The International City/County Management Association invites local government leaders to participate in an information exchange forum, providing important input on the value of water and how best to communicate its importance to the public.

Conducted with the Red Oak Consulting division of Malcolm Pirnie Inc., and supported by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation, the forum will be held by conference call and Internet on Nov. 2, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST, and Nov. 16, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST.

The forum will identify benefits, key messages and techniques for successfully communicating the true value of water. Local leaders? input will provide:

? Perceptions and knowledge about the true value of water;

? Current leading efforts and strategies that effectively communicate the value of water to the public by the utilities and local government decision makers;

? Identification of best communication approaches from water utility to city managers; and

? Information about the challenges of improving communication among local decision makers and utilities.

The results of the forum will be included in a final report documenting findings from the forum along with those conducted with the water utility companies.

A tool kit containing examples of websites, collateral materials and other message vehicles will be produced to illustrate the findings.

Details: To learn more about the forum, visit www.icma.org. To R.S.V.P. for the forum, contact Courtney Webster at
cwebster@icma.org by Nov. 3.