Conference Agenda

We look forward to seeing you at the 2023 Spring Conference!

The CTAO Conference Planning committee has been hard at work preparing for our 2023 Spring Conference.
 
We’re still putting the finishing touches on some of our presentations, but we wanted to share with you the topics that you’ll be learning more about in April:
 
  • The Foreclosure Process & Collection Methods
  • Budget Planning
  • Bankruptcies from the perspective of the Bankruptcy Court
  • Leadership presentation by Scott Warrick
  • Digital Technology Trends
  • Social Media Do’s & Don’ts
  • Theft in Office - A true case file
  • Cybersecurity Protection
  • An Academic Perspective of Macro Economics
  • Roundtables

** Need a printable PDF of the agenda? Download it HERE

Click through the tabs below to view each day's schedule of events.


 

Tuesday, April 25

7:30 - 9:00 am

Breakfast for overnight guests

You will receive breakfast vouchers with your room keys upon arrival. Be sure to bring one with you each morning. Pro tip - store them in the back of your name badge so you always have them!

9:00 am Vendor Setup Begins
9:00 am - 10:30 am Registration Opens/Badge Pick Up
10:30 am - 11:00 am

Welcome & Legislative Update (.5 hrs AOS requested)

Join us as we kick-off our Spring Conference with this session presented by Scott Zumbrink, President, Dan Talarek & Alex Zumbar, Legislative Committee Co-Chairs, and a Capitol Square Update from CTAO Executive Director Kevin Futryk and State Lobbyist Julia Wynn.

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Social Media in the Treasurer's Office - Best Practices for Success & Engagement
Presented by: Taylor Abbott, Monroe County Treasurer; Brad Cromes, Portage County Treasurer; Jill Schiller, Hamilton County Treasurer; and Mike Zuren, Lake County Treasurer

Several county treasurers have embraced social media and seen the positive impact their  posts have had on their residents. However, as with any communication, there needs to be guidelines and best practices in place to guide how this medium is used. This panel will provide an overview of what social media is, the various platforms that can be used, benefits and pitfalls of each, best practices to control content and engagement, how to deal with issues that may arise, and a step-by-step guide to getting started, monitoring your use, and other helpful tips.

12:00 - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Leading a Brain-Healthy Workplace
Presented by Scott Warrick, CEO, Scott Warrick HR Consulting & Employment Law Services

What IS a BRAIN HEALTHY work environment ... and what must LEADERS do to create such a work place? Exactly HOW do we humans damage our brains? Why did the American Psychological Association say that our jobs present the single greatest source of CHRONIC DISTRESS to us, which is our greatest health threat? What do we all need to do to protect our brain?

Scott, the author of the internationally best-selling book, HEALING THE HUMAN BRAIN, will show you how he was able to REWIRE and REPAIR his brain back from PTSD and how you and your employees can do it too.

2:00 pm- 2:15 pm Break/Visit Exhibitors
2:15 - 3:15 pm

The County Budget & Appropriation Process
Presented by Larry Long, CEO, The Ohio Projects Group

This session will discuss the County Tax Budget and Appropriation Process as primarily specified in ORC Chapter 5705. It will focus on the tax budget, waiver of the tax budget, and permanent and temporary appropriation resolutions. It will also focus on the role of the County Budget Commission including the issuance of certificates and amended certificates of available resources, and the roles of the County Auditor and County Treasurer in the process of adopting and managing permanent appropriation resolution after its adoption.

3:15 pm

Break/Visit Exhibitors

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Time for District Meetings (if desired)
4:30 - 5:15 pm

Break

Take a bit of time for yourself to catch your breath before our evening's activities at the National Museum of the US Air Force. Don't forget to wear comfortable shoes!

5:15 pm Buses Depart for The National Museum of the US Air Force
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

A Night at the Museum + Dinner Under the Wings

Join us for this unique, private group experience! We'll make our way through the museum to the Presidential Gallery, where we'll have dinner under the wings of a Boeing VC-137C also known as SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000, which was used by eight presidents -- Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton -- in addition to carrying heads of state, diplomats and other dignitaries and officials, on many historic journeys. (You can also go inside!)

Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes - we'll also get to explore the rest of the museum, which will be closed to the public during our visit. Wheel chairs and motorized carts are available free of charge at the entrance of the museum for anyone who might need assistance.

9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

After-Hours Hospitality & Networking

The hotel restaurant and bar will be open to our attendees for drinks and light snacks after we return from the museum.

 

Wednesday, April 26

 

6:00 am - 8:00 am Breakfast available - be sure to bring your voucher with you!
8:00 am - 9:00 am

Protecting Yourself in Today's Cyber Landscape (1 hour AOS requested)
Presented by Amber Buening, SVP, Security Outreach Director, Huntington Bank

Municipalities need to be aware of cybersecurity and fraud threats and must take appropriate steps to reduce the risks of these incidents. This session will provide an overview of current cybersecurity threats, review of cybersecurity best practices, and how to reduce the risk of cybersecurity and fraud instances, and case studies of impacted organizations.

