TOEC on Across the Fence:

2018 Theme: Technology, Efficiency, and Collaboration: Innovations to Improve Municipal Practice

KEYNOTE PANEL: with Jim Condos, Vermont Secretary of State, John Quinn, Secretary of VT Agency of Digital Services and Chief Information Officer; Michael Schirling, Secretary of Agency of Commerce and Community Development.

Do you sense funding streams drying up or getting diverted away from your municipal work?  When this happens we look for ways to work smarter by turning our focus to innovative approaches like using technology, increasing efficiency and building collaborations.  These three approaches form the theme for our 2018 Conference looking for innovative ways to improve municipal practices.  Keynote panelists will share their state-level insight for Vermont and offer suggestions on how municipalities can incorporate these approaches to extend resources.

TOEC 2018 Agenda (PDF) April 2018

Technology and Municipal Government:  The Impact of Technology on Open Meeting Law and the Public Records Act, Jim Condos, Vermont Secretary of State

The Emergency Management Director (EMD) as Teambuilder, Emily Harris, MPA, Vermont Emergency Management

Solid Waste Management for Vermont Municipalies, Paul Tomasi & Bruce Westcott, Vermont Solid Waste District Manager’s Association (SWDMA)

Town Road Erosion Inventory and Drainage Management Standards for Town Highway Access Policies, Milly Archer, CFM, Vermont League of Cities & Towns; Download the VLCT Model Highway Access Policy (.DOCX)

Finding Efficiencies from Mapping the Assessment Process and Use of Metrics, John Vickery, Vermont Assessors and Listers Association (VALA)

2017 Theme: “Rural Economies in a Changing Demographic Landscape”

Keynote: “Building Unity, Direction and Priorities through Community Engagement,” Paul Costello

We are thrilled to welcome our 2017 Keynote speaker Paul Costello from the Vermont Council on Rural Development. Have you noticed how the same volunteers do most of the work in your town? Do you feel besieged by long lists of problems or ideas for initiatives that 'someone' should undertake to address?   Many towns face the same challenges of engaging their community in a way that establishes direction and leadership to advance common priorities. Paul will address effective ways to pull people together, to build a stronger community, to advance key projects, and to better connect to resources to help your town move forward.

About Paul Costello: Paul Costello has served as the Executive Director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development since 2000.  VCRD runs an annual Rural Summit, and conducts "Community Visits" that help rural communities build priorities, set action plans, and build connections to resources.  It also provides customized facilitation on rural development policy at the local, regional and state level.  Paul is a native Vermonter who attended UVM before earning a PhD in Intellectual History at McGill.

(above) Building Unity, Direction and Priorities through Community Engagement, Paul Costello Presentation Notes

Ingredients for Downtown & Village Revitalization, Lori Hirshfield, Town of Hartford Dept of Planning & Development

Ingredients for Downtown & Village Revitalization, Gary Holloway, VT Department of Housing and Community Development

Every Town Will Benefit from Statewide Parcel Mapping, Leslie Pelch, Vermont Center for Geographic Information

• Vermont Statewide Property Parcel Mapping Project & Program | Presentation Notes
• Top 10 List: Using Parcel Data

A few highlights and resources:

Plenary Session: Inventorying the Strengths and Assets in Your Community, by Shoshanah Inwood

• Presentation Slides (PDF)
• Using Community Capitals to Develop Assets for Positive Community Change (PDF)
• Mapping the Assets of Your Community: A Key Component for Building Local Capacity (PDF)

Slow It, Spread It and Sink It Using Green Stormwater Infrastructure, by Milly Archer and Becky Tharp

• Presentation Slides (PDF)
• Resources Handout (PDF)

TOEC on Across the Fence: