October 3-5 Hampton Roads Convention Center 1610 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23666
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Hampton Roads Convention Center

Even though local government budgets are tight, the 2010 VML Annual Conference to be held Oct. 3-5 in Hampton is a must-attend event. Local government officials will find the two-and-a-half days of workshops, general sessions and roundtables invaluable as they chart courses for their communities in the wake of one of the worst recessions in history. This is the first time VML has held its conference in Hampton since the opening of the new Hampton Roads Convention Center, which is ideally suited to a group the size of VML. The facilities are excellent.

Participants will hear from a number of relevant speakers, learn about new services available to local governments, find out about innovative programs that save money and deliver better services, and have the opportunity to network with officials from across the state.

Two excellent keynote speakers are already confirmed. James E. Mitchell Jr. is first vice president of the National League of Cities (NLC), the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing municipal government. He will deliver a keynote address at the opening session on Oct. 4. Mitchell serves as a member of the Charlotte, N.C. City Council. He was first elected in 1999 and is now serving his fifth term. He chairs the city council’s Restructuring Government Committee and is vice chair of the Economic Development and Planning Committee and the Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee. In 2008, Mitchell chaired the NLC’s National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO). He also has been active in NLC’s Leadership Training Council, NLC’s Institute of Youth, Education, and Family, City Futures Panel on Democratic Governance, and the Advisory Council. He is past president of the North Carolina Black Elected Municipal Officials (NCBEMO) and served on the board of the North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM). Mitchell is the director of operations and sales for Cinda Corp.

David Brunori will give the keynote address on Oct. 5. Brunori is a journalist, author, educator and lawyer who specializes in tax and government issues. He is a frequent speaker at conferences around the United States on the subject of state and local tax policy. Brunori is contributing editor of State Tax Notes magazine and the author of The Politics of State Taxation, a weekly column focusing on state tax and budget politics. Brunori serves as a research professor of public policy at The George Washington University, where he also teaches state and local tax law at the law school. His latest work, Local Tax Policy: A Federalist Perspective has recently been published by the Urban Institute Press. Prior to joining State Tax Notes, he served as an appellate trial attorney with the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice and practiced with a Washington D.C., law firm.

A variety of workshops and the always-popular local government roundtables will complete the educational sessions offered at the conference. In addition, the exhibit hall will offer the latest on products and services available to local governments.

Special program offerings available to spouses include a cooking school taught by the head chef at the Embassy Suites, and a fun-filled class on etiquette taught by Kathleen Harshberger, wife of Radford Vice Mayor Dick Harshberger.

The conference will include the league’s annual business meeting, election of officers and adoption of the 2010 legislative program. The annual banquet will include remarks by the incoming president, presentation of the 2010 Achievement Awards and the Go Green Virginia awards, as well as entertainment.

A Mayors Institute will be held Oct. 2-3 at the Embassy Suites as well.

Additional information will be published in the league’s biweekly Update newsletter as well as in Virginia Town & City.

Sunday, Oct. 3
8:30 a.m. - Shot Gun Start	VML Golf Tournament The Woodlands Golf Course
2 - 6:30 p.m.	Registration & Exhibit Hall
2:30 - 5 p.m.	Legislative Committee meeting
5 p.m.	Nominations Committee
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.	Opening Reception
Monday, Oct. 4
8 a.m.-3:15 p.m.	Exhibit Hall
8 a.m. - 4 p.m.	Registration
9 a.m. - 11:45	Opening Session Keynote address - James Mitchell Jr., 1st Vice President, National League of Cities; Council Member, Charlotte NC Keynote address - Governor Bob McDonnell (to be invited)
Noon - 1:15 p.m.	Lunch in the Exhibit Hall
Noon - 1:15 p.m.	National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials Luncheon (tickets required)
Noon - 1:15 p.m.	Virginia Local Government Management Association Luncheon (tickets required)
1:30 - 2:45 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions The Economic forecast: Where have we been, where are we now and where are we going Future of public pensions Reform commission: ABC privatization and more Social media success stories What local elected officials need to know about employment liability Town track: town boundary line adjustment, voluntary settlements & annexation
3:15 - 4:30 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions Predatory lenders: What local communities can do to help their citizens Fiscal survey results/state budget issues Preserving open space resources Collective bargaining: Preparing for federal legislation Town track: Working with the private sector to accomplish big dreams: IDAs, CDAs and PPEAs
6 - 9 p.m.	Host City Night Hosted by the City of Hampton
Tuesday, Oct. 5
7:45 - 8:45 a.m.	Prayer Breakfast (tickets required)
9 -10:30 a.m.	General Sessions Keynote Address - David E. Brunori, Research Professor of Public Policy and Professorial Lecturer in Law, George Washington Law School; Author, The Politics of State Taxation
10:45 a.m. - Noon	Section Elections and Workshops The annual meetings of the Town, City and Urban Sections include the election of the chair and vice chair of each section and a workshop. The chair of each section sits on the VML Executive Committee. City Section: Preparing youth for productive lives Urban Section: Affordable housing solutions Town Section: Approaches to downtown revitalization
Noon - 1:30 p.m.	Grab a Lunch (name tag required)
12:15 -1:30 p.m.	Women in Local Government Luncheon (tickets required)
1:45 - 3 p.m.	Concurrent Workshops & Local Government Round Tables Concurrent Session Freedom of Information Act Roundtables Local public safety coalitions Local responsibilities under the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act Massage therapists: What they do, who they are, and how they’re regulated Helping citizens understand the real estate assessment process Paperless council agendas Hurricane flooding: Planning and mitigation Can we do that? Myths and realities of the Dillon rule Civic participation: Connecting community volunteers and non-profits Invigorating rural Virginia Working effectively with constitutional officers Go Green Virginia community challenge Getting vacant buildings back on the tax rolls Ingredients of a successful farmers market Best use of resources to keep nightlife areas safe and inviting Transit options for smaller localities
3:10 - 4:30 p.m.	Annual Business Meeting & Election of Officers
5:30 - 6:15 p.m.	Reception
6:15 - 9 p.m.	Annual Reception & Banquet Presentation of achievement awards Remarks by new president Entertainment - Three on a String
Program Note: All times and locations are subject to change.