August 2015

Telephone: 218-743-3782 or 218-689-3592 Web-site: www.mcfoa.org

President

Terri Boese, CMC

City of Dassel

PO Box 391 Dassel, MN 55325

320-275-2454

Terri.boese@dassel.com

Vice President

Melissa Barker, MMC City of Plymouth

3400 Plymouth Blvd

Plymouth, MN 55447 Phone: 763-509-5305

mbarker@plymouthmn.gov

Secretary

Janet Lewis, CMC

City of Bloomington 1800 W Old Shakopee Road

Bloomington, MN 55431

Phone: 952-563-8700 janet.lewis004@gmail.com

Treasurer

Marita Rhude, MMMC

City of Barrett PO Box 155

Barrett, MN 55311

Phone: 320-528-2440 barrett@runestone.net

Director-at-Large

Renee Eckerly, CMC

City of Paynesville

221 Washburne Ave. Paynesville, MN 56362

Phone: 320-243-3714

ReneeE@paynesvillemn.com

Administrative Assistant

Angie Storlie, MMMC 40548 Co Rd 225

Bigfork, MN 56628

Phone: 218-743-3782 or 218-689-3592

astorlie@mcfoa.org

I’d like to start by sending out a huge thank you for allowing me to be your representative at the

annual IIMC conference in Hartford, CT in May. The opening ceremony was very impressive

and I will treasure the experience of representing MCFOA by carrying the Minnesota state flag. I

had the opportunity to be part of the parliamentary procedures by serving as an election judge. I

was surrounded by some of the most knowledgeable clerks in the world. Networking

opportunities included meeting clerks from the Netherlands to South Africa. Can you imagine

having 27 council members of 6 different political parties? I listened with eagerness as one of the

delegates described working with that many council members.

If you have not had the opportunity to attend an IIMC conference, I invite you to attend next May

when the conference will be held in Omaha, NE. I guarantee you will gain invaluable education

and networking experiences. Can anyone say “road trip?” Speaking of road trip, Vice President,

Melissa Barker and I enjoyed spending a few days after the Hartford conference traveling around

New England. We got to see 7 states, 6 state capitals and fabulous scenery during our 4 day

whirlwind tour.

I also had the opportunity to attend the Iowa Clerk’s conference in June and will be attending the

Wisconsin Clerk’s conference in August.

I’ve had the privilege of attending several clerks’ retirement parties and presenting resolutions on

behalf of the MCFOA. I have been to two Regional meetings and am looking forward to

attending a meeting in each of the remaining four regions. It has been a busy summer indeed.

Don’t forget to sign up and join me for the Advanced Academy coming up in Bemidji on

September 10th & 11th. The education committee has another great line up of learning

opportunities.

The Conference Planning Committee and GTS staff have reviewed your survey responses and are

planning an education and networking packed week for you in St. Cloud, March 15-18, 2016.

I’m excited to announce that we’ve recruited one of the outstanding speakers from the Iowa

Clerk’s conference to be a general session speaker. Christopher Carter is a mentalist and will

amaze you with his talent. He has also been scheduled to entertain us on Thursday evening.

The next board meeting will be held on August 28th in St. Cloud. I encourage you to attend if you

are able. As always, if there is something you would like the Board to discuss, or you have any

questions please feel free to contact me.

Enjoy the remainder of summer and the fall foliage, as cold weather will soon be upon us.

Once again, let me say it is my privilege to serve as your president.

A World of Opportunities Awaits you in St. Cloud

Annual Conference: March 15-18, 2016

Greetings - Goodag - Aloha - Ciao - Gia’sou - Sawubona

LONNIE NEUNER, VP

CITY CLERK

P.O. Box 239

LAKE PARK, MN 56554 PHONE: (218) 238-5532 lneuner@lakeparkmn.com

Hello to everyone in Region I. We are over half way through the summer and lately it has been a warm one! Just think, in a year from

now everyone will be going through election training. I’m sure everyone enjoys those long trainings as much as I do.

Thanks to James Leiman, the new Administrator for Ada, for hosting our region meeting in May. Our next region meeting will be held in

the City of Callaway and hosted by Shelly Dillon. A date has not yet been decided but it will be in late August or early September. As

always, to better serve you and provide educational opportunities of interest either by discussing a topic with the group or having a

speaker, I would appreciate any input you have on possible training topics. If you wish to provide us with some ideas for session topics, or

volunteer to host a future region meeting, please contact me.

I hope everyone has fun with their parades, town festivals and budget planning. See you soon!

