Annual ConferenceJeff Eslinger | Ass’t Exec. Dir. Member Services

Planning for the 2020 Annual Conference is forging ahead in optimism and hope. Our theme this year is “Our Legacy, Our Future. It is a celebration of counties’ legacy of service to our state’s residents. In good times as well as in times of crisis and fear, counties step up and do whatever it takes to keep our communities vital and resilient. This issue is filled with stories and pictures proving that point.

Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Terry Lyles, author of Performance Under Pressure – Crack Your Personal Stress Code and Live the Life of Your Dreams. Dr.Lyles is a frequent guest on national TV broadcasts dealing with the psychology of people in crises.

In addition, we have a social distancing-friendly entertainment event planned for Monday night. Encore Entertainment of Minot, which comes highly recommended from many county folks, will be your host for hilarious fun that you can dive into with both feet or just enjoy from a shy person’s safe distance. Everyone will enjoy this!

Mark your calendars for October 11-13 at the Bismarck Event Center. Registration will open in July. See you then!

Presorted StandardU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 11

Grand Forks, ND

INSIDE

May/June 2020

6: I Voted Sticker Contest Winner

10: Work From Home Tech Tips

11, 12: Public Health Steps Up

14: County Tours

Online version at www.ndaco.org/county-news

North Dakotans to Receive Ballots by Mailcontinued on page 23

For the first time in North Dakota history, voting in North Dakota will be done by Vote-by-Mail only for the June 9, 2020 election. The North Dakota County Auditors Association urged Governor Burgum to issue an executive order to allow Vote-by-Mail due to COVID-19.

“It is a safety issue first and foremost. Secondly, there is the real possibility of not being able to hold the election if a major virus outbreak happened around the primary election date,” said Cass County Finance Director Mike Montplaisir.

The Governor signed Executive Order 2020-13 on March 26, 2020. The order encouraged counties to authorize Vote-by-Mail for the June election and suspends the requirement for counties to have at least one physical polling location. Reservation counties have worked with tribal governments to secure agreements to support Vote-by-Mail. And in response, every county has decided to administer the primary election by Vote-by-Mail only.

“Moving the June election to a mail election was a timing issue for us. We

like to give voters choices and by offering traditional absentee voting, early voting, and Election Day voting, that provided our voters with ample opportunity to vote. But with the uncertainty of how the COVID-19 virus is going to affect the next few months, we had to decide by April 6th to do a traditional election or a vote-by-mail election.” Montplaisir added, “For the safety of our election workers, the voting public, and our staff, we recommended to run this election with Vote-by-Mail.”

All eligible voters will be receiving an application in the mail from the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office. Voters who do not receive an application by May 11th should contact their county auditor. The voter will complete their application and mail it to the county auditor using a postage-paid envelope. Once the auditor’s office receives the application, verifies the information is filled in correctly and has been signed, a ballot will be sent.

Counties are expecting voter participation to be high for this June election. “Rolette County has typically had turnout in a primary of about 15% of eligible voters. With applications going

out to all eligible voters and voters having the ability to vote in their own home and at their leisure, I am sure we will far exceed the typical turnout we have had in the past,” commented Rolette County Auditor Valerie McCloud.

“The biggest challenge is trying to anticipate the volume of mail we will be getting in and being able to process the mail in a timely manner. Cass County will normally have 10,000 of these in a General Election; we could see four times that many in this election,” said Montplaisir.

March 12th was the first day people could respond to the 2020 Census questionnaire. A lot has happened since then, including a national health emergency. The importance of the census is in danger of being lost in the crisis, but it is still critically important.

In fact, the 2020 Census is probably more important than ever. Congress uses census data to determine the distribution of much of the funding for the COVID-19 pandemic. Maneuvering through COVID-19 and a downturn in the state’s ag and oil economy, now more than ever, the state, city and county governments need fiscal support from federal taxes paid back to states based on the census.

As of May 1st, nearly 56 percent of North Dakota’s h o u s e h o l d s had responded to the 2020 C e n s u s . Conversely, 44 percent have not. We are tied with the national rate, ranking 25th of the 50 states right after South Dakota. M i n n e s o t a Census 2020 continued on page 2

North Dakotans to Receive Ballots by Mail for June ElectionND Counties Explain Vote by Mail ProcessDonnell Preskey | NDACo Government/Public Relations Specialist

County QUICK STATS

ILG Response to Coronavirus• Number of courses in March, April: 10• Number of ILG participants in March alone: 900+• Number of new ILG participants: 200+• ILG Library recordings sent out during COVID crisis: 175

Census 2020 – Where We are NowKevin C. Iverson | Manager, ND Census Office

RESPONSE BY COUNTY – MAY 1, 2020

Statewide Response: 55.8%12.3 to 29.1% 29.2 to 41.6% 41.7 to 55.8% 55.9 to 58.2% 58.3 to 70.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census Response May 2020Prepared by: North Dakota Census Office, May 2020

2 – May/June 2020 – ND County News

NDCCA Executive CommitteePerry Turner, President .............................................. McIntoshChad Peterson, Vice President .........................................CassCody Schulz, Treasurer ..................................................MortonReinhard Hauck, Past President ..................................... Dunn

DirectorsCharlie Adams ............................................................BottineauKaren Anderson .............................................................WalshJoan Hollekim .............................................................MountrailDavid Montgomery ......................................................Williams Nick Rutherford ...........................................................Pembina

NDACo StaffTerry Traynor.................................................Executive DirectorAaron Birst ................Assistant Director - Policy/Legal CounselGenny Dienstmann ...................Assistant Director - OperationsJeff Eslinger ................... Assistant Director - Member ServicesLisa Jahner ............. Assistant Director - Research & ProgramsAlisha Adolf ..............Professional Development Manager (ILG)Cassie Braun ............................................Accounting AssistantPatrick Engelhart ................................... CEG Safety SpecialistRyan Gellner .......... Traffic Safety Outreach Program ManagerCathy Heidt.........................................Administrative SecretaryJason Horning..................... Next Gen 9-1-1 Program ManagerChuck Horter ........................... Human Resources CoordinatorMary Korsmo ............................... SACCHO Executive DirectorKathy Kottenbrock ................................. 9-1-1 Project ManagerJennifer Morman ........................CEG Internal Claims ManagerDonnell Preskey .................... Gov’t/Public Relations SpecialistDave Schimetz ................................................Facility ManagerMaggie Splonskowski .................................. 9-1-1 Data AnalystLinda Svihovec ..............................................Research AnalystMichelle Tabbert ......................................Administrative OfficerAngie Wentland ......................................................... ControllerMike Wolf............................................................CEG Manager

NDACo Executive CommitteeKevin Fieldsend, President ......................................RamseyStanley Dick, 1st Vice President ..............................CavalierCarrie Krause, 2nd Vice President ............................... WellsSteve Lee, 3rd Vice President .................................. McLeanScott Ouradnik, Past President ....................................Slope

DirectorsDarbie Berger .............................................................MercerLynn Brackel ............................................................BowmanBecky Hagel ................................................................FosterLori Hanson ............................................................ MountrailLisa Herbel .............................................................BottineauKim Jacobson .................................................Agassiz ValleyChad Kaiser............................................................StutsmanWanda Knutson ..........................................................MercerMaynard Loibl .............................................................NelsonTrudy Ruland .......................................................... MountrailMary Scherling ..............................................................CassJayme Tenneson ............................................. Nelson/GriggsGene Veeder ......................................................... McKenzie

Ex Officio MembersPerry Turner ............................................................ McIntoshMarcia Lamb ..............................................................BillingsDaryl Dukart ................................................................. Dunn

NRG Technology Services Staff:See page 10

continued from page 1

Census 2020has achieved an impressive 66 percent response rate, the highest in the nation. The Census Bureau posts an updated rate of response for each state, county and city at www.2020census.gov/en/response-rates.html.

Unfortunately, many areas of our state are registering a low rate of response. In some counties, less than 30 percent of residents have submitted their census data. Even in the highest responding county, 30 percent of households have not responded.

Some of the low response rate can be explained by the fact that forms have not yet been delivered to households with PO Box addresses - nearly 10 percent of North Dakota residences. This has particularly impacted the state’s tribal areas, which receive almost all their mail by PO Box. The Census Bureau now plans for a mid-May delivery to these residences.

