Entry 643 of 843
By Think! Christiansburg On October 20, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Christiansburg Town Council generally gets a bye each October, holding one regular meeting.  The second date is skipped so town administrators and elected officials can attend the Virginia Municipal League Conference.  This year the conference was scheduled at the Hotel Roanoke, beginning Sunday and concluding tonight. 

The real "meat and potatoes" part of the conference will be addressed today around 3 pm, when the 2009-2010 officers are formally elected.  This includes Christiansburg's town manager slated to serve as VML's president, and may be another reason some of his duties were recently delegated to other staff members.   Congratulations are in order as this position may be expected to present challenges, with its leader bringing statewide attention to the NRV.

A banquet concludes the conference, and will have opening comments provided by the incoming president, R. Lance Terpenny.  This will be followed by dinner and awards, with a professional humorist and motivational speaker sending attendees back to work with a smile on their faces. 

Here's a sampling of last year's conference workshops and topics, and here's one for this year, focusing on subjects which may have some relevance for Christiansburg: 
  • Creating Highly Competitive Communities
  • The Next Frontier in Retail
  • Federal Legislative Update
  • Pandemic Flu: Local Government Response
  • Where Rights of Free Speech End for Public Employees
  • Involving the Public in the Budgeting Process
  • Freedom of Information Act Workshop
  • Ingredients for a Successful Community
  • The Future of Transportation
  • Age Wave Planning: Great Ways to Build Communities for all Ages
  • State of the Housing Market
  • Alternative Financing Mechanisms
If past actions predict participation this year, all council members were expected to attend this conference.  Beyond the meals, golfing and sightseeing, our elected officials were provided the opportunity to breakout and cover most sessions.  Citizens will be interested in hearing the news and ideas, too.  Maybe this provided council an opportunity to ride the Smart Bus as well.