2013 Preconference SessionsPreconference sessions will be held at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis 55 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Taking a morning and afternoon session?
Enjoy a continental breakfast and afternoon snack in your session room, as well as a grab-and-go lunch.
Taking a morning session?
A continental breakfast will be available in your session room. Taking an afternoon session?
An afternoon snack will be available in your session room. Friday, May 31, 2013Reinventing the Revenue Forecasting Process 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. • 4 CPE Credits
Forecasting revenues during times of significant economic volatility looks at first glance like a losing proposition.
However, a structured forecasting process can help forecasters ask the right questions, given the environment
and the audience. Instructors will demonstrate how they have conducted analyses and forecasted revenue using
readily available spreadsheet software. To make this seminar even more valuable, participants will be shown how
to apply forecasting techniques in real time on their own laptop computers in individual and group exercises.
Participants will be taken through exercises that address preparing data, qualitative and quantitative analysis,
and the application of basic statistics.
The Future is Now: Your New Role as a Finance Pro!
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. • 4 CPE Credits
The future has arrived and with it, an emerging role for the finance professional. Increased scrutiny, higher
expectations, and a shifting political landscape add up to a valuable opportunity for the finance pro to activate
change, drive innovation, and successfully lead their organization towards a better future. This workshop will
provide a powerful combination of a sound strategy along with a series of integrated tactics designed to disrupt
the status quo and optimize your capabilities in your new role. Saturday, June 1, 2013New Approaches to Capital Asset Management 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. • 4 CPE Credits
Post-recession, governments are taking a new look at how they’re managing capital assets within perpetually
limited resources. This session will present promising approaches to understanding the condition of capital
assets, analyzing risk, and prioritizing capital expenditures to manage risk and achieve optimal return on investment,
regardless of your government’s financial limitations. Presentations will focus on how to extend the
useful life of your governments’ assets, and the capabilities and costs of automated asset management systems.
Participants will learn how to put asset risk into perspective, the benefits of life cycle analysis, and how to relate
investment in assets to levels of service. - Speakers:
- Matthew Dawe, Vice President - Analytics, Public Sector Digest
- John Murray, Manager of Asset Management, City of Hamilton, ON
- Gerry Wolting, General Manager of Corporate Services, Municipality of Chatham-Kent
- Register online
- Registration form
The New Pension Accounting: What Policymakers Need to Know and How They Need to Respond
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. • 4 CPE Credits
In 2012, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) fundamentally changed how state and local
governments must account for the cost of pension benefits. As a result, virtually all employer governments,
even those that participate in state-wide cost-sharing plans, will have to report a pension liability. Furthermore,
there will no longer be any connection between the amount an employer ought to be contributing to the
pension plan each year and the amount recognized as pension expense in the employer's financial statements.
This session, which assumes no background on pensions, will provide participants with a clear understanding
of how pension accounting is about to change and the likely impact of that change. It also will explore what
employers need to do to ensure that benefits are adequately funded now that accounting for pensions has been
divorced from funding. - Speakers:
- Stephen J. Gauthier, Director, Technical Services Center, GFOA (Bio)
- Robert B. (Bob) Scott, Chief Financial Officer/Assistant City Manager, Carrollton, Texas (Bio)
- Paul Zorn, Director of Governmental Research, Gabriel Roeder and Smith
- Register online
- Registration form
Making a Cost-Effective Financial or ERP System Decision 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. • 4 CPE Credits
Governments are under increasing pressure to pursue technology projects that were postponed due to the
recession. But the software industry has not been idle, and comparing the costs of alternatives – cloud-based
solutions, software as a service, hosting, or more traditional licensed operations – is more difficult than ever.
Couple that with software improvements, and the decision process becomes even more complicated. This
half-day session will explore these developments and provide updates on software options and the pros and
cons of alternatives.
Using Electronic Tools to Encourage Public Involvement in the Budget Process
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. • 4 CPE Credits
The session will provide participants with approaches for making budgets and the budgeting process more
transparent, using electronic technology, thus making it simpler for the public to understand the connection
between the taxes they pay and the benefits they receive, and even to participate in the budgeting process.
Presenters will provide examples of electronic formats participants can take home and use, not only for the final
budget but for enabling the public to review proposals and provide feedback during the process. Practitioners
experienced in using electronic budgeting tools will give participants tips on how to select the right applications
and use the web to make your budget process more transparent.
Get Lean: Making Government Better, Faster, and Cheaper
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. • 8 CPE Credits
Lean thinking and tools can be used for many purposes, from improving an accounts receivable process to
redesigning the layout of a utility truck. Lean does not require months of lead time, hundreds of hours of
consulting, or millions of dollars for new software. It can be done in a few days using in-house staff, with
virtually zero investment in new technology. However, Lean does require a new way of thinking about work
and use of specialized management tools. This seminar will use a workshop format to provide an introduction
to Lean concepts and hands-on experience with Lean thinking and the Lean toolset. At the conclusion of the
session, participants should be comfortable with applying Lean techniques in their own organizations.
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