Households that received the Census 2020 form and threw or lost them can still respond. Simply click on the link below the code entry box at my2020census.gov.

There are risks involved with residents not responding to the census. First,

Undercounting Equals Underfunding. When we don’t respond and list everyone in our household, the result is the same: We leave our federal dollars for residents of other places.

Undercounts do happen. As there is only one census per decade, we only get snapshots of what we missed. After Census 2010, A Census Bureau study on the undercount of young children identified nearly 1,000 North Dakota households where children were identified in other forms of federal data that did not show up in 2010 Census. Usually, this means parents were claiming children in their tax return but didn’t list them in the census form. The funds that nearly 1,000 uncounted children would have brought into the state probably cost the state $17 million in this decade. But it’s not just children. We likely missed nearly another 1,000 individuals residing on our Indian reservations – another $17 million.

Another potential impact when the household does not respond to the census is that the Census Bureau still needs to send someone to their

Census 2020 continued on page 11

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 3LEADERSHIP VIEWPOINT

Counties across North Dakota are about to engage in an economic forecast exercise prescribed by state statute, working hard to successfully develop a budget!

Several factors may dictate outcomes unique to each county. One issue that will have long-standing effects is fulfilling an accurate, data-driven 2020 Census of North Dakota’s population. Future legislative district boundaries will be determined using that information. Several federal transfer payments to states and counties also use that data to generate payment levels for state and county service programs.

A second “who knows” factor is the international crude oil market and its relationship to the Bakken Formation. County commissioners across the state are thinking about “Prairie Dog” legislation and any future impact on county budgets. Many county planners understand uncertainty effectively eliminates real progress in plans to improve township roads and bridges.

A final hurdle to clear was reported last week from the state

These are very interesting times we are going through with the coronavirus issue right now. Prior to this entire event happening, if someone would have told me that this is the way things are going to happen, I would have never been able to believe a word of it.

Canceling school and all sporting events, toilet paper shortages, and most of all, limiting socialization. We, as North Dakotans, are not used to limiting our socialization. It is a huge part of our lives.

By now every single one of us is thinking about when can we get together with our friends for a face-to-face visit. However, we need to take this seriously and listen to our leaders to know when we can start getting back to our regular way of life. This is the reason we have put these folks in their leadership roles. They have the information and personnel to make wise decisions and we need to put our trust in their hands.

There are going to be some changes in the way we do business; however, one thing I hope never changes is the way we socialize and interact with each other. I feel that is a big learning

tool in growing up and becoming a good productive person.

I am writing this a week or two in advance of you reading it, so hopefully everything is back to normal by now, or very soon. So be patient. Let’s do this right the first time. Practice good hygiene and most of all STAY HEALTHY. This too shall pass.

FROM the COUNTIES FROM the COMMISSIONERS

Kevin Fieldsend | NDACo PresidentRamsey County Highway Superintendent

Perry Turner | NDCCA PresidentMcIntosh County Commissioner

Building Budgets 2020Socializing is Too Important to Give Up in the Long Term

Terry Traynor Managing EditorJeff Eslinger Editor

ND Association of CountiesPO Box 877 Bismarck, ND

58502-0877Phone (701) 328-7300Web Site www.ndaco.org

County News is the off ic ial publication of the ND Association of Counties (NDACo). Circulation is approximately 2,000, with bimonthly publication. Deadline for submissions and advertising is the 15th of each even-numbered month. Copyright 2020 by NDACo. Portions of County News may not be reproduced without permission of editor. Opinions expressed in advertising and editorial content do not necessarily reflect NDACo views.

the critical services that counties are delivering during this crisis. While NACo has always been a resource, connected closely to county officials and state associations, they have been reaching out multiple times each day to communicate–which is now a very two-way street. They are actively listening to local needs so that they can be communicated to Congress and the White House, while informing us of national policy and funding actions.

Now that we have been in this declared emergency for two months (although it seems like two years) the financial burden is becoming very real. We must thank our legislators and the governor for allowing some of the federal funding they have received to flow down to counties to address direct costs incurred. County auditors, working with all of you, have identified over $1 million in general county costs, plus the even larger direct reimbursements coming from the Departments of Health, Corrections

Counties are a foundational part of our state’s and country’s response to the greatest emergency faced in decades. As Governor Burgum has stated, our “Whole of Government” response to COVID-19 is “federally supported, state managed, and locally executed.” A very big piece of that execution is YOU. Whether it is public health professionals, correctional officers, emergency planners, policy makers, financial managers or cleaning staff, county officials and employees are the hands and feet that deliver what needs to be delivered and monitor what needs to be monitored–all the while keeping our communities as safe as absolutely possible.

For this, we citizens of North Dakota thank you all. It is a privilege for our staff at NDACo to work for you, and I hear the very same thing from our national staff at NACo. They daily shout praise for counties to their congressional and administration contacts, while informing them of

FROM the ASSOCIATIONFederally Supported, State Managed, and Locally Executed

Terry Traynor | NDACo Executive Director

budget forecast folks. Second-quarter estimates suggest there may be double-digit reductions in sales and gas tax receipts. The Association staff continues to “stay informed” and ready to assist membership with budget issues and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

and Human Services. This funding is crucial to maintaining local response efforts in the months ahead.

Your NDACo staff and your NACo staff know that direct emergency cost reimbursement is important, but likely only the tip of the iceberg. The economic effects of this emergency (and the oil market) are hammering your

revenues. Helping counties address this need is a top priority for the two member associations that are working exclusively for you, so you can work for us all.

4 – May/June 2020 – ND County News

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 5FINANCIAL NEWS

Purchasing PulseProcurement Strategy: Invitation for Bids versus Request for Proposals

Sherry Neas | Central Services Director, Office of Management and Budget

Government entities purchase a mix of goods and services to accomplish their public service missions. Some purchases are simple; others are more complex. Developing a procurement strategy for each situation is necessary to ensure the right information is obtained to make good purchasing decisions.

Competitive Bidding Process

A competitive bidding process awards a contract to a bidder whose response meets all the specifications and requirements stated in the bid document, and has the lowest price.

You should use a bidding process when purchasing commercially available goods, equipment and non-professional services. Specifications should describe what is needed and any minimum qualifications of the vendor. Bids received are evaluated against those specifications. If an offered product or service does not meet specifications, then the bid must be rejected. The contract is awarded to the ‘low bidder meeting specifications.’ No consideration is given to products offered that exceed requirements.

Here is an example of the competitive bidding process: Your entity needs to

purchase a payloader. Market research is conducted to write specifications that could be met by companies that manufacture similar payloaders. Bids are received from companies describing their payloader and the price. The buyer checks to ensure the offered payloaders meet the required specifications. Award is made to the company that is offering a payloader that meets all requirements and has the lowest price.

Request for Proposal Process

A competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process awards a contract to a bidder whose response is determined to be the “best value” based upon the stated evaluation criteria. RFPs are appropriate when there are differences between offered goods and services. They include an evaluation process to determine which proposal best meets the needs of the government entity.

Here is an example of the RFP process: Your entity needs a consultant to conduct a study. The RFP describes the work that needs to be done and invites companies to submit proposals describing how their company would accomplish the work, who would

perform the work, and the proposed cost. The proposals are evaluated against these criteria, and the proposal receiving the highest number of points is awarded the contract.

RFP evaluation criteria usually measures all the following:• How: The quality of the proposed

strategy for doing the work.• Who: Experience and qualifications

of the company and individuals proposed to do the work (WHO).

• Cost.

Open Records Bids and proposals are treated

differently regarding open records and confidentiality under N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18.4 (6). Generally, bids become open records upon opening by the public entity. Proposals are exempt from open records until a notice of intent to award is issued. Consult your legal counsel regarding your entity’s authority to conduct competitive bids versus competitive proposal process, open records and confidentiality.

6 – May/June 2020 – ND County News ASSOCIATION NEWS

Fourth grader Khloe Brandon from Hatton Eielson Public School created the winning design for the “I Voted” sticker contest. The North Dakota County Auditors Association launched the contest open to all North Dakota 4th graders. County auditors contacted schools in their county with the contest i n f o r m a t i o n and, in m a n y cases, went into the c l a s s room to talk about county government and specifically elections.

