2024 Annual Conference Preliminary Agenda
Agenda subject to change
Thursday, October 17
7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration Open
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Professional Headshots
7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Trade Show & Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. OMA Business Meeting and Workshop: Building Relationships & Steady Communication are the Keys to Being an Effective Mayor
Being effective as a mayor requires those holding the position to build strong relationships with a host of different individuals and groups, while also steadily and strongly communicating the city’s goals and needs. During this workshop, attendees will learn practical tips and advice from four mayors who have succeeded in: (1) building relationships with their constituents; (2) developing rapport with state and federal leaders, (3) communicating the goals and projects of the city with residents and businesses, and (4) conveying the city’s needs with state and federal leaders.
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. OCCMA Workshop and Business Meeting: Leading with Purpose in Local Government: Building Resilient Cultures in Uncertain Times
In today’s rapidly changing world, city and government leaders are navigating unprecedented challenges—balancing remote work with in-office demands, recruiting and retaining top talent, and leading teams under the intense scrutiny of public and political polarization. The pressure is real, but so is the opportunity to lead with purpose and create a workplace culture where people thrive.. This session will equip attendees with the concrete tools and mindset shifts needed to build resilient, adaptable, and connected teams in the face of today’s most pressing challenges. This workshop is more than just a learning session; it’s a chance to rethink how we lead local government and build a future where people and communities can thrive.
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Councilors Workshop: Navigating City Governance: Charter Updates, Judicial Impacts, and Council Procedures
This three-part workshop will focus on essential updates and best practices for city governance. In session one, we will explore how city charters can be modernized to better address current community needs, highlighting common concerns and successful examples of charter updates. Session two will provide insights into how recent state and federal court decisions have impacted city operations, including a review of significant rulings such as the most recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Johnson v. Grants Pass regarding public space regulations and homelessness. Finally, Session three will focus on developing clear rules of procedure for city council meetings, promoting efficient discussions and proper interactions among council members, city employees, and the public. Join us to enhance your understanding and improve governance in your city.
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. People of Color Caucus Business Meeting and Lunch
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Trade Show Lunch
12:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Local City Tours
- Bend Pubs & Projects Tour - Sponsored by
Hop on board to discuss new and innovative city projects adjacent to some of Bend’s best breweries. We will sip on drinks while listening to city planners, engineers, and other staff discuss new development and projects happening in Bend. You’ll chat about mixed-use developments, UGB expansion, active transportation infrastructure to enhance connectivity, community engagement, innovative funding opportunities and challenges, and more. Grab a tasting glass and your notebook – and let’s raise a pint to progress!
- Bend Water Filtration Facility (WFF) Tour - Sponsored by
The WFF is a closed facility and open to the public only through tours such as these. This tour will cover the treatment of water, not the intake facility within the watershed, and provide an overview of the Townsite Act process the city is going through to acquire the adjacent 48 acres of U.S. Forest Service land to expand the footprint of the WFF to build out infrastructure and accommodate the needs of our growing city over the next 50 years and beyond.
- Bend UGB Expansion Sites Tour - Sponsored by
Hop aboard a vintage red trolley to visit current and potential future sites of urban growth boundary expansion in Bend. From the state’s first HB 4079 pilot project at the 35-acre Parkside Place development to the 360-acre development at Stevens Ranch, learn how public-private partnerships are creating more than 3,400 new units – including deed-restricted and educator-specific housing. You’ll also visit several potential sites from Bend’s recent application for landowners interested in building more affordable housing through a one-time UGB expansion (via SB 1537).
