IMLA

Litigation Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2021-02-18 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Coming Attractions: Open Issues in Civil Rights Litigation Ripe for Supreme Court Review
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
A discussion of the surprising number of significant legal issues in section 1983 litigation that the Supreme Court has yet to resolve, including the nature and extent of constitutional claims for malicious prosecution or wrongful death, what authority, other than Supreme Court decisions can “clearly establish” the law for qualified immunity, and what constitutes a de minimis recovery for purposes of an attorney fee reduction under Farrar v. Hobby.
Speaker: Tim Coates

International Steering Committee Conference Call
2021-02-11 15:00 - 16:00
If you care to take part in this call, please email cstorer@imla.org.

Sanctuary Jurisdiction Conference Call
2021-02-11 13:00 - 14:00

Preemption Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2021-02-09 13:00 - 14:00
The Post-Election Preemption Landscape
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
The results from the November 2020 elections will have consequences for state-local government relationships across the nation. The balance of power and ability for the federal, state, and local governments to work together is critical to respond to the demands of the pandemic, strengthen the systems upholding our democracy, and address the calls for justice for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Local governments will continue to be on the front lines of myriad critical issues and will continue to be impacted by past and potential state interference that has – and intends to – thwart the ability of local governments to effectively meet the needs of their communities.
This webinar will map the changes in terrain caused by the 2020 elections, including local public health protections, workplace safety, local fiscal authority, redistricting, and criminal justice and police reform with the goal of sharing and exploring trends and informing local solutions to meet our country’s ongoing challenges.
Speaker: Kim Haddow & Rick Su

Code Enforcement & Land Use Webinar
2021-02-03 13:00 - 14:00
Complying with the Fair Housing Act While Enforcing Land Use Regulations
This presentation will discuss the Fair Housing Act, how it applies to your client, and how your client can enforce its land use regulations without running afoul of the Fair Housing Act. Such land use regulations include housing codes, zoning regulations, and other similar requirements.
Speaker: Patricia “Trish” Link

COVID-19 Conference Call
2021-02-02 15:00 - 16:00, 2021-01-12 14:30 - 16:00

Diversity and Inclusion Working Group Conference Call
2021-01-28 16:00 - 17:00

Counties Conference Call
2021-01-28 15:00 - 16:00

Telecommunications Webinar
2021-01-28 13:00 - 14:30
Cell Tower Leasing and Sales
This program provides municipalities (and all property owners) with the basics – – A to Z – – of cell tower leases on city property, such as a park, police station or city hall. It covers the impact of 5G service, which will require tens of thousands more cell sites, including describing 5G, why it will be rolled out slowly and why it may have little impact on lease rates or sales prices. It is presented by two attorneys with decades of experience representing municipalities on cell leases. The program starts by covering key business issues in cell site leases, including lease rates, who gets the revenues from additional antennas or carriers being co-located at a site, and the major rent increases possible at renewals. It then shifts to avoiding lease terms which can prevent a landlord’s use or development of the property with the lease, and adding lease terms which help preserve these rights. After covering some more conventional lease terms the program addresses the sale of cell leases and future leasing rights. This includes typical sale prices (often 15 to 20 times annual revenues); when to sell and when it is not advisable to sell; how to get the best price and terms in a sale; and again avoiding provisions that restrict the development of the property. On both cell leases and the sale of leases the program addresses key items that are unique to municipalities. More generally, the program covers such topics as lease term and terminations, access requirements, radio frequency interference, design and camouflage, and radio frequency emissions safety.
Speaker: John Pestle & Jonathan Kramer

Environmental Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2021-01-27 13:00 - 14:00
Philadelphia’s Guide to Energy Portfolio Planning and Renewable Energy
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
This presentation is on the City of Philadelphia’s energy portfolio planning and shifting renewable energy goals. The presentation will explain how Philadelphia manages its electricity purchases to ensure cost and budget certainty and uses guaranteed energy savings contracts and power purchase agreements to achieve their goals for obtaining 100% renewable energy.
Speaker: Kevin Birriel

