Page 6 - Mississippi_Municipalities_V66N4

The MML held its Annual Small Town Conference
at the Oxford Conference Center in October of 2017.
The purpose of the conference was to give municipal elected officials, particularly those from the smaller cities and towns, the opportunity to meet together and share ideas and challenges unique to their communities.
This year’s conference theme was “Getting Squared Away,” and followed
a “track-based” educational program in which attendees were able to choose
one of four educational tracks to follow throughout the conference. The tracks were developed in collaboration with MML’s Small Town Committee, chaired by Mayor Sally Garland of Crystal Springs, in hopes of providing conference attendees the options of following a guided schedule of sequential classes which each built upon previous information to conclude with a deeper understanding of the respective topics. In addition to a general information track, the three main areas of study were on the topics of disaster/crisis response, economic development, and sprucing up your community.
“The excellent participation in the Small Town Conference exemplifies Mississippi’s local elected officials’ commitment to the continuation of their education. Citizens everywhere should be heartened to know that their officials desire to be as informed, educated and prepared as possible in order to best serve their constituents,” said MML President Mayor Les Childress of Flora.
Mayor Robyn Tannehill of Oxford welcomed conference attendees to her city during the Opening General Session and invited all attendees to the Welcome Reception that was sponsored by the
City of Oxford, Oxford Conference Center, Graduate Hotel, Charter Road Hospitality, and Visit Oxford. The General Session featured a captivating address given by Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics’ Director John Dowdy regarding the state’s opioid crisis from a law enforcement perspective.
GETTING SQUARED AWAY!
6 • Mississippi Municipalities
Volume 66 • Number 4