9:00 am - 9:15 am Break/Visit Exhibits
9:15 am - 10:45 am

Theft In Office - Don't Be the Next Victim
Presented by Jim Link, CPA Lima Municipal Court Clerk

This in-depth presentation will provide information on how a single employee, without proper oversight, was able to steal over $300,000 from over 1,100 Court cases and withhold another $300,000 from recipients in over 2,500 cases.  We will reveal the culture, attitudes and lack of internal controls that allowed this behavior to continue for at least 15 years.  Finally, we will discuss methods of preventing this from happening in any office along with the impact it has had on our Court and community.

10:45 am - 11:00 am Break/Visit Exhibits
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Economic Trends for the US and Ohio
Presented by Tom Traynor, Dean, Soin College of Business, Wright State University; Kevin Willardsen, Associate Professor of Economics, Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University; Andrew Beauchamp, Chair of the Department of Economics, Wright State University

This panel discussion will include conversations about the state of the U.S. economy and how recent economic performance/trends fit within academic economic teaching. They'll also provide explanations of the current policy actions to decrease, then maintain low inflation, and explain the economic factors the national economy is similar to and different from the Ohio economy and answer why that is the case.

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Technology Trends in the Treasurer's Office

Presented by J. Brad Lewis, President, F&E Payment Pros; Rudy Dopico, National Sales Manager, AutoAgent; Jason Powell, Director of Implementations, PayIt; and moderated by Caleb Stidham, Erie County Treasurer

This panel discussion will highlight technology trends as it relates to the treasurer’s office — including tax collection, electronic billing, check scanning, lockbox services and Real-Time Payments. We’ll also share tips on evaluating Digital Government Delivery Service technologies and adopting new technologies in the treasurer’s office.

2:00 pm Break/Visit Exhibits
2:15 pm  - 3:15 pm

Treasurer Roundtable Discussions (1 hour AOS requested)

Treasurers will gather based on county population to discuss issues facing their offices and share advice and best practices with their peers & colleagues. We will once again be offering the opportunity for similar sized counties to gather and discuss issues & topics of concern. We'll provide some questions for all groups to discuss.


Group 1 - 1-35,000 people   Diane Sargent
Group 2 - 35,001 - 55,000   Scott Zumbrink
Group 3 - 55,001 - 95,000   Bill Ogg
Group 4 - 95,001 - 200,000 John Burke
Group 5 - 200,000+            Dan Talarek

3:15 pm - 4:30 pm Vendor Happy Hour


Spend some time visiting with our vendor partners and learn about their products and services while enjoying drinks and snacks.
4:30 - 5:30 pm

Break

Take a bit of time for yourself to catch your breath before our evening's activities at the Schuster Center. Don't forget to wear comfortable shoes!

5:30 pm Buses depart for The Schuster Performing Arts Center
6:00 - 8:30 pm

Behind-the-Scenes Tour & Dinner
Built in 2003, the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center is a world-class facility for the best in local, national and international entertainment. The Schuster Center includes the Mead Theatre, the Mathile Theatre, and the Wintergarden featuring palm trees set against a block-long, glass-enclosed atrium.

We're getting to go behind the scenes to visit back stage and see the prop rooms, costume shop and the gallery of murals painted by each cast that visits the theater.

After our tour, we'll enjoy cocktails and dinner in the Atrium.

Schuster Center Wintergarden set up for a reception

 

8:30 pm - 10:30 pm

After-Hours Hospitality & Networking

The hotel restaurant and bar will be open to our attendees for drinks and light snacks after we return from the Schuster Center. It will be a host bar for two hours, and then a cash bar for as long as the bar remains open.

 

Thursday, April 27

 

 

6:00 am - 9:00 am Breakfast Available - don't forget your voucher!
8:30 am - 10:00 am

Bankruptcies: We want to pay you money - Stop making it difficult! 

Presented by Scott Stout, Staff Attorney; Erin Renneker, Pre Confirmation Supervisor, and John Jansing, Trustee, all from the Chapter 13 Office, Dayton

We will discuss the bankruptcy system and how the automatic stay affects state agency procedures. We will also discuss the bankruptcy system and how a creditor, such as a county treasurer, should maneuver through a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing, including the filing of claims.

8:00 am - 10:00 am Vendor Tear-down
10:00 am - 10:30 am Break/Room check out
10:30 am - 12:00 pm County Treasurers & Foreclosures
Presented by Suzanne Mandros, Deputy Chief, Foreclosure Division, Lucas County Prosecutor's Office

The session will review best collection practices and foreclosure options available to the county treasurers. We will discuss the impact of land banking on the collection process and how it can help the neighborhood revitalization efforts (and property value stabilization) but could also hijack the treasurers' responsibility to collect taxes if the efforts are not balanced.
12:00 pm

Grab & Go (or stay!) Lunches

The Deli buffet will allow guests to build their own to-go box or each your lunch with colleagues before you travel home.

Monday, April 24

 

 All Day  Arrival & Check-in
 

Arriving on  Monday Night? Nothing official is planned, but venture down to the hotel bar/restaurant to meet up with friends and colleagues or plan a dinner together at one of the many restaurants nearby!