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8A Page 4 At the conference, Rick Grimm, chief executive officer of#he National Institute of Government Purchasing and chair of the U.S. Communities board of directors,gave the program high marks. He revealed#hat U.S. Communities has saved its 20,000 participants more than$735 million, with$150 miliion of that amount in 2006 alone. In 2006,the program generated more than$1 billion in total sales. �ne of the powertui effects of tapping into the collective purchasing power of public agencies nationwide is that municipalities separated by vast geagraphy can collabora#e. For exampls, Gerry Hyland, supervisor of Fairfax County;Va.: reports thaf his county has saved millions using �os AngeVes County's cantract. Hyland cited the office and schoof supply program as a prime example. "By using the Los Angeles C�unty contract, Fairfax County saved over$1.6 million in fis�a!year 2006 [on just] one contract," he said. Program History Originaily part of California Communities, the program was created by the�eague of California Cities and the Califomia State Association of Counties{CSAC). i#became a national program in 1997 and was renamed to reflect its national scope. The pragram is co-sponsored by the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counfies,the U.S. Conference of Mayors,the Association of School Business Officials and ti�e t�atianal lnstitute of Governmental Purchasing. U.S. Communities prdvides increasing value for growing number of participating Cafifornia public agencies. Large cities and counties are the greatest users of U.S. Communities, but small cities have the fargest percentage of savings, as they cannot secure the ievel of discounts on their own. Here are some of the primary advantages of the U.S. Communities Purchas�ng Alliance: • Competitive solicited cantracts by a lead public agency . Most favorable public agency pricing • No cost to participate, each contract is optional and non-exciusive • Broad range of high quality products . Tho�s�rds of enviror.men±ally cer?ifed prod�.�cts and services . Nationally sponsored by►eading associations and purchasing o�ganizations • Effectively aggregates purchasing power of public agencies nationwide • Managed by public purchasing professionals For more information on the program, visit www.uscommunities.orc� or contact Dan Harfison at dharrisan a cacities.orq. CMTA Celebrates Municipal Treasurers Day and Week The California Municipal Treasurers Association(CMTA), an affiliate organization of fhe League of California Cities, celebrated Municipal 7reasurers Day and Week during its Annual Conference in Long Beach. CMTA sponsored a special measure,Assembly Concurrent Resolution(ACR) 33, in the State Legisla#ure to highlight the many accomplishments of municipal treasurers in California. ACR 33 commemorated May 2 as Municipal Treasurers Day and the week of Aprif 30-May 6 as Municipal Treasurers Week. Authored by AssembEywoman Anna Caballero(D-Salinas),chair of the Assembfy Locai Government Committee, the measure flew through both the Assembly and Senate. lt was recently chaptered by the Secreiary of State,wi#h additional support from the League, S#ate Treasurer Bill Lockyer, and the California Special Districts Association. 4