“The wisdom to know and the courage to defend the

public interest”

National Association of Counties • Washington, D.C. www.naco.org • www.countynews.org

Vol. 38 No. 10 • May 22, 2006

Quik Takes

■ See IMMIGRATION on page 4

Inside this issue ...

■ See WIR on page 6

Orleans Parish, La. 38.5 % Hidalgo County, Texas 37.9 %Jefferson County, Ala. 37.3 %Wayne County, Mich. 36.9 %Miami-Dade County, Fla. 36.9 %

Counties with Highest Share of Taxpayers Counties with Highest Share of Taxpayers Receiving Earned Income Tax CreditReceiving Earned Income Tax Credit

Source: Brookings Institution Analysis of IRS Data

BY DAN MILLER

STAFF WRITER

Highlighted by an appearance by California Gov. Arnold Schwar-zenegger and the installation of a new executive committee, NACo’s annual Western Interstate Region Conference tackled a variety of issues including conservation, Indian gaming and the Secure Rural Schools Act.

The conference, May 10-12 in the city and county of Sacramento, Calif., featured a speech from Schwarzeneg-ger, who spoke about his accomplish-ments with the state’s budget as well as his plans to further fund education in California.

Schwarzenegger, Acting Secretary Schwarzenegger, Acting Secretary Scarlett address WIR attendeesScarlett address WIR attendees

At the conference’s closing awards banquet, NACo President Bill Hansell swore in Lemhi County, Idaho Commissioner Robert Cope as WIR president. In his remarks follow-ing the swearing-in, Cope indicated his desire to unite rural and urban Western counties for each other’s mutual benefi t.

Lassen County, Calif. Commis-sioner Brian Dahle was also sworn in as the newly elected second vice president, and Alan Gardner, com-missioner, Washington County, Utah, was sworn in as fi rst vice president.

Plumas County, Calif. Supervisor

Bill Dennison won the 2006 Dale Sowards Award for his work on a variety of natural resource issues. Dennison, who was president of the California Forestry Association for more than 15 years before enter-ing county government, is a former NACo board member and has played a large role in the Public Lands Steer-ing Committee.

Other festivities at the conference included the Sacramento-sponsored, Conference-Wide Event held at the California State Railroad Museum and a performance by Mariposa

BY ALYSOUN MCLAUGHLIN

ASSOCIATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR

House and Senate negotiators unveiled a long-awaited agreement May 8 to extend several expiring tax cuts, including the 15-percent rate on capital gains and dividends, and relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax.

The bill provides $90 billion in tax cuts balanced with $21 billion in tax increases for a combined 10-year cost to the federal government of $69 billion. Among the revenue-raisers are two provisions that will cost counties money; a new withholding require-ment and restrictions on pooled bond fi nancing.

Counties that spend more than $100 million on products and services in a year will be required to withhold 3 percent of their payments to most vendors and contractors beginning in 2011. The requirement will apply to states and the federal government but not to the private sector. The provi-sion is projected to raise $7 billion for the federal government between 2011 and 2015.

NACo, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Offi cers Association sent a letter expressing concern that this provi-

BY MARILINA SANZ

ASSOCIATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) agreed on a compro-mise to bring the immigration reform bill back to the Senate fl oor the week of May 15. The Senate was expected to debate the measure for two weeks and Frist hoped to have the bill fi nal-ized by Memorial Week recess.

The two leaders have come to an agreement on conferees, which had

Senate to resume immigration debate

Tax bill imposes new requirements on counties

been one of the major stumbling blocks. Under the agreement, the Republicans would appoint 14 con-ferees, and the Democrats would appoint 12. Additionally, seven of the Republican conferees and fi ve of the Democratic conferees would have to come from the Judiciary Com-mittee. Having a large representation from the Judiciary Committee was important to the minority because

■ See TAX BILL on page 8

Photo by Dan Miller

Lemhi County, Idaho Commissioner Robert Cope was sworn in as WIR president at the organization’s annual confer-ence, held in Sacramento County, Calif. May 10-12. Pictured are (l to r): Cope, WIR First Vice President Alan Gardner, WIR Second Vice President Brian Dahle and immediate past WIR President Connie Eissinger.

San Diego County spikes productivity for public health nurses with mobile technology. See page 2.

A House subcommittee takes the fi rst step toward re-authorizing the Older Americans Act. See page 3.

2 County News, May 22, 2006

BY BILL HANSELL

NACO PRESIDENT

I know those of you who at-tended at the 2006 Western Inter-state Region (WIR) Conference in Sacramento would join me in con-gratulating both the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the California State Association of Counties for hosting an outstand-ing conference.

The facilities, special events like the “ag tour,” board dinner and conference-wide event at the California State Railroad Muse-um, were marvelous. The meet-ings and educational sessions were productive and informative.

I also appreciate the way the four candidates for NACo second vice president continue to conduct their campaigns. It is a friendly, congenial and clean campaign. A lot of other campaigns across the nation could take a lesson. We also established some voting procedures should a candidate not receive 50 percent of the vote on

The ABCs of the WIRthe fi rst ballot at our business meeting in Chicago.

Another interesting feature of the conference was the joint forum on the Endangered Species Act convened by Environment, Energy and Land Use Chair Pam Newton and Public Lands Chair Ted Anderson. Pam and Ted led a terrifi c session on this hot topic. While these two committees have sometimes been at odds on how to achieve our common goals, I was impressed by the spirit of collabora-tion demonstrated by both leaders, and the rank and fi le members in attendance. I hope this continues and bears fruit for NACo.