Students were asked to design an “I Voted” sticker for use in the 2020 election and beyond. The only requirement was for the sticker to include the words “I Voted.” Forty-three counties selected a winning local entry which moved to the statewide contest.

“The entries were amazing; we have

Traill County 4th Grader Creates Winning “I Voted” Sticker for use in North Dakota ElectionsDonnell Preskey | NDACo Government/Public Relations Specialist

some very talented 4th graders in the state,” commented North Dakota County Auditors Association Executive Director Donnell Preskey Hushka. “Kids were excited for the chance to have their sticker handed out on Election Day, and it showed in their

creative designs.” Khloe’s design is a

majestic eagle with the

Amer i c an flag. “It’s e x c i t i n g

that I had the best one

out of the whole state and that it will be

the sticker all counties give voters,” said Khloe. In Traill County alone, Khloe’s design was selected from 86 colorful designs to move to the state competition.

“I can’t wait to see everyone wearing her sticker on Election Day,” said her teacher, Mrs. Tracy Handly. “Our county auditor contacted me about this opportunity and came and

explained the project to our class. I gave students some class time to create their design. In fourth grade, we not only learn about North Dakota studies, but citizenship and government. We discuss how voting is a right and a responsibility; so, this project was a great addition to that.”

The North Dakota County Auditors Association has awarded Khloe with a plaque that displays a picture of her “I Voted” sticker. She was also recognized at her school for winning the county competition.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for county auditors to get into classrooms and help educate students on the role of county government and the importance of elections,” said Preskey. “Auditors wanted to make

this announcement in April, which is National County Government Month.”

Due to COVID-19 safety concerns, voting for the June election will be done by mail. However, many counties plan to include the “I Voted” sticker when they mail the ballot to voters.

You can view all county winning entries along with other pictures here: bit.ly/ivotedcontest.

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Khloe Brandon

Congratulations to Marcus Hall, Burleigh County Highway Engineer, on receiving the National Association of County Engineers Association (NACE) Rural Engineer of the Year Award. Marcus received the award at the virtual NACE Annual Business Meeting.

The award recognizes the recipient “For the application of efficient engineering management principles and standards for the economic design, construction, maintenance and operation of public works facilities as approved and published by the National Association of County Engineers Management Research Project Manuals and Guides.”

Marcus Hall has been the Burleigh County Highway Engineer since 2008. He has worked the majority of his career in county government and has been a member of the ND Association

Hall Named National Rural Engineer of the Year

of County Engineers Association for over 10 years, a member of the Minnesota organization for over 20 years before that and a member of the national organization for close to 30 years, serving on the Legislative Committee, Board of Directors, Resolutions Committee and as the national director.

Marcus Hall

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 7ASSOCIATION NEWS

Ken Tetrault, Burke County Highway Superintendent, and Connie Howell, Administrative Assistant, were recognized for their work on a sign project in Burke County. The project was implemented to test the reflectivity of road signs. Tetrault and Howell developed and tested an assessment process

that is easy and fast to complete. This method saved approximately $8,000 in time, manpower, and fuel last year. Dale Hegland, program director

with NDSU ND Local Technical Assistance Program, plans to do a research project using the technique.

Burke County RecognizedFree Webinar OpportunitiesND Local Technical Assistance Program (NDLTAP) understands that the COVID-19

outbreak has complicated the work you do. Your safety is of primary importance to us and we appreciate the sacrifices you’re making to keep our systems in operation.

In response to COVID-19, NDLTAP is working to provide digital resources to help in your day-to-day operations. There is no fee for these webinars; you can start and stop them anytime. If you have trouble accessing them online, please reach out at denise.brown.1@ndsu.edu.

An event calendar at www.nltapa.org/calendar is updated daily and directs you to FREE Webinars from all 52 LTAP and TTAP Member-Centers in the United States and Puerto Rico.

March 11, 2020: First District Health Unit (Bottineau, Burke, McHenry, McLean, Renville, Sheridan and Ward Counties) management team at 10:00 p.m. the night the first COVID case in ND was identified,

working on alerting health care providers, preparing a press release and establishing incident command.

8 – May/June 2020 – ND County News TRANSPORTATION NEWS

“Roadway network improvements can often be tackled best through phased construction. In these uncertain times, phased construction makes sense. It spreads the investment needs over several years, key criteria for counties as they navigate through the uncertainties of funding in markets like we are currently experiencing. Williams County is a role model for staged construction, a fundamental, long-term network planning tool. When asked if they would be willing to share their success story, the team jumped at the opportunity. Here’s their story.”

− Dale Heglund, NDLTAP

Building roads in phases – also known as staged construction – is a great option for building quality roads while also managing funding, according to Williams County Highway Superintendent Dennis Nelson. “Williams County has been doing staged construction for about the past 10 years when the oil industry picked up and roads needed more attention as traffic and loads increased” he says.

Nelson and his team at the Williams County Highway Department oversee approximately 180 miles of paved roads and 620 miles of chip seal and gravel roads. His team continuously drives the county roads to assess road conditions. Because doing a road construction project in one area often shifts the traffic impact to a different area for the duration of the project, they constantly have to balance deteriorating road conditions with new construction projects. Staged construction can help to alleviate this situation because stages can be completed over a multiple-year period.

Staged construction also lends itself well to fluctuating funding. Each stage can be completed as funding is available. This allows for the road to be improved over time, allowing any bad spots to surface when they are more economical to repair in gravel and dirt versus when the road has been chip sealed or paved. Allowing each stage to mature over time also allows the road to go through at least one freeze-thaw cycle so that managers can better assess how the road responds to the environment.

So, what exactly is staged construction? Staged construction is a way to slowly and consciously build up a paved road so that it can support the legal weight limit (105,500 GVW).

When scoping the project, ensure that the ditches and drainage are in good shape before starting. In the first stage, the road is raised and widened to its original design dimensions and the inslopes are evened out. Crews will then dig into the subgrade about 12 to 24 inches to pack the dirt back in. Gravel and soil stabilizer are laid down

to prevent the road from slumping and being beat back down from traffic. This is also a good time to repair or replace any culverts. If the ditches and drainage were not in good shape initially, then the road will likely need additional gravel and soil stabilizer to successfully complete this stage.

A road typically sits for about a year after the first stage is complete. “The first year is important because it will tell us where the holes, blemishes, and weak spots are so we can go in with more soil stabilizer or do repairs before the road is chip sealed or paved,” Nelson says. Doing so is much less costly than having to go back and repair the entire road. Once a road has been staged for double chip sealing, then the determination can be made as to whether or not to pave the road. Nelson considers this factor when creating the Williams County-wide paving plan.

Building the crown of the road with a 4% grade from the shoulder to the center of the road is crucial to successfully completing stages 1 and 2. If the crown is not built up properly, the road will not shed water, significantly compromising the integrity of the road over time. Given the high volumes of traffic, especially heavy traffic in Western North Dakota, the crown can be compressed into an inverted crown, allowing water to sit on the road and causing many problems over time.

Layer By Layer Staged Road Construction in Williams County

Lindsay Harriman | Williams County Communications Officer and Dennis Nelson | Williams County Highway Superintendent

Motor grader operators work at keeping the crown up at all times, but it’s not an easy job!

The third and final stage is paving. This stage is reached if the second-stage built-up road has remained stable. It can take a few years to get to this stage. For example, this year Williams County will pave about 15 miles of County Road 8, located in the western part of the county. The road was originally prepared about five years ago, is currently chip sealed, but is in rough shape. Funding is only just now available. Another example is County Road 10 near Tioga. After waiting for 7 years, Williams County will finally be able to grade and pave 5 miles of County 10, which is also currently chip sealed and in pretty rough shape. Gross Production Tax revenue, which Williams County relies on for most road projects, dipped with the industry paved road – stage 3 downturn in 2015 – 2016, thus affecting funding for these projects. If funding lags for too long to bring a stage 2 road to stage 3, then the road will sometimes deteriorate too quickly and the surface will need to be ground up and possibly chip sealed again. However, if the road is properly stabilized and chip sealed, the delay between chip sealing and paving doesn’t affect the integrity of the road too much. The road can also be repaired as needed by using oil and small rock (chips) or recycled asphalt.

