Planning is underway for the 2025 CSMFO annual conference, which is scheduled for February 18-21, 2025, in San Jose. The conference theme, CSMFO – Educate, Connect, Empower, acknowledges the core values of CSMFO and all that the annual conference has to offer.  We look forward to the opportunity to connect with you and your colleagues for our premier training opportunity for staff at all levels, to learn from each other, and to gain a greater sense of empowerment from all that CSMFO has to offer!

At this time, we are seeking proposals for concurrent sessions. If you have an idea for a session, please let us know by completing the attached submission form. Note that these are NOT paid presentation opportunities.

Concurrent sessions cover all aspects of local government finance, including accounting and financial reporting, budget and financial planning, financial management, treasury and debt, information technology and innovation, leadership and management skills, and any other finance-related topic. Many of our members either have utilities, or are separate special districts, so we are always interested in session proposals that would be pertinent to their operations.  We are especially interested in those sessions that provide information about technical subjects, best practices, and topics that are relevant in the current financial and operational environment. If you have an idea for a great session, please let us know by submitting a response to our Call for Presentations.

To help get your creative juices flowing, here are some areas in which 2024 attendees expressed interest for topics in 2025:

• CalPERS and HR topics, including things like FLSA, labor/employment law, and supervising remote employees

• Payroll-focused topics, including changes specific to California law

• GASB/technical topics

• Grant-related topics, including grant accounting

• Internal service funds – setting them up, funding for current and future costs, best practices

• Debt issuance, including compliance and continuing disclosure

• Entry level/foundational topics – governmental accounting, budgeting (operations and CIP), cash flow, investing, procurement, capital assets,

• bonds/debt accounting, internal controls

• Topics specific to special districts, including transit districts, water districts, JPAs

• Topics related to smaller municipalities, small finance departments

• Budget versus actual best practices, budgeting for CIP projects, economic forecasting, transparency in the budget process

• Fee generation outside of water districts, including master fee study considerations

• Improving accounts receivable and accounts payable processes to improve efficiency, and challenges related to these areas

• Effective ways to make finance departments paperless and/or digital

• Artificial intelligence (AI)

• Leadership

• Fraud detection and prevention, internal audit, ethics

• Managing and dealing with stress in the workplace; working with difficult personalities in an office or on a team; office culture and politics

• Change management within the finance department

• City case studies, such as what is involved in starting up a full service City police/fire department model

Topics should be educational, non-commercial, and provide value to a wide-ranging group of attendees. Sales pitches or marketing for products and/or services submitted as proposals will NOT be considered. Sessions should include at least one practitioner who is currently employed with a California public agency.  If a public agency practitioner is not included, your proposal will not be considered.  Because concurrent sessions are typically 1 hour 15 minutes in length, the number of speakers is limited to no more than three. If your proposal consists of a moderated panel discussion, your panel moderator is included in the maximum allowable number of 3.  Please make sure everyone proposed for your session is available during the dates of the conference (February 18-21, 2025).

Scheduling of sessions will likely be determined before December 1, 2024. CSMFO will notify you if your proposal is selected.

Any questions regarding this process should be sent to Harriet Commons, CSMFO Annual Conference Program Coordinator, at hcommons@comcast.net .

SUBMISSION DEADLINE – MONDAY, JULY 1, 2024