Downstate / SWICMA Fall Conference

Downstate City/County Management Association & SWICMA

FALL CONFERENCE
O’Fallon, Illinois
October 3 – 4, 2024

Agenda

October 3

• 5:00 p.m. Networking Happy Hour at Dogwood Social
• 6:30 p.m. Dinner at Dogwood Social, 1206 Central Park Dr., O’Fallon, IL
  
• 9:00 After-Hours Networking    Looking for more fun and networking with the attendees? Across the street from the Hilton Garden Inn, the event’s hotel and meeting rooms are Global Brew (200+ Brews, drinks, and food) or looking for something more quiet, walk next door to Bella Milano O’Fallon (455 Regency Park, O’Fallon, IL 62269).

October 4 – Hilton Garden Inn – O’Fallon 360 Regency Park, O’Fallon, IL 62269

• 7:30 – Breakfast
• 8:00 – Bus Tour to Scott Air Force Base Employing over 13,000 people, 5,100 civilians with 5,500 active-duty Air Force, and additional 2,400 Air National Guard and Reserve personnel, Scott Air Force Base is located next door to O’Fallon. Including two, new cybersecurity commands, Scott AFB controls the logistics of every bolt, bullet, and soldier of the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as protecting the cyber security interest of the United States across the globe.A bus will pick all participants up from the Hilton Garden Inn at 8 a.m. on Friday and travel to Scott AFB for a one-hour tour and mission brief of the base. At 9:30 a.m. we will stop and meet the community planner for 30 minutes to discuss military installation planning and community partnerships before returning to O’Fallon at 10:15 a.m.
• 10:30-11:00 – Changing How We Hire Police Officers    Hiring good police officers is hard. Especially when you must jump through hoops and wait months for testing cycles to find candidates. In 2023, O’Fallon, Illinois abolished their hiring practices for police officers by getting rid of the testing consortium and moving to a process that reflects how employees in every other profession are hired. Hear from O’Fallon Police Chief Kirk Brueggeman how the process was created, and how it is working.
• 11:15 – 12:00 PM Economic Development for Large-Scale Projects Economic Development is a long, slow, and expensive game. Hear how the City of O’Fallon crafted and economic development strategy and plan in partnership with HSHS-St. Elizabeth’s Hospital to attract a $300+ million hospital campus and set-up the region for future growth. Also hear from the President of HSHS-St. Elizabeth’s on their operations and future plans.
• 12:00 – Lunch and Business Meeting -AI in Local Government Research Study Presentation, Dr. Eunju Rho, Associate Professor, NIU Department of Public Administration.

Registration Fee: $55 – Includes buffet breakfast & lunch on Friday.

Hotel Accommodations:  Hilton Garden Inn – O’Fallon
360 Regency Park, O’Fallon, IL 62269.  For hotel accommodations, please use our group link: https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=STLEAGI&groupCode=CITY24&arrivaldate=2024-10-03&departuredate=2024-10-04&cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT  Rooms are $110/night plus tax. The discounted rate will be available until September 6th.

Dinner Reservations: Please indicate if you are planning to arrive in time for Dinner at Dogwood Social, 1206 Central Park Dr. O’Fallon, IL 62269.  Dinner is “on your own.”

Registration Deadline: Friday, September 27, 2024

Cancellations: To receive a full refund, cancellations must be received by Friday, September 27, 2024.  Registrants, who do not attend the meeting but have not canceled, are responsible for the entire fee. Registrants who have not paid will be billed.

EVENT FLYER