Preconference Seminars
Preconference seminars will begin on June 27, 2025, at GFOA's 119th Annual Conference. View the sessions below and secure your spot before these seminars reach capacity.
Important Registration Information
- GFOA has streamlined the registration process combining both the preconference seminars and full conference registration into a single transactional flow. If possible, please register for conference and preconference seminars at the same time. Click here to begin the process.
- If you have already registered for conference and would like to add preconference seminars, please fill out the selected options on this PDF and submit it to training@gfoa.org. The link for purchasing Tuesday night finale tickets will be released at a future date.
- Preconference seminar fees are $205 per session for a government members, $245 per session for private sector members, and $270 for non-members.
Preconference Seminars
Friday, June 27, 2025
Addressing the Challenges of Fire and Emergency Service Staffing
1:00 pm–5:00 pm | 4 CPE Credits | Room TBD
Fire and emergency services are among the most critical and complex functions provided by local governments, requiring well-trained staff available around the clock. These positions are often some of the most challenging to recruit for, retain, and plan. In this session, speakers will discuss the roles of finance, human resources, and fire and emergency service leaders in staffing and budgeting, along with strategies for recruitment and lessons learned in managing compensation. Speakers will also cover how to coordinate an optimal mix of full-time and part-time employees with volunteers, collaborate with union representatives, adhere to certification standards, and meet the evolving needs of local government fire and emergency services. Join this session to gain insights from fire and emergency service leaders on fostering collaboration, building stronger relationships across your organization, and enhancing service to your community.
Speakers:
Learn to Budget: Best Practices and Trends in School Budgeting
1:00 pm–5:00 pm | 4 CPE Credits | Room TBD
Following the pandemic, school districts were able to use grant funding for initiatives aimed at closing the academic gap. Now, as this funding is eliminated, districts must find ways to sustain many critical programs while addressing substantial budget gaps. In this session, speakers will discuss strategies for identifying budget cuts, options for new revenue, and how to successfully transition from one-time funding sources to sustainable models for continued academic progress. In addition, speakers will highlight ongoing challenges in school budgeting, such as balancing capital and operational needs, managing long-term enrollment trends and short-term fluctuations, and planning for both instructional and support personnel. The session will introduce GFOA’s Smarter School Spending tools and offer a networking opportunity for school finance leaders.
On the Clock: Ensuring Timely and Compliant Financial Reporting
1:00 pm–5:00 pm | 4 CPE Credits | Room TBD
Staff shortages, audit firm availability, new reporting requirements, federal funding, and other demands on accounting and financial reporting departments continue to affect how timely governments can issue financial statements and annual comprehensive financial reports (ACFRs). This session will address challenges related to issuing timely financial statements. With insights from both preparers and auditors, we'll explore opportunities to improve the internal financial close process, offer tips for working efficiently with the auditors and actuaries, and discuss methods for coordinating component unit financial information. Speakers will cover strategies to stay proactive throughout the year and address inevitable changes in reporting standards, regulatory requirements, and audit standards.
Speakers:
Overview of Public Funds Investing
1:00 pm–5:00 pm | 4 CPE Credits | Room TBD
As the investment market grows more dynamic, governments encounter expanded opportunities, while finance officers face new challenges. GFOA best practices offer valuable guidance to both large and small governments navigating decisions on investment options appropriate for their programs. This session will cover the fundamentals of public funds investing, including the importance of a sound investment policy, strategies for managing liquidity, and methods for evaluating key economic indicators. Speakers will also discuss core principles of public funds investing, such as diversification, risk management, performance measures, and reporting, within the context of recent market developments. Attend this session for an overview of GFOA best practices and recent case studies to help strengthen your investment program.
