To recognize elected officials who are committed to continuing their professional development as elected officials, the Iowa League of Cities established the Certified Elected Municipal Official (CEMO) program. This voluntary recognition program utilizes existing League training opportunities, such as the Annual Conference & Exhibit and the Municipal Leadership Academy, allowing attendees to build towards the CEMO designation while receiving meaningful, informative and useful information on topics that expand the elected official's knowledge and capabilities. 

Fifty credits are needed to obtain the CEMO designation; this includes a mix of required core and elective credits. Credits for training are only available for events attended after January 1, 2012. Credits can be used only once for each training. Below is an overview of required and elective credits: 

Required Core Courses: 20 Credits

·         Municipal Leadership Academy Part One (5 Credits)
·         Attendance at Annual Conference & Exhibit (15 Credits)

Elective Core Courses: 30 Credits
·         Small City Workshop (5 Credits)
·         Municipal Leadership Academy Part Two (5 Credits)
·         Municipal Leadership Academy 2014 Part Three Webinars (2 Credits per Webinar)
·         Municipal Leadership Academy 2012, 2016 or 2018 Part Three (5 Credits)​​
·         League’s Annual Legislative Day (10 Credits)
·         Nuisance Abatement Conference (10 Credits)
·         Leadership Summit 2014 and 2015 ​(10 Credits)
·         League Webinar Series (2 Credits per Webinar, Maximum 10 Credits)
·         City Finance 101 Workshop (4 Credits)
​·         Budget Workshop (5 Credits)
·         Membership and Participation on a League Committee (5 Credits)
·         Attendance at a National League of Cities Conference or Training (5 Credits)

Note on Online Training
MLA online content requires registration in the name of the person seeking credit. The League Webinar Series does not require registration and is now offered free of charge. To obtain credit for this series send a short review (no more than 150 words) to MbrSvcs@iowaleague.org.The review should provide your overall impressions covering what you liked most and/or offering any suggestions for additional webinar content. City officials can view and offer reviews for up to 5 webinars (10 total Elective Core Credits) for the League Webinar Series.

Credit for Outside Training Opportunities:
Up to five Elective Credits may be granted for participation in educational programs offered by other organizations. This is offered on a one contact hour per credit basis. A copy of the agenda is required to obtain this credit. Examples include regional League meetings, councils of governments and trainings put on by state and federal agencies. Topic must be of interest to a broad range of elected city officials.