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 9WORKPLACE SAFETY

A computer workstation at home may consist of a laptop computer on a couch, bed, or kitchen table. As comfortable as some options may sound, using an improper workstation setup for an extended duration can cause awkward posture which can increase the risk for ergonomic related injuries. It is important to set up your home workstation as best you can to prevent discomfort.

Here are some recommendations to keep you more comfortable when working from home.

Keep in mind that prolonged computer work – even at an ideal office workstation – is stressful to your body and your eyes. To relieve stress that can lead to computer vision syndrome and physical disorders, we cannot stress enough the importance of taking frequent breaks from your computer.

Walk around the house every 20 to no more than 30 minutes for 1-2 minutes to reduce the risk of developing back, neck, and/or shoulder pain from sitting. DON’T wait to feel achiness or tightness developing before your take a break. Stretch breaks will keep the blood flow moving in the legs and will help relieve back pain from sitting in the chair for long periods of time – especially if it’s not a good office chair. Stretch breaks will also allow you to flex and re-align your neck, head, shoulders, wrists, arms, legs and back. Also, with the weather being nicer, it is a good idea to get outside and away from your computer and take a 10-minute walk twice a day.

Do not forget about eye strain. To help relieve and prevent eye strain and tension headaches, we recommend the 20/20/20 rule. You should focus on an object at least 20 feet away, for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes.

If possible, bring your office chair home. It has the adjustment features you need to sit at the proper height. Your office chair will also offer proper arm support. If you can’t bring your office chair home, you need to be sitting at the correct height in relationship to your monitor.

You may need to raise yourself in your chair since most kitchen tables and desks are too high.

Once you are seated properly, if you can’t keep your feet flat on the floor, use some books or a step stool to place your feet on. Be sure to sit back properly in the chair to get the maximum lumbar and shoulder comfort and support. Try not to lean forward when sitting in the chair as this contributes to neck, shoulder and back discomfort.

Depending upon the chair you are sitting on, raise yourself to the correct level so your wrists are in a neutral position and elbows at 90 degrees. If you don’t have your office chair at home, you might have to sit on some pillows to raise yourself to the correct height. You may even need to place a pillow behind your back for more comfort. Use a belt, rope or string to secure the pillow to the chair to keep it from falling off.

If using a laptop at home is your only option, in most cases the monitor is too low for most users. This leads to head, neck and shoulder discomfort and even headaches. It is difficult to raise the monitor to the correct eye level and your head and neck will not be in the proper position. That is another important reason to take stretch breaks!

Be aware that there is an exception for the laptop monitor position. If you wear bifocals or trifocals generally the laptop screen should be close to the correct eye level when sitting on a flat surface. Check your head and neck posture to see if adjustments need to be made. If you don’t wear bifocals or trifocals, the top of your screen should be at eye level.

Working on a laptop without an external keyboard and mouse can lead to discomfort. Sit close to the keyboard and in a position where your wrists are in a neutral position and elbows at a 90-degree angle. Adjust the laptop and your chair the best you can without having awkward neck and head posture and, at the same time, keeping wrists and elbows in the correct position.

Another option if you don’t have an external keyboard and mouse is to stand more. When sitting, if your elbows and wrists are in the correct position, in most cases this will leave the laptop monitor much too low. The best thing you can do is switch between sitting and standing.

If you have a sit/stand workstation at your office, bring it home to use. It gives you much better adjustment options if you don’t have an external keyboard or mouse. If you don’t have a sit/stand workstation you can bring home from work, get some boxes, a storage tub, or anything else that would allow you to raise the laptop, so it is as close to eye level as possible and wrists and elbows in the correct position. If you have a taller stool you could rest on that at times when standing. This will lower you some to get to a better eye level while keeping wrists and elbows in the correct position. The longer you sit, the harder it is to hold good posture, so each day try to spend at least a couple hours on your feet that you

would otherwise spend in a chair.

If you have a recliner at home, find something to put on your lap to secure your laptop, if you recline just a bit in the chair, it could put you in a position where the monitor is close to the correct position with your wrists in a neutral position and elbows at a 90-degree angle. While we don’t recommend sitting this way all day, it may be an alternative to help prevent head and neck strain from having the laptop monitor too low when sitting at a table or desk.

For the most ideal working conditions from home and to make your laptop more adjustable, we would highly recommend you bring home your keyboard, mousepad, wrist rest and mouse from your office. Having these items will allow you to put the laptop on some boxes, a tray, or anything else that might work to allow you to raise your laptop monitor to the correct eye level. Remember to also adjust your chair or adjust yourself in the chair you are using so your wrists are in a neutral position and elbows at a 90-degree angle.

To allow for even more adjustability and to prevent head, neck, and shoulder discomfort bring home your external monitors if possible. Don’t forget to bring your document holder home as well. Using your document holder helps prevents neck, shoulder and back discomfort. Make sure the monitors are at the correct eye level – top of the screen without bifocals or trifocals, and lower if you wear bifocals or trifocals. Depending upon the chair you are sitting on, make sure you are sitting at the correct level, so your wrists are in a neutral position and elbows at 90 degrees.

It is important to note that most laptops only have two USB ports. If that is the case, you will need a USB hub to be able to plug in your external keyboard, mouse, monitors, flash drive etc.

I recommend a 3.0 USB hub with a minimum of four USB ports depending upon your needs. Keep in mind that you lose one USB port on your laptop when you plug in the hub.

A four-port hub allows you to connect two monitors (if that is what you normally use), a mouse and a keyboard. Prices for a four-port hub range from $30 to $50. A Tripp-Lite Model U360 004 Mini with four ports from Office

Working From Home Cain Be A Pain —In Your Neck Back Shoulders And WristsMichael Wolf | CEG Underwriting and Loss Control Manager

Depot costs $32.59 and works very well. A 3.0 USB hub is generally colored blue on the inside of the port to distinguish it from a 2.0 USB hub. The 3.0 USB hub is ten times faster than a 2.0 USB hub.

With distance learning taking place, don’t forget about your children who are now at home doing their schoolwork. The same principles apply to children as adults when working on laptops. Avoid letting your children do schoolwork from beds and couches and in poor posture positions! They will thank you later in life once they come to understand the proper postures when working on a laptop!

Together, we can build a more comfortable workplace at home!

Work Smart – Work Safe

10 – May/June 2020 – ND County News TECH NEWS

N R G T E C H N O L O G Y S T A F F

Lonny Bosch ....................President Cody Anderson ...................Field EngineerGlen Boepple ......Service Desk TechnicianTravis Fandrich ................ Field TechnicianJacob Fettig ..................... Field TechnicianKendall Fey ...................... Field TechnicianMary Kay Knoll .......... Service CoordinatorDanielle Kraft ............Accounting Assistant

Jeff McDowell ...............Systems Engineer Lloyd Nantt .....................Service ManagerSarah Nelson ........ Business DevelopmentPhil Schmaltz ................... Field TechnicianAmber Schriock .............Account ManagerAJ Snyder ........................ Field Technician Kay Ternes ..Assistant Service CoordinatorDavid Weiand ...............Systems Engineer

Getting StartedBy now, most who need to work

remotely are already doing so, but here are a few points to double-check or to help you start if you haven’t yet:• Determine if a Virtual Private Network

(VPN) is necessary for each employee working remotely. Some may only need access to email and, as such, wouldn’t need a VPN. However, if they need access to files on the server or an application that runs on a local server, they would need your IT department to set up a VPN for them.

Developing a Remote Workplace Policy

It’s important to first determine which employees can work remotely. Then, set clear expectations:• Setup weekly mandatory collaboration

meetings.• Establish expectations of working from

home, such as hours worked, breaks and productivity goals, recognizing some time will be required to adjust to the changes.

Essential Tools for the TeamWorking with your IT department, be

sure you are providing your team with the most useful tools to help them succeed.• What tool do you want to use to

collaborate? The first thing you need to do is determine what you need to accomplish; is it just for messaging, or do you want video conferencing and screen sharing? Many of the tools have multiple functions but generally excel at a few of them.

• Determine which platform is best by looking at what tools you already have. If you are using Microsoft, Teams is a great choice. If you are using google, google hangouts and messenger are simple to setup. Offer training as needed.

• Make sure everyone has the computer tech they need at home (bandwidth, computer, microphone/webcam)

• Help them establish communication with the public as needed. A “softphone” allows them to use their personal phone to make and take calls from the office number.