But probably what I will remem-ber the most were the ABCs: Arnold, Bruce, and Connie and Cope. All four addressed the conference at some time and all four deserve to be recognized.

Arguably the most famous gover-nor in the United States is California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Our California colleagues successfully prevailed on him to speak at one of

the luncheons. He was pretty impres-sive, and spoke about the California Dream pronouncing “California” as only he can. Both the speaker and speech defi nitely stood out. I almost bought a Governator T-shirt at the airport gift shop on my way home!

However, just as impressive to me — though in a different man-ner — was the next speaker Bruce Vincent, a logger from Libby (Lin-coln County), Mont. He spoke with passion about the place we call rural America. What a spokesperson for those of us who live and work in the rural areas of the country.

Bruce was articulate, witty, insightful, compassionate and re-minded all of us why we love those places called rural America. He also provided great ideas about how we can help reconnect our communities with urban and suburban America to make us all vibrant and sustainable.

The presiding WIR president was Connie Eissinger from McCone County Mont. Connie not only did an excellent job presiding, but also is

one of the nicest individuals you will ever meet. McCone County only has 1,800 people, but they sure gave us a great leader. A big thanks to Connie for her leadership.

The new WIR president goes by Cope, his last name, however his driver’s license most likely would show Dr. Robert E. Cope to be his full name. This vet-erinarian from Salmon, Idaho is one smart cookie. One thing is for sure, when Cope is in the audience, if a speaker is talking about natural resources, he or she had better know what they are talking about. Because it is for sure Cope will, and he will hold them accountable. The great WIR leadership is continuing.

We are all looking forward to the 2007 WIR conference in Fairbanks, Alaska. We may not have the ABCs, but I am confi dent that it will be another successful gathering. Make plans to attend.

BY CHARLES TAYLOR

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

It used to take months for public health nurses to arrange a home visit to teenage moms-to-be in north San Diego County. As a result, prenatal care for these at-risk girls would often become post-natal care.

Now, thanks to a successful a pilot program using the Internet and wire-less computers, visiting nurses are seeing expectant mothers and other clients in about 13 days, and in 11 percent of cases, nurses see the client the same day. San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors recently ap-proved expanding the project to all of the county’s health centers in September.

By switching from a paper-based referral system, nurses are able to see 25 percent more clients, including expectant mothers, premature babies and patients with tuberculosis, said Nick Macchione, deputy director of the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, who managed the program.

Under the program, incomplete referral forms have dropped from 98 percent to zero, and the county expects to save about $2 million an-nually when all public health nurses

San Diego County nurses see more patients through technology

begin using the new system. The pilot cost $844,000 for equipment, training and evaluation — which Macchione said will be offset this year by gains in productivity. In addition, agencies that refer clients to the county’s public health nurses are seeing benefi ts.

“It has saved me a phenomenal amount of time,” said Rachel As-man of the Escondido Union School

District, who refers teen moms to the county health department. “In the past we used to have to write up the referrals by hand into these itty bitty, tiny little boxes and then fax them in. And as a follow up, I would never know, ‘Did they get assigned to a nurse yet?’ … There was about a two to six month lag time between the referral and the actual time that the nurse saw the student.”

The new technology grew out of a “business process re-engineering” of the way public health nurses do their jobs, Macchione explained. With a nationwide nursing shortage, demand for services growing, and state and federal funding dwindling, the county was looking for ways to stretch its dollars.

Begun in early 2005, the pro-gram involved 13 of the county’s 90 public health nurses. It was the latest in the county’s effort, led by Chief Administrative Offi cer Walter Ekard, to make government more ef-fi cient. Macchione said: “It would be a pilot that would serve not just for our agency, but for the entire county of how to conduct business differ-ently with our existing resources, with our existing staffi ng.”

With 5,500 of the county’s 18,000 employees, the Health and Human Services would be a good test case. Its public health nurses are a mobile workforce — doing community out-reach — and they’re based in district offi ces throughout the 4,200-square-mile county, not at the main govern-ment complex.

The process re-engineering began with Macchione, nursing staff and other partner agencies — hospitals,

schools and clinics — looking at how they worked together. “There really was a big unknown about what we would fi nd when we took a look at the business ‘as is,’ ” said Kitty Roche, a county nursing supervisor who was responsible for assigning fi eld staff to clients.

What they found was that their pa-per-based referral system was a major bottleneck. Before, a referring agency might fax incomplete information to Roche’s offi ce, such as the address of a 200-unit apartment complex, with no apartment number for the client. Intent on seeing the person, often a fi eld nurse would scour the building trying to fi nd them.

Nurses needed accurate informa-tion, and they wanted at the fi nger-tips in the fi eld, said Macchione, adding that “The nurses wanted a tool where they could have their desktop at their hands.”

Macchione and his team had no preconceived notions about what the solution would be or what tools they would use: “We didn’t have any idea about this Web-based referral; this was a splendid surprise that came from our line staff.”

Under the new system, referring agencies are required to complete forms online. If information is miss-ing, the system won’t permit the form to be submitted until it is fi lled in — hence the dramatic increase in completions. Instead of Roche having to spend time tracking down missing data, clerical staff now speed the data along, wirelessly, to the fi eld nurses’ computers. The tablet PCs also allow nurses to do more in the fi eld without having to drive back to the offi ce. Client data can be entered on site, e-mail checked, work hours tracked and recorded — all online from the remote location.

When fully implemented, the county’s public health nurses will be able to serve an additional 2,400 families — a feat that would have required hiring 23 new nurses at a cost of $2 million, according to Macchione.

“When you can have over a $2 million cost avoidance and increase your productivity by 25 percent with your existing workforce … I can’t be more ecstatic.”

