Over 300 mayors and officials from villages, towns and cities throughout the state will gather at The Crowne Plaza and Conference Center from Tuesday to Thursday, Feb. 19-21, for the Louisiana Municipal Association’s Annual Mid-Winter Conference for Municipal Officials.

More than 20 speakers will provide some 14 workshop sessions at this conference.

“This annual conference for mayors, council members and municipal administrators provides an opportunity to address issues of concern to local governments. Through education, networking, and an introduction to all of the services provided by the Louisiana Municipal Association, elected officials and local administrators are provided with information to become more effective leaders in their communities,” said LMA President Hilda D. Curry, mayor of New Iberia.

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Melvin L. “Kip” Holden, a past president of the Louisiana Conference of Mayors and former LMA vice president at large, will welcome delegates to the Capital City.

Additionally, we are delighted to have United States Senator David Vitter of Louisiana join the conference as the guest speaker for the luncheon program.

Delegates will hear these topics and speakers over the three days of the conference:

TUESDAY, FEB. 19 (1:30 p.m.-6 p.m.)

• Chief Elected Officials Emergency Management- Kevin Davis, Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

• Code of Governmental Ethics for Municipal Officials and Employees - Brent Durham, Louisiana State Board of Ethics

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20 (8:15 a.m.-5 p.m.)

• LA Center for Afterschool Learning- Dara Shackelford, Director, LA Center for Afterschool Learning

• Economic/Community Development for Municipal Officials- Skip Smart, Director Community Competiveness, Louisiana Economic Development

• Liability Issues- Jerry Cronin, General Manager, Risk Management

• Municipal Budgeting Process- Panelists: David Riggins; David Medlin; Nnamdi Thompson, Financial Advisors, Government Consultants

• Best Practices and Internal Controls- Joy Irwin, Director of Advisory Services, Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office

• Road and Transportation Resources and Opportunities for Louisiana Municipalities- Marie Walsh, Director, LA Technical Assistance Program/Local Road Safety Program Center; Ann Willis, Director of Local Technical Assistance Program, LTRC; and Mary Stringfellow, Program Delivery Team Leader, LA Division of Federal Highway Administration

• Auditing Issues- Freddy Smith, Postlethwaite & Netterville

• Retirement Issues- Bob Rust, Executive Director, Municipal Employees’ Retirement System

THURSDAY, FEB. 21 (8:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m.)

• Labor Issues- Don Strobel, consultant, Labor Consultants, Inc.

• Mayor’s Court- Jerry Guillot, Chief of Staff, Louisiana State Senate, and Attorney, Town of Rosedale

• The Lawrason Act- Jerry Guillot, Chief of Staff, Louisiana State Senate, and Attorney, Town of Rosedale

• LMA Services & Programs for Municipalities, Panelists: Mike Walker, LMA Information Technology Director; George Marretta, LMA Research Director; Cliff Palmer, LaMATS/Revenue Discovery Systems (RDS); Jerry Cronin, General Manager, Risk Management Inc.

LMA First Vice President Vern Breland, mayor of Sterlington, and LMA Second Vice President David Camardelle, mayor of Grand Isle, will also have leadership roles at the conference.

Conference sponsors are Government Consultants Inc., Baton Rouge; Orleans Capital Management, Inc., New Orleans; Louisiana Asset Management Pool, New Orleans; Risk Management, Inc., Baton Rouge; Municode/Municipal Code Corporation, Tallahassee, FL; and Precision Concrete Cutting, Houma.

Conference exhibitors include Office of U.S. Senator David Vitter, Louisiana Center for Afterschool Learning- Education’s Next Horizon, Siemens Infrastructure & Cities, Entergy Corp/Louisiana Gas Association, Louisiana Municipal Advisory and Technical Services/Revenue Discovery Systems, and Louisiana Economic Development.