Business View Civil and Municipal l December 2022

135 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 daho has undergone an explosion in growth over the last several years, solidifying its status as one of America’s fastest-growing states. This well-earned title has opened new opportunities, renewed old discussions, and ushered in a new era for the state. Idaho’s 199 cities are at the vanguard of this change. The issues Idaho and its residents face are, for the most part, not novel. However, many cities have the opportunity to dramatically shape the trajectories of their cities well into the future and this has generated a healthy discussion of what’s next. The Association of Idaho Cities (AIC) was formed in 1947 and is a nonpartisan, non- profit corporation that serves all of Idaho’s 199 cities. AIC advocates on behalf of cities and provides education, training, and assistance to strengthen the ability of city elected officials and staff to serve their communities. AIC is driven by a robust mission: To promote excellence in and advocate for city governance, community leadership, and services to citizens in order to strengthen Idaho cities. This is bolstered by its vision, which states that AIC is the leading resource for effective city governance in Idaho and is the go-to source for city-related communication, ideas, education, training, technical assistance, and credible data and research. Advocacy is a key element of the Association of Idaho Cities mandate. As such, AIC serves as the voice for cities before the Idaho Legislature, Idaho Governor and executive branch agencies, and Congress. The association strives to develop and advocate policies that strengthen and support Idaho’s cities through its legislative advocacy work. This involves: researching and drafting legislation for the benefit of cities; monitoring all legislation affecting cities; communicating important legislative information to city officials; communicating the interests of cities to legislators, and organizing city officials for a united legislative response. AIC’s Legislative Committee is composed of elected city officials representing every area of ASSOC I AT ION OF IDAHO C I T I ES ( I AC) I