The county has already begun to review which other departments might benefi t from this approach. In Health and Human Services, Macchione will be leading another large-scale process reengineering for medical services to disabled children, which also has a mobile workforce. “This is something other groups can do,” he said, adding, “I think it’s a matter of having the com-mitment and leadership. You need the commitment at the top.”

Photo courtesy of San Diego County

Public Health Nurse Gerri Matthiesen, seated with a colleague, demonstrates the wireless tablet PC she uses during home visits with clients.

County News, May 22, 2006 3

BY DARIA DANIEL AND MARILINA SANZ

ASSOCIATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTORS

The House Education and Work-force Select Education Subcommittee approved the Senior Independence Act (HR 5293), which reauthorizes the Older Americans Act (OAA), by voice vote May 10. Last reauthorized in 2000, the act expired in 2005 but has continued receiving fi scal year appropriations. The full committee planned to consider the bill the week of May 15.

The bill makes several changes to the National Caregiver Support Program consistent with NACo policy.

Under current law, 10 percent of these funds can be used to provide

Process to reauthorize the Older Americans Act begins assistance to grandparents raising children, but the grandparents must be at least 60 years of age. The substitute proposed by Subcommit-tee Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) reduced the age eligibility to 55. NACo policy supports eliminating the age eligibility language or at least changing it to 55, which is consistent with other OAA programs.

The current language allows the program to serve less than 30 percent of the nation’s grandparents and other relatives raising children. Addition-ally, an amendment offered by Rep. Luis Fortuno (R-P.R.) would change the defi nition of a child to include adult disabled children.

Another change incorporated in

the committee’s bill was extending eligibility to caregiver relatives of individuals with Alzheimer’s regard-less of the patient’s age. While this would not affect many individuals, it will cover those with early onset of the disease and was a very important change for the Alzheimer’s advocacy community.

Discussion about the bill went smoothly except for debate about the Senior Community Service Em-ployee Program (SCSEP, Title V). Democrats and nonprofi t advocates want community service to remain a priority for the program while Re-publicans want to focus on training seniors for higher-paying jobs in the private sector.

Current law describes the program as an older American community service employment program. After negotiations, the subcommittee ad-opted an amendment sponsored by Tiberi that describes the program as both a community service one and one to promote useful public- and private-sector, employment-based training opportunities.

As originally drafted, the House bill would also have changed the age for Title V eligibility from 55 to 65. The bill adopted by the committee kept 55 as the eligible age, but added compromise language that requires grantees to serve those with greatest need fi rst, including those over age 65. Title V is administered by the

Department of Labor and distributed to national contractors. Disputes over the role of the national contractors delayed OAA reauthorization the last time around for several years. Congressional leaders are hoping to avoid those pitfalls this year.

The House bill does not add any major new initiatives.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) circulated a draft bill the week of May 8. Unlike the House bill, it does have a new initiative. It incorporates the Elder Justice Act, a bipartisan bill that has been pending in Congress for years and would provide grants for elder abuse prevention.

BY JARED LANG

AND

MARTIN L. HARRIS

The NACo Center for Sustainable Communities honored the winners of its 2005 awards program on the evening of April 27, during National County Government Week. NACo Immediate Past President Angelo Kyle and Second Vice President Don Stapley presented awards to 12 counties and their partners for outstanding local collaborations to create economically prosperous, en-vironmentally secure and socially equitable communities.

The award-winning counties were:

• Maricopa County, Ariz. and Human Services Campus LLC Members: Human Services Campus

• Solano County and the city of Fairfi eld, Calif.: Solano County Government Center

• Broomfi eld City/County, Colo. and Pulte Homes Colorado Division: Innovative Partnership on Health, Wellness and Sustainability

• New Castle County, Del. and the Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation: Claymont Hometown

Overlay District• Morrison County, Minn. and

the Central Minnesota Initiative Foundation: Morrison County Meth-amphetamine Reduction Project

• Jackson County, Mo., the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals; Bridging the Gap, Def-fenbaugh Recycling and the Mid-America Regional Council: Royal and Red…With a Touch of Green

• Cascade County, Mont., Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality, National Renewal Energy Laboratory and Wind Powering America: Cascade County Wind Power Marketing Program

• Atlantic County and Atlantic County Utilities Authority, N.J.: A Partnership for Energy Effi ciency and Environmental Protection

• Cumberland County and the Cumberland County Business Council, N.C.: How Cumberland County, N.C. is Leveraging the Military through the Base Realignment and Closure Process

• Arlington County, Va., Rosslyn Renaissance, Inc. Clarendon Alli-ance and Ballston/Virginia Square Partnership: The Rosslyn-Ballston Metro Corridor

Center for Sustainable Communities honors county leaders• Story County, Iowa, and The

Interstate Power and Light Com-pany: Energy Effi ciency in Story County, Iowa, and

• King County, Wash.: King County Parks Business Plan and Strategic Partnerships and Resi-dential Transportation Coordinator Project.

The center also further honored four of the 12 with cash awards for exceptional innovation. The center presented $5,000 to three Outstand-ing Practice recipients, New Castle County, Del., Morrison County, Minn., and Arlington County, Va. The ceremony concluded with the

Headline Update • Web Site UpdatesCounty News PDF Delivery

To sign up for any of these services, go to www.countynews.org/Online_Form.cfm, fi ll out the form, and answer a few questions. There is no charge for this service.

Every Two Weeks ...Get the News Updates on Your Desktop!

announcement of the Platinum In-novation award and presentation of $10,000 to Maricopa County, Ariz.

