Courses Being Offered

Monday, July 28, 2008

9:00 am – 3:45 pm

Decision Making and Planning

In today’s fast paced work environment continuous change requires people to make important decisions and implement plans in a very short period of time. Often these skills are acquired through trial and error which can be costly to people and the organizations where they work. The Decision Making and Planning course is based on a model that has been developed to assist in making difficult decisions in a proven step-by-step method. This model takes the emotions out of the equation and minimizes the politics, allowing a person to evaluate possible solutions based on facts. An added value to this model is that it serves as a solid communication tool. If anyone questions how a decision has been arrived upon, a person can go back through the process and demonstrate how and why that conclusion was arrived at. This powerful tool will build important life skills that people can use effectively in their day-to-day work routine and personal life.

Instructor: Kip Erickson is the President of Erickson & Company.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - AM

9:00 am – Noon

Supervising Difficult People

It is not uncommon to find in our workplace employees whose behavior challenges the skills and patience of experienced supervisors and managers. Such an employee usually is labeled “difficult” by his or her supervisor who, in turn, usually ends up getting frustrated with the person. If not dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner, the relationship between the two usually becomes strained and causes disruption to the rest of the work environment. This workshop will provide participants with a variety of strategies and techniques designed to enhance their ability to successfully supervise these difficult people.

Instructor: Steve Pearson is the Director of the UW-Madison Employee Assistance Office.
He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Wisconsin.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - PM (Choose One)

12:45 – 3:45 pm

Preparing for Fall Elections and “New” Security Procedures

In this class the municipal clerks will examine in depth the procedures and protocol for elections according to the state law in regard to the counting of votes in the September Primary and General Elections. Wisconsin’s state presidential primaries can be very challenging, because cross voting is not allowed, however in the General Elections, cross voting is permissible. This situation can cause mix ups not only for the clerks, but also for voters who do not understand the voting protocol. Another challenging topic which will be covered is the “new” security procedures mandated by the state. There has been lots of discussion regarding this topic and this class will give everyone the opportunities to talk about what all of this means to them. The course will fulfill the 2010 State Statutes recertification requirement.

Instructor: Bob Ohlsen is the County Clerk for Dane County.

Information Technology Security: Where are Your Problems?

The purpose of this class is to provide you with an understanding of the information technology security issues of today. You will learn what areas you should be considering when assessing your personal and municipality’s security environment.

Class participants will:

Identify current threats to information assets
Understand the key areas to evaluate when looking at an organizations information security environment
Learn the importance of good password policies
Identify the methods and tools hackers use to compromise their targeted networks

Instructor: Jeff Lemmermann, CPA, CITP, CISA, is the practice manager for IT Security in
Wisconsin for the 12th largest CPA firm in the nation, Clifton Gunderson LLP. He has also attained the Certified Information Security Auditor (CISA) certification.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - AM (Choose One)

8:00 am – Noon

Employment Law Continued

Topics that will be covered:

Health & safety issues -- worker’s compensation, workplace violence
Harassment and discrimination
The Duty of Reasonable Accommodation -- light duty, leaves of absence, etc.
Coordinating State and Federal FMLA Laws
Wage and hour issues -- exempt vs. non-exempt, hours of work, comp time, breaks, etc.

Instructor: Nancy Pirkey is an attorney at Davis & Kuelthau, SC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
She is a Partner in the Labor and Employment Section at the firm.

9:00 am – Noon

Chargeback Process Relating to Equalized Value

Each year the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) receives approximately five hundred 74.41 chargeback requests from municipalities. A 74.41 chargeback is submitted to the DOR when a municipal official has made a correction on an assessment error resulting in a refund of taxes. Each request is reviewed and if the request meets the statutory requirement, the chargeback is accepted. However, that does not mean it will be approved. In the end when a request is denied, the municipality must fund the entire cost of the property tax refund resulting in money being taken out of the municipality’s general fund. This course will educate the participants in understanding the 74.41 refund process and how to increase the odds of getting the municipality’s money returned.

Instructor: Fred Matthes heads Fair Share Valuation. He has over 33 years of serving the public in assessment administration and valuation. He served twenty years with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) in the Property Tax-Equalization Section.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - PM

12:45-2:45 pm

Professional Advisor Service

This course will be a panel discussion consisting of experienced municipal administrators, planners, and clerks moderated by Attorney John Macy. The panel will discuss how municipal officials and staff can best utilize the services of their out-of-house consultants while saving large sums of money. The best administrators, planners, and clerks know “when to call and when not to call.” We will explore why and when outside services are needed. The objective of the course is to educate the audience on the “tricks of the trade” emphasizing what lessons have been learned the hard way. It is the hope that the panel along with the moderator will instill in the audience what to think about prior to making the call, as well as what happens if they do not make the call. The emphasis in the class is on cost savings.

Instructor: John P. Macy is a shareholder with the law firm of Arenz, Molter, Macy & Riffle, S.C. The firm is engaged in the general practice of law, with a heavy emphasis on municipal law throughout southeastern Wisconsin. The firm currently represents over 30 municipal entities.

2:45-4:45 pm

Property Tax Timelines

This course will be a summary overview of the Wisconsin property tax system including a timeline dealing with the assessment of properties, a discussion on how property taxes are levied, and property tax collection. The objective of the course is to teach the participants how their job fits into the overall property tax picture. It is felt that all municipal administrators and clerks play a role in the property tax system without having an understanding of how the entire system works.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

8:00-11:00 am

Conflict and Negotiation

Some people view conflict as inherently bad, something to be avoided. Others view conflict as unavoidable, something to be tolerated. Still others view conflict as necessary, something that keeps groups and organizations viable, self-critical, and creative. As we’ll discuss in this workshop, not all conflict is created equal. Some conflict yields functional outcomes such as employee satisfaction, group cohesiveness, and positive individual and organizational performance. Other conflicts yield dysfunctional outcomes, such as employee dissatisfaction, poor morale, and suboptimal performance. This workshop, will explore several topics related to conflict and negotiation, including: defining conflict, outlining the conflict process, describing the five conflict-handling intentions, contrasting distributive and integrative bargaining, and identifying the five steps in the negotiation process.

Instructor: Lucy Arendt is an Assistant Professor in Management in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She has more than twenty years of public speaking experience.

Contact information:

Kassie VanRemortel
Director of Governmental Affairs and Economic Development
Outreach and Extension, WH 480
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI 54311-7001

Phone: 920-465-2468 or 800-892-2118

E-mail:

An Equal Employment Opportunity Affirmative Action employer, UW-Green Bay provides equal opportunity in employment and programming. Please advise us at least two weeks before the program if you have a disability and desire special accommodations.