Employment Law Challenges in the New Normal Municipal employers are facing a variety of challenges in the post-pandemic, new normal workplace.  This especially is the case with the advent of what is termed “long COVID,” which has been defined as “new, recurring or ongoing health problems” experienced at least four months after infection with the COVID-19 virus. This program, presented by Jonathan R. Mook, will address the extent of long COVID among working age Americans and its economic impact as...

Alternative Project Delivery: What Went Wrong Construction owners are seeking to find better methods of procuring construction projects than the traditional Design-Bid-Build method. Do you know what the advantages and disadvantages are of alternative project delivery methods such as Design-Build and CM At Risk? This presentation will explain the differences between these alternatives, and share best practices for how to make each method successful. Additionally, how disputes are handled will be discussed. After attending this presentation, participants should be able...

Public Rights-of-Way: Outdoor Dining and Management of Competing Uses The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to an explosion in the use of public space for private commercial use. Consequently, cities are tasked with balancing the interests of myriad nonexclusive licenses to use the public right-of-way. The program illustrates the complexities of managing diverse commercial and governmental interests, public safety, and maintaining a system of public roads, while considering the future of “Streeteries” in the City. Speaker: James Kellet & Maggy White

Strategies for Addressing Homelessness: the Colorado Springs Case Study  This presentation is a case study focusing on the intersection of legal and services-based efforts to address issues of homelessness.  It will also discuss the unique impacts on this topic related to a city that has grown rapidly, lacks affordable housing, has a re-emerging downtown, and is home to a variety of different military installations, including a service academy.  While the current legal landscape will be discussed, strategies beyond legislation that...

Inclusive Language: An Ethical Guide This presentation will cover language issues in legal writing pertaining to racial and ethnic terms, gender identity, and other forms of diversity. Attendees will participate in interactive activities designed to leave them better equipped to provide competent representation (Rule 1.1) and manage client communications (Rule 1.4) without disturbing the decorum of the tribunal (Rule 3.5). Presenters have created an Inclusive Language Guide for Legal Writing that will be available to all attendees. Speaker: Zach Strassburger...

Creating Affordable Housing: Madison’s Experience Creating affordable housing is a major challenge for municipalities everywhere. In addition to the politics, financing affordable housing deals requires combinations of lending programs and creative solutions to fill financing gaps. This presentation will discuss the problems in creating and financing affordable housing for families and students, and methods the City of Madison, Wisconsin has been using to solve these issues including tax incremental financing, the creation of an affordable housing fund, and permitting density...

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once - Employment Law Overview This presentation captures the essential elements of municipal employment law - without getting tangled up during the process.  It will provide some road maps and guideposts to help navigate through the maze of federal and state statutory employment requirements along with discussion of some common issues that arise in public sector employment.  Additional topics may be discussed. Speaker: Roberta "Robin" Cross

Cell Tower Lease Rates and Sales In the world of telecommunications law, one question rises to the top of the list: What is the going rent for a cell tower lease?  This program will address that question, with industry statistics, which should be helpful for the thousands of landlords whose leases come up for renewal each year. The program will also provide municipalities (and all property owners) with the basics of leasing land for a cell tower (or space on...

Curricular Preemption CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply. This session examines state preemption of local school boards with regard to the content of curricula and educational materials. Divisive concepts in schools have been raised targeting the 1619 Project (a New York Times Magazine series reframing American history in the context of slavery and structural racism) and Critical Race Theory. This curricular preemption swept the nation and now the strategy has...

Square PEG in a Round Hole: Limits on Municipal Use of Public, Education, and Government Fees This presentation will discuss the federal restrictions on local governments’ use of public, education, and government (“PEG”) fees paid by cable operators to support local government PEG channels, pursuant to the federal Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984. Unlike some types of municipal revenue and funding sources, which carry no restrictions regarding how they may be spent and which are designated for the general...