State League Conference Call
2021-01-22 14:00 - 15:00, 2021-01-15 14:00 - 15:00

Land Use Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2021-01-21 13:00 - 14:00
Update on Fair Housing Obligations for Local Governments: Disparate Impact, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, and Others
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
This session will review the basic obligations of local governments under the Federal Fair Housing Act, as well as recent changes in those obligations. Topics to be addressed include protected classes, affirmative obligations and prohibitions, the requirement to affirmatively further fair housing, and recent disparate impact cases.
Speaker: Brian Connolly

Implicit Bias and Elimination of Bias Webinar
2021-01-14 13:00 - 14:00
Identification and Elimination of Bias for Government Lawyers
This presentation will discuss what implicit bias is and why it’s important for government lawyers to be concerned about their implicit biases. The presentation will also provide tips on how to combat and eliminate biases in the legal workplace.
Speaker: Tara Kelly

Tax Webinar
2021-01-11 13:00 - 14:30
Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Tax Assessments and Tax Assessment Appeals
Faculty members include the interim Chief Assessment Officer for the City of Philadelphia, a certified general appraiser that is a leader in the real estate appraisal industry, and attorneys who both defend assessment appeals and counsel Philadelphia’s Office of Property Assessment in issues related to the assessment process. Topics to be discussed include: (1) impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on assessment offices and the assessment process, (2) impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on real estate tax assessment appeals, (3) impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on real estate values, and (4) anticipated long term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic as we move forward.
Speaker: Drew Aldinger, Amy Galer, Chip Hughes & James Aros

Transactions Webinar
2021-01-07 13:00 - 14:00
Commission Agreements for Public Art Projects
This presentation will discuss a standard commission agreement for public art with a special focus on those areas that are unique to public art. The purpose of this session will be to not only dissect the contract language, but to also discuss Best Practices in the field of public art with regard to issues like selection of artists, ownership of intellectual property, and post-installation issues such as maintenance, conservation, and removal.
Speaker: Sarah Conley Odenkirk

Personnel Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2021-01-05 13:00 - 14:00
The ADA at Thirty: 2020 Recap and What to Expect in 2021
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
In July 2020, the ADA celebrated its 30th birthday as being the law of the land. In this webinar, Jonathan Mook will present an overview of significant ADA developments that occurred in 2020, particularly as they concern the COVID-19 pandemic. The EEOC’s new relaxed standards for medical testing, the applicability of the ADA’s direct threat defense to COVID-19, and whether COVID-19 is a “disability” will be discussed. Jonathan also will offer a preview of emerging ADA issues that municipalities can expect to face in 2021, including the expansion of telework as a reasonable accommodation and whether an employer may require mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.
Speaker: Jonathan Mook

County Conference Call
2020-12-18 14:00 - 15:00

Land Use & Code Enforcement Webinar
2020-12-17 13:00 - 14:00
Variations and Zoning Relief
Many local governments provide for variations in their zoning code. The purpose of such variations is to ensure that no property is unreasonably deprived of the development opportunities enjoyed by other properties in the same locality and district. The goal of this webinar is to provide attendees with practical information on zoning relief and variations.
Speaker: Kim Mickelson & David Silverman

First Amendment, Public Forum Webinar
2020-12-03 13:00 - 14:00
Public Forum Overview and Application to Running Public Meetings
A discussion of the different types of forums based upon Supreme Court and circuit court holdings, such as traditional, designated, limited public forums and non-public forums, and the real world interaction with public meetings when they are held to be either designated or limited, which affects the way speakers at these meetings can be regulated.
Speaker: Julian Grant

Preemption Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2020-12-01 13:00 - 14:00
Structural Racism, Local Authority, and the Harmful Impacts of State Preemption in the South
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
State interference in local democracy is embedded in a long history of events and actions that have sought to promote the interests of historically privileged property owners and perpetuate the South’s racist past. Across the region, the configuration of government, policies, and practices are rooted in earlier efforts to limit the rights and freedoms of Black people and entrench white supremacy during the dismantling of Reconstruction-era economic and political gains and the concurrent rise of Jim Crow–era state-sanctioned discrimination. Preemption as it is used today works to reinforce these inequalities when it is used to block local policies that promote racial and economic equity.
In fact, a new report documents the use of preemption laws in the South by overwhelmingly white male legislatures to keep Black-majority cities from passing the progressive policies their people need. For example, the Alabama legislature preempted Birmingham’s minimum wage increase; the Tennessee legislature preempted Nashville’s local hire law; and the Georgia legislature preempted Atlanta’s fair scheduling law.
This webinar will discuss the legal history of local government after the Civil War, the extent to which racial animus shaped and continues to shape local institutions and how state legislatures and the misuse of preemption continues to perpetuate inequities in the South. While the session discussion and research focus on the South, the impacts and lessons learned can be applied anywhere preemption and state-local conflicts block policies that promote racial and economic equity.
Speaker: Dan Farbman, Jaimie K. Worker & Julia Wolfe

