The ICMA Executive Board met on Monday, February 12, 2018, in Tel Aviv, Israel. This meeting was held in conjunction with the 2018 ICMA International Regional Conference and the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel’s 2018 MuniWorld Conference. During its meeting, the executive board took the following actions:

• Reviewed ICMA’s six-month financials through December 31, 2017. Overall progress through the second quarter of the fiscal year is on track to meet budget. Revenues and net contribution from grants and contracts are anticipated to meet budget despite continued delays and uncertainties related to the future funding for the largest project in ICMA’s funded portfolio, SURGE. Net contribution from all other major programs, including organizational support, is expected to meet budget targets. At this time, the expectation is that the FY2018 budget targets will be met, which will bring the balance of ICMA’s net assets at fiscal year end to approximately $9.3 million.
• Reviewed the annual report on ICMA’s affirmative action policy and goals.
• Received a report on the programmatic and financial results of the 2017 annual conference. ICMA’s 103rd Annual Conference, held October 22-25, 2017, in San Antonio/Bexar County, Texas, set new attendance records by members and other main attendees. Total attendance (which includes main registrants, partners, and children) ranked the San Antonio conference as the third largest in ICMA history. In combination with expenses that were lower than budgeted, the conference is expected to make a contribution of $1,014,224 to the association’s revenues, which is $133,130 better than budgeted.
• Selected Long Beach, California, and Reno, Nevada, as the locations for site visits to further evaluate their bids to host the 2026 annual conference in the West Coast region.
• Approved an increase in the registration fees for the 2018 annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland. This is in line with board policy limiting a registration fee increase to no more than the rate of inflation over the preceding year (2.1%). The base registration fee for members registering online will be will be $685, which includes a base registration of $640 and the Sunday evening reception ticket of $45. Those registering by paper will pay $710. The base registration fee for partners will stay the same at $60 for a total fee (base plus the Sunday ticket) of $105.  The board also approved an Increase in the nonmember base registration fee for the three registration deadlines to $1,120, $1,180, and $1,230, continuing the practice of a significant spread between member and nonmember fees in order to reinforce the value of belonging to ICMA. The board also approved extending the $200 discount to first-time conference attendees in the conference region to those attendees from the eastern Canadian provinces.
• Conducted its annual review of ICMA’s financial policies and approved changes proposed by the Audit, Finance, and Business Operations Committee.
• Conducted its annual review of ICMA Member Task Forces and Committees. Pursuant to its criteria for structured review of any new proposed task forces or committees, the board approved the creation of two new task forces:
  • A Task Force to update the First-Time Administrators Guide. This publication was last updated in 2010. This task force of 15 to 20 members will begin work in September 2018 with the goal of delivering its work product by September 2019.
  • A Task Force to update The ICMA Model Employment Agreement. The agreement was last revised in 2012. The task force of 15 to 20 members will begin its work in September 2018 with the goal of delivering its work product by September 2019.
• Approved a recommendation from the Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC) to place a vote before the membership to adopt new language for Tenet 4 of the ICMA Code of Ethics. Amendments to the tenets require membership approval, while changes to the guidelines require board approval. The proposed change for the tenet would be added to the vice-presidential ballot for consideration in May/June 2018. Following the member vote on the new language for Tenet 4, the CPC will place revised guidelines before the board for consideration.

At the conclusion of its meeting, the executive board held a joint meeting with ICMA’s International Committee to discuss how the board and the association can support the committee’s efforts.

For the remaining duration of the International Regional Conference, the ICMA Executive Board and International Committee attended the 2018 MuniWorld Conference, hosted by the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel. This event featured presentations on cybersecurity and smart cities, as well as site visits and tours of innovative municipal projects.