Elected Officials Essentials

Get ready to take municipal office with the Utah League of Cities and Towns

Join the Utah League of Cities and Towns (ULCT) for the 2025/2026 Elected Officials Essentials Training. These training courses offer a crash course on the basics you need to know before you take municipal office in January or as a helpful refresher for those currently in office.

Land Use 101, Part 2

Building on foundational land use concepts covered in Local Government 101, this session dives deeper into zoning, planning tools, and development review processes. We’ll explore common land use challenges, statutory considerations, and best practices for decision-making with ULCT Senior Land Use Manager Meg Ryan.

Budget and Finance 101

Learn the basics of how municipal budgets work, from revenue sources to spending priorities with public finance veteran Kerri Nakamura. This session will cover key financial terms, timelines, and your role in stewarding public funds responsibly. You’ll walk away understanding how to read a budget and how ask the right questions.

Part 2 will be held February 27th at Noon!

Conflict Competence 101

Disagreements are inevitable in public service—but they don’t have to be destructive. This highly interactive session will help you develop the skills to manage conflict productively, maintain civility, and build trust. Participants will learn what conflict is (and is not), what collaboration is (and is not), why all municipal officials need to learn how to productively navigate conflict, the basic concepts and skills for how to productively navigate conflict (including effective listening, effective framing, how to focus on interests and not positions, and how to stay calm and present when dealing with conflict), and how to apply these concepts to real-world challenges.

Utah Legislature 101

The Utah Legislature has a big impact on your community’s work. This session will explain how the legislative process works, how ULCT advocates for you at the capitol, and how to track and respond to bills. You’ll also learn how your voice as a local official can be heard on Capitol Hill and how to build relationships with state legislators.

Running a Small Community 101

Serving as an elected official is a big responsibility — and can be an even bigger responsibility if you are from a small community that lacks a robust professional staff. In this session, we will discuss the resources available to small communities through the Local Administrative Advisor Program and other state technical assistance.

This webinar is only for elected officials from communities with fewer than 10,000 residents that do not have full-time city administrators which qualify for the Local Administrative Advisory Program. You can see if your community qualifies on this page. If you are not sure if you qualify, please contact McKenna Marchant at mmarchat@ulct.utah.gov.