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...

Effective Animal Ordinances-Dealing with Nuisances Safe and humane communities are a priority. Have you examined your animal services ordinances to ensure they effectively address real not perceived nuisances?  Are they written so they can't be weaponized in petty neighborhood arguments wasting the time of your field services workers?  We will examine some creative habitual nuisance ordinances and provide examples of creative solutions to your animal issues. Speaker: Ledy VanKavage & Katie Barnett

"In This Together" - Well-Being Practices for Lawyers Since 2016 the ABA and the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs has heightened focus on Lawyer Well-Being. Often neglected in general “wellness” programs, “well-being” represents not only mental and emotional health, but life satisfaction, purpose, and fulfillment. This presentation explores some of the elements that boost well-being, including Zen and how to incorporate it, as well as a review of habits and practices recommended in the ABA activities workbook published in...

Sunshine Laws and the Vulnerability of Consultant Work Product in Public Works Construction Disputes The United States Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and similar state-level open records statutes are intended to promote transparent government operations.  However, when public agency owners encounter construction disputes, such "sunshine laws" may become an obstacle to resolving them.  This presentation will explore the vulnerability of consultant work product to public records act demands against the intersection of attorney-client and work product privilege. Speaker: Bryan Payne...

Fundamentals of Municipal Finance and Borrowing Municipal attorneys are often asked, “Can we do this?”, when “this” relates to getting, spending, and borrowing money by their municipal clients. This session will consider the essential legal issues attendant to that question. We will discuss basic constitutional issues like public purpose, corporate purpose, and lending of the public credit; the theoretical distinction between taxes and fees; the legal ramifications of that distinction; and other limitations on the ways that municipalities can get...