June 16, 2025

Speaking and Trainings by Pacifica’s Public Law and Finance Practice Group

The attorneys in Pacifica’s Public Law and Finance Practice Group are frequent speakers at local, regional, and national conferences, where they share expertise and insight with government officials, colleagues, and others working in public finance, and state and local government.

Pacifica’s team also regularly presents to council, commission, and board regular and special meetings.  Additionally, our attorneys frequently host in-person and virtual PacificaU trainings, some of which are available to the general public. (Sign up here to be notified about future PacificaU sessions).

Below is an overview of upcoming and recent presentations by our Public Law and Finance Attorneys.

For questions about these topics, to arrange a training or presentation for your organization, or to learn more about our public finance and municipal law capabilities, please reach out to any member of Public Law and Finance team.

Upcoming Presentations

  • Overview of Property Taxes and Voted Financing Tools and Ballot Measures, Association of Washington Cities Municipal Budgeting & Fiscal Management Workshop 2025, August 6-7, 2025: At two separate sessions, Deanna Gregory will provide an overview of property taxes in Washington State and voted financing tools available to cities, including levy lid lifts, sales taxes, excess property taxes and bonds, and others.

Recent Presentations

  • Navigating Modern Council Meetings: Civility, Compliance, and Crisis Management, Association of Washington Cities Annual Conference, June 26, 2025: Matt Segal will go beyond the basics of open meetings compliance to discuss strategies for how to foster civility, manage public comment on difficult community issues, and understand how to respond to disruptions and manage through unexpected situations.
  • Municipal Bonds 101: Legal & Financial Strategies for Ports, Washington Public Ports Association 2025 Finance & Administration Seminar, June 27, 2025: Stacey Crawshaw-Lewis and Clare Riva will provide an overview of financing tools for Washington port districts, highlighting the pros and cons of each option.
  • Unlocking the City Financing Toolbox, Association of Washington Cities Annual Conference, June 25, 2025: Stacey Crawshaw-Lewis and Toby Tobler will present on city financing tools, reviewing the core fiscal tools Washington cities can use to fund local services, projects, and priorities, including those available through special purpose districts.
  • PacificaU: School District Bond and Levy Propositions, June 18, 2025: In this online training for school district administrators and finance officers, Faith Pettis and Toby Tobler will discuss the fundamental laws that school districts must follow when seeking voter approval of a bond or levy proposition.
  • Public Works 101, Association of Washington Housing Authorities Meeting, May 28, 2025: Zak Tomlinson and Faith Pettis presented on the basics of public works and alternative contracting arrangements to housing authority executive directors and key staff. Topics included competitive procurement methods, wage requirements, retainage and bonds, and federal requirements.
  • Top Ten Public Records Request Exemptions, Washington Association of Public Records Officers Spring Conference, May 21, 2025: Matt Segal discussed difficult yet important public records request exemptions, emphasizing how to prepare a reasonable and compelling case in support.
  • National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) Essentials Conference, May 14-16, 2025: Deanna Gregory and Alison Benge spoke at NABL’s annual foundational education conference for attorneys and others new to the municipal bond market. Deanna, who currently serves as Treasurer of NABL’s Board of Directors, spoke as a panelist on topics including career development and how to draft a disclosure document. Alison, who is the Chair of NABL’s Tax Law Committee, was a panelist for the General Tax Law and Qualified 501(c)(3) Bond sessions.
  • Bonds for Business Managers, Washington Association of School Business Officials Annual Conference, May 9, 2025: Faith Pettis, Toby Tobler and Alison Benge provided a plain-English overview of the federal tax and securities laws that apply to school district bonds, and offered useful tips on how to comply with these authorities during and after a bond issuance.
  • The Bond Sale: Nuts and Bolts of Selling Municipal Bonds, Washington Public Treasurers Association, 2025 Annual Conference: Deanna Gregory presented on considerations when selling municipal bonds, including methods of sale and the underwriting process, and provided an overview of bond purchase agreements and other sale documents.
  • NABL Institute, March 20-21, 2025: At the Private Use Implications of Green Tech session, Alison Benge presented on private business use tests for bond issues with an emphasis on evolving green technology. The discussion included solar power contracts, charging stations, and public-private partnership opportunities. Deanna Gregory also led the Update on the Financial Data Transparency Act (“FDTA”) session.
  • Strategic Considerations to Help Your Ballot Measure Succeed, Puget Sound Finance Officers Association, March 12, 2025: Deanna Gregory and Stacey Lewis provided an overview of levy lid lifts and other ballot measures, recent election trends, and lessons learned from successful and unsuccessful ballot measures.
  • PacificaU: Bonds 101: A Municipal Bond Primer, February 26, 2025: Toby Tobler and Alison Benge delivered an overview of municipal bond types, debt limits, and other Washington State law requirements, federal tax requirements, and federal securities law considerations.

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