5.7. SR 01-21-1997**ITEM 5.7.**
r'ity of
MEMORANDUM
iver
TO:
FROM:
Mayor and City Council
Steve Ach, City Planner--s//_
DATE:
January 21, 1997
SUBJECT: Request to Attend Out of State
Conference
Overview
Each year the American Planning Association (A_PA) organizes a national
conference for all professional, elected, appointed officials and citizens
involved with planning issues. The conference typically offers a wide variety
of topics covering the entire gamut of planning issues. Some of the topics
that will be discussed this year and are applicable to Elk River include:
Growth Management Strategies
Transportation Planning
· Update of Legal Issues
· Wetland Protection
· Trends in Housing Industry
· Computer Applications for Planning
Economic Development
· Urban Design and Preservation
· Conservation and Open Spaces
· Sustainable Development
· Downtown Development/Planning
In addition to the conference sessions that are held at the hotel, numerous
mobile workshops are offered. These mobile workshops are excellent
opportunities to visit developments and experience firsthand the success
and/or failures communities have discovered.
The 1997 Planning Department budget, as adopted by the City Council,
programmed expenses to cover attendance at a national conference.
Obviously, early registration, scheduling a hotel room, and booking air fare
in advance will provide the opportunity to obtain the best rates to attend the
conference.
In the past two years, the Council has also approved sending two Planning
Commission members to attend the same conference. The conference has
specific programs geared towards planning commissioners. Therefore, I
believe the conference is equally beneficial for the Planning Commission.
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
Memo to the Mayor and City Council Page 2
January 21, 1997
The 1997 Planning Commission budget was also approved with provisions for
Commission attendance to the conference.
Request
The City Council is asked to approve sending the City Planner and two
Planning Commission members to the National Planning Conference.
s:\councilXconf, doc