As a key feature of the awards ceremony, the center partnered with the Conservation Fund to neutralize the climate change “footprint” of the ceremony through the Go Zero pro-gram, which calculated the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with the event, including attendee travel, accommodations and venue energy use.

The center then “zeroed out”100 percent of those emissions by invest-ing in a Go Zero project to reforest

important lands in the Mississippi Delta region. As these trees grow they will absorb CO2 from the atmosphere equal to the emissions caused by the event — an estimated 53,896 pounds.

For more detailed information on the awards program, and the Go Zero initiative, visit www.naco.org/sustainableaward, or contact Jared Lang at 202/942-4243 or jlang@naco.org.

(Jared Lang is a program assistant. Martin L. Harris directs the Center for Sustainable Communities.)

4 County News, May 22, 2006

PROFILESIn Service...

“The wisdom to know and the courage to defend the public interest”

President: Bill Hansell • Publisher: Larry NaakePublic Affairs Director: Tom Goodman • Executive Editor: Beverly Anne Schlotterbeck

Senior Staff Writer: Charles Taylor • Staff Writer: Dan MillerGraphic Artist: Jack Hernandez • Editorial Assistant: Allison Mall

Advertising Staff:Allison Mall: Job Market/Classifi eds representative

Beverly Schlotterbeck: National Accounts representative

(202) 393-6226 • FAX (202) 393-2630

Published biweekly except August by: National Association of Counties Research Foundation, Inc.440 First Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001

(202) 393-6226 • FAX (202) 393-2630E-mail: cnews@naco.org • Online address: www.countynews.org

The appearance of paid advertisements in Coun ty News in no way implies support or en dorse ment by the National As- so ci a tion of Counties for any of the products, services or messages advertised. Pe ri od i cals post age paid at Wash ing ton D.C. and other offi ces.

Mail subscriptions are $100 per year for non-mem bers. $60 per year for non-members pur chas ing mul ti ple cop ies. Ed u ca tion al in sti tu tion rate, $50 per year. Member county sup ple men tal sub scrip tions are $20 each. Send pay ment with order and address chang es to NACo, 440 First St. N.W., Wash ing ton, D.C. 20001.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to Coun ty News, 440 First St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001(USPS 704-620) • (ISSN: 0744-9798)

© National Association of Counties Research Foundation, Inc.

If you have a com pli ment, com plaint or dif fer ent point of view, let us know.

County News invites Letters to the

EditorPlease in clude a phone num ber with your letter. Mail, fax or

e-mail to: Coun ty News, NACo, 440 First St., N.W., Wash ing ton, DC 20001-2080; 202/393-2630; cnews@naco.org.

Number of years active in NACo: 7

Years in Public Service: 13 years as an elected offi cial, 45 years as a volunteer

Occupation: Retired, other than county commissioner

Education: Master’s degree in religious education

Three people (living or dead) I’d invite to dinner: My grandparents and my great-grandparents

A dream I have is to: Have a cure for child onset diabetes.

You’d be surprised to learn that I: Teach a 4-H sewing class for 9–12-year-old girls.

The most adventurous thing I’ve ever done is: Travel in the mountains of Kashmir.

My favorite way to relax is: To work in the garden; dig in the dirt, plant the seeds, and watch the fl owers and vegetables grow.

I’m most proud of: my children and grandchildren.

Every morning I read: The Bible.

My pet peeve is: Targeted funding for mental health programs with little or no science to show effectiveness for the client and cost benefi t to the tax payer.

The last books I read were: Boy’s World, Housekeeping and The Death of Adam.

My favorite movie is: Snoopy’s Christmas

My favorite music is: Anything sung without accompaniment.

Joyce Kortman

County CommissionerOttawa County, Mich.

Vice ChairHealth Steering Committee

It is a rivalry as old as baseball: the Chicago White Sox versus the New York Yankees. And for this summer’s visitors to the August NACo 2006 An-nual Conference and Exposition, it’s a rivalry you can savor in person, when the defending World Series champs go toe-to-toe with the Yankees on Aug. 9 at U.S. Cellular Field. The ballpark is just south of McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center, where the conven-tion will be held.

Through the 2005 season, Ameri-can League teams have won 60 of the 101 World Series played between AL and National League teams — with 26 of those wins credited to the New York Yankees. That stellar record leaves Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and his team eager for the chance to take it to their East Coast rivals again this summer.

Chicago White Sox fans agree, and are jumping at the chance to see the champs in person — making

Sox games one of the hottest tickets in Chicago this year.

Tickets for the Wednesday, Aug. 9 game are being sold as a package that includes your ticket, seating in the Lower Reserve Seats and all you can eat or drink at the Cellular Field Patio from 5:30 – 7:05 p.m. (when the game starts). Transportation will be provided to the game from the Chi-cago Hilton. Tickets will be sold on a

“fi rst come, fi rst serve” basis.Don’t miss the chance to see these

two charter members of the American League face off in what promises to be one of the summer’s most enter-taining games.

To learn more about how to get tickets for this event, call our NACo offi ce at 312/603-0011 or go to the NACo Web site, www.naco.org and click “Optional Activities.”

White Sox, archrival Yankees to clash after NACo conference

Conference committee members could be chosen based on seniority■ IMMIGRATION from page 1

many of its members are seen as friendlier toward comprehensive reform, particularly the path to le-galization for the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants.

The Democrats had also sought to limit the number of amend-ments. However, the compromise does not put a limit on the number of amendments that can be of-fered. Dozens of amendments are expected, including about 25 from the majority side.

The baseline bill combines the bill that passed the committee with the compromise forged by Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) on the path to legalization. NACo, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the National League of Cities have been working on language to provide funds for state and local governments to deal with the health and education costs related to im-migration. There is a possibility that this language will be included in a manager’s amendment.