Public Contracts Webinar
2020-10-28 13:00 - 14:00
Public Private Partnerships: The Answer to the U.S. Infrastructure Problem?
A discussion of the benefits and limitations of public private partnerships (P3s) as a method for local governments to develop infrastructure. The presentation will also discuss different P3 models of project delivery, the use of P3s to recycle or monetize existing infrastructure assets, and the issues governments should consider when determining whether a P3 is the best option for a particular project.
Speaker: Erlyne Nazaire

Land Use Webinar
2020-10-22 13:00 - 14:00
Penn Central Regulatory Takings and Inverse Condemnation Part 2
This presentation will provide an in depth look into the nuances of a Penn Central taking, a discussion of why bulk/area zoning regulations should never give rise to a Penn Central taking claim, and examine the potential problems associated with Monterey as well as whether a moratorium can give rise to a takings claim. This presentation is the second of a two-part series on taking and condemnation.
Speaker: Jefferson L. Blomquist

Environmental Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2020-10-20 13:00 - 14:00
Municipal Bans on Natural Gas Hook-Ups
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
Over 50 municipalities nationwide have considered or enacted all-electric requirements for new construction. These bans are in line with local climate action planning and municipal goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These bans give rise to new legal questions and challenges. This webinar will cover these legal issues and attempt to provide practical recommendations to those seeking to enact their own ordinances. Additional topics may be presented.
Speaker: Amy E. Turner

Municipal Governance Webinar
2020-08-13 13:00 - 14:00
When the Elected Official is the Problem
Often we find ourselves scratching our heads at what some of our elected or appointed government officials say whether it’s on social media or in a public meeting. In those moments, what is left on the record are damaging at best and horrific at worst. It falls upon the local government attorneys to protect the client despite these damaging statements. This webinar’s goal is to provide practical recommendations on what to do when you face this situation.
Speaker: Chris Balch

Personnel-Diversity Webinar
2020-08-12 13:00 - 14:00
How to Build a Police Workforce that Reflects Your Community
Now more than ever it is important that municipalities, especially law enforcement agencies, reflect the communities they serve, which encompasses employing more women and people of color. This session will explore actions your municipality can take to diversify its police force and incorporate race equity in the workplace.
Speaker: Jana Sullivan

Code Enforcement Webinar
2020-08-11 13:00 - 14:00
Regulating Short Term Rentals
The rising popularity of Airbnb and other such platforms had led to a significant increase of availability in short term rental properties. Among these properties are those that do not meet code requirements, which, in many jurisdictions, do not allow short term rentals in certain areas. This webinar will cover effective regulation of short-term rentals with real world examples of existing code enforcement efforts.
Speakers: Cathy Cunningham & Roger Horner

Personnel Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2020-08-06 14:00 - 15:00
Arbitrating Collective Bargaining Agreement Issues with Police and Fire during COVID-19
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
This presentation will address arbitration with police and fire. As part of the webinar, the discussion will include topics relating to recent issues relating to COVID-19, such as hazard pay, scheduling, shift exchanges, sick leave, and various grievances inspired by the pandemic; Zoom disciplinary proceedings due to Covid-19, and discussion regarding the recent “defund the Police” movement as it may affect Collective Bargaining.
Speakers: Rebecca Hayward & Robin Cross

Technology Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2020-08-04 13:00 - 14:00
Social Media Policy
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
This webinar will cover IMLA’s Social Media Policy in depth to provide guidance on how a local government should handle a wide range of scenarios involving social media use. Additional topics may be covered.
Speaker: Chuck Thompson
