Member Councils Explore Cutting-Edge Topics

Member councils differ from many other NLC groups in that they primarily focus on issues that relate to city operations and programs rather than federal advocacy issues. These groups tend to be laboratories for new ideas and initiatives and ths year is no different.

At their recent meetings, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, regionalism, and innovative youth programs were among the topics explored. More information about each council meeting follows.

Large Cities Council (formerly Central Cities)
The Central Cities Council is taking steps to help increase the council’s membership so that more ideas — and solutions to problems they face — can be shared among like cities. To make its name more descriptive of the group’s purpose, the council voted to change the name to the Large Cities Council. Representing cities of population 200,000 or more or the largest city in a state, council members network with each other to learn about problems and solutions that either work or don’t work for large cities.

Chaired by Council Member Nancy Carter, Charlotte, N.C., the Large Cities Council engaged in a discussion on regionalism led by NLC Research Manager Christy McFarland. The council specifically looked at what cities are doing to foster relationships with other cities and counties in their region. Members talked about their efforts on homelessness, transportation and water infrastructure as a few successful examples of undertakings that cities in a region work on together.

The participants noted that regionalism can have some downfalls. Members from Winston-Salem, N.C., shared their experience of what happened when businesses were encouraged to develop in their region. The economic benefits only affected part of the region, therefore creating unintended economic competitiveness between the cooperating cities.

The committee also expressed interest in partnering with the Transportation Infrastructure and Services Steering Committee at its spring meeting to discuss the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization.   

First Tier Suburbs Council
During the First Tier Suburbs Council meeting, presided over by Mayor Keith McDonald, Bartlett, Tenn., city officials described how their cities have prepared for redevelopment efforts. Mayor Laura McConwell told how her small city of Mission, Kansas, less than three square miles, was at a crossroads when many large parcels of land became available for redevelopment.  She said that Mission began a planning process that involved residents, businesses, property owners, employers, land owners, shoppers, employees, and community leaders to create a community vision that would serve as the framework and guide for future development.

The community vision was for more compact, walkable, and sustainable development. City leaders were challenged to make the community vision a reality, especially in the face of lucrative offers by big-box developers. With the framework in place, Mission denied the big-box stores and is now in the process of building a mixed-use development with accessible open space.

Members of the First Tier Suburbs Council will participate in the International Council of Shopping Centers Retail Convention, May 18-20. They will interact with retail developers as well as other city officials to learn how to effectively redevelop blighted retail for better use.

Small Cities Council
Driven by a desire to share big success stories from smaller cities and towns, the Small Cities Council and its Steering Committee determined to produce a catalog of best practices during 2008.

Under the chairmanship of Shawn Larsen, mayor, Rexburg, Idaho, the council discussed strategies that would help share the vast array of knowledge available among Small Cities Council members with those cities and local leaders who are unable to come together face-to-face at NLC annual conferences.

Supporting entrepreneurship and helping to nurture small businesses was the topic addressed by the guest speaker at the meeting of all Small Cities Council members.

Anoop Prakash, associate administrator for entrepreneurial development at the Small Business Administration (SBA), talked about the vibrant programs that foster entrepreneurship in high school students. He also provided information about the resources available from SBA regional offices and from small business development centers around the country.

The summer meeting of the Small Cities Council Steering Committee will be held in the Rexburg business development center.

University Communities Council
Members of the University Communities Council (UCC) Steering Committee focused on the cross connection of the programs in NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families (IYEF) and town/gown communities.

Round table discussions of current and emerging issues were explored during the membership luncheon meeting. The council’s chair, Joycelyn Johnson, councilmember, Winston-Salem, N.C., presided at both sessions. 

Audrey Hutchinson, NLC's program director for education and afterschool initiatives, provided an overview of the Institute to the steering committee. She spoke about municipal leaders being ideally suited to work with school systems, business leaders, and community organizations and citizens to establish and pursue a cross-cutting commitment to keep youth in school and prepare them for the workforce.

Andrew Moore, an NLC senior fellow, presented an overview of NLC’s involvement with the Alternative High School Initiative, a network of youth development organizations with 211 sites nationwide committed to creating educational opportunities for young people for whom the traditional school settings have not been successful. 

Additionally, Leon Andrews, NLC's director of youth development, highlighted the work of the Disconnected Youth initiative. Andrews explained that NLC has worked to increase the capacity of mayors and municipal leaders to launch and lead cross-system efforts that support disconnected youth by documenting effective practices linking cities and municipal systems to technical assistance efforts, and by developing a network for municipal leaders on the issue of disconnected youth.

The membership luncheon meeting focused on roundtable discussions of the following current and emerging issues in town/gown communities:

•    Capitalizing on the value and wealth of resources in universities to improve economic conditions for the communities;

Details: For more information about participating in an NLC member council, contact Catherine Moses at (202) 626-3018 or moses@nlc.org. Go to www.nlc.org for more information about the member councils under “Inside NLC.”  Member councils meet twice a year at the NLC annual conferences.