Building Academic-Practice Partnerships in Public Finance

To enhance public finance conversations, the Kansas Public Finance Center, the Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs, and the Environmental Finance Center hosted a free workshop focused on building partnerships between public service practitioners and academic researchers.  The conversations at this workshop featured speakers from across the country who spoke on topics including infrastructure financing, decision-making, municipal sustainability, assessment tools, and more.

Agenda

8:00 am: Check-in & Networking (Breakfast provided)

8:15 am: Welcome from Hugo Wall School 

8:20 am: Roundtable discussion—Building Academic-Practice Partnerships in Public Finance
Moderator: David Guo, Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance, Wichita State University   

Ryan Adkinson, Assistant County Administrator, Bulter County
John Bartle, Dean, University of Nebraska -Omaha
Carol Ebdon, Professor, University of Nebraska-Omaha
Elizabeth Goltry, Budget Officer, City of Wichita
Bart Hildreth, Professor Emeritus of Public Administration, Wichita State University
Lindsay Poe Rousseau, Chief Financial Officer, Sedgwick County
Kyle Wedberg, Senior Manager, Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)

9:50 am: Infrastructure Financing
Moderator: Ruowen Shen, Assistant Professor, Wichita State University
Discussant: Bart Hildreth, Professor Emeritus of Public Administration, Wichita State University
                      Craig Maher, Distinguished Professor, University of Nebraska-Omaha

Innovative Approaches to Infrastructure Finance
John Bartle, Dean, University of Nebraska -Omaha

Equity in Capital Investment Decision Making
Camila Fonseca, Research Associate, University of MinnesotaIsabel Marsh, Research Associate, University of Minnesota

Cap and Gap: The Fiscal Effects of Property Tax Levy Limits in New York
Phuong Nguyen-Hoang, Associate Professor, University of Iowa

Seeing the Forest through the Trees: Critical Issues in Airport Finance
Xiaowei Song, Ph.D. Student, University of Nebraska—Omaha

Optimization of Infrastructure – Real-Life and Research Opportunities
Nicholas Willis, Senior Program Manager, Wichita State University

11:50: Lunch Conversation: Inflation and the Economy (Lunch provided)

Howard Frank, Director and Professor, Florida International University
Bart Hildreth, Professor Emeritus of Public Administration, Wichita State University

1:00: Toolkits Session
Moderator: Tonya Bronleewe, Director, Environmental Finance Center, Wichita State University

A Community Self-assessment Tool for Determining the Kinds of Resources That May Be Available for Disaster Mitigation Activities
Aimee Franklin, Presidential Professor, University of Oklahoma

The EFC’s 2 Tools: Sustainability and Affordability Tools for Small Communities
Brian Bohnsack, Program Manager, Wichita State University
John Colclazier, Program Manager, Wichita State University

2:30: Fiscal Sustainability
Moderator:Xiaoheng Wang Assistant Professor, Wichita State University
Discussant: Howard Frank Director and Professor, Florida International University

An Examination of Municipal Sustainability after Declaration of Fiscal Distress and Post-State Fiscal Receivership in Louisiana
Kyle Wedberg Senior Manager, Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)

Financial Management During Turbulent Times
Craig Maher, Distinguished Professor, University of Nebraska-Omaha

The Bankruptcy of Special Districts: What, When, and Why?
Pengju Zhang, Assistant Professor, Rutgers University, Newark

Who Pays? Intrastate Variation in Colorado’s State and Local Public Revenue Sources
Todd Ely, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Denver
Geoff Propheter, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Denver

4:10: Community Engagement in the Budget Process
Moderator: Mercy Umeri Assistant Teaching Professor, Wichita State University
Discussant: John Bartle, Dean, University of Nebraska -Omaha

Understanding and Leveraging Stakeholder Motivations in Community Engagement Processes
Aimee Franklin, Presidential Professor, University of Oklahoma

The Use of Participatory Budgeting and Budget Simulations in U.S. Local Governments 
Carol Ebdon, Professor, University of Nebraska—Omaha
Aimee Franklin, Presidential Professor, University of Oklahoma
Weijie Liao, Ph.D. Student, University of Nebraska—Omaha

Contracting-out and Financial Conditions—Evidence from Municipal Governments in Florida
Xiaoheng Wang, Assistant Professor, Wichita State University
David Guo, Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance, Wichita State University
Salman Alam, MPA student, Wichita State University

5:30: Closing