Finance and Government

Navigating the Fiscal Crisis

Monday, June 14: 2:15 - 4:30 p.m.

Elected officials have the responsibility to govern their communities wisely and link residents to the governmental process. The current fiscal crisis that is threatening local governments makes these tasks harder but even more important. Citizens look to elected officials to address serious problems, not just hunker down and wait out the storm. The Alliance for Innovation has looked at the current financial crisis and reviewed strategies that local governments had used to address the challenges of past economic recessions. The current economy has made it essential that local governments approach all aspects of service in new ways and utilize the crisis as an opportunity to change their organizations. This session will show city officials how to focus on the most important programs and services and encourage changes that will make communities stronger in the future.

Participants are encouraged to read the white paper prior to the session.

Session 2: Resilient Response to the Fiscal Crisis
This session will focus on specific case study examples that address six strategies that local governments are focusing on to better position themselves to meet the demands of the future. The six strategies are: reassessing community priorities; re-engineer your organization; fix structural deficits; advance technological solutions; increase revenue partnerships; and manage flexibility and transparency. Participants will also have an opportunity to share their own success stories.

Speaker: Toni Shope, Regional Director, The Alliance for Innovation

Murphy's Law is Not Your Friend: the Basics of Local Government Liability

Monday, June 14: 3:30 - 4:30

Is your entity adequately protected from unnecessary liability claims? Have you addressed the risk management needs of your organization for the complex operations it undertakes? In this session, we will address legal liability, insurable interests and how to identify and address exposures. We will also discuss critical insurance issues, including exclusions, as well as current loss trends in claims and the loss control techniques that can be employed to protect your city.

Speaker: Judy Housely, Loss Control Consultant, TML Risk Management Pool

Building Codes and the Tennessee Clean Energy Act

Monday, June 14: 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) oversees building codes and plays a central role in implementing the Governor's vision of safer and more-energy-efficient homes in Tennessee. Through the work of Governor's Task Force on Energy Efficiency, TDCI helped develop a minimum one- and two-family residential code to protect all the citizens of Tennessee.

Speaker: Jim Pillow, TN State Fire Marshall and Assistant Commissioner of Fire Prevention