Keep the Team ConnectedJust like in the office environment,

effective communication and collaboration are absolutely essential in the remote environment. What are some

Tech Tips for Working from HomeLonny Bosch | President, NRG Technology Services

things you can do to make sure everyone is communicating and collaborating effectively?• Develop groups within your

messaging platform to allow direct communication among the whole team involved

• Have some type of file sharing setup for the team, potentially through same platform as messaging, and you may need to remind everyone that those files are out there and accessible!

• Setup check-in meetings to discuss status of projects and see how everyone is doing

Maintain Productivity and Engagement

How do you maintain productivity when working remotely?• The first thing to do is set expectations

so that everyone knows what needs to be done.

• Set up one-on-one calls with employees to check if they need anything

• Regularly review how the employee is doing with their expectations

Staying secure - How are They Accessing Their Data?

We have seen several issues during the implementation of a remote workforce. Are there any extraordinary measures or new trainings you need to go remote? Not particularly. IF you are practicing good cybersecurity and productivity measures in your normal office environment, you simply need to transfer those practices to the remote environment.• The end user’s home systems are not

able to handle the amount of data needed. Their internet is simply too slow. Many internet providers found themselves scrambling to provide enough bandwidth to their customers.

• Since everyone is trying to do this in such a hurry, organizations many times don’t have enough VPN licenses to support all their staff and end up waiting on them getting ordered.

• Necessary technologies such as multi-factor authentication, encryption, VPN, antivirus, and other hardware – What sort of technology is available to allow working remotely to be more secure?

• When accessing any data stored in the office, you always want to use a VPN. A VPN will encrypt and ensure your data is secure when going back and forth.

• Many users will want to use “Remote Desktop” to connect to their office PC, this is fine if you use a VPN to get into that machine. However, it is highly insecure to have a machine with remote desktop opened to the public internet.

• Any machines accessing company data should have good, up-to-date antivirus protection and follow your standard security policy at a minimum when doing anything work related.Although this article covers a lot of

ground, it is far from detailed, as every county and every user may have unique needs. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your cybersecurity and productivity needs, feel free to contact NRG at 701-250-9400.

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 11ND COUNTY NEWS

FIT Testing was completed at the Four Season’s Health Care Center in Forman, ND on April 15, 2020. Vanessa

Bayger with the Sargent County Sheriff’s office was trained to conduct the FIT testing and was assisted by Briana Spellerberg of the Sargent County District Health Unit. They completed 28 FIT tests that day for

staff only. OSHA Agencies require employers to fit test workers who must wear these respirators on the job.

City-County Health District – Barnes County

(Left to right) Eileen Ryan, April Whisler, Kristen Bear and Kerry Due, COVID PPE

School meal pick up

Donated cloth masks Eileen Ryan, FIT TestingKristen Bear and Renee Larson,CCHD screening

Face Shields

continued from page 2

Census 2020door to gather the data. If no one answers, the Census Bureau employee will likely go to a neighbor’s house to get the information. In the age of COVID-19, self-responding, honestly and completely, is a far better option.

What can we do to help our state have a successful 2020 Census?- We need 100% response! Every

household responds to the 2020 Census.

- When conversing with your friends and neighbors, ask, “Hey, have you responded to the census yet? Do you know how important this is to our community?”

- When checking with elderly that do not have a computer, consider offering to assist them in responding online, with their permission, and have them on the phone verifying the required information as you enter it in the computer at my2020census.gov.

- And finally, counties are encouraged to follow NDACo on Facebook and be prepared to share the promotional graphics released on Thursdays. Bottom line: do whatever you can to

encourage your citizens to respond and be counted!

FIT Testing in Sargent County

12 – May/June 2020 – ND County News ND COUNTY NEWS

Local Public Health Units in the Trenches during COVID-19Mary Korsmo | ND SACCHO Executive Director

Since the first declared case of COVID-19 in North Dakota on March 11, local public health staff have been working tirelessly to prevent the spread of this global pandemic. From mask fit testing to contact tracing, local public health units are providing guidance, running mobile testing sites, implementing and revising action plans, holding press conferences to keep communities informed, and other emergency preparedness response activities.

Local public health officials work with health care providers, long term care facilities, daycare facilities, grocers, campgrounds and various other entities to implement strategies to protect staff and the public. “We have planned and prepared for a pandemic such as this,” states Sherry Adams, Executive Director for Southwestern District Health Unit. “One thing that I am confident about, is that the way we’ll get through this, is by working together.”

Mobile testing sites are currently

the most visible COVID-19 activities being performed. North Dakota conducted its first public drive through testing in Slope County on April 5 where 367 people were tested. Gladstone tested 368 people the following day. Upper Missouri District Health Unit, Southwestern District Health Unit and Three Affiliated Tribes partnered on April 11 to conduct a testing event at Elbowoods Memorial Health Center in New Town where a four-hour event tested 282 MHA health care providers and first responders for COVID-19.

Northeast North Dakota public health units assisted Grand Forks Public Health for target testing after several LM Wind Power employees tested positive for the disease. A return trip provided additional and expanded testing. Lake Region, Rolette, Traill, Walsh, Pembina, Steele and Nelson County Public Health Units were on site at the events working with Grand Forks Emergency Management, Grand Forks Police, Grand Forks Public Information Center, Grand

Forks Fire Department, the ND National Guard and Grand Forks Salvation Army.

Fargo Public Health, the ND Department of Health and the ND National Guard tested 1013 close contacts of those who tested positive for COVID-19, essential workers and symptomatic individuals on April 25. The Fargo homeless shelter and long term care facilities had been previous testing sites. Local public health units worked with community partners and the ND Department of Health to secure places to isolate and provide food for homeless patients suffering from COVID-19.

Much less noticeable is the detailed work of contact tracing. Contact tracing involves a case investigator connecting with a COVID-positive person throughout illness until they are considered recovered. This detailed process identifies the people with whom the positive case has been in contact with, 72 hours prior to diagnosis, and tracks their symptoms for 14 days. Contacts are monitored

for symptoms including two daily temperature checks with collected information being reported to the ND Department of Health. “Contact investigation, and the following recommendations for quarantine and isolation, is an important element to the containment of COVID-19,” states Debbie Swanson, Grand Forks Public Health Director. “The public health professionals and Master of Public Health students from ND universities have been working earnestly behind the scenes.”

Local public health units are the boots on the ground – along with county and city law enforcement, emergency managers and the ND National Guard – serving our communities in numerous ways, many of which are unseen, all while carrying on other public health activities to keep our communities safe. Although some services have been modified or temporarily suspended, your local public health units remain open while taking appropriate precautions for the safety of all.

One of several drive-through testing events in April.

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 13ND COUNTY NEWS

14 – May/June 2020 – ND County News ND COUNTY NEWS

NDACo Executive TourResponding to a challenge by the Board of Directors to visit more counties every year, NDACo staff and board members went on the first tour of 2020, visiting the counties of Hettinger, Adams, Bowman and Slope.

Bowman

AdamsHettinger

Probably for many, the last meeting without social distancing.

Sorry! We didn’t know!

Any fans of Art Deco? Classy signage.

Slope

New courthouse, rustic look. Same folks pictured left, plus NDACo Pres. Kevin Fieldsend and Jeff Eslinger, NDACo

Decent attempt at social distancing, considering we weren’t trying!

Spacious meeting room serves several court and community purposes.

Something left behind by the previous Sheriff?

Genny Dienstmann (NDACo), Lynn Brackel (Bowman), Chad Peterson (Cass) and

Amber Schriock (NRG)

Yes, please!

Nice to have so many commissioners, department heads and employees in

attendance!

Bowman County Veterans Remembered

Tribute to WWII Veterans Touring the courthouse. Be sure to look up at the historic original light fixtures.

This staircase is like a scene fromHarry Potter!

They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

Murals in the County Extension Office depict life in Hettinger County, and were painted by Janell Brackel, sister-in-law of Bowman County Commissioner Lynn Brackel.

