Agenda / Content Covered

11:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

1. Conducting Open Meetings: Requirements, Exceptions and More
   11:00 - 12:00, Frederic W. Knaak
   1. Determining When a Meeting is a Meeting
   2. Crafting Meeting Notices
   3. Making Meeting Materials Available to the Public
   4. Closing Meetings: Attorney-Client Privilege and Other Concerns
   5. Using Email and Electronic Communications: Best Practices
2. Public Records: Maintaining and Responding to Requests
   12:15 - 1:15, Frederic W. Knaak
   1. The Public's Right to Access Records - and Exceptions
   2. Record Requests: Filing, Processing and Responding
   3. Developing a Public Records Policy
   4. Retaining Public Records: Electronic and Paper
   5. Maintaining and Disposing of Public Records
3. Public Contracts and Procurement: Representing Municipalities
   1:15 - 2:15, Eric J. Larson
   1. Preparing Bids and Requests for Proposal
   2. Reviewing and Analyzing Bids
   3. Disqualifying Bidders
   4. Defending Bid Challenges and Protests
   5. Awarding Contracts
   6. Making Contract Payments
   7. How to Prevent and Resolve Common Contract Disputes
4. Section 1983 Claims and Government Liability
   2:45 - 3:45, Mark Hazelbaker
   1. Section 1983 Liability Under Federal Law
   2. Proving/Disproving Key Claim Elements
   3. Individual vs. Official Capacity
   4. Investigating Misconduct Allegations
   5. Using Qualified Immunity and Other Defenses
   6. Limiting Municipal Exposure
5. Land Use, Annexation and Zoning How-to's
   3:45 - 4:45, Eric J. Larson
   1. Crafting Land Use Regulations: Constitutional Concerns and More
   2. Granting Variances: The 3 Main Criteria
   3. Conditional Use Permits: Granting and Revoking
   4. Handling Zoning Ordinance Violations
   5. Annexing Land and Resolving Issues
6. Ethics
   5:00 - 6:00, Mark Hazelbaker
   1. Privileged vs. Public Communications
   2. Conflicts of Interest
   3. Whistle Blowing: Duty to Report?
   4. Representing Clients After Public Service

Accreditation Details:

MARK HAZELBAKER is an attorney with Kasieta Legal Group, LLC. He continues to emphasize representation of local governments, small businesses, and litigation. Mr. Hazelbaker began his career as legal counsel of the Wisconsin Counties Association. He served as personnel director/corporation counsel, and later as administrative coordinator for Manitowoc County. Mr. Hazelbaker has been in private practice since 1992, first with downtown Madison law firms, and then in his own firm since 1999. He has lectured many times on labor and employment law, land use law, and municipal law for various business and professional groups. Mr. Hazelbaker has also published law reviews and other articles. He is a member of the Dane County Bar Association and the State Bar of Wisconsin (Litigation, Labor and Employment, and Government Lawyers Division sections). Mr. Hazelbaker earned his B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin and his J.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

FREDERIC W. KNAAK is a partner in the law firm of Holstad & Knaak, PLC, where his 35 year practice has included real estate, zoning, municipal law, public and election law, land use, and criminal law, including substantial trial and appellate litigation experience in state and federal courts. From 1996 - 2000, his practice also included responsibilities as an appointed contract administrative law judge for the state of Minnesota. Mr. Knaak is licensed in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. He earned his B.A. degree, summa cum laude, from St. John's University and his J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.

ERIC J. LARSON is a shareholder with Municipal Law & Litigation Group, S.C., in Waukesha, Wisconsin, which represents more than 50 municipal entities. He is the village attorney for the Village of Fox Point, the Village of Dousman, the Village of Slinger, the Village of Reeseville, the Village of Rochester; town attorney for the Town of Troy, the Town of Lowell, the Town of Delafield; counsel to the Dane County Towns Association; and serves as special counsel to numerous other municipal entities. Mr. Larson has practiced municipal law in Minnesota (admitted 1990) and Wisconsin (admitted 1994), first in-house as an assistant county attorney, and in private municipal practice since 1994. He is a regular speaker at the annual meetings of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Municipal Attorneys Institute and the Wisconsin Towns Association Town Attorneys Institute, and has chaired the Waukesha County Bar Association municipal section for more than a decade. Mr. Larson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and Earlham College.