MEMORANDUM
TO: NCLM Member Municipalities
FROM: Rob Shepherd
DATE: October, 2011
SUBJECT: Orientation for Newly Elected Officials MODEL Agenda
Offered by North Carolina League of Municipalities
This model agenda is intended to assist you in the preparation of an orientation for your newly elected officials. Please customize this agenda so that it reflects the specific needs of your community. Where there is an asterisk, there should be an attachment. Where the attachment can be provided by NCLM, it is included, otherwise attach a town document. Note that each section provides a space to insert the name of the person presenting that section. Please consider having the pertinent town staff present the separate sections; i.e. have your finance director present the finance section, have your clerk present the meetings section, have your attorney present the codes and ordinances section. This will give more people a chance to get in front of the newly elected officials, which should help get those relationships off on the right foot.
Depending on your needs, you may prefer to convert this word document into a power point presentation. Because this model was created to meet the needs of diverse municipalities, you may find it necessary to rewrite or even delete entire sections. Please remember to be judicious, do not cut the orientation process too short. A thorough orientation should take at least half a day, even if your newly elected official will be not be touring any municipal facilities.
If you have questions about how to customize this document, please contact Madeleine Henley at , or 919/715-2918.
Finally, please take the time to encourage your entire council to attend the Essentials of Municipal Government presented by the League and the UNC School of Government. A schedule and registration information is attached for your use.
NAME OF MUNICIPALITY HERE
Orientation for Newly Elected Officials
Date here
Location here
Congratulations:
Congratulations on winning your election:
On behalf of the North Carolina League of Municipalities membership, board of directors, and staff, allow me to offer sincere congratulations to you. You have much to be proud of. Your citizens have given you a rare and precious opportunity; the chance to lead and serve your community with wisdom and grace. You have become a locally elected leader.
At the League, our mission is to support you in your efforts to become an effective leader. Let us begin our service to you by putting a valuable tool at your disposal. The League of Municipalities, along with our valued partner the University of North Carolina School Of Government is proud to provide a comprehensive course of training for locally elected municipal officials. The Essentials of Municipal Government is offered for your convenience in several locations from December through March every two years, following the municipal election cycle. Please refer to the flyer included in your orientation packet for details. I hope very much to see you there.
Respectfully yours,
Ellis Hankins
Executive Director, NCLM
Welcome to Governance:
This orientation package has been created through a joint effort of the League of Municipalities and your own municipal staff, with generous assistance from several town clerks and managers across the state. We know that becoming an effective council member is hard work. We hope that this orientation will be helpful to you as you negotiate the difficult transition from successful candidate to successful elected official.
Your League of Municipalities offers various programs and services to help you succeed. Later in your orientation you’ll learn about them in detail. For now, as you focus on your own community, just keep in mind that you’ve got friends that will help you. We are only a phone call or email away. Nclm.org
1) Your Town
a) Form of Government, Demographics and brief history (name of municipal staff or official (Mayor?)to present this section)
b) Commissions, Committees and Boards (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Roles and relationships
(2) Rules of contact
(3) Organizational chart *
(4) Contact information *
c) Services provided to citizens (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Services provided by the municipality
(2) Services provided by others (county, volunteer departments, etc)
d) Current projects and priorities (name of municipal staff to present this section)
e) Finances (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Sources of revenue and their legal uses
(2) Legal expenditures
(3) The Town’s annual audit*
(4) The adopted budget*
f) Ordinances and Policies (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) The Town’s code book*
(2) The differences between an ordinance, a policy, and a procedure
(INCLUDE your charter and the newly required Code of ethics *)
2) Your Time
a) Board / Council Meetings (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Meeting calendar*
(2) Agenda preparation and distribution
(3) Open meeting law
(4) Voting
(5) Meeting protocol/Rules of order*
b) Engaging the Public (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Public Hearings
(2) Board meetings
(3) Constituent work
c) Training (name of municipal staff to present this section)(don’t forget new ethics training req’mnt)
(1) NCLM Essentials of Municipal Government*
(2) NCLM School for New Mayors*
(3) NCLM Annual Conference*
(4) Local Elected Leaders Academy LELA*
d) Intergovernmental Duties (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Legislative Delegation
(2) County Commission
(3) Regional Council of Government
(4) Regional municipal/local government officials group
3) Your Team
a) Mayor and Council (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Roles and relationships
(2) Rules of contact
(3) Contact information *
b) Staff (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Roles and relationships
(2) Rules of contact
(3) Contact information *
(4) Organizational chart *
c) Attorney and Auditor (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Roles and relationships
(2) Rules of contact
(3) Contact information *
d) NCLM (name of municipal staff to present this section)
(1) Member Service Representative
(2) Loss Control Representative
(3) NCLM Services offered *
Your Tours
Insert schedule of town facility tours here. Remember facility tours are a great way to introduce elected officials to the municipal employees they depend upon.