KIM GIBEAU, VP

CITY CLERK

402 N POKEGAMA AVE

GRAND RAPIDS, MN 55744

PHONE: (218)-326.6711

kgibeau@ci.grand-rapids.mn.us

“The City is what it is because our citizens are what they are.”

~Plato

True, yes!?!?! The people that live and work in our communities

are, indeed, what makes each City unique. Upon returning from

a recent vacation, I did the things we all do. I rifled through my

inbox and email, chatted up the Department Heads, and visited

with the Mayor, trying to find the balance that we seem to lose

when we’re away from our “space” for a time. Like a newborn

fawn trying legs for the first time, I tend to wobble around a bit.

And then it happens! A familiar face from the community

appears. A business owner, a recent graduate or that resident

who likes to go for walks and City Hall happens to be a place to

stop and visit. All of a sudden, balance. Because that’s why

we’re here. That’s why we do what we do. For them. Yeah, it’s

pretty awesome! Just a silly moment of sharing before getting on

with business.

Region II hosted two trainings for Data Practices, first in May at

the City of Breezy Point and then in June at the City of Two

Harbors. Between the two, we had 48 attendees! Thank you to

the cities that hosted. As we move forward, our next trainings

are tentatively scheduled for October 22nd & October 23rd, in

Pillager and Tower. We are still working on the details but plan

to have presentations on pay equity, meeting procedures and

minutes and conflict of interest. If you have other topics that you

would like to see covered, please let me know asap and I’ll do

my best to get them in the fall.

And because I’m a planner, I want to remind everyone that my

term as VP will be up in March 2016. This has been an amazing

opportunity and I thank you all for your patience and support. If

you are interested in serving the MCFOA in this capacity, or as

the Assistant VP, please complete the Board Application Form

on the MCFOA website.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and may your fall be filled with

ever changing color!

MARTY BODE, VP ADMINISTRATOR-CLERK-TREASURER

PO BOX 400

RICHMOND, MN 56368

PHONE: (320)597-2075

mbode@ci.richmond.mn.us

Greetings from Region III. I would like to introduce Thomas

Schmitz as the new Region III Assistant Vice President. Tom has

been the City Administrator of the City of Browns Valley for

almost three years. Prior to this position Tom was the Traverse

County Director of Emergency Management for 6 years and at the

same time was also a Emergency Preparedness Planner for West

Central Environmental Consultants. Tom is also a retired EMT of

30 plus years. Welcome aboard, Tom.

We are in the early phase of planning our next Region III training

and meeting to be held on Wednesday, October 14 and Angela

Jacobson of the City of Osakis has agreed to be the host City.

Please mark your calendar. We are still working on a topic so if

you have some ideas on a great topics let me know. Also, for

future meeting if you have any suggestions for topics and or

would like to host a Region III meeting, let me know. Please feel

free to call or email me if you have any questions or concerns.

The last Region III meeting was held June 10, in Alexandria and

was well attended. Captain Scott Kent of the Alexandria Police

Department presented on “Workplace Violence and Dealing With

Difficult Customers”. Steve Wischmann, partner with KDV,

discussed “Your City - Are You At Risk For Fraud?” We ended

the day with a walking tour of the downtown area that recently

went through a street and sidewalk reconstruction. Our tour guide

was Tim Schoonhoven, PE with Widseth Smith Nolting. Thank

you to all the presenters and to those who attended. Also, thank

you to the City of Alexandria and Kathy Summer for hosting the

meeting! Great job!

I did attend the IIMC conference in Connecticut this past May and

it was a great conference. Next year’s conference is in Omaha

Nebraska. I would encourage you to consider attending. It will be

a great car-pooling opportunity and I’m sure you will not regret it!

Will someone please slow the clock down, I love summer and it is

going by way too fast!

BETSY SNYDER, VP

CITY CLERK/TREASURER

PO BOX 9

MILROY, MN 56263

PHONE: (507) 336-2495

milroy@means.net

Hello Region V Members!

On June 17, 2015 our region had 12 participants attend “City

Hall safety, protecting yourself and city staff” at the City of

Wood Lake. Thank You to Brenda Drager for making us feel

welcome!

Mark your calendars for Friday, September 18, 2015. Our next

Region Meeting will be held at the Grandview Valley Winery

near Belview, MN. The topic is yet to be determined.

If anyone would like to host an upcoming meeting please let me

know! If you know of anyone who would be a good speaker or

a topic that you are interested in please send me an email!

