Local Officials Attend Iowa League of Cities Conference

Last week, local city officials made their way to the annual Iowa League of Cities Conference in Des Moines, where they attended workshops and networked with other city officials. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 17, City of Hampton Mayor Steve Birdsall attended the Mayor's Lunch, which was followed by a welcome reception and exhibit hall. The following day, he and Hampton City Councilor Jerre Grefe sat in on two classes together, one about animal ordinances and another on building downtown districts. Grefe then attended a class on communicating trust while Birdsall attended one on tax increment financing and economic development. 

Grefe said her favorite class was the one on animal ordinances. 

“You always come home with at least one aha moment,” said Grefe. “Lots of great ideas and little pearls of wisdom.” 

Latimer city officials — City Councilor Catherine Crooks, City Clerk Melissa Simmons and City Maintenance Director Wayne Pralle — also attended the conference last week. 

Crooks, who's attended the conference for the last seven years, said her favorite part of the conference was the 2026 legislative priorities panel discussion hosted by the League of Cities’ Government Affairs Team. The focus was on property tax reform, efficiency in local government, public safety collaboration, and a preview of what may come in the next legislative session.
Simmons is a certified clerk mentor, which allows her to provide guidance and support to less experienced city clerks through the League. Her favorite session was "Building Confidence through Public Service Ethics," which was presented by two individuals with more than 10 years of experience teaching at the Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute to help public officials identify ethical situations and better understand how to make ethical decisions. As stated in the workshop materials, "Just because the law says it is legal doesn't necessarily mean that it is ethical." 

Wayne’s favorite session was about being prepared for the impacts of severe weather. The presentation featured first-hand experiences of community leaders from Spencer who have been intimately involved in their community's response, recovery, and preparedness efforts following a record-setting flood event in 2024. Lessons were shared and experts from the Iowa Flood Center discussed the tools, resources, and technical assistance that are available to other communities to help Iowans become more flood-resilient.

The conference's annual award banquet was held Thursday evening, where the President of the Iowa League of Cities, Brad Cavanagh, who also serves as the Mayor of Dubuque, gave a speech to those in attendance.