Downlink to Maine: how the GFOA satellite conferences bring leading-age information to local governments.

• Author: Kline, David G.
• Position: Government Finance Officers Association

It takes seven hours to drive across Maine on the interstate highway. Maine has 492 cities and towns with only three cities having a population of more than 25,000. Due to the travel distances involved and the cost of bringing national speakers to relatively small groups in Maine, the Maine GFOA (MGFOA) has relied primarily on regional presenters to update the membership on current events. In addition, the cost of travel to GFOA-sponsored national seminars is frequently beyond the financial means of many Maine jurisdictions, with Maine frequently sending fewer than 10 delegates to the GFOA annual conference. However, as the complexities of government finance administration increase, more MGFOA members find the quality and depth of presentations geared to a national audience are necessary for their new demands. MGFOA members also obtain training by joining the five other New England States Government Finance Officers Association (NESGFOA) members: New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

The MGFOA has been an enthusiastic sponsor of the GFOA satellite teleconference program since the program's inception in 1994. During the past four years, MGFOA has registered as a downlink site for each telecast. When the teleconference program began in 1994, MGFOA hosted the program with a downlink site at Southern Maine Technical College, which was attended by five finance officers from local government. For the November 1998 Governmental GAAP teleconference, MGFOA rented the University of New England's telecommunications facility to make the signals available in a theater-style classroom in Maine's largest city, Portland. Thirty-four finance officers participated in the GAAP teleconference. The cost of renting the facility was about $200. The number of teleconference participants has increased as many finance directors find that it is a cost-effective way to expose the entire accounting and finance staff within the organization to high quality presentations of governmental accounting developments.

To promote the teleconference program site a MGFOA Executive Board member coordinates a mailing announcing it to MGFOA's 100 members - many of whom are not members of the national GFOA, and who would be otherwise unaware of the conference offering. Registration is coordinated by MGFOA. The teleconference materials are sent to the site and distributed to participants as they arrive. Local CPA firms encourage attendance from their...