Burlington--The University of Vermont Extension Town Officers' Educational Conference (TOEC), offered annually to help town officials and citizen volunteers perform their jobs more effectively, will be held virtually this year.

The training will take place over three days with three live 60- to 90-minute sessions each day. The dates are April 12, 13 and 15.

Although all sessions are free to attend, registration is required. For details or to register, go to https://go.uvm.edu/toec2021. To request a disability-related accommodation, contact Virginia Jaquish at (802) 751-8307, ext. 351, or virginia.jaquish@uvm.edu by March 22.

On April 12, town officials may attend a session on the new grand list program and conversion updates; a panel discussion on the digitization of land records; and a presentation by Kelly Stoddard Poor, Vermont AARP's director of outreach, to explore creative place-making, a hands-on approach to enhancing public spaces.

Sessions on April 13 will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on property valuation from an assessor's point of view and an overview and update on Vermont's 2020 decennial census. Professor Paul Searls, Northern Vermont University, will describe how development vs. preservation and other contradictory goals shaped Vermont in the 20th century.

The conference will conclude on April 15 with an open forum for listers and two presentations on COVID-19. Tracy Dolan, Vermont Department of Health deputy commissioner, will address Vermont's response to COVID-19. Dr. Patsy Kelso, state epidemiologist, will discuss how the state prepared for the pandemic, the ongoing vaccination efforts and lessons learned over the past year.

TOEC is planned by UVM Extension in cooperation with the Vermont Department of Taxes' Property Valuation and Review Division, Vermont AARP, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Vermont Assessors and Listers Association, the Vermont Department of Libraries and UVM Center for Rural Studies.

If questions, email toec@uvm.edu.