The conference committee representatives are expected to be appointed by seniority. On the Re-publican side those would be Arlen Specter (Pa.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), John Kyl (Ariz.), Mike DeWine (Ohio), Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Lindsay Graham

(S.C.). This would mean that three of the four Republicans who voted for the committee bill, Sens. Spec-ter, DeWine and Sessions, would be conferees. At press time Majority Leader Frist had not announced the rest of his conferees, but speculation is that they will include Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Hagel, Martinez and John Cornyn (Texas).

Minority Leader Reid announced that he would appoint all of the Dem-ocrats on the judiciary committee: Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Ted Kennedy

(Mass.), Joseph Biden (Del.), Her-bert Kohl (Wis.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Dick Durbin (Ill.).

Reid also announced two non-committee members: Ken Salazar (Colo.) and Robert Menendez (N.J.). He still has one more conferee to announce, and speculation is that it may be Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). Of course, both leaders will be confer-ees. The House will not announce its conferees until the Senate passes the immigration bill.

vs.

County News, May 22, 2006 5

National Hunger Awareness Day, June 6, is the grassroots movement to raise awareness of the solvable problem of hunger in America. Thousands of communities across the nation will host food drives, Kids Cafe events, interfaith ser-vices, walkathons, open houses and will volunteer at food banks and food-rescue organizations in observance of their commitment to ending hunger.

NACo Executive Director Larry Naake encourages NACo member counties to participate in National Hunger Awareness Day.

“We know that despite many

efforts, thousands of persons in our communities go hungry every day. National Hunger Awareness Day focuses attention on that sad fact, and I encourage our members to participate and publicize the day’s events wherever possible.”

More than 25 million Americans, including nearly 9 million children and 3 million seniors, which represents an 8-percent increase since 2001 — receive emergency food assistance each year from the America’s Second Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network of charitable agencies.

This network is the coordinating organization for a broad spectrum of supporters who are convening a Na-tional Hunger Symposium, on June 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to highlight the key elements needed for successful Farm Bill Reauthorization.

Six moderated panel sessions will be presented in the course of the program including: From the Hill: Initial Thoughts on the Farm Bill Reauthorization; From the Heart-land: Agriculture’s Role in Ending Hunger, and From the Advocates: Providing Food for Everyone. Also, a number of states plan to host events focusing on a strong Nutrition Title in the Farm Bill.

For more information on how to get involved with National Hunger Awareness Day, please contact Maurice Weaver, director of Na-tional Outreach, America’s Second Harvest Network at mweaver@secondharvest.org or 312/641-6606, or visit www.hungerday.org for great ideas.

National Hunger Awareness Day 2006: The face of hunger will surprise you

■ Firstgov Lists Tribal Government Web Sites

As demonstrated at the re-cent WIR conference, fostering good relationships with tribal governments is helpful to both counties and the tribes. Firstgov has a listing of tribal government

Web sites so that county offi cials can learn about their various histories and cultures. Visit the page at www.fi rstgov.gov/Government/State_Local/Tribal_Sites.shtml.

■ Free Database Contains Land Use Best Practices

The Center for Land Use Interpretation’s Land Use Da-tabase is a valuable resource that depicts a variety of exemplary land use examples throughout the country. The database is a free public resource, intended to inform the public about the function and form of the national landscape. The database is available at http://ludb.clui.org.

■ Miami-Dade Offers Webcasts of County Meetings

Miami-Dade County has begun offering webcasts of meetings of the Board of Commissioners and various committees. Anyone with an Internet connection and Win-

dows Media Player can watch the meetings live. Visit the webcast page at www.miamidade.gov/webcast.

(Web Watch is compiled by Dan Miller, staff writer. If you have an item you would like featured, e-mail it to him at dmiller@naco.org.)

Hoke County, N.C. Monroe County, Fla.Seminole County, Fla.Carroll County, Md. Miami-Dade County, Fla.Madison County, Ala.Hampton County, S.C.Wayne County, N.C.Torrance County, N.M. Gwinnett County, Ga.Columbus County, N.C.Hopkins County, Ky.Portage County, OhioPeoria County, Ill.Falls County, TexasClarion County, Pa. Tallapoosa County, Ala.Orangeburg County, S.C. Somerset County, N.J. Salt Lake County, UtahAnderson County, S.C.

Franklin County, OhioPinellas County, Fla.Adams County, Col. Berks County, Pa. Maricopa County, Ariz.Blue Earth County, Minn.Sumter County, Fla. DeKalb County, Ill.Ross County, OhioTexas County, Mo.Boone, County, Mo.Phelps County, Mo.Iron County, Mo.Carroll County, Mo.Austin County, TexasCamden County, N.C.The National Association of County PlannersThe New Hampshire Association of Counties

Thank You!Thank You! National County Government

Week ParticipantsA Big Thank-You to the following counties who let us

know about their activities during this year’s National County Government Week.

Photo courtesy of Maricopa County

Maricopa County, Ariz. celebrated National County Government Week with informational booths providing information about county services and programs.

6 County News, May 22, 2006

County, Calif. Supervisor Lee Stet-son. Stetson performed a one-man show, impersonating naturalist John Muir, which he has done in Yosemite National Park since 1983, in front of more than a quarter of a million visitors.

Speakers

Arnold SchwarzeneggerEducation and money were at

the top of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s list as he addressed delegates at NACo’s Western Inter-state Region Conference May 11.

Schwarzenegger outlined three main priorities in his remarks: improving California’s education system, paying down the state debt and keeping taxes low.