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 15

16 – May/June 2020 – ND County News PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

to those who completed certification in the Incident Command System

Alisha AdolfProfessional Development Manager,ND Association of Counties

Jessica AlongeChief Deputy Auditor/Recorder,Stutsman County

Karen AndersonCommissioner, Walsh County

Heather BrandtSr. Accounting Specialist, Ward County

Shana BrostAuditor, Mercer County

Kandy ChristophersonAuditor, Ramsey County

Lloyd ClockDeputy Sheriff, McKenzie County

Nichole DegensteinHuman Resources Director, Mountrail County

Beth DidierAuditor, Barnes County

Patrick DiehlEmergency Manager, Grant County

Julie EisenbraunEmergency Management Specialist,Ward County

Jeff EslingerAssistant Executive Director of Member Services, ND Association of Counties

Bill FahlsingEmergency Manager, Stark County

Linda FairbrotherTreasurer, McHenry County

Krista FallerAuditor/Treasurer,Adams County

Carol FeyRecorder/Clerk,McIntosh County

Brenda FischerAuditor, Logan County

John FjeldahlCommissioner, Ward County

Robert FlathCommissioner, LaMoure County

Abby GibbsSubstance Abuse Prevention Coordinator, Dickey County Health District

Leslie HageAuditor/Administrator, Richland County

Becky HagelCommissioner, Foster County

Marisa HamanDeputy Auditor/Treasurer, Ward County

Juliana HammerstromDeputy Tax Director/911 Coordinator, Billings County

Stacie Hansen-LeierDirector of Equalization, Barnes County

Kari HatzenbuhlerTreasurer, Morton County

Kelly HauganAssistant Director of Emergency Management, Ward County

Glenda HaugenAuditor, Traill County

Misty HesterSr. Accounting Specialist, Ward County

Joan HollekimCommissioner, Mountrail County

Laura HuberTreasurer, Oliver County

Anita IbachRecorder, Emmons County

Matthew JohansenSheriff, McKenzie County

Erica JohnsrudAuditor/Treasurer, McKenzie County

Diane KnaufCommissioner, Grand Forks County

Kathy Kottenbrock9-1-1 Project Manager,ND Association of Counties

Jody KristiansenTreasurer, Logan County

Tracy KrugerEmergency Manager/911 Coordinator/SO Admin, Hettinger County

Kelly LebenSheriff, Burleigh County

Lynelle Lyman HoppeRecorder, Foster County

Pam MaloneyAuditor, Sargent County

Yvette MoeRecorder, Walsh County

Deb MoellerRecorder, Cass County

Vickie MurrayTreasurer, Kidder County

Laura MuschaDeputy Treasurer, Wells County

Keith OlsonSheriff, Nelson County

Brenda PetersonPublic Health Administrator,Sargent County

Danielle PetersenRecorder, Renville County

Shelby PudwillDisaster Program Manager,American Red Cross

Sandra RohdePlanning & Zoning Administrator, Dunn County

Liz RoordaDeputy Tax Director, Barnes County

Christina RunningRecorder, Divide County

Nancy SeefeldtRecorder, Morton County

Mary SengerEmergency Manager, Burleigh County

Kathy SkardaCommissioner, McKenzie County

Stacy SmeldenDeputy Auditor, Traill County

Devra SmestadAuditor/Treasurer, Ward County

Tracy SteinDeputy Auditor, Sheridan County

Barbara SteinkeRecorder, Kidder County

Jennifer StewartAuditor, City of Rugby

Stacey Swanson911 Coordinator, Billings County

Michele ThielDirector of Human Resources,Grand Forks County

David UtkeCommissioner, Foster County

Melissa VachalRecorder, Mountrail County

Kerry WaldoAdministrative Assistant,Dickey County Health District

Jennifer WiechmannEmergency Manager, Ward County

Emily WigenAuditor, Steele County

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CONGRATULATIONSPROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CongratulationsCongratulationsto High Performance to High Performance Leadership Academy Leadership Academy

Graduates!Graduates!

Lindsey HarrimanWilliams County

Frank EberleBowman County

Valerie McCloudRolette County

I’m excited to catch up with you and highlight the role of ILG during this COVID time.

Through the ILG platform, we have been able to swiftly react and reach county officials and employees through webinars. Already having online learning established, communicating and educating went full steam ahead.

Because important COVID-related information was needed fast, we put together several webinars and got them out to our members in a very short amount of time. We thank you all for your dedicated participation!

Within the last month alone, ILG has drawn in a little over 200 new – AGAIN, 200 NEW – individuals to our training platform and trained OVER 900. Many of these new individuals are county and city

ILG – Here for YouAlisha Adolf | ILG Professional Development

employees in social services, law enforcement, public health and more!

This really shows your commitment to professional development, as well as the dedication and leadership of ILG and the Association of Counties. This kind of responsiveness is exactly what we have been building toward throughout the years.

I hope you have had the chance to participate in some of our recent webinars. If not, please remember that we record the webinars and house an ILG Library. Many county officials and employees have been taking advantage of the library during this COVID time. You can view the current library on our website: www.ndaco.org/ilg.

Member outreach is of utmost importance. Please know that many webinars are conducted by various

NDACo staff, and we understand that our presence – being here to serve your needs – is paramount, especially during times like these. We are here and will continue to face the COVID road ahead. Stay positive and safe!

Alisha Adolf, ILG Professional Development

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 17HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS

The 6th Human Resource Conference for Local Governments that was originally scheduled for April 2020 has been postponed until June 2021. Because of the uncertainty and heavy workload of all local government offices, it was agreed that we will reschedule the statewide conference for next year. We are hoping to retain all our planned presenters and will add new topics as they emerge. All registrants will be receiving an email regarding r e g i s t r a t i o n options.

In place of the conference, the HR Collaborative for Local Government will be organizing a series of webinars over the next six months on a range of HR Topics. The first webinar, offered on April 17, on the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act was well attended and received rave reviews. This session offered key information on the Emergency Sick

Leave and Family Medical Leave provisions in the bill. If you were unable to attend the live webinar, it is available on the HR Collaborative website at www.hrndgov.org/. Remember to register under “Join Now” to get regular HR updates.

The HR Collaborative is very excited to announce that the revised HR Reference Guide for Local Government

has had a comprehensive review and will be available online at our website by June 1. We plan to offer a webinar to review the major changes in

policies later in the summer. As local governments face many new

challenges and opportunities, human resource management is often at the center of discussion. Please know that we are here to help you and plan to offer resources as they become available. Thank you all for helping to make North Dakota healthy and strong.

HR Today and Beyond Conference Postponed

www.naco.org/covid19/partner-resources#PPE

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENTResource Partners through NACo

Thomaston Mills Specializes In Production Of Medical Grade Bedding And Towels

Simma PPE Provides Medical Protective Equipment Including Masks, Gloves, Sanitizers And Care Equipment

Carpevida Supplies Testing Booths, Medical Goggles, Isolation Suits, Thermometers, Face Masks And Shields For Essential Workers

American Apparel & Footwear Find PPE Through The Item Marked Personal Protective Equipment Supplier List

18 – May/June 2020 – ND County News COUNTY NEWS BRIEFS

Editor’s Note: BRIEFS are collected from newspapers throughout the state over the past two months. Counties with news items to include in future issues are encouraged to submit them to jeff.eslinger@ndaco.org.

The city of Fargo and Cass County surpassed their goal of jointly producing 225,000 sandbags, which is expected to be enough to provide protection from a 38-foot Red River spring flooding crest with 2 feet of freeboard. Over the course of about four days, volunteers at Sandbag Central operations produced 232,000 sandbags. “The incredible effort of volunteers from the Fargo metro and statewide community have helped ensure this is another successful flood fight,” Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney said. “I cannot overstate my gratitude to all of the volunteers who offered their time and efforts,” Mahoney said, adding, “I would also like to thank all of the members of team Fargo, as this response would not have been possible without city of Fargo staff.” Chad Peterson, chairman of the Cass County Commission, echoed Mahoney. “We are grateful to the citizens of Cass County and the greater community for their efforts,” Peterson said. “This flood fight has put front and center our area’s incredible sense of community. When a response is needed, everyone shows up, as they always have. It’s incredible,” Peterson added.

