Fall 2024 Conference

For exhibtor registration, please go here: https://mdgfoa.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/mdgfoa/event.jsp?event=2877& 

MD GFOA Fall 2024 Conference

Friday, November 1, 2024

PLEASE NOTE:

Registration closes on Friday, October 25, 2024.

We are accepting late registrations this year at the Fall Conference. There will be an additional $50 added to your ticket price onsite for late registration. Thank you!

8:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast

9:00 am – 9:05 am: Introduction and Welcome

• Speaker: Diane Fox, President, MDGFOA

9:05 am – 9:55 am: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

• Speaker: Anirban Basu, Chairman & CEO, Sage Policy Group, Inc.

• Description: Has the Federal Reserve successfully engineered a soft landing?  Or, is the confluence of geopolitical conflict, a presidential election, rising consumer debt levels, and still high interest rates conspiring to produce economic downturn in 2024?  It is difficult to know whether 2024 will be a good year – but one thing is clear – it will be a very interesting one.  This presentation will supply in-depth analysis of major factors shaping economic outcomes, including interest rates, global conflict, wage dynamics, business confidence, and demographics.  It will then turn toward a forecast for the coming year, highlighting the major risks that economic stakeholders will likely encounter.

9:55 am – 10:05 am: Break

10:05 am – 10:55 am: National Association of Black Accountants 

• Speaker: Stephen Mackall, President of Baltimore Chapter, National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) 

• Description:This session will introduce NABA to the MDGFOA membership while including a discussion on the state of the accounting profession and the associated trends in hiring college graduates into the workforce.

10:55 am – 11:10 am: Break

11:10 am – 12:00 pm: Refunding Build America Bonds Using Extraordinary Redemption Provisions

• Speaker: Christian Lund, Managing Director, PRAG Advisors (Public Resources Advisory Group) ; Kim Betterton, Expert on Federal Tax Laws and Regulations Involving Tax-Exempt Bonds.

• Description: Under the 2009 American Recovery Reinvestment Act (“ARRA”), state and local governments issued over $181 billion in taxable Build America Bonds (“BABs”). ARRA promised to subsidize the issuance of these BABs by reimbursing 35% of the interest cost for the life of the bonds. Unfortunately, these interest subsidy payments have been reduced since sequestration went into effect in 2013. As a result, some issuers have decided to refund their BABs to generate debt service savings, eliminate the risk of not receiving the subsidy payments due to sequestration or elimination of the program, and/or ease the administrative burden on staff that is required to receive the interest subsidy payments. Though most BABs include the make-whole call provisions typical of taxable bonds, many also include extraordinary redemption provisions (“ERPs”). ERPs may allow the BABs to be called at a price lower than those required by the make-whole provisions, improving the economics of potential refundings. However, there are financial, legal, and practical concerns that should be considered before undertaking such a transaction.

12:00 pm –12:30 pm: Networing Event

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch

1:30 pm – 2:20 pm: Maryland Revenue Update

• Speaker:  Robert J. Rehrmann, Director, Bureau of Revenue Estimates
• Description: This presentation will discuss trends in Maryland's economy and their impact on State and local revenues, especially the income tax. It will also touch on the budget outlook for the state and some likely revenue/budget issues for the upcoming legislative session.

2:20 pm – 2:40 pm: Break

2:40 pm – 3:30 pm: Grants Management - Maximizing Federal Funding Opportunities

• Speaker: Charmayne Anderson, Partner, The Ferguson Group (TFG) ; Wyatt Fritz, Grants Analyst, TFG

• Description:  TFG Grants and Advocacy Divisions experts will provide an advanced presentation that delves deeper into the strategic aspects of federal funding, building upon existing expertise in the field. This session will emphasize the importance and value of developing a holistic approach to navigating federal funding. We will cover the entire federal grant cycle as well as provide tips and tricks to engaging in the community project funding (also known as Congressionally Directed Spending or Earmarks) process. Attendees will learn advanced tactics for matching project proposals with federal agency and congressional office requirements, an essential skill in the rapidly changing legislative environment of Washington. TFG will empower participants to enhance project readiness and secure comprehensive federal support through well-crafted, adaptable funding strategies.

Learning Objectives: Prepare a holistic federal funding strategy; match projects to available federal funding opportunities, including appropriations, earmarks, authorizations, grants, and loans; and position projects and applications to secure earmarks, grants, and other federal funding effectively.

3:30 pm – 4:20 pm: Budget Roundtable

• Speaker: Holly Sun, Budget Director, Howard County Government; Jake Dyer, Acting Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services,   Charles County; Martha Sparks, Finance Director, Talbot County Government
• Description: This session will focus on hot topics local government budget  departments face in addition to capital funding.

Adjourn