AUDRA ETZEL, VP

DEPUTY CLERK

6031 MAIN STREET

ROCKFORD, MN 55353

PHONE: (763)-477-6565

audrae@cityofrockford.org

Greetings Region IV

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, August 12th. We will have a

Regional Meeting in West St. Paul to discuss: Legislative

Updates/Employment Applications and Gambling. In September

we will have a meeting to discuss liquor issues with MN Dept of

Alcohol and Gambling on licensing brew pubs, distilleries, etc…

And a session on document imaging work flow is being

considered. Watch for an email update on these events. Contact

Audra or Cathy if you have meeting suggestions!

Now that it is the 2016 budget season, consider attending the

following: MCFOA Conference in March, Minnesota Municipal

Clerks Institute (1 week a year for three years) in May, IIMC’s

Annual Conference located in Nebraska in May, Advanced

Academy in September. To fit these great opportunities into your

budget, consider carpooling and sharing a room.

Remember, if you or an MCFOA member is retiring, please let me

know and we’ll help celebrate their years of service as a city

employee!

If you are not getting the Region IV email updates and would like

to receive them, please email your contact information to:

audrae@cityofrockford.org.

Audra Etzel and Cathy Sorensen

Region IV President Region IV Assistant President

LINDA RAPPE, VP

CITY CLERK

401 5TH STREET SE

KASSON, MN 55944

PHONE: (507) 634-6324

cityclerk@cityofkasson.com

I have to apologize for not having a meeting since February. But I

am going to make this up with a bang! As I am writing this we

have a meeting planned for tomorrow, July 23 in Lake City. Can

you think of a better place to be in July!!! Steve Pedersen from the

Gambling Control board will talk about Bingo, pull tabs and

raffles! August 27 Stephanie Pocklington has invited us to Pine

Island to listen to Greg Van Wormer from the League of MN

Cities regale us about Cyber Security and Sean Scrampton from

Cities Digital will give a demonstration on Laserfiche. Heather is

planning a meeting for end of Sept/Oct at their local brewery in

Montgomery. The Bureau of Alcohol and Gambling will be there

to tell us about licensing tap rooms and brew pubs and I will have

a session on filling out your certification paperwork for MCFOA

and IIMC. Bring your forms and information and we will have

one on one time to get it all filled out and ready for you to send in

when you get back to the office! If you have other suggestions

please let us know or if you have ideas on speakers that is also

helpful. If you would like to host a meeting please contact me or

Heather.

I would like to extend a special Congratulations to Sue Cain from

Elgin. Sue will be retiring August 31 after 10 years in Elgin.

Jerilyn Horton-Schuman will be taking Sue’s position and working

with her starting August 3. Welcome Jerilyn! Please feel free to

call on me, Heather or any of your fellow clerks with questions

you may have! My contact information is above. Heather’s is:

Heather Slechta, Assistant Vice President

City of Montgomery (507)-364-8888

hslechta@cityofmontgomerymn.com

2015-2016 Membership Dues

MCFOA’s Membership year runs from July 1 to June 30 of each year. Renewal notices for the 2015-2016 membership year were sent out in May. Reminder notices will be sent in August to those members who have not yet renewed their dues for the year. A few things to remember: 1. Members sometimes pay their dues in January or February,

just before the annual conference, but remember that dues paid at that time are for the current membership year, not the upcoming year.

2. It is the member’s responsibility to get back into the correct rotation for paying dues.

3. It is VERY important to return a membership application with your payment so that our Treasurer and Administrative Assistant know who the payment is for.

4. Please make sure you are mailing your form and payment to the current year Treasurer, Marita Rhude at the City of Barrett.

If you would like to verify if your 2015-2016 dues have been paid yet, please email Administrative Assistant Angie Storlie at astorlie@mcfoa.org

IIMC Region VI Director update

Anne Uecker, City Clerk/Treasurer, St. Francis, WI

anne.uecker@stfranwi.org (414)316-4305

Pam DeMouth, City Clerk, Ankeny, Iowa

pdemouth@ankenyiowa.gov (515)965-6405

“Seasons Change and So Do We” was the theme for the 2015 IIMC conference held in

Hartford Connecticut. It was the first year for the four day conference opposed to the

five day schedule in previous years. For those of you who attended the conference, we

would love to hear any thoughts/suggestions you would like to share regarding this

change.

At the annual member meeting held May 20th, during the Hartford conference, two

separate requests relating to the IIMC Constitution were submitted for

consideration. The requests relate to the following: a) The first request pertains to the

election of the incoming Vice President of IIMC and the consideration of possible changes

to the current process; and b) The second request pertains to any proposed constitutional

amendment being distributed to the entire membership prior to discussion at the Annual

Business Meeting.

