May 2, 2018
RE: MTAW John Schlice Scholarship
My name is Connie Zimmerman, Clerk/Treasurer for the Town of Fulton. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the MTAW for awarding me the John Schlice scholarship. Awards such as these enable many treasurers, such as myself to continue attending training, reducing some of the burden on the budget.
I’ve been a clerk/treasurer for 12 years, and this conference was one of my favorites. It was held at The American Club – Kohler, WI. I’ve never been to Kohler before. What a beautiful conference center and community! If you attended, you definitely know what I mean, and if you were not fortunate enough to attend, rumor has it, we may be having a future conference there in the next few years, so possibly you can attend then, to see it for yourself.
We were welcomed by Village President Thomas Schnettler, who gave us a brief history of the community, and explained how involved Kohler Co. is with the community. As Thomas Schnettler explained, it is a unique relationship, like a marriage, between Kohler Co., and the Village of Kohler. I’ve never known of a community where a company is so greatly involved. I have to admit, I am uncertain if that “marriage” would work in other communities. Kudos to Kohler Co. and Village of Kohler for making it work! The rewards are very evident to visitors.
The conference committee did an exceptional job for the educational classes and speakers, as well as planning the extracurricular activities. From the hotels to the food we ate, and everything in between, everything was superb!
Baker Tilly did a great presentation on audit readiness, things that we all need to know. The presenter explained the year end closing process, tax process for municipalities, clearing taxes, and recording taxes. Some of the items she spoke about did not apply to the town I work for because we are on a cash basis rather than an accrual basis, but it was good information to listen to, and store in the back of my brain should I need it in the future. She also included examples of forms treasurer’s use, which are always good to reference to.
With the ever changing laws, the DOR updates proved to be very informative. This session provided us with information on tax law changes, expenditure restraint program, levy limits, documentation and resources. What I truly liked about this session, was the many questions and answers that were asked of the DOR. Often times, other treasurers have questions about laws, and circumstances in their communities that they just aren’t sure how deal with, and by hearing the questions/answers, I am able to gain more knowledge.
Elhlers Inc. provided another informative session on GO Notes, Revenue Bonds, and TIFs. While this class didn’t particularly apply to my municipality, again, it was very interesting to learn about. I can only imagine that larger municipalities have to deal with this topic quite often.
There was a great variety of Municipal Service Providers at the conference. It is always nice to stop by the booths and visit for a short time with them. Some of them are providers our town uses, and others I have gotten to know throughout the years of attending conferences, while others were new, or at least new to me. It’s always interesting when I return to the office with the few trinkets I’ve collected and then one day I look at that item, and end up calling that Service Provider for a price quote for something the town needs.
There was a brief overview of the MTAW website, definitely beneficial to all of us! It’s one of the websites we visit often, and pointers are always helpful.
Employee issues for leave of Absences, and Reasonable Accommodations and how they are related to workers compensation was the final session on Friday. Attorney James Macy was extremely knowledgeable, and presented in a manner that wasn’t “over our heads” as many times attorneys can be. He added humor, and real life examples to what he was presenting, making it even more relatable.
Again, I would like to extend my gratitude to the entire MTAW for continuing to provide conferences where we can learn, network with other treasurers, experience new places and things, and have fun!
Sincerely,
Connie Zimmerman, WCMC, CMTW
Clerk/Treasurer
Town of Fulton
