Uniform Chart of Accounts Update: FGFOA shared that the CFO’s office recently published a Uniform Chart of Accounts that was required by 2011 legislation. In order for it to be implemented, it would have to be picked up by the legislature. There is no known interest in moving it forward, at this time, however Coalition members are still encouraged to pass a resolution against Uniform Chart of Accounts in case it does get picked up prior to the end of session. 24 cities have passed resolutions. Lobbyists are continuing to monitor this issue and will notify the Coalition of any developments.
Follow Up: All Coalition members interested in passing a resolution should review this white paper and personalize this draft resolution. The Coalition will submit its resolution to FGFOA, and refer to the Florida League of Cities’ lobbyists’ for a list of additional suggested recipients.
Website Demo: Steering Committee Members saw a demo of the Coalition’s new website. They offered feedback on style and content. Most significantly, they requested a login for Coalition members. This way, the website will be visually appealing to the public (think ‘Local Works’ theme) while still being a resource for members. Aj Soto, web architect for the Florida League of Cities, attended the meeting and gathered the committee’s feedback.
Follow Up: A link to the updated site will be provided prior to the next Steering Committee Meeting.
Membership: The Membership Information Form was distributed to all Coalition members prior to the meeting. At this time, 13 of 28 groups have submitted the form. The following 5 groups were formally invited to join the Coalition: Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials, Florida Airports Council, Florida Association of County Engineers and Road Superintendents, Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers and Florida Tax Collectors Association. Per request of the Steering Committee at the October 2013 meeting, Coalition staff requested more information about the Florida Association of Public Art Professionals.
Follow Up: Coalition staff will meet with Ken Small this week to learn more about the Florida Association of Property Appraisers and the Property Appraisers’ Association of Florida. The Steering Committee will be updated on all membership progress.
Conferences: Steering Committee Members have an interest in presenting at each other’s conferences, co-hosting lunches, and having Coalition staff visit member’s conferences and board meetings.
Follow Up: A schedule of upcoming conferences will be included in each newsletter. The newsletter will also remind members to work with each other for workshop content, speakers, etc. Coalition staff will request to attend each member’s conference or upcoming board meeting.
Newsletter: The Steering Committee decided that the Coalition newsletter should be quarterly instead of monthly. If information needs to be communicated more frequently, it can be done in a separate email blast.
Committees: Lynn Tipton (FCCMA) and Beth Rawlins (FBW) developed committee guidelines, attached. These initial guidelines were approved by the Steering Committee, understanding that the guidelines can be amended in the future if necessary.
Follow Up: Coalition staff is recruiting committee chairs for the Communications Committee and the Innovations Committee. Staff will be reaching out to the Florida Association of City Clerks for the Innovations Chair and to the Florida Government Communicators Association for the Communications Chair. Staff will also develop a year-long meeting schedule for the Innovations and Communications Committees to be distributed in February. Beth Rawlins will remain the Advocacy Chair, and the Advocacy Committee will continue to meet as necessary.
