Wisconsin Economic Development Academy Update

By Kathy Heady – Manager, WI Economic Development Academy

A big thank you to our members who expressed an interest in either serving as a presenter or suggesting other speakers we should consider for Academy programming. We are busy planning three spring/early summer webinars as well as comprehensive in-depth programs.

Kathy Heady

Our first Academy webinar, Tax Incremental Financing Fundamentals, has been scheduled for April 30 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. If you are new to Tax Incremental Financing (TIF), have board members or local officials that would benefit from an introduction to the fundamentals of TIF, or if you need a refresher on current requirements, I encourage you to register.

Dawn Gunderson Schiel, CIPMA, CPFO, Senior Municipal Advisor/Vice President and Greg Johnson, CIPMA, Senior Municipal Advisor/Vice President at Ehlers & Associates, Inc. will serve as the webinar instructors. Ehlers is a leading TIF consultant in Wisconsin, having been involved in the creation of Tax Increment Districts since the program’s inception in 1976. From 2009-2018 alone, Ehlers has created or amended 519 TID’s in Wisconsin. Registration will open shortly.

Planning is underway for an in-depth comprehensive Academy program on Redevelopment Strategies.  The program will be held the morning of July 17 in Milwaukee just prior to the opening of the Mid-America Economic Development Council 2019 Best Practices conference. This will be a great opportunity to build your skills and interact with economic development professionals from the greater region.  Registration for both the program and conference will be available in early April.

As we continue with Academy planning efforts, suggestions on topics and speakers are always welcome at kheady@weda.org.