A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT- April 2021

Dear Colleagues, If you are like me you are ready to get back to the Old Normal. I am afraid though that is not going to be possible. The new normal, post-pandemic normal, whatever else you care to call it is a reality that we will all have to adjust to. The Maryland GFOA Spring Conference is intended to help get us ready for the new world of office working for government finance professionals.

We will hear from Karl Ahlrichs who provided the Ethics Presentation at the last Summer Conference. Mr. Ahlrichs will discuss what works and what doesn’t from a human resources and operational perspectives with teleworking and hybrid arrangements.

We have an excellent line up of other speakers including a panel of municipal finance industry experts who will discuss alternatives to Tax Exempt Advanced Refunding’s. The repeal of this type of refunding’s in the 2017 Tax Reform legislation has created financial challenges for state and local governments. The panel will provide their insight and experience on options to consider that may also provide debt service savings.

There’s more including a presentation from R. Andrew Bauer, an executive with Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond on the ongoing economic recovery and the impact of changes in federal fiscal policy, a panel on the Local Government Outlook, and a recap of the recent General Assembly session from MACO’s Michael Sanderson.

Again, I want to thank the Program Committee for providing an excellent line up of speakers and for our Sponsors who have continued to support the Maryland GFOA despite all of the difficulties and limitations of the Pandemics.

I hope to see you all virtually at the Spring Conference.

All the Best

Joe Beach, President

MDGFOA