It was great seeing CGMC members enjoying the awe-inspiring northern lights (2 nights in a row!) and stimulating conversations during this year’s CGMC Fall Conference! Conference attendees included many new and familiar faces, as city officials and business leaders from Greater Minnesota communities gathered November 13-14 at the Timberlake Lodge Hotel & Event Center in Grand Rapids for our annual fall event. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Read on to learn about the conference highlights. To see photos, please check out this photo album.

Survey — If you attended the conference, we encourage you to fill out a quick, 2-minute survey to let us know what you liked, what you didn’t like, and how we can improve our conferences and events in the future.

Last week’s CGMC Fall Conference, hosted by the City of Grand Rapids, brought together city officials and other guests from all over the state for 2 days of event sessions that covered everything from the Legislature to Paid Leave to cannabis, and more! Here is a breakdown of this year’s annual event:

Members get a preview as to what 2026 has in store for Greater Minnesota at the Legislature

The conference kicked off with welcome remarks from St. Peter Councilmember and CGMC President Keri Johnson followed by a legislative panel with Rep. Bidal Duran (R-02A), Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL-03), and Sen. Robert Farnsworth (R-07), moderated by CGMC Executive Director Bradley Peterson.

Legislators discussed how the narrow party divide at the Legislature will set the stage for the dynamic at the state Capitol and unpacked the political ups and downs of the last year, contextualized the top policy issues from a Greater Minnesota perspective, and offered a preview the 2026 legislative session.

Well that’s a first! Fall Conference offered breakout sessions focused on Paid Leave and policy committee engagement

There is a long list of topics that we know are important to our members and only so much time during an event. So, during this year’s conference we wanted to try something new and offered breakout sessions that allowed attendees to choose their own adventure!

One breakout session focused on one of the foremost issues currently facing public employers—Paid Leave. Flaherty & Hood’s expert labor and employment team led a discussion and hands-on workshop aimed at preparing cities for the implementation of Minnesota’s Paid Leave program, covering everything from the program’s legal background to example case studies that answered the most pressing questions cities have been asking.

The other breakout session connected members with the CGMC’s expert lobbyists to discuss key priority areas, while also engaging with fellow CGMC members and committee chairs and exchanging stories about the specific issues that cities are facing. Members had a chance to dive into more detail about the policies that matter most to their communities and hear from other cities about their experiences.

Rural health care & EMS panel addresses pressing concerns, discusses emerging issues, & offers ideas

Minnesota Rural Health Association Executive Director Mark Jones, Mayo Clinic Ambulance Regulatory Officer Tom Fennell, and Minnesota Ambulance Association Lobbyist Buck McAlpin discussed the changing landscape of rural health care and EMS delivery during an expert panel. Each provided informative perspectives on the issues and implications for local governments, while offering insight on potential solutions.

Greater Minnesota transit innovations shed light on future of rural transportation, spark interest amongst members

goMARTI (Minnesota’s Advanced Rural Transit Innovations) talked to members about their efforts behind creating a scalable model for rural transportation innovation by combining autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, enhanced rider tools, and more, as well as the opportunity it creates for local economic and workforce development.

MMB’s Long-Range Planning team inspires storytelling & deep conversation with Keynote Dinner activity

Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), Long-Range Planning (LRP), and MN StoryCollective conducted a community storytelling session during Wednesday’s dinner, which focused on sharing experiences that provide insight for city leaders and policymakers. Through facilitated discussion, members reflected on shared themes and talked about how to apply key take aways to work in their communities.

Presentation discusses the path forward on lead line replacement & zoning reform

Funding lead line replacement and pushing back on efforts that would preempt city authority on zoning will continue to be a top priority during the upcoming session, so we provided a comprehensive update for members on these issues. CGMC Lobbyist Elizabeth Wefel and Executive Director Bradley Peterson discussed the status of the lead line replacement program, the CGMC’s asks for the upcoming session, and our ongoing efforts around housing and zoning.

City of Grand Rapids & HWY35 Cannabis share their partnership experience & insight on ordinances

Representatives from the City of Grand Rapids and HWY35 Cannabis discussed how the city and investors partnered to facilitate the development of the Grand Rapids Cannabis Park. The City of Grand Rapids also shared how they developed their cannabis ordinances in partnership with law enforcement and other local governments.

CGMC membership adopts policy positions for 2026

In addition to speakers and presentations, the conference also included a membership meeting on Friday. There, members discussed and adopted the CGMC’s 2026 legislative policy positions. To review the adopted positions in detail, click on the following subject areas:

If you would like to review presentations from the conference, you can view them using the links below:

Thursday:

Friday:

 

If you have any questions about the Fall Conference or other CGMC events, please contact Emma Nelson at ennelson@flaherty-hood.com.