainer. You cannot just use this training to train your own board. You must agree to do at least one training a year that is open to everyone. The Executive Director helps you set the dates and locations of your training; takes in the registrations and provides you with the materials and sign in sheet for your training day. You really just need to show up and do the training.
We do hope you will consider becoming a WMCA Board of Review trainer.
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UW-Green Bay Announces
the 2017 Municipal Clerks & Treasurers Institute Brochure
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A printable brochure for the Municipal Clerks and Treasurers Institute is now available on our website at: www.uwgb.edu/govt.
WMCA offers full and partial scholarships. You can find the applications on WMCA’s website under the heading PROGRAMS. Scholarship applications are due April 15, 1017. It is important that you file on time and send the documentation required. Those applications that are incomplete are disqualified immediately. There are lots of scholarships available both full and partial. Anyone who really wants to come to the Institute can come. Don’t wait to file your paperwork. You don’t want to miss out.
Register today for the Clerks and Treasurers Institute. It is an Experience of Lasting Value.
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Click here to go to the Red Wing Software website.
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Our Associate members support the WMCA by purchasing ad space in our E-Newsletters and on our website. Remember the next time you need to buy new equipment or services, see what the WMCA Associates have to offer.
[Contact the WMCA Office for details for posting your ad here.]
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