IIMC President Monica Simmons, established a Constitution Task Force for the purpose

of reviewing the two requests and issuing subsequent Task Force findings and

recommendations for consideration by the Board of Directors during the November 2015

mid-year meeting. To ensure broad representation on the Task Force, she requested the

nomination of one region member representative from each of the eleven regions. We are

happy to say that Anne and I nominated Daniel Buchholtz, Administrator, Clerk/

Treasurer of City of Spring Lake Park, MN to serve on the Task Force for Region VI.

We know Dan will be a good representative on this task force.

For those of you who are not members of IIMC, we would encourage you to consider

membership. IIMC is 10,000 plus members strong and we would love you to become a

member of this great organization. As a member, you would have the opportunity to

attend the May, 2016 conference in Omaha, Nebraska. A great opportunity as Omaha,

Nebraska is right in the middle of the Midwest…so close. Many of you could possibly

drive, car-pool or charter bus. I know the Omaha City Clerk and Nebraska clerks are

planning a great conference with many fun events. Scholarship opportunities are

available to assist with the cost of the conference registration. Feel free to contact Anne

or myself and we would be happy to provide you information on those scholarship

opportunities.

Lastly, Anne and I would like to thank Linda Rappe, City Clerk, City of Kasson, MN for

her great service as Region VI Director for the past three years. She represented all

Minnesota Clerks, as well as Iowa and Wisconsin Clerks, proudly. Thank you, Linda!

News from the Institute Director’s desk!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer! I entered the season feeling great about the outstanding final participant numbers for

this spring’s Minnesota Municipal Clerks Institute (MMCI). We had 130 total attendees, with a rise in numbers for all classes, and the

largest year one class to date! Congratulations to all of our hard-working 2015 graduates!

This year, in preparation for the MMCI, the team at SCSU did more to spread the word about our educational offerings that have clerks

in mind. We also worked hard to more thoroughly and clearly communicate Institute policies to attendees. Finally, this year we added a

President’s Luncheon that contained valuable certification information as well as a much-appreciated visit from the Secretary of State,

Steve Simon. In the months moving forward, we will be working with the Institute Committee to further enhance the Institute

curriculum. So look for updates on that in the future!

Soon after the MMCI, I had the pleasure of representing our state for the first time as an Institute Director at the IIMC conference in

Hartford, Connecticut. Networking with other Institute Directors was extremely beneficial and gave me many ideas for potential use in

the curriculum work mentioned above.

In other news, the Advanced Academy Committee and I are looking forward to this year’s Advanced Academy, to be held September

10 and 11 in Bemidji at The Sanford Center, with a focus on project management. Attendees will learn to manage projects under the

constraints of scope, cost, and time, to successfully achieve specific objectives. One component of the program will be learning to

manage resources efficiently using Neurolinguistic Programming, a skills toolkit focused on science-based communication that teaches

people how to understand, identify, and manage people and patterns. Members of the Advanced Academy Committee and I recently

held a meeting with our instructors to discuss specific examples of real-world problems in the day-to-day life of clerks, with which case

studies will be developed for participant exercises at the event. Registration information is available at: www.scsutraining.com/MCAA.

I look forward to seeing some of you at the Advanced Academy in September, and as always please feel free to reach out to me with

ideas or questions.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Jennifer Janasie

320-308-3050

jjanasie@stcloudstate.edu

What Is An Athenian Dialogue? Dialogues are conversations that go beyond the usual knowledge recall and application process familiar to all municipal clerks in training seminars. They are unique because they explore leadership principles and practice, drawing on the insights contained in a book that all participants have read. Dialogues are conversations in which clerks share their experience and understanding as it relates to the ideas of the author and the relevance of those ideas to their public leadership role. The premise of the Athenian Dialogue Society is the idea that clerks are leaders in very profound yet subtle ways. Leadership here is not the transactional vending machine citizens seem to believe about public management. The interest and involvement of the participants, as well as the author's specific focus and emphasis, require that the facilitator move with purpose using language of meaning, feeling, and power. Participants devote a full day (6 hours) to a Dialogue and come away intellectually enriched by this communication experience. Clerk leadership is more transformational in nature. That is to say, the contribution of clerks to municipal leadership changes the perception of colleagues and citizens about the role and purpose of government.

How does an Athenian Dialogue Work?

Participates read the selected/approved book prior to the Dialogue. The day of the dialogue, a facilitator will lead the group in

a 6 hour discussion about the book and its leadership qualities. All participates will receive a certificate of attendance. If you

would like to earn 3 points towards your certifications you must complete an assessment assigned by the facilitator after the

dialogue. If you attend 10 Dialogues you can become an Athenian Leadership Society Fellow by applying to the IIMC.

Watch upcoming newsletters from the MCFOA and IIMC for details on Athenian Dialogues

scheduled in your area.

