The Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government helps provide city and town leaders the knowledge to fulfill their responsibilities to their communities, and now MEO participants will have access to updated versions of the institute’s online, on-demand sessions.
In the new version of the courses, participants will hear from city and town officials and numerous Municipal Association staff members, including its field services managers, who visit cities and towns around the state to help them address issues of local concern.
The online MEO Institute courses cover several of the key areas of municipal governance. While participants can take the courses online, they also have the opportunity to take the courses in person at select regional councils of governments locations each year. Whether the courses are taken online or in person, they count toward the requirements to become an MEO graduate.
The on-demand courses are these:
- Basic Budgeting and Municipal Finance – This course covers the important steps in the budget process from preparation to implementation and council monitoring of the budget.
- Forms of Municipal Government – This addresses the three forms of municipal government in South Carolina: council, mayor-council and council-manager.
- Freedom of Information Act in South Carolina – Learn about the state’s FOIA requirements such as what documents governments must release and how to give appropriate notice of public meetings.
- Municipal Governance and Policy – Learn how municipal authority works under South Carolina law and how to implement effective municipal policies.
- Municipal Economic Development – Understand how to take advantage of a community’s economic assets and available financing tools.
- The Five Basics of Effective Governing — This course is optional, has no charge and is not for credit.
The online MEO courses are not the only on-demand training sessions offered through the Municipal Association. The Association also has a series of training modules to help clerks grow in their understanding of the duties and responsibilities of their job. The courses are free, are organized in segments of 30 minutes or less, and can be especially useful to newly appointed clerks.