In addition to increasing education funding, the governor commented on successful programs in low-income areas, praising after-school programs.

“Every child is unique, every child wants to be somebody,” he said. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t have fantastic schools.”

Schwarzenegger also emphasized paying of the state’s debt. While he

his pledge to not introduce any new taxes.

Bruce VincentLogger and Montana native

Bruce Vincent addressed WIR attendees at a luncheon session where he discussed the origin and premise for his Provider Pals program.

Describing Montana as one of the America’s “last best places,” Vincent said that the rural community, with its family, school and community-oriented character, holds the last vestiges of the principles America was founded upon.

The Provider Pals program connects youths to the people who provide the goods they use every day. For instance, the program can connect a school classroom to a logger or a fi sherman.

In addition, the City Lights program sends rural youths to urban schools for visits while the Resource Camp Experience sends urban youths to rural settings for outdoor activities.

Vincent, executive director of the program, said that the gap in understanding between rural and urban America is the source of many policy problems.

Lynn ScarlettActing Secretary of the

Interior Lynn Scarlett spoke at the conference’s second general session, addressing the idea of cooperative conservation as well as the Endangered Species Act.

Cooperative conservation, she said, “realizes that the best stewards of land are those closest to it.”

Scarlett mentioned that the department’s proposed FY07 bud-get includes $322 million in coop-erative conservation programs, an increase of more than $227 million since 2000. Additionally, she said that under the current administration, the department has improved habitats on millions of acres of public and pri-vate lands, promoted best practices in managing multi-use public lands and expanded the number of cooperative conservation partnerships.

Scarlett also addressed the considerable amount of litigation surrounding the Endangered Species Act that she says has become onerous to the government and private landowners who want to develop their property. She asked participants to think of ways to develop programs that create habitat for wildlife while

Governor Schwarzenegger emphasizes importance of education■ WIR from page 1

■ See WIR on page 7

Photo courtesy of California State Asociation of Counties

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed conference attendees on California’s budgetary issues as well as his intent to fund education.

said that state revenues are at an all-time high, the government must resist the temptation to spend it. Instead, he said, the government should treat the increased revenues as a one-time event, instead of expecting the

revenue levels to continue. He also noted that he had brought

the state’s $22 billion debt down to $4.5 billion.

Finally, he noted that he aimed to keep taxes low and held fast to

County News, May 22, 2006 7

be resourceful, work at developing partnerships and consider having “strange bedfellows.”

Glen Campora, program manager for the California Department of Housing and Community Development shared statistical data with attendees, stating that California’s population will be growing at the rate of 500,000 people per year. Only one in eight people can afford to own a home though, with this ratio being slightly worse in more urban areas.

Diane Dillon, Napa County super-visor, shared her county’s experience in preserving the area’s agriculture while providing affordable housing for its workers. Since the county’s economy thrives on tourism, pre-serving the agricultural character of the area was key. As a result, the county has entered into a “marriage” of sorts with the city of Napa where the county supplies housing funds for housing development projects to be placed within city limits.

Indian Gaming in California

A workshop on Indian gaming brought together three legal experts on the complicated relationships among federal, local and tribal governments.

Howard Dickstein, of the fi rm Dickstein and Zerbi, discussed the idea of sovereignty in terms of tribal

reducing litigation and conflict, bringing together states, tribes, local communities and private land owners into conservation partnerships.

Bob DouglasNational Forest Counties and

Schools Coalition President Bob Douglas, superintendent of Tehama County, Calif. schools, discussed the importance of reauthorizing the Se-cure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. The law gives additional money to counties receiving payments for National Forest timber, allowing them to fund forest or county projects, in addition to schools and roads.

“Finding the money to pay for Secure Rural Schools is the job of Congress and the president, not us,” he said.

Douglas told session attendees that they should talk to representa-tives in Washington about their re-sponsibilities to rural America and to give land back to local management if it is going to be neglected on a federal level.

“If we don’t show up in Wash-ington, we will come home empty-handed,” he said.

Workshops

Workforce HousingFour speakers addressed the chal-

lenge of accommodating the hous-ing needs of growing workforces in Western counties.

Mike McKeever, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, described his organization’s Blueprint Project. The group, composed of six counties and 22 cities, addressed the area’s land use issues in anticipation of growth that could see the average commuter in 2057 spending the equivalent of another workweek in the car.

The organization used statistical modeling, showing ways to make a difference in air quality and trans-portation effi ciency.

Mary Ellen Shay, member of the California Housing Consortium’s board of directors, described a variety of successful workforce housing programs for workshop participants, including the Work-force Initiative Subsidy for Ho-meownership (WISH) program. The program involves the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco providing matching funds for down-payment and closing-cost assistance for qualifi ed homebuyers.

In finding opportunities for workforce housing, Shay emphasized the need for offi cials to

Board approves change in population base-year for

dues calculationsNACo’s Board of Directors, at its WIR meeting, unanimously

approved changing the Census year used for determining population numbers on which NACo dues are calculated. Currently, NACo’s dues are based on 1990 population numbers. The board’s action means NACo will base dues on 1995 population fi gures.

“NACo decided not to use the 2000 Census fi gures to calculate dues because they could cause a great burden on those counties that saw signifi cant spikes in their populations,” said NACo Executive Director Larry Naake. For most counties, the change would produce a nominal increase, Naake said. The change is scheduled to go into effect go for 2007 dues.

In addition to the census data update, the minimum amount of dues for all counties increased $20, from $380 to $400, and a new dues bracket was created for the nation’s six largest counties.

Dues notifi cation letters will be sent to all member counties over the next month.

