The City of Sparks had an annual membership with the National League of Cities (NLC) from 1988-1990, and 2002-2011.  Members of the Council suggested re-joining NLC last year, and this staff report is to consider continuing payment of the 2019 membership dues.

The NLC is a resource and advocate for the nation’s cities and their leaders.

The NLC was founded in December 1924 by 10 state municipal leagues that saw the need for a national organization to strengthen local government.

Today, more than 1,600 cities, towns, and villages of all sizes are NLC members and another 18,000 communities participate through their state municipal leagues. Local elected leaders from even the smallest cities now have an opportunity to shape the priorities, policies, and advocacy positions of the organization.  With the door to leadership and participation open to all local elected officials, NLC is now as diverse as the communities it serves.

The NLC is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. Working in partnership with the 49 state municipal leagues, NLC serves as a resource to and an advocate for the more than 19,000 cities, villages and towns it represents.

The NLC believes in:

• Representative, participatory local government.
• Local government as the cornerstone of government in the United States.
• The value of public service.
• The value of diversity throughout our organization and our communities.
• Municipal authority over municipal issues.
• A commitment to the highest ethical standards among all public officials.
• Civility and mutual respect.
• Anticipating the needs of communities and developing strategies to meet those needs and improve the quality of life.
• Partnerships, coalitions and collaborations to strengthen cities and our advocacy efforts.

NLC’s Strategic Plan Goals

• Proactively drive federal policy on behalf of cities, on issues that directly impact them.
• Promote innovation and provide proven strategies and valuable resources that address the challenges cities face.
• Raise the profile of city governments as key leaders and partners in improving the quality of life for our nation.
• Expand the capacity of city officials to serve as ethical, effective and engaged leaders.
• Achieve our mission and goals through an organizational structure that is aligned, nimble, accountable and transparent.

The 49 state municipal leagues occupy a special position within the NLC. As founding members of NLC, they continue to play an important role guiding the organization's priorities and serving as a link to cities in their state. Through intense collaboration, the state municipal leagues and NLC work to guide federal policy on issues that matter most to cities, share valuable resources with each other and promote innovation in municipal government.

Programs worth drawing your attention to include:

• NLC’s Service Line Warranty Program can help your residents overcome the financial drain when water/sewer lines break on their property, and it potentially can generate revenue for the city’s coffers.
• Grant Access is an online library of 8,000 federal, state, and foundation grants that cities can apply for. You can maximize its efficiency by setting up alerts to receive automatic notification when new grants become available.
• NLC’s Prescription Discount Program provides discounts at over 70,000 pharmacies around the country. Discounts average 24% and would be available to anyone who lives in Sparks.

1.  The Council could approve payment of the 2019 membership dues to the National League of Cities with a payment not to exceed $8,050.48.

2.  The Council could choose not to approve payment of the 2019 membership dues to the National League of Cities.

3.  The Council could choose not to approve payment of the 2019 membership dues to the National League of Cities and provide other direction on this matter to the City Manager.

I move to approve payment of annual dues to the National League of Cities for calendar year 2019, in an amount not to exceed $8,050.48.