If there is one thing that always proves consistent about municipal officials in North Carolina each year, it is their desire to learn. To keep up with demand, we are offering even more topics of study through our Advancing Municipal Leaders program and our CityVision annual conference, and city officials are hungry for more. We were thrilled to see so many of you take advantage of the AML Certification Program credits offered at CityVision. This commitment to education is part of what gives our cities and towns something to be proud of.
We’re proud of the new services we’re able to provide. Our Municipal Accounting Services staff continues to expand the available services to members, not only including accounting software and cyber security but also one-on-one mentorship through the League’s newly announced Accounting Instruction & Mentorship (AIM) program.
One of the things the League highly values is the one-on-one time our staff can provide to our members. It is in these one-on-one conversations that we can come to you, teach you and also learn from you about how the League can continue to better serve you.
We also greatly appreciate the time you have taken to come to us! This year, we hosted our annual CityVision conference in Winston-Salem from April 23–25. Each year following CityVision, I find myself with a renewed perspective on just what exactly it means to be a member of the North Carolina League of Municipalities.
It is in the gathering—in the occasions where our members, from every corner of the state, come together—that we can truly see NCLM as more than just the sum of its parts.
This was evident too throughout this year’s Town and State Dinners! We debuted our “Town & State Dinner: From Jones St. to Main St.” where League staff and members traveled to Concord, Winston-Salem, Pinehurst, Hickory and Goldsboro to host five regional Town & State dinners with legislators from their delegation in attendance. Each event provided a familiar feeling of camaraderie and invoked a collective sense of betterment for the state of North Carolina.
With the conference behind us and the summer ahead, I encourage you to participate in this membership as fully as you can. We are here to help. For educational needs, we will be offering courses and trainings across the state, and will soon announce a full schedule of offerings for the fall. For administrative support, we have an expansive team of municipal professionals ready to consult and assist. Legal consulting, police trainings and more, whatever you may need, the League is your one-stop shop.
Find and join a League affiliate group or groups that fit your needs. We will be assisting with affiliate group summer conferences around the state this summer. The opportunities to share with others who do what you do are going to be great.
I am so proud to be a part of this organization. I know I am lucky to be a part of it. It is my goal each day to make sure that you—our local leaders—feel the same. Thank you for all that you do, and I hope to see you around this summer!