~ The Forum

Imagine first responders in Traill County being able to clearly communicate by radio with those in Dickinson 300 miles away. That’s the goal of SIRN, Statewide Interoperable Radio Network, established through HB 1435 by the North Dakota Legislature. “The state receives 230,000 calls to 911 each year and we’re not getting the coverage we need,” Steele County Emergency Manager Ben Gates said. “There are dozens of systems in the state that are not interoperable because of static interference.” Gates said surrounding states have SIRN and North Dakota would like to follow suit. The plan is to erect 140 relay towers across North Dakota’s highways. Those towers would be maintained by the state. The goal is for the signal to be shared by law enforcement and public ambulance services across the state’s 127 major cities and county seats by 2024. He said the total cost with the state plan would be $20,000 to buy into the system plus $3,000 a month for service. Because the county is not responsible for maintenance and upgrades, the state plan saves $100,000. According to Traill County Sheriff Steve Hunt, the importance of SIRN also includes “to be able to coordinate with law enforcement in Minnesota and Cass County, who are on different systems. Of “Next Generation 911,” Hunt said, “It looks like this is the system of the future.”

~ Traill County Tribune

None of us out and about in Mott on July 11 last year will ever forget when portions of Mott and the Hettinger County fairgrounds were hit by a tornado. The tornado destroyed the 4H Exhibit Hall and over 400 exhibits within the building. Nevertheless, we go on and are currently working on plans for a new exhibit hall-a four seasons building. The plan is to add a 50’x60’ addition to the existing facility with a wall constructed on the interior of the current building just past the restrooms. The partitioned area in the existing building will also be four seasons. Our 4H program has grown from 32 members in 2012 to 100 in 2019, which in turn has helped our fair grow. It is our hope with the addition of the new facility that the open class portion will also grow, as we will have additional space that is climate controlled and wheelchair accessible.

~ New England Herald

Members of the North Dakota Legislature’s Interim Legacy Fund Earnings Committee came to Watford City seeking input on where the state should spend the earnings on its $6.86 billion oil tax savings account. And for nearly six hours, the 11-member committee heard a steady stream of pleas from western North Dakota residents urging them to use the funds to help build schools and roads, develop workforce training sites, enhance tourism and provide tax relief. Since it was approved by North Dakota voters in 2010, the Legacy Fund has grown to nearly $7 billion with funding coming from 30 percent of the state’s oil tax revenues. As created, the legislature could not expend any of the fund’s principal or earnings before July 1, 2017. Now the legislature can use up to 30 percent of the principal every two years, but only with a two-thirds approval by members of the House and the Senate. The 2019 Legislature authorized the Legacy Fund Earnings Committee to reach consensus on how to use the earnings, which so far have been used to balance two biennial budgets and backfill a shorted state school aid fund.

~ Mountrail County Promoter

The Jamestown Sun hands out these bravos: Bravo to the Jamestown and Stutsman County residents who have responded to the 2020 U.S. Census. The city and county have a response rate that is higher than the national and state averages. Bravo to the Jamestown grocery stores and the employees of those stores who are trying to keep the shelves stocked through the coronavirus pandemic and a buffalo chip to the people who buy and hoard more than they need. Bravo to Rachel Macdonald who offered a free,

online yoga class called “Yoga Bliss for COVID Calm.” Her message of taking care of minds and bodies during this stressful time is important. Bravo to the Stutsman County Commission for authorizing a Vote-by-Mail process for the June primary election. The move will encourage voter participation even if the rules of social distancing are still in place. Bravo to Lesley Tamo of the Jamestown Public Schools and Bud Morgan of the Jamestown Clowns for delivering meals to students’ homes. Morgan wore his clown attire, adding a little color and fun to the process.

~ Jamestown Sun

The Walsh County Nutrition Program continues to serve the needs of Walsh County area seniors with eight meal sites scattered throughout the county. Pam Landsem, who has been the director for 34 years, is based out of Park River. Although the times differ between sites all meals are served between 11:30 a.m. and noon. Meals on Wheels is offered at every site. Those are meals that are delivered to seniors who are homebound. Those interested in home-delivered meals have to call the Walsh County Nutrition Office and they go out and do an assessment because they have to be homebound for some reason. There is no set fee for the meals and anyone 60 years of age or older or who has a spouse 60 years old or older is eligible to participate in the county’s senior meal program. People are encouraged to make a donation of $5. Grafton serves their meals in the Armory. They don’t need people to deliver meals in Grafton, but they are looking for volunteers to help with meals at the Armory. All the sites are fairly well staffed and there is no shortage of those delivering the meals. There are a lot of people who could use a good nutritious meal. One person living alone, you don’t cook like you should. People living alone don’t cook a turkey or roast beef dinner or anything like that. A lot of people have cereal, toast or a can of soup. The senior meal program has strict dietary requirements. “We require three half cup servings of fruits and vegetables, two ounces of protein, two slices of bread and one percent milk to drink along with the meal,” she said. “We hear it a lot that it is too much food, but people oftentimes take them home and finish it up for supper.” The county’s nutrition program is getting reimbursed $4.60 for every meal they serve. The estimated cost per meal is $12. “We encourage more people to take part in the senior meal program,” Landsem said. “The more people we serve the more economical we are.

~ Walsh County Record

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 19

20 – May/June 2020 – ND County News

LEGAL BRIEFS

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 21

Several hundred thousand head of cattle are on U.S. roadways every day, and given the volume of cattle being transported, the likelihood of a truck being involved in an accident is high.

However, first responders and law enforcement officers aren’t always trained in how to handle an incident with cattle.

As a result, North Dakota State University Extension specialists joined university and Extension faculty from across the country in developing the Bovine Emergency Response Plan (BERP) and teaching curriculum as a way for emergency responders to learn how to address accidents involving cattle transport vehicles more appropriately.

The plan includes standardized recommendations, suggestions and materials for emergency personnel in taking emergency calls, scene arrival and assessment, containment and security, extraction and relocation of cattle, disposal of dead animals, securing the wrecked transport vehicle, euthanasia and debriefing.

“Imagine that a semi loaded with cattle has crashed and rolled over,” says Lisa Pederson, Extension livestock specialist at NDSU’s Central Grasslands Research Extension Center near Streeter and one of BERP’s developers. “It’s dark outside and cattle are injured inside the semitrailer and loose on the scene. Our plan helps emergency personnel know how to assess the situation, make critical decisions, and keep themselves and the public safe.”

The training is for farmers, ranchers, veterinarians, first responders such as firefighters and ambulance personnel, county emergency managers, law enforcement personnel, tow truck drivers, Extension agents, auction market owners, truck drivers hauling cattle and anyone else interested in first responder and public safety, and animal welfare.

BERP participants take part in classroom training, table-top exercises, demonstrations and practice. The participants learn how to:

• Improve response to emergency incidents involving cattle

• Recognize potential hazards and issues related to responder safety, public safety, and animal care and welfare

The program also encourages the development of customized plans that fit a jurisdiction’s unique needs. Plus, participants learn how to do a better job of informing the public about what happened and how the situation was

handled, which leads to the public better understanding actions involving cattle.

The program was developed with grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Beef Checkoff program, and is partially funded by the North Dakota Beef Commission

Extension agents have hosted BERP training programs in several locations throughout North Dakota.

“We also covered basic cattle-handling principles with hands-on cattle handling work at our local sale barn for those who had never been around livestock before,” says Yolanda Schmidt, NDSU Extension’s agriculture and natural resources agent in Pierce County. “Additionally, we had a hands-on euthanasia practicum.”

First responders contacted Penny Nester, Extension’s agriculture and natural resources agent in Kidder County, about holding a BERP training program in 2017 after responding to four accidents involving cattle semi-trailers on major highways.

“We learned really quickly the mistakes we made when responding to that accident,” says Jim Albrecht, the county’s emergency manager. “We didn’t really know what to do and how to communicate interagency.”

NDSU Extension launched the BERP program in North Dakota in 2017 by holding training sessions at four locations in the state. One of them was in Steele.

“Speakers covered a variety of topics related to crashes, including protocols for who does what, assessing the scene, containment, getting cattle out of trailers, humane euthanasia and disposal of cattle, relocation of cattle, debriefing of responders and more,” Nester says.

Less than a month after that BERP training in Steele, Kidder County first responders were called to the scene of a semi-trailer fire with Canadian cattle on board.

“With the help of the local sheriff’s department, emergency manager, veterinarian, and state and local brand inspectors, the scene was secured quickly and all animals were successfully unloaded and accounted for without any loss of life, either human or animal,” Nester says.

