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February 2024 |
REGIONAL NEWS |
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New assistant county manager in Johnson County — Adam Norris, former deputy city manager of Independence, has accepted a position with Johnson County. Norris worked for Independence for five years. Before that, he worked for Overland Park and Blue Springs. Read the announcement.
Wall Street Journal recognizes Kansas City as top 10 place to visit — Kansas City is among the must-visit destinations in 2024, according to a list by Wall Street Journal that includes Malaysia, Prague and Kangaroo Island, Australia. The new CPKC Stadium and upcoming PickleCon are some of the athletic attractions. It points to the excellent barbeque and jazz as more reasons to plan a trip. View the entire list.
Battery manufacturer TAB to open U.S. headquarters in Liberty — TAB, an international manufacturer in industrial, SLI and lithium-ion batteries, announced plans for its first North American facility. The company will make Liberty its U.S. headquarters. TAB USA will create at least 50 jobs over the next five years. The company chose Liberty for its central location and strong workforce. Read more.
Overland Park named among best for job seekers — WalletHub compared 182 cities to determine best prospects for job seekers in the new year. The cities included were among the most populous in the country. Overland Park ranked 25 on the list. Kansas City, Missouri, ranked 88, in the top half of all cities evaluated. Learn more and view the full list.
Johnson County featured by ICMA — The International City/County Managers Association (ICMA) featured Johnson County recently for its efforts to become a high-performing organization (HPO). Johnson County emphasizes collaboration, shared values and performance principles as it continues striving toward being an HPO. View the post. |
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MARC NEWS |
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Manager Mentorship Program now accepting applications — Aspiring city managers need mentorship from more experienced professionals, just like in other profession. MARC facilitates a mentorship program for young local government professionals who want to learn more about being a city manager. If there are any talented young employees in your organization that would benefit from this program, encourage them to apply! Learn more about the program.
Participate in the 2024 Regional Salary Survey — The divide between public and private sector recruitment has only grown since the Great Recession. Attractive salaries are crucial to fill an organization’s positions with top talent, but traditional compensation analysis processes are expensive. MARC provides a regional service that gives public organizations affordable compensation data to set competitive salaries. The service now has a new automated data entry process to save time and energy of human resources staff. Register here to participate in the salary survey.
Kansas City Regional Purchasing Cooperative (KCRPC) news — The storm warning siren contract is in place for 2024. The contract for petroleum products is in the final renewal option process for 2024-25. The auto/truck tire contract is currently in the rebid process. Other contracts scheduled to issue new bids in spring 2024 includes road salt, public safety radios (P-25 capable) and water chemicals. Contact KCRPC if interested in participating in any of the scheduled rebids.
New Regional Food System Action Plan released by KC Healthy Kids — The plan, funded by the USDA, focuses on eight counties, including Wyandotte, Leavenworth, Cass and Jackson in the KC metro area. It outlines goals and action steps to address food security, support for workers, local buying, food system careers, land access, infrastructure, retail markets and resources. MARC was a partner in the project, providing support on outreach to community stakeholders and data analysis on state and local food systems. Access the plan. Administrative Professionals Day event — Participants will learn The Four Tendencies, a framework developed by happiness and habits researcher and Kansas City native, Gretchen Rubin. Understanding these tendencies will help attendees live their own lives in alignment, while also guiding stronger team building. The event will take place on Monday, April 22 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at the MARC office. Register now!
February Managers Roundtable — Representatives from the greater Kansas City region for Local Government 2030, a coalition of 51 local government professionals to find creative, innovative and engaging solutions to face our nation's challenges, will present on the project and its importance for all local governments.
The representatives from our area are: Amanda Graor, deputy director of research services and CIO at MARC; Danielle Dulin, city manager of Warrensburg; and Craig Owens, city manager of Lawrence. The first convening of Local Government 2030 was in November 2022. Now, 15 months later, the recommendations have been finalized. Graor, Dulin and Owens will explain the process and share the recommendations for local governments. The roundtable will be on Friday, Feb. 23 from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. at Leawood City Hall. Register today!
MARC is always looking for helpful topics and new locations for future Managers Roundtables! Contact Lukas Parrish with any topic or location suggestions. |
STATE & NATIONAL NEWS |
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The retention revolution — Employers worldwide are making changes to help retain current employees. The problem has moved from an HR issue to a priority for every part of any successful organization. Proper retention begins with the right workplace culture. Learn more tips to strengthen retention practices from ICMA.
Ukrainian local government’s journey of resilience — Ukraine decided to decentralize its government in 2015 to increase innovation, effective service delivery and trust among residents. Since the start of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian local governments have shown immense resiliency. Local government leaders from Ukraine have remained diligent in providing services to residents in whatever way possible during the conflict. Read more about the history and future of Ukranian local government.
Missouri officials review four-day school week study — More than 30% of Missouri school districts have adopted a four-day week, prompting the State Board of Education to conduct a study on its impacts on students. The study found no statistically significant effect on academic achievement, but some state legislators have introduced bills to require voter approval for towns above 30,000 people before making the change. The main reason schools have begun switching to four-day weeks is to retain teachers. Learn more.
The impact of municipal budgets on climate change — Climate action requires sufficient funding, but it can be difficult to find. Spending intentional time during the budget process to determine ways to support climate-positive initiatives can make a big difference to an environmental region. Developing a climate budget can ensure long-term emissions reduction targets are integrated into a city’s daily operations and policies. Read more. |
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES |
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Featured: USDA RISE grant — The Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program offers grant assistance to create and augment high-wage jobs, accelerate the formation of new businesses, support industry clusters and maximize the use of local productive assets in eligible low-income rural areas. Public and nonprofit entities are eligible to apply. RISE grants can be used to:
Visit our Grant Opportunity web page for current grant opportunities open to local governments. |
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For information and to register see the GTI Calendar of Events. |
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