(If you would like to know your new dues amount, please contact Andrew Goldschmidt, membership director, at 202/942-4221 or agoldsch@naco.org.)

Workshops highlight affordable housing, Indian gaming, rural roads■ WIR from page 6

Management to begin a dialogue with county governments.

Steve Boyden, deputy director of the Public Lands Policy Coordina-tion Offi ce in the Utah governor’s offi ce, told workshop attendees that one problem with R.S. 2477 is the public’s concept of a highway. Most people think “highway” only applies to paved roads, while the term could really mean anything from gravel roads to paths created by traffi c.

He described the offi ce’s system of documenting the variety of Utah roads using satellite technology. The offi ce has processed three counties so far and is working on its fourth, eventually hoping to have every road in Utah accounted for.

governments, stating that local gov-ernments cannot exercise authority over tribes.

Dickstein gave workshop attend-ees four pieces of advice in dealing with tribal governments:

• be aware of the tribe’s history and how important it is for them to not abandon their rights

• maximize the tribe’s participa-tion in decision-making, as process is very important to tribes

• use respect and sensitivity, and

• have patience.Cathy Christian, attorney for

Nielsen Merksamer, gave attendees a detailed history of the relationship among federal, local and tribal gov-ernments. She discussed the issues of jurisdiction and enforcement of state and federal laws with respect to tribal government.

Anthony LaBouff, counsel for Placer County, Calif., discussed his county’s experience with tribal gov-ernments. While the county could not exercise authority over the tribes, he said that it was possible to enter into agreements with the governments where they would pay the county for sheriff and fi re department services, as well as roads.

Also, LaBouff advised workshop attendees to remember that not all Native American tribes are alike and to be informed about the details of each tribe they deal with.

Revised Statute 2477 after SUWA (Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance)

In late 2005, the 10th U.S. Cir-cuit Court of Appeals handed down a decision that rejected Bureau of Land Management road standards and defended three Utah counties’ rights to conduct maintenance on their roads. Representatives from the Department of the Interior, and the Utah governor’s offi ce spoke on the issue.

Chad Calvert, principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management at the Department of the Interior, gave background on the court’s decision and urged the Bureau of Land

Plumas County, Calif. Supervisor Bill Dennison accepts the 2006 Dale Sowards award. Dennison has played a leading role in NACo’s Public Land Steering Committee.

Photo by Dan Miller

Mariposa County, Calif. Supervisor Lee Stetson performed a one-man show wherein he took on the role of famous naturalist John Muir. Stetson has per-formed as Muir since 1983.

8 County News, May 22, 2006

BY ERIK JOHNSTON

COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSISTANT

This May marks the 16th an-niversary of American Wetlands Month. The celebration of this natu-ral resource is especially relevant to counties because of the predominance of wetlands on non-federal land and the critical role counties perform in protecting and restoring wetlands.

Seventy-fi ve percent of wetland restoration opportunities in the U.S. are on private land, according to Ducks Unlimited, an international nonprofi t wetlands, waterfowl and wildlife conservation organization. While the U.S. Army Corps of En-gineers regulates most wetlands, local governments posses most land use decision-making authority on private land. NACo and EPA recognize the essential role that counties play in protecting this vital resource and have continued to develop a strong collaborative partnership designed to provide counties with technical assistance related to wetland and other water resource issues.

During American Wetlands Month, EPA is encouraging counties to highlight the importance of wet-lands. This article will spotlight two resources available to assist NACo members with protecting and restor-ing their wetland resources.

It pays to save wetlandsMany counties across the coun-

try have taken steps to protect and restore their wetland resources. NACo recently published the Ben-efi ts of Wetlands brochure, which includes four concise county case studies that showcase the economic, public health and safety, recreation,

American Wetlands Month spotlights valuable resource

education, and wildlife and habitat benefi ts of wetlands. In addition, this resource provides wetland- and watershed-related resources for local governments.

The county case studies provide excellent examples of actions that counties can take to protect and re-store wetlands. They also demonstrate the specifi c community benefi ts that have convinced elected offi cials and citizens to take action.

Lake County, Ill. has protected wetlands and fostered economic growth through its Watershed De-velopment Ordinance. Pima County, Ariz. uses its Sonoran Desert Con-servation Plan to conserve 95 percent

Where are the wetlands in my county?

Access to reliable local water resources data is often cited by county offi cials as a major obstacle to making effective land use planning and water quality protection decisions, according to results from a current NACo project to assess the effectiveness and usability of geographic information system (GIS) tools to assist local decision-making.

Wetlands data is available from several federal agencies, but often it does not provide accurate enough data for use by counties.

NACo is using grant funding from EPA to help counties navigate the maze of federal agencies that posses wetland and water resource data. NACo conducted the County Wetlands Information Forum during the 2006 Legislative Conference which provided feedback from more than 70 county elected and appointed offi cials on how wetlands data issues relate to local wetlands protection.

Information gathered from discussions at the forum is helping NACo’s develop new guidebook for counties on sources of wetlands data and case studies on successful partnerships to meet county wet-lands protection goals.

NACo’s County Wetlands Information Forum Web page provides numerous resources related to wetlands mapping and contains a syn-opsis of the important dialogue and information sharing that occurred between counties and their state and federal partners during NACo’s Legislative Conference.

Photo by Mistie Jordan, Courtesy of EPA

Wetlands, such as the one shown above, play integral roles not only in a com-munity’s ecosystem, but in its economy and in the well-being of its citizens. This month is the 16th American Wetlands Month.

of its wetland areas, which contain endangered wildlife and habitat, and Orange County, Fla. uses mitigation banking to ensure that a suffi cient amount of wetlands and other natural resources remain to protect against coastal waves and wind.

