By James Krizan
The holiday season is a natural time to get reflective on the past year. With the fall professional development event complete (more on that in moment), the NextGen committee has wrapped up another successful year. With our two annual conference dinners and two annual professional development events, the committee has again worked very hard and everyone should be extremely proud.
The fall professional development event focused on infrastructure planning and took place on Dec. 14. Topics for the event were “The Impact of Long-Term Capital Planning on Utility Rates,” “Infrastructure Pilot Plan and the Michigan Infrastructure Council,” and “Asset Management and the CIP.” Attendees also received a brief update on the state’s new lead and copper rules. If you haven’t attended one of our professional development events, I highly recommend it. Remember, these events aren’t just for first-time or early career managers. They are a great opportunity for everyone.
While looking back is appropriate at this time of year, we also must continue to focus forward. To that end, we are excited for the coming Winter Institute. The NextGen committee will again be hosting a networking dinner during the conference. This event will be on Wednesday Feb. 6 at the Cricket Club in downtown Battle Creek. Remember, there is a cap on the number of attendees and pre-registration is required as part of your conference registration. This event is always a highlight of the conference.
Also looking forward, soon we’ll be sending out the application for MME Fellowship Host Communities. This is an excellent opportunity to partner with local universities to provide a great learning experience for up-and-coming local government managers. Please consider hosting an MME Fellow this coming year!
Finally, it’s that time again to sign up to join MME committees. If you have an interest in helping develop networking or professional development events, the MME Fellowship, or working with universities to help connect students to opportunities in local government, consider joining the MME NextGen Committee.
See everyone in Battle Creek!
James Krizan
Chair, NextGen Committee; Assistant to the City Manager, Royal Oak
James Krizan has served as assistant to the city manager in Royal Oak since 2016. Previously, he held the position of village manager in Decatur.