It should come as no surprise to learn that what may start as a minor dispute between either two residents or internal staff members can grow into a major headache that may distract local government from their mission to provide for the needs of their residents. With this in mind, the Northwest Municipal Conference established the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program in October 1994. The goal of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program is to increase the capability of our members to more effectively resolve constituent and internal administrative disputes through the use of alternative dispute methods. This program provides participants with a forum to peacefully attempt to resolve conflict without resorting to litigation or other adversarial actions. The Northwest Municipal Conference utilizes professional mediators to listen to each side of the dispute and guide participants to a mutually satisfying resolution. This approach has been successfully utilized to resolve dozens of local disputes without the need to pursue more costly remediation. If you would like more information about this program please contact Mark Fowler at 847-296-9200, ext. 125.