The recent COVID-19 crisis drastically impacted the financial profile of park districts throughout the State of Illinois and highlighted the need for financial forecasting tools and sound financial management practices. This session will provide a financial forecasting model and detail the factors

This session will focus on some of the more challenging aspects of public meetings such as commonly misused closed session exceptions, options for controlling a rowdy crowd, how to handle rogue commissioners, public relations issues, and everything in between. Learning Outcomes: Participants

Park agencies manage many acres of public space where sometimes controversial activities take place. What authority does your organization have to regulate parks, while respecting the individual rights of park patrons? Find out at “Not in my Park!” proudly presented by Ancel

This presentation will discuss the basic requirements of the Illinois Open Meetings Act: when is there a meeting; the pitfalls of the use of electronic communication; when is there a quorum; what should be on the agenda; what can or should be

The recent health, economic and social crises have created an urgent need for organizations to better understand their financial realities in order to prepare themselves for the uncertainties that lie ahead. What better way to help your organization and ultimately your community

This program provides your agency with specific information on how to lawfully manage public demonstrations in your parks. We will discuss (i) how to identify and establish free speech areas in your parks, (ii) drafting a comprehensive permitting policy, (iii) dos and

Today more than ever, elected officials and high-ranking public executives are under the microscope of public scrutiny. In a world where the public can record and publish events to the world as they occur, elected and appointed park, forest preserve and other

Did your budget explode this year because of COVID-19? Are some funds over budget and others hopelessly below? This session will review budget basics, describe how to build your budget to account for unexpected circumstances, and explain how to amend your budget

Even the best public agency boards experience conflict, and healthy conflict is a sign of a healthy board. But not all board conflict is good for your agency and commissioners and executives must have procedures, strategies and practices available to ensure healthy

Learn how to improve your park district’s written emergency policies. Policies we will discuss include severe weather, bomb threat, domestic violence involving employees and the possible danger to the workplace, active shooter and active threat, flood and fire, building evacuation, and reunification