MCFOA offers a World of Opportunities in 2016

Planning for the March 15-18, 2016 MCFOA Annual Conference is well underway, thanks to the Planning Committee

and to the many members who took part in the planning survey. Watch the MCFOA website and GTS website for

updates and registration information over the coming months.

While March 2016 seems a long way away, it’s not too early to make your hotel reservations in St. Cloud. To do so,

download the lodging form from MCFOA's event homepage on the GTS website, http://mngts.org/MCFOA/. Or click on

the link MCFOA Lodging Form.

This year’s conference will feature election-related pre-conference and general sessions and a bank of three-hour

workshops on Wednesday afternoon. In addition to the new Secretary of State, the keynote speakers will be Mark

Lindquist and Chris Carter.

If you know of a vendor that you feel would be a benefit to have at the exhibit show, please forward this information to

Karen Beaulieu, Conference & Tradeshow Manager, or have the vendor get in touch with her at kbeaulieu@mngts.org.

SUMMER & FALL 2015

LAND USE PLANNING WORKSHOPS

The Basics of Planning and Zoning Thursday, September 10, 2015

Shoreview Community Center in Shoreview, MN (full-day) - $135

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Sanford Convention Center, Bemidji (in conjunction with the 2015

APA Minnesota Conference) (morning) - $70

Beyond the Basics of Planning and Zoning (full day)

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Shoreview Community Center in Shoreview, MN - $135

A Practical Guide to Variances in Shorelands and Floodplains (afternoon) Thursday, October 22, 2015 Best Western Kelly Inn in St. Cloud, MN - $70

Comprehensive Planning -- It’s Not The Same Old, Same Old (full day) Wednesday, October 28, 2015 Doubletree by Hilton in Bloomington - $110

To register: Please go to www.mngts.org and click on the Land Use title.

The MCFOA wishes a very Happy Retirement to the following members:

John (Jac) Kleinschmidt, City of Morgan - 42 years of service

Wanda Berg-Vorgert, City of Battle Lake - 19 years of service

Pat Nusbaum, City of Elysian - 4 years of service

Catherine Ekstrand, City of Blaine - 10 years of service

Doris Nivala, City of Ham Lake - 36 1/2 years of service

MCFOA Board members enjoying

the banquet at the IIMC

conference in Hartford, CT.

Minnesota Municipal Clerks Institute 2015 Graduates

Lisa Acker (Deputy Clerk)

City of Red Wing

Cindy Anderson (Utility Billing Clerk)

City of Richmond

Adam Bell (City Clerk)

City of Lake Elmo

Jane Blank (City Clerk/Treasurer)

City of Beaver Creek

Andrew Carlson (City Clerk/Treasurer)

City of Cokato

Phillip Dassinger (Clerk)

City of Ogema

Tara DeGuiseppi (Clerk/Treasurer)

City of Bovey

Tracey Hartung (Clerk/Treasurer)

City of Carlton

Sandra Hennen (Clerk-Treasurer)

City of Echo

Karissa Henning (HR/Deputy Clerk)

City of Isanti

Claire Huisman (Clerk Assistant)

City of Ely

Shawna Jenkins (City Clerk)

City of Princeton

Rebecca Jurrens (City Clerk)

City of Taunton

Jodi Knaus (Clerk/Office Manager)

White Township

Erin Konkel (City Clerk/Treasurer)

City of Spring Grove

Karin Krueger (Deputy Clerk)

City of Aurora

Shelli Krueth (Clerk/Treasurer)

City of Kelliher

Ella Kruse (Deputy Clerk)

City of Brownton

Kristi Kvaal (Administrative Assistant)

City of Dawson

Tori Leonhardt (Accounting Clerk)

White Bear Township

Shannon Mackey (Deputy Clerk)

City of Biwabik

Nancy Malecha (Finance Administrator/Deputy City Clerk)

City of Pequot Lakes

Margaret McCallum (Assistant to the City Administrator)

City of Maple Plain

Lorene McWaters (Executive Assistant)

City of Eden Prairie

Sandra Meer (Clerk/Treasurer)

City of Holdingford

Megan Nelson (Executive Assistant)

City of East Grand Forks

Kim Points (Administrator/Clerk)

City of Willernie

Thomas Schmitz (Administrator)

City of Browns Valley

Mary Schneider (Clerk Treasurer)

City of Loretto

Heather Slechta (Clerk-Treasurer)

City of Montgomery

Annita Smythe (City Administrator)

City of Cokato

Vicky Sons-Eiden (Deputy Clerk)

City of Carver

Krista Weigel (Administrative/Program Assistant)

City of Kasson