Knowing how to respond properly to an incident involving cattle is very

Bovine Emergency Response Plan Prepares First RespondersEllen Crawford | NDSU Extension

important, according to Paul Johnson, a member of Bisbee Fire and Rescue who took BERP training in December 2019.

“It’s usually a big situation when it does happen, and it’s the cooperation of the first responders that makes it either go smoothly or makes it go terribly, so we’re just trying to make it go as smoothly as we can,” he says.

Breana Kiser, Extension’s agriculture and natural resources agent in Dickey County, is happy that the BERP training in her county brought together emergency coordinators, law enforcement officers, volunteer firefighters, livestock producers, brand inspectors and cattle haulers from multiple counties.

“It started the discussion of what the accident protocols are in each county, what is the level of livestock experience

among the emergency personnel, and also networking for knowing who would be able to help with housing loose livestock and helping with the accident cleanup (righting the truck, having equipment on hand),” she says.

“It was excellent training in the fact we now at least have a starting point on how to handle cattle truck accidents - the basic to-do and not-to-do awareness that none of us had before, and quarantine rules, truck seals, etc., which is not included in any of our usual discipline training we receive,” says Charlie Russell, Dickey County emergency manager. He took the training with firefighters, emergency services personnel and law enforcement officials. “I think the training is excellent and I would take it again in a heartbeat.”

COUNTY EXTENSION NEWS

Emergency managers, law enforcement officers, first responders, producers and others take part in Bovine Emergency Response Plan training hosted by NDSU Extension.

22 – May/June 2020 – ND County News RETIREMENT NEWS

Life and annuity products are issued by Nationwide Life Insurance Company or Nationwide Life and Annuity Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio. The general distributor for variable products is Nationwide Investment Services Corporation (NISC), member FINRA, Columbus, Ohio. The Nationwide Retirement Institute is a division of NISC. Nationwide Funds are distributed by Nationwide Fund Distributors, LLC, Member FINRA, Columbus, OH. Nationwide Life Insurance Company, Nationwide Life and Annuity Company, Nationwide Investment Services Corporation and Nationwide Fund Distributors are separate but affiliated companies.

Avoid Hasty Investment Decisions as You Approach RetirementBig market swings can tug at our emotions — especially as we get closer to

retirement. But rather than trying to quickly time the market in these uncertain times, let’s take a moment to pause and remember that historical data has shown us that it’s better to stick to our existing long-term investment strategy. Even if you’re feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed, be patient and hang in there. And before you make any changes to your investment strategy, it’s always smart to talk it through with a trusted source, like us.

Understand the Key to Surviving Stock Market VolatilityThanks to 24-hour financial news channels, the Internet and the mobile devices

we all seem to have these days, there is so much more news and information about the markets available to us. While you might expect that it would help us get better investment results, the opposite is true for many investors.

This is because our emotions can take over and negatively affect our investment decisions. With this guide, we’ll help you understand why this happens and what you can do to make better choices for your portfolio.

Why do These Decisions Happen?Media interest in the financial markets rises

in times of market stress. Business models are driven by attracting more viewers or subscribers, and for a financial media platform, nothing attracts individual investors more than bad news. All of that noise may push your emotional buttons, leading you to make hasty decisions and buy or sell your investments too quickly.

Individual investors often underperform market indexes. This is often a result of a vicious chain of events. News headlines drive their emotions, which can cause irrational investment decisions, which then may lead to poor performance. And this is a

significant performance reduction.• Major stock and bond indexes

returned between 5% and 8% on average over the last 20 years.

• Individual investors earned just half of that over the same time period.

Reacting and Trying to Time the Market Takes a Toll

Individual investors reacting emotionally to news headlines tend to buy and sell investments frequently and at inopportune times. Movement in and out of the market runs the risk of missing many of the best days—the more good days missed, the more potential gains given up.

What You Can Do to Make Better Choices for Your Portfolio

Stay invested. To make the most of market opportunities, it’s best to tune out the daily news and stay invested for your long-term goals. Although there will be down days for the stock market and negative headlines that may go along with them, the likelihood of market losses drops dramatically over time.

You can see this with the S&P 500 Index going back to 1929. Negative returns become much less likely when you stay invested for 10-year or 20-year periods.

Balance your portfolio for potential value. You’ll be in a better position to reduce the amount of risk you take on and may potentially increase the returns you realize over time if you:• Avoid the temptation to trade in or

out of the market• Stay invested in a balanced portfolio

based on your long-term goals

Maintain Your Discipline and Remember These Principles:1. Tune out the noise from the financial

news media and if you feel like taking action in response to news events, seek out professional advice.

2. Stay focused on your plan. Remember, you are investing for the long term.3. To help lessen the impact of market fluctuations, maintain a diversified portfolio

that’s suitable for your retirement goals and risk tolerance.4. Take advantage of opportunities to invest when others react based on emotion;

consider buying when they are selling in falling markets.

ANNUALIZED PERFORMANCE: 1995-20143

Average Investor2.5%

Investment-Grade U.S. Corporate Bonds5.8%

Long-Term U.S. Treasury Bonds7.0%

S&P 500 Index8.2%

S&P INDEX (DAILY PRICE RETURN)GROWTH OF $10,000 (JAN. 1995-FEB. 2016)4

$40,329

$20,142(50% loss)

$3,939(90% loss)

FullyInvested

Missed 10Best Days

Missed 50Best Days

PROBABILITY OF NEGATIVE S&P RETURNS (1929-2015)5

21% 12% 3%

20-YEAR10-YEAR5-YEAR

41% 32%

YEARLYMONTHLY

45%

DAILY

COMPARISON OF INVESTING STRATEGIES–GROWTH OF $10,000

(March 1986 - March 2016)6

$140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

‘86 ‘90 ‘95 ‘00 ‘05 ‘10 ‘15

$120,738$112,172

$27,423

Balanced Investor

Cash Investor

ReactionaryInvestor

4.71YEARS

Average length of a market cycle (peak-through-

peak)

1.92YEARS

Average holding period for stocks on the New York Stock Exchange

1 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Sept. 2010.2 Ned Davis Research, Dec. 2014.3 Source for index data: Morningstar; Source for average investor data: Dalbar, Inc. QIAB study, 2015.4 Source: FactSet (Feb. 2016). Past performance does not guarantee future results.5 Source: FactSet (Feb. 2016).6 Source: Morningstar and Fact Set. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

May/June 2020 – ND County News – 23ND COUNTY NEWS

Part of this process also includes steps that detect voter fraud to ensure individuals are only voting once and voting their own ballot.

“The returned ballot has an affidavit signed by the voter, which is compared to the original application to make sure it is the same signature,” explains McCloud. “The election board will review to make sure the signatures match. If they do not match, the ballot is not counted and

continued from page 1

North Dakotans to Receive Ballots by Mail for June Election

given to the canvassing board for their review and determination of whether the ballot will be counted or not.”

Voters can return their ballots by mail to the county auditor’s office or deposit the ballot at a secure mail ballot drop box location. Each county has committed to having at least one secure ballot drop box. Rolette County, for example, will have six ballot drop boxes. Contact your county auditor for specific locations. Voted ballots need to be postmarked by June 8th or deposited in the secure drop box by 4 p.m. on June 9th, primary election day.

An ExpressVote assistive voting device will be available for voters needing assistance with their ballot. Voters are urged to contact their county auditor to make an appointment to use the device, as most county courthouses have restricted public access.

The County Auditors Association along with NDACo have launched an election outreach campaign to raise awareness of use of Vote-by-Mail for the June election. Counties are encouraged to watch the NDACo Facebook Page for messages to share. A news release and graphics can be found on the NDACo website, www.ndaco.org.

24 – May/June 2020 – ND County News

K L J E N G . C O M

COUNTY CALENDAR | 2020May10 ______________________________________Mother’s Day13 _________________ ND Sheriffs & Deputies Conference –

TO BE HELD ELECTRONICALLY20 ____________________________NDIRF Annual Meeting –

TO BE HELD ELECTRONICALLY25 _____________________________________ Memorial Day

June20 _______________________________ First Day of Summer21 ______________________________________ Father’s Day24 __ NDACo Board Meeting, NDACo County Office Building

July4 __________________________________Independence Day17-20 _____________ NACo Annual Conference, Orlando FL26-28 __ ND Auditors & Treasurers Association Conference,

Grand Forks Alerus Center