The Municipal Association's Regional Advocacy Meetings will take place virtually this year as a COVID-19 precaution. They remain scheduled for their usual time in August and September. All meetings begin at 11 a.m. and will end by noon. The meetings serve as a time to learn about the past and upcoming legislative sessions, and to plan out the Association's future advocacy initiatives.
There will be no charge to take part in the meetings, but registration will still be required. Registrants will receive an email closer to the meeting date with information on how to participate. The meetings will make use of GoToWebinar, the same virtual conference platform to be used for the Municipal Association's Annual Meeting on July 17.
As in past years, there will be a Regional Advocacy Meeting for each of the council of governments areas, but officials may attend any session.
Here's the full schedule:
- August 18 – Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments area
- August 19 – Lower Savannah Council of Governments area
- August 20 – Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments area
- August 25 – Appalachian Council of Governments area
- August 26 – Lowcountry Council of Governments area
- August 27 – Upper Savannah Council of Governments area
- September 1 – Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments area
- September 2 – Catawba Regional Council of Governments area
- September 3 – Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments area
- September 9 – Central Midlands Council of Governments area
"Virtual meetings are not always the ideal way to gather and share information, but to keep everyone safe, this year it's the way to go," said Scott Slatton, the Association's director of advocacy and communications. "These meetings are important for local elected officials to share their opinions on state legislative priorities to bring success at the local level especially with the General Assembly returning in late September to finish out the 2020 session."
Register online. For more information, contact Ashleigh Hair at ahair@masc.sc or 803.933.1288.