• February 9-10
• June 21-22
• November 8-9

Dr. Massoud Amin Presentation & Related Articles/Videos

• Smart Grid Presentation

• Op-Ed: "Building New American Prosperity through Smarter and More Secure Infrastructure"

• Op-Ed: "We Are Not in Kansas Anymore: The next 'stimulus'... filling potholes is necessary but insufficient"

• Video: Can energy grids save themselves?

• Video: Because our power grid can power the future

  Click here for related information or to subscribe (free of charge) to the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter.

  For additional pertinent information, presentations, selected videos, and publications, please see the downloadable material in the gray side bar on the left hand side of the website here.

Market Value Homestead Credit

• MPR Video: Why are Minn. property taxes going up?

Management Resource for FUTURES:

• Interesting Thomas Friedman Presentation (July 2011)
  If you have not heard Thomas Friedman, originally from Minnesota, speak before you may want to take about 45 minutes from your schedule and listen to a recent presentation at the  Aspen Ideas Festival.
   

• Have you heard about XBC?
  Many discussions at FUTURES revolve around increasing county ability to look for efficiencies. Some of these efficiencies are achieved by crossing boundaries to solve the problem. The boundary may be a county line, county department, agency or new technological approach. The June 15, 2011, article in the GOVERNING magazine may be of interest to FUTURES members. Learn about XBC – Cross Boundary Collaboration
   

• Skunk Works Produce Change: Tasked with outcomes sought, a small group of the most creative thinkers can bring about rapid innovation
  By Babak Armajani 6/8/11
  
  Babak Armajani has been a speaker at FUTURES in the past.  His recent article in Governing is a great resource for FUTURES members.  Babak Armajani is the chair for the Public Strategies Group, where he and his partners focus on transforming bureaucracies into customer-focused enterprises.

We encourage FUTURES members to forward links to additional articles you would like posted on the FUTURES website.  You may send them to Toni Smith at tsmith@mncounties.org

Past Meeting Agendas:

• November 2011

• June 2011

• February 2011

• November 2010

• May 2010

• February 2010

• November 2009

• September 2009

Archived Meetings Presentations:

February 2011 Meeting

• Complex Problems and Critical Thinking

• The Ladder of Inference

• Wicked Problems Summary Handout

• Minnesota Human Services Quiz - QUESTIONS

• Minnesota Human Services Quiz - RESULTS

• Handouts used in the FUTURES human services quiz debrief to outline one county's expenditures and the breakdown of tax dollars (Anoka County)
   

• "Strategic Management Of Workforce Reduction" Presented by Larry Bourgerie

• “Budgeting Opportunities in Economic Crisis” 
  Presented February 2010
  Tim Houle, Crow Wing County Administrator

• “CORE COUNTY SERVICES IN OLMSTED COUNTY” Presented February 2010
  Mary Callier, Associate Olmsted County Administrator

• Corrections I-Wheel Report Presented September 2009
  Ryan Erdmann, Director, MN Association of Community Correction Act Counties (MACCAC)

• "Theory Behind the Moving Redesign Forward"
  Presented September 2009
  Tim Walsh, Scott County Community Services Director and Futures Member

• "Bringing the Theory to Life Through Real County Scenario" Presented September 2009
  Mary Fischer, Pipestone County Social Services Director and Futures Member

• "Brain Gain" of the Newcomers
  Presented February 2009
  Ben Winchester, Extension Research Fellow

• Finding the Future Faster®
  Presented February 2008
  Joel Barker Presentation

• Housing Market & Foreclosure Impacts on Counties Presented February 2008

Key Messages About County Futures

WHAT IS COUNTY FUTURES?

• The County Futures process provides a place, space and time:
  ...for a broad sector of county government leaders
  ...to discuss how counties can create continuous systems improvement to       
  ...create high quality public services
  ...where the well being of citizens is paramount
  ...and county government is effective, efficient and sustainable.

• Individual County Futures committee members do not formally represent groups of commissioners, recorders, county attorneys, administrators etc.  They were asked to serve on the committee to bring their personal and professional experiences to encourage diversity of thought around county government. 

• County Futures committee members are encouraged to think “outside the box” – “shift their paradigm” – “explore new models”.  A safe discussion space is provided where ALL ideas are welcome.

• County Futures works under the assumption that local government can be improved through collaboration and partnership. 

• County Futures discussion and issues task force work strives to create local government models that provide quality seamless service with fiscal sustainability.

• Carl Neu in a recent meeting with the executive boards of AMC, LMC and MN School Boards framed the choice before the group as either restore and reinvigorate a respect-filled and mutually productive state-local government partnership beneficial to all the people and communities within Minnesota, or accepting chronic and progressive powerlessness at the local government level and erosion of the cornerstone of American democracy. Neu also described the three focuses of local government as: 1) promoting the community’s future; 2) relating effectively with other governmental entities; and 3) securing the needs of citizens.

WHAT COUNTY FUTURES IS NOT!

• A group of county leaders remaining very parochial and not open to new ideas.     

• A clandestine group secretly working with the sole purpose of reducing local government structures.

• A group of people who believe all the answers are within the group.

• A group of people that believe talking about the issue is enough.

Distributed at the 9/28-29/05 Futures Committee Meeting