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- Maximizing City Resources with Artificial Intelligence: Practical Applications of ChatGPT to Transform City Operations - Sponsored by
- Ripple Effect Mapping
- Creating a Project Homeless Connect One Day Event in Your Community - Sponsored by
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Networking Snack Break - Sponsored by 
3:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Welcome and Keynote Speaker Dr. Abdul El-Sayed - Sponsored by 
Dr. El-Sayed has dedicated his career to health equity, resiliency, and environmental justice. A physician and epidemiologist, he currently serves as the Public Health Director for Michigan’s largest and most diverse county, where he oversees everything from public health to veterans services. Dr. El-Sayed was the youngest health official in a major U.S. city when he was appointed Health Director for the city of Detroit. Every week, on his award-winning podcast America Dissected, Dr. El-Sayed invites tens of thousands of listeners to go beyond the headlines with him and leading experts in science, public health, healthcare, public policy, and politics to explore the intersection between health and society. Read more
4:45 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. Welcome Reception
Sponsored by 
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. LOC Nominating Committee Meeting
6:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. Dinner on Your Own
8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Caucus Mixer
Friday, October 18
7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Registration Open
7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Breakfast with Trade Show
7:15 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. Professional Headshots
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Small, Medium and Large Cities Networking
9:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Local City Tours
- Bend Central Area Redevelopment Tour
The tour will explore the Wilson Avenue Corridor Project completed in May of 2024 that includes protected bike and pedestrian infrastructure and the location of planned investments for the Greenwood, Franklin, and Hawthorne Midtown Crossings, the last of which received more than $25 million in federal funding to support a pedestrian and bicyclist overcrossing over the parkway and railroad.
- Downtown Redmond Economic Development Tour
This tour will highlight more than $100 million of recent investment in downtown Redmond. Tour stops will include: the historic renovation and reuse of a public school into Redmond City Hall; the nearly completed $40-plus million rebuild of the Redmond library; a recent expansion of Redmond's premier downtown Park – Centennial Park; an historic renovation of the SCP motel; and multiple new businesses on Redmond Main Street.
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- Water Conservation in Bend: Stretching Water Supplies into the Future
- Lobbying the LOC Priorities
- Hate Speech and Civility: What’s a City to Do?
- Lessons Learned from the Almeda Fire
10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Networking Break
10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Workshop - Mastering Media Interactions: A Workshop on Advanced Communication Techniques
Hands-on workshop designed to provide first responders with deeper knowledge and skills for interacting with and responding to the media on-camera.
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- Government to Government with Tribal Nations
- Property Tax 101: History and Opportunities for Change
- Solutions for Rural Communities: North Marion County Economic Development Collaboration - Sponsored by
- Managing a Successful City Manager/Administrator Recruitment - Sponsored by
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Women's Caucus Business Meeting and Lunch
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch with Trade Show
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Local City Tours
- Sisters Place Making and Economic Development Tour
Learn how the city has developed a public-private partnership through the creation of a "public plaza." Tour stops will include the Sisters Makers & Fir Street Park, the Barn, and potentially the Sisters Coffee Production Facility.
- Redmond Airport & USFS Tanker & Smokejumper Base Tour - Sponsored by
Tour Redmond's 30-acre campus on the northern section of the Redmond Airport where smokejumpers, hotshots, air tankers, and other equipment deploy for fires. The dispatch center is also based out of this location.
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- What We Aren’t Telling You: The Challenges Faced by Elected Women in the 21st Century - Sponsored by
- Ethics Update
- Fostering Successful Collaboration with Local Organizations to Build Stronger Communities
- Effective Strategies for Managing Short-Term Rentals in Your Community -
Sponsored by
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Snack Break - Sponsored by 
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- FEMA's Pre-Implementation Plan, and Impacts to Communities & Property
- Empowering Youth: Building Effective Youth Advisory Councils
- Denmark's Industrial Symbiosis Model for the U.S. - Sponsored by
- Deploying More Infrastructure for Less Money, and Faster! - Sponsored by
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Awards Dinner - Sponsored by
8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. President's Reception
Saturday, October 19
7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Registration Open
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast Session – An Update on the SCOTUS Decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson - Sponsored by 
Speaker: Anit Jindal, Attorney, Markowitz Herbold PC
In a long-awaited decision, the United States Supreme Court this summer overturned prior case law stating the Eighth Amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishments clause barred cities from enforcing public camping ordinances. How did we get here and what does the Supreme Court’s decision mean for cities in Oregon?
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Break
9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Closing Keynote: Rethinking Success in Rural Development -
Sponsored by 
Speaker: Chris Estes, Co-Executive Director, Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group
Mr. Estes will lead a discussion on the Aspen Institute’s Measure Up report that presents six new principles for measuring rural development progress. The principles are designed to rethink how success in rural regions is measured, but the lessons here can be applied to all city development. The session will provide an opportunity for you to think about the lessons in the context of your own city and what opportunities there are to reimagine what success looks like in your region. Read more
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Annual Membership Meeting - Sponsored by 