About
December 6-7, 2019 | Phoenix, Arizona
As more Latinos get elected to public office and step into leadership roles, it is essential they recognize that the most important responsibility elected officials have as government leaders is the fiscal oversight of the jurisdiction they lead, and to maintain the trust of the public they serve. With an economic downturn possible at any time, policymakers and local governments need to be proactive at being better prepared. The depth of their preparation and understanding must include the complexities of public finance issues, including budgets, revenue sources, financial statements, and bonds, among others. It is vital to appreciate how deeply these can be impacted during an economic downturn. A community’s ability to achieve its vision for the future will be strengthened when the policymakers leading it master the many factors affecting their jurisdiction’s fiscal state of affairs and how these affect their ability to address priorities and needs. Policymakers who develop the knowledge and skill to engage in these issues and make sound fiscal decisions will benefit their communities beyond the life of their political terms.
The NALEO National Policy Institute on Public Finance Management and Bonds provided municipal and county level policymakers with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and leadership capacity to strengthen their jurisdictions’ fiscal strength and outlook. Participants acquired tools to help them successfully initiate, advocate, and mobilize in favor of more effective public finance management for their jurisdictions.
The Institute’s curriculum covered:
The Nuts and Bolts of Public Finance
- Public Officials as Fiduciaries
- Understanding the Budget and Local Government Revenue Sources
- Local Government Financial Reporting
- Understating and Preparing for the Impact of Smart Technology in Municipal Budgets
Legacy Costs and Infrastructure Needs: Addressing Tomorrow’s Greatest Fiscal Challenges
- Municipal Bond 101
- The ABCs of Public Private Partnerships (P3s)
- Case Studies on Municipal Bonds and Public Private Partnerships (P3s)
The Policy Institute convened Latino policymakers with leading experts from the public, private, and non-profit sectors for two days of professional development that combine classroom and experiential learning and the exchange of ideas and best practices. Policymakers received timely information to strengthen their public finance governance skills that support effective leadership and had the opportunity to network with colleagues and experts from throughout the country.
Sponsors
Title Sponsor
Wells Fargo
Investor Sponsor
Peter G. Peterson Foundation
Schedule
- Friday, December 6
- Saturday, December 7
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room A Foyer
Registration
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room B & C
Networking Breakfast
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room A
Welcome Remarks and Program Overview
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room A
Opening Plenary:
Public Officials as Fiduciaries
Elected officials make critical decisions on behalf of the public, including how to spend taxpayer and other public monies to best address the priorities and needs of the community – all while paving a path toward a fiscally sound future. Through this opening discussion, seasoned policymakers shared their best practices and lessons learned for how to best fulfill this fiduciary responsibility while building and maintaining public trust that advances the needs of the community as a whole. This discussion also helped participants develop a deeper understanding of institutional banking and its role in local government.
Chair: Hon. Sarah Benatar, Treasurer, Coconino County, Arizona; Board Member, NALEO
- Hon. Paul Lopez, Clerk and Recorder, City and County of Denver, Colorado; Former Board Member, NALEO
- Hon. Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, Mayor, National City, California; Board Member, NALEO Educational Fund
- Mr. Benjamin Goldblatt, Portfolio Manager, Government and Institutional Banking, Wells Fargo
Resource: 1
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room A
Session I:
Understanding the Budget and Local Government Revenue Sources
Local governments provide numerous vital services to their residents and businesses. These include public safety, road maintenance, and parks and recreation among many others.Knowing and understanding how these needs are funded and how resources are allocated to different priorities are critical to a policymaker’s effectiveness. Public officials need to know their budget and must understand the sources of federal, state, and local tax and nontax revenues that fund their jurisdictions. This session provided participants with an overview and better understanding of the major sources of revenue local governments receive to fund their operations and equipped them with tools to ask the right questions about their own budgets and revenue sources.
Chair: Hon. Paul Lopez, Clerk and Recorder, City and County of Denver, Colorado; Former Board Member, NALEO
- Mr. John Fishbein, Senior Program Manager, Technical Services Center, Government Finance Officers Association
- Mr. Rick Cole, City Manager, City of Santa Monica, California
12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room A
Roundtable Discussions
These facilitated roundtable discussions will provide participants the opportunity to delve deeper and further discuss the content presented by the experts and from their respective roles as policymakers identify and discuss how they can engage in these issues and make sound fiscal decisions that benefit their communities beyond the life of their political terms.
12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room B & C
Luncheon Presentation:
Census 2020
- Mr. Adán Chávez, Deputy Director of National Census Programs, NALEO Educational Fund
1:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room A
Session II:
Local Government Financial Reporting
Elected officials, as fiduciaries, are ultimately accountable for how taxpayer money and other funds are used. Therefore, policymakers must have a strong command of a jurisdiction’s financial reports and provide the necessary leadership to ensure the right fiscal policies are developed and in place to guide every day decision making by staff. Government financial statements can be intimidating, but these reports, in contrast to budgets, present the revenue collected and amounts spent. They contain critical information that show the current financial state of a government, performance, and how taxpayer money is being spent. This session provided participants with a deeper understanding of key terms, how to make sense of financial statements, and equipped participants with the knowledge needed to ask the right questions to engage in the oversight of their jurisdiction’s financial affairs.
Session Chair: Hon. Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, Mayor, National City, California; Board Member, NALEO Educational Fund
- Mr. William C. Statler, Consultant and Trainer, Former Director of Finance and Information Technology; City of San Luis Obispo, California
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room A
Roundtable Discussions
These facilitated roundtable discussions provided participants the opportunity to delve deeper and further discuss the content presented by the experts. They identified strategies and discussed how they can engage in these issues and make sound fiscal decisions that benefit their communities beyond the life of their political terms.
3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room A
Session III:
Understanding Long Term Financial Forecasting and Emerging Disruptions on Local Budgets
E-commerce, ridesharing, and electric and autonomous vehicles have started to affect both revenues and expenditures in city and county budgets across the country. Consumers are visiting less brick and mortar stores and preferring the concept of ridesharing in lieu of purchasing a car. Jurisdictions need to begin planning for this future now. This session provided policymakers with an overview of the impact emerging revenue disruptions have on a range of taxes, including property, business, and sales use taxes, as well as fee for service. The discussion highlighted how local governments may need to think about their budgeting process to deal with the coming shift in the revenue streams they have come to rely on. This session also discussed the importance of multi-year financial forecasting as an important tool for strong fiscal stewardship.
Session Chair: Hon. Sarah Benatar, Treasurer, Coconino County, Arizona; Board Member, NALEO
- Mr. John Fishbein, Senior Program Manager, Technical Services Center, Government Finance Officers Association
- Mr. Charles A. Montoya, City Manager, City of Avondale, Arizona
4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Wells Fargo Connections, Room A
Roundtable Strategy Discussion
These facilitated roundtable discussions provided participants the opportunity to delve deeper and further discuss the content presented by the experts. They identified strategies and discussed how they can engage in these issues and make sound fiscal decisions that benefit their communities beyond the life of their political terms.
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix
Room Zia II, Third Floor