Saturday, June 28, 2025
The Bedrock of Budgeting: Planning and Policies
8:30 am–12:30 pm | 4 CPE Credits | Room TBD
For many experienced budget professionals, the toughest part of budgeting isn’t balancing revenues and expenses; it’s defining the organization’s goals, determining the best strategies to achieve them, and effectively communicating those plans to decision-makers. However, many government budget processes still emphasize cost estimates and adjusting incrementally from the previous year, often overlooking these more challenging tasks. In today’s rapidly changing environment, decisions from last year may no longer be relevant, making it essential for governments to use collaborative planning processes and adopt sound financial policies. These approaches allow governments to address complex questions, maintain flexibility and adaptability, focus on long-term goals, and ensure sustainability. This session will explore the foundations of a robust budget process, highlight key planning and budgeting policies, and shift the conversation toward what truly matters.
Speakers:
Looking in the Mirror: How to Assess Your Leadership Competencies
8:30 am–12:30 pm | 4 CPE Credits | Room TBD
Governments today are facing unprecedented, concurrent, and interrelated challenges, including aging infrastructure, evolving service expectations, staff recruitment and retention, new technologies, and an ever-changing landscape of public distrust, misinformation, and politics. In response, the Government Finance Officers Association of British Columbia (GFOABC) has developed a leadership competency framework for local government finance officers. This framework outlines the competencies essential for excellence in government service delivery and is designed to help local government finance professionals assess their own skills, evaluate others, and identify a path toward strategic financial leadership. In this session, you’ll learn about each of the seven competencies and how to apply the framework for self-assessment and team development.
This session is open to finance professionals from both the United States and Canada.
Three Sides of the Same Coin: Pension and OPEB Reporting from Accounting, Audit, and Actuarial Perspectives
8:30 am–12:30 pm | 4 CPE Credits | Room TBD
Pension and other postemployment benefit (OPEB) plan accounting and reporting present ongoing challenges for finance professionals. This session will explore these issues from the perspectives of an accountant, an auditor, and an actuary, illustrating how all three roles contribute to successful reporting. Attend this session to deepen your understanding of the complexities of plan reporting requirements and how a government’s liabilities, along with related deferred outflows and inflows, are represented on financial statements.
Speakers:
Better Budgeting Defined
1:00 pm–5:00 pm | 4 CPE Credits | TBD
A better budget process doesn’t necessarily mean a longer or more complex one, and what constitutes a “better” process may vary for each organization. Featuring lessons learned from GFOA’s Rethinking Budgeting initiative, speakers will introduce concepts you can apply to your government’s budget process to help you define what “better” means, how to move toward that better process, and how to do that while avoiding burnout. We will cover the critical ingredients of an effective budget process and their organizational impact. This session will guide you in designing a process that fosters sound decision-making, challenges spending habits, and considers long-term goals. Speakers will also discuss how to analyze your budget to identify steps you can eliminate, so you can focus more on the steps that add value.
Speakers:
Scenario Planning for Disaster Recovery
1:00 pm–5:00 pm | 4 CPE Credits | TBD
The hours, days, and months following a natural disaster can be overwhelming for communities, citizens, and governments alike. Priorities are everywhere and resources are stretched to meet even the basic needs of a community. In this session, speakers will discuss case studies examining the effects of climate change and extreme weather events—such as fires, floods, and windstorms—that severely affect communities. What is scenario planning, and how did it help reshape government rebuilding efforts? How did property tax relief support citizens’ economic well-being while ensuring long-term government revenues? Attend this session to learn from the experiences of other governments, engage in a conversation about rethinking revenues and risks, discuss who owns climate risk, and consider how to apply scenario planning within your own organization.
Sign Here: Managing Contract Risks Through Procurement
1:00 pm–5:00 pm | 4 CPE Credits | Room TBD
Contract management is a core function of public procurement and critical to managing the relationship with suppliers. However, effective contract management requires organization-wide participation and a focus on the entire contract lifecycle to mitigate risk and enhance performance. In this session, speakers will discuss essential steps in the contract management process from both finance and procurement perspectives, demonstrating how these areas can work together to coordinate with operational and legal stakeholders. Topics will include strategies for linking the competitive procurement process to contract development, negotiating key terms, defining the role of the governing board, best practices for compliance monitoring, and the impact of technology and artificial intelligence on contract management. Speakers will also share strategies and lessons learned for overcoming common challenges and frustrations with the contract management process, as well as identifying strategies for mitigating risks in complex public sector contracts.