Phantom (But Real) Employee Costs – The Ghost of Benefits Past

Thank you, Mike Bailey, Redmond Finance Director, and Susanne Connelly, Sequim HR Director, for tackling this complicated subject. “This webinar addresses the issue of the unfunded liability of accrued vacation and sick leave. It is intended for mayors, managers, administrators, finance directors, city clerks and human resource managers. It will benefit anyone responsible for reporting an agencies financial condition and for dealing with the consequences of this underestimated financial issue.” So, pop some corn, put up your feet, and enjoy.

Fa la la….For your learning enjoyment, WFOA has published their 2013 Non-Conference Training calendar. There’s something for everyone, including the addition of two Cash Basis – Accounting and Reporting classes for Special Purpose Districts. Check it out. Register soon. These professional training opportunities fill up fast.

As Ann Macfarlane stated in Jurassic Parliament’s most recent email, “January is the month of new beginnings.” Now is the time to check out some of their publications on such subjects as:

• Diffusing the fear in meetings
• Unanimous consent is a chair’s best friend
• What are the duties of the person running the meeting?

Check out their publications.

Check out their Leadership Development Training.

“Lack of Adequate Internal Financial Controls” tops the findings list at 74 – 33%. This should come as no surprise to anyone.

“Lack of Adequate Controls to Ensure Compliance with Federal Grant Requirements” comes in a close second at 71 findings – 32%.

We are blessed there is training and white papers to address every finding topic. A great place to begin is on the SAO website page titled: Accountability and Fraud Prevention.

WFOA Non-Conference Training Classes include a track on Federal Grant Requirements and Management:

• March 20, 2013 – Ephrata
• April 24, 2013 – Mount Vernon
• October 9, 2013 – Tacoma
• October 16, 2013 – Yakima

The following is an excerpt from an MRSC Insight article posted by Joe Levan on 12/12/12 titled: 2012 End of Year Public Records Alert:

“As a final note, I want to call your attention to a significant records retention issue. The Washington State Archives (WSA) recently announced that it has published revisions to its local government retention schedules. All current retention schedules are currently available in PDF and Word formats through the Type of Agency and Alphabetical List pages on the WSA’s website. In case you missed it, the WSA sent out a notification on November 30, 2012, that provides:

20 records retention schedules were approved yesterday by the Local Records Committee. The following versions are effective immediately; all previous versions have been superseded and no longer provide legal disposition authority:

• Local Government Common Records Retention Schedule (CORE) (Version 3.0)
• School Districts and Educational Service Districts Records Retention Schedule (Version 8.0)
• Utility Services Records Retention Schedule (Version 1.2)

In addition, Version 5.2 of the Local Government General Records Retention Schedule (LGGRRS) has been discontinued, and LGGRRS no longer exists.”

“Video conference connection as meeting attendance is becoming more and more accepted in local government.  It can be an effective method of attendance since it allows “face time” as well as an audio connection.  And it is much closer to actual physical attendance than simply a phone connection.”

Remote/Video Attendance at Meetings.