PSATS Southwest 2022 Regional Forum - 9/29/22 - Cranberry Township

PSATS’ Regional Forums are back! This series of full-day educational sessions is scheduled for multiple locations statewide. Learn more about issues that matter to your community, discuss common interests with other local leaders, earn PMGA and other professional credits, and attend specialized workshops designed for township officials. This educational event will be the perfect opportunity to hear from experts on the local issues that matter to you and your municipality.

Agenda:

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.

Welcome and Introductions

David M. Sanko, Executive Director, PSATS, and
Scott E. Coburn, Esquire, Counsel & Director of Education, PSATS

9:15 – 11:00 a.m.

* Five Things Empowering Leaders Do

What separates a good leader from a great leader? The key to exceptional leadership is empowerment. The most outstanding leaders find unrivaled success and fulfillment by empowering others to reach their full potential. How does one become an empowering leader? This talk will cover the five quintessential elements of empowering leadership and guide attendees to overcome common barriers to empowering others. Along with many practical application points, participants will understand how and when to give away control and consider questions they should ask before empowering others.

Bill Cox, J.L. Nick, Inc. and Owner/Lead Coach, Bill Cox Coaching

11:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. (choose one)

* Local Regulation of Grid-Scale Solar Projects

Many townships are experiencing an increase in permit applications from solar project developers. This session will share insights from research conducted by Penn State about solar projects at the local level while focusing on common elements in solar zoning ordinances and communication strategies for community discussion of solar projects.

Tom Murphy, Director, Penn State Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research

* Freedom of Speech and Public Officials: What Crosses the Line?

A unique role of a public official is to safeguard the public’s freedom of speech in a public forum, but a public official also has their own freedom of speech rights. What crosses the line of speech infringement, for both public officials and the public, is more complicated now than ever. Freedom of Speech and Public Officials: What Crosses the Line? discusses recent First Amendment precedent involving the freedom of speech and the best practices for Pennsylvanian public officials to avoid First Amendment right infringement, against the public and other public officials. 

Gretchen Moore, Esquire & Kathleen Mannard, Esquire, Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky

12:10 – 12:50 p.m.

* Lunch

12:50 - 1:40 p.m. (choose one)

* Streamlining Your Zoning Through Regional Sharing Strategies 

This session will explore techniques and real-life examples of common sense regional shared zoning approaches. Topics will highlight when it is advantageous to share uses, definitions, and/or standards.

Andrew JG (AJ) Schwartz, AICP CUD, PLA, LEED AP, SITES AP, and Carolyn Yagle, Environmental Planning & Design 

* Right-to-Know Law Update

This session will review new developments and cases that impact the administration of the Right-to-Know Law, discuss common problem issues, such as specificity, requests for information from databases, and preparing affidavits, and provide tips and best practices to allow you to respond to requests more effectively.

Liz Wagenseller, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Office of Open Records

1:50 - 2:40 p.m. (choose one)

* ABCs of Liquid Fuels Tax Funds

This session is designed to cover a range of topics relating to the Municipal Liquid Fuels Tax Funds program, including rules and regulations, allowable uses, reporting, common audit findings, and available resources.

Kristen Sims, Audit Manager, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

* Hot Topics in Zoning and Code Enforcement

This session will cover a number of zoning issues that municipalities are struggling with, including short-term rentals, agritourism, and more. It will also touch on effective tools that your municipality can use to better and more easily enforce code violations.

John K. Trant, Jr., AICP, President, Strategic Solutions LLC

2:50 - 3:40 p.m. (choose one)

* Blight and Redevelopment: Winning Strategies and Overlooked Tools

Does your township have properties that are eyesores or that are ripe for potential development? If so, you will want to attend this session to learn ways in which you can position your township to successfully achieve your blight remediation goals.

Megan Turnbull, Esquire, Partner, Weiss Burkardt Kramer LLC

* Five Municipal Headaches and Their Cures

This session will focus on one major source of headaches for townships in each of the following areas – Right-to-Know Law, Sunshine Act, training for staff and officials, township policies, and employee leave – and provide ways to minimize those headaches.

Neva Stotler, Esquire, N. Stotler Law

3:40 – 4:00 p.m.

• Q&A and Open Discussion

4:00 p.m.

* Program Concludes

Date:

               September 29, 2022

Time:

                9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location:
                Butler County
                Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Cranberry
                2000 Garden View Lane
                Cranberry township, PA 16066

Registration Fee:

                Member* -  $ 99.00

                Non-Member –  $149.00

                CLE Credits - $ 60.00

             *PSATS Member = Registrant has paid current annual membership dues to PSATS or one of its professional associations (e.g., Township Emergency Management Association, Township Engineers Association, Township Planners Association, Township Solicitors Association, or the Pa. Assoc. of Zoning Officials).

CANCELLATIONS/REFUNDS / NO SHOW POLICY:

Cancellations must be in writing, and can be sent to us by email to cancellations@psats.org; by fax to (717) 763-9732; or by mail to PSATS Education Program, 4855 Woodland Drive, Enola, PA, 17025. Refunds will be determined by the sent date of the notice.
Refunds for cancelling a webinar at any time will be subject to a $10 processing fee. 
For classes, (in-person and virtual), refunds for a cancellation sent to us between 10 and 2 business days before the class you are registered for will be subject to a $20 processing fee. Those who cancel within two business days of the class you are registered for, or do not attend, forfeit the full registration fee which, if unpaid, will be invoiced.

ACCESSIBILITY & OTHER NEEDS:

If you require alternate format, sign language, or have other needs, please contact PSATS directly (717) 763-0930, x-159.