Financing & Management
AMSA Preparing for 1999 Financial Survey
AMSA’s Financing and Management Committee is completing review of the Association’s Financial Survey form, incorporating information on staffing and salaries, as well as including questions on limited benchmarking information. In September, the Committee received Board support and Technical Action funding to hire a consultant to perform the 1999 survey and follow-up analysis. Requests for proposals were solicited in early November with proposals due before the end of the year. CONTACT: Jeni Hornback, AMSA 202/296-9384.
AMSA Winter Conference to Highlight New AMSA/AMWA Resource Guide
AMSA and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) are collaborating on the upcoming publication of the fourth in a series of AMSA management publications titled, "Innovative Management Practices for Public Utilities: An AMSA/AMWA Resource Guide." The new publication will provide information and examples of innovative and successful programs underway at numerous utilities. In particular, the survey focuses on support and management processes, which are extensively studied and reviewed by the business sector, but have received less attention by water and wastewater utilities due to their traditional emphasis on improving operation and maintenance practices. Survey results will form the foundation of a searchable on-line database of competitive management practices that will be continuously expanded as new data becomes available. The Resource Guide is scheduled for release early next year during AMSA’s Winter Conference, "Running Your Utility as a Business... Entrpreneurial Successes in the Wastewater Industry," to be held February 2-5 in Phoenix, AZ. Several different support and management processes, as well as the results compiled from the initial survey, will be examined in-depth during AMSA’s 1999 Winter Conference breakout sessions, "The Devil is in the Details - In-depth Examination of Competitive Management Practices," following a session designed to provide a complete overview of the guide. The Resource Guide will be available in both print and on AMSA’s web site, http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org. The first workshop flyer will be distributed to the membership in mid-November. CONTACT: Paula Dannenfeldt, AMSA 202/833-4654.