LCMLetterNews you can use
January 8, 2013
In this issue
:: LCML January 17 Meeting
:: CMAQ Call for Projecets
:: LCML Strategic Plan
Greetings and Happy New Year!
The LCMLetter is published twice a month and its goal is to keep Lake County Municipal League members informed on municipal issues. As issues relevant to municipal officials arise, the LCMLetter will provide you with a synopsis of the issues and provide you with a link for further details.
LCML January 17 Membership Meeting

New Location

 

Michael Stevens, Lake County Partners, discusses the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy developed through Municipal Partner Focus Groups

 

Thursday, January 17

6:30 pm carving station buffet      

7:00 pm program

The Forge of Vernon Hill
634 S. Milwaukee
$30 per person

 

Please email to lcml@sbcglobal.net, call (847) 270-3126 or click here for credit card reservations. Reservations must be made by January 14. No-shows will be billed without cancellation.

CMAQ Call for Projects

Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program call for projects was released recently. Municipalities must submit an application to Lake County Council of Mayors planning liaison (Bruce Christensen bchristensen@lakecountyil.gov) by January 22. The final deadline for all applications to CMAP is February 8.
2013 LCML Cooperative Purchasing Program

The LCML Cooperative Purchasing Program will include the following items:

1. Crack sealing
2. Pavement marking
3. Street sweeping
4. Sewers - including lining, cleaning and television (your option)
5. Tree trimming/tree removal

Click for the Intergovernmental Agreement with LCML and a Commitment Letter to participate in the program. Please sign the IGA and select from the items in which you are interested from the commitment letter and return the forms to Chris Gentes. Only dues paid Lake County Municipal League members will be allowed to participate in the Co-Op Purchasing Program.
 
Please return your IGA and Commitment Letter by January 31.  
These will be the only cooperative bids for 2013, and depending on the success of the program, we will determine what else to add for future years.

LCML Strategic Plan Available

 

The Lake County Board of Directors recently met to develop a Strategic Plan for the League. The Retreat session was facilitated by Diana Robinson from NIU's Center for Governmental Studies.

 

Strategic Priorities are listed below:

 

Continue to focus and build support for the LCML legislative agenda.
Executive Director and Legislative Committee are effective in identifying and communicating about issues that are important to LCML members. However, it is the action taken by the member municipalities that are most effective in influencing legislative outcomes. It is essential to increase the number of phone calls and other direct contacts made by LCML members to legislators.

 

Continue to strengthen collaboration and alignment with like-minded organizations.
The creation of a new Membership and Outreach Committee could assist in these activities as well as in member recruitment as described in the next strategic priority.

 

Increase membership.
Expanding the base of members and associate members emerged during the retreat as the preferred method of increasing revenues. The most promising strategy for recruiting new mayors to LCML is to have member mayors make the contact. This peer-to-peer connection allows the member mayor to speak first-hand about the benefits and advantages of the LCML.

 

Expand support structure.

Addressing the first three strategic priorities will require additional organizational support.  Three potential areas were identified:

  1. Revisiting the board committee structure with an eye to creating a new Membership and Outreach Committee or other new committees to address priority issues, such as transportation.
  2. Reviewing the LCML bylaws to ensure that they reflect the desired purpose and goals of member composition and other provisions to facilitate effective and efficient operations.
  3. Developing additional resources to make the LCML executive director position full-time.  The current scope of activity requires a full-time position, and this becomes even more imperative as additional strategic priorities are pursued.  Resource development could be the focus of a new committee or it could be combined with a new membership committee.

For a copy of the complete report, click here.  
Please share this LCMLetter with staff. It is our aim to keep elected officials and their village staff informed about the issues facing municipalities.
 
Sincerely,
Christine Gentes
Lake County Municipal League