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Influencing federal policy and developing innovative solutions was the idea behind the National League of Cities’ City Summit that was held in Kansas City, Missouri this year. The three-day conference that was November 17 through the 19th also worked to strengthen local leadership.
“The conference that I just attended was the City Summit that happens annually in different parts of the country,” according to Nicole Greer, Council member in Creve Coeur, Missouri. “It is a conference for local elected officials to come together and, of course, network, and talk to each other about different things that they’re doing as well as learn how to be better council members through different sessions, networking opportunities, educational components that address relevant topics for city council members throughout the entire country.”
Greer said that the summit focused on issues ranging from infrastructure, political incivility, mental health, affordable housing, sustainability, innovation and technology, and workforce development.
“There was a focus on housing-based healthcare,” said Greer. “So, if you don’t have healthy housing, you’re not going to be a healthy person. There was a lot of discussion about that. There was one particular session that focused on establishing affordable housing trusts, which I know some communities have started to do. Creve Coeur is a smaller suburb of St. Louis so some of the things that were talked about are going to be more geared towards bigger cities, but that doesn’t mean that a smaller municipality of 18,000 can’t at least explore that.”
Another focus of the City Summit was the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed into law, designed to invest over $1 trillion into local communities across the United States. The funds will help communities make much needed repairs and even upgrade local infrastructure such as roads, bridges, energy, water and even broadband.
Click here for more information on this year’s City Summit.