Counties are also involved in many community-based wetlands restora-tion efforts. Since 1997, more than 89 counties across the country have received NACo’s Five Star Restora-tion grants and have used this funding and local match to restore wetlands

and stream banks, while incorporating environmental education activities for children, youth and adults.

Numerous other counties have partnered with the nearly 400 Five Star projects that are located in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The 174 completed projects have en-gaged more than 18,000 community volunteers in the restoration of more than 10,000 acres of wetlands and 90 miles of stream banks.

(For more information about American Wetlands Month visit www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/awm/. To access NACo’s County Wetlands Information Forum Web page and “Benefi ts of Wetlands Brochure,” visit www.naco.org/techassistance and click on “Water Quality” or contact Erik Johnston, community services assistant at ejohnston@naco.org or 202/942-4246.)

Benefi ts Wetlandsof

NACo • Community Services

New NACo Brochure Available:

Learn about wetlands and their benefi ts for counties.

Brochure Topics:• What are Wetlands?• Benefi ts: Economic, Public Health and Safety,

Recreation and Education, and Wildlife and Habitat• Types of Wetlands• Related Resources for Local Governments

The brochure is available at www.naco.org/techassistance, click on “Water Quality”. To request a hard copy, contact Erik Johnston at ejohnston@naco.org or 202/942-4246.

sion “would put counties and cities at a severe competitive disadvantage to the private sector in purchasing goods and services” and labeling it “egregious” that the provision had not been adopted by either the House or Senate, nor had notice been given, before it was included in the fi nal conference committee report and scheduled for a vote.

The Congressional Budget Offi ce issued a cost estimate on the bill on May 9 that labeled this provision as an intergovernmental mandate exceeding the threshold specifi ed in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. However, no point of order could be raised under that law because of a procedural loophole.

Sen. Larry Craig (R–Idaho) called for repeal of the withholding provi-sion during debate on the bill, vow-

ing to “work every day after I vote to knock this out before 2010.” He expressed NACo’s concerns about requiring counties to withhold a tax that private sector purchasers do not, predicting “what are you going to do if you’re a contracting or businessman ... you’re going to bid up 3 percent to offset the cash fl ow because the government’s taking it away from you for 15 months, holds it in reserve, interest-free.”

The conference agreement also contained restrictions — albeit in an improved form from a provision that had originally passed the Senate — on local governments’ fl exibility to participate in bond pools.

Issuers of pooled bonds would be required to obtain an up-front com-mitment from participating local governments for at least 30 percent of any bond issuance and to loan at least 30 percent to borrowers within one

year. Any amount remaining would have to be used to redeem outstanding bonds and issuers of pooled bonds that otherwise qualify for a small is-suer exemption from arbitrage rebate requirements would no longer be able to claim the exemption.

One provision supported by NACo that had passed both the House and the Senate — an extension of the option to deduct state and local sales taxes in lieu of income taxes — did not survive the House-Senate conference. Supporters have been given vague as-surances that it will be included in a future tax bill this year.

NACo will continue seeking an extension of the sales tax deduction and will work with the Treasury De-partment to clarify the new require-ments on bond pools.

NACo will seek repeal of the with-holding provision before it takes effect Jan. 1, 2011.

Agreement would restrict local governments’ ability to participate in bond pools■ TAX BILL from page 1

County News, May 22, 2006 9

BY JUSTIN CARMODY

COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSISTANT

NACo’s Fourth Annual Counties Care for Kids Awards honored Solano and Sutter counties, Calif. in recog-nition of their exceptional work for children and families. Solano County was acknowledged for its Integrated Family Supports Initiative and Sutter County for its Sutter County Smiles Initiative.

NACo presents the Counties Care for Kids Awards to highlight the criti-cal role that counties play in early childhood development and school readiness, and to further develop the leadership of county offi cials across the country. The award was an-nounced May 4 in Washington D.C. in conjunction with National County Government Week.

“NACo is proud to give national recognition to Solano and Sutter coun-ties for their outstanding support of children and families,” said NACo President Bill Hansell, Umatilla County, Ore. Commissioner.

Solano County’s multi-disciplinary Integrated Family Support Initiative (IFSI) provides seamless family-support services to families with children up to age fi ve who may become abused or neglect-ed. Through an array of community partnerships, IFSI home visits assist families with basic needs, education, employment, family functioning, health education, income mainte-nance, legal services, and access to medical and mental health care.

IFSI is a collaborative effort in-volving the Solano County Depart-ment of Health and Social Services, the Children’s Network of Solano County, First Five Solano, the Fam-ily Resource Network of Solano and more than 20 other partners.

Operating in each of the county’s seven cities, IFSI provides a coordi-nated system of prevention and family support activities. Since the initiative began in July 2000, it has served 3,740 families with 9,365 children.

The other Counties Care for Kids Award winner is Sutter County, Calif. for its Sutter County Smiles Initiative. Sutter County Smiles, in partnership with the Peach Tree Clinic, Inc. and Yuba City Unifi ed School District, provides mobile dental services to children up to age six at various sites throughout Sutter County.

The effort focuses on children with no “dental home” and accepts Healthy Families, Child Health and Disability Prevention, and MediCal, but also provides services to children with no insurance. This partnership was established because of a shortage in pediatric dental services through-out the county. The Smiles Initia-tive is a full scope dental practice providing screenings, x-rays, root

Solano, Sutter counties win 2006 Counties Care for Kids awardscanal, extractions, fi llings, amalgam crowns, prescriptions and dental care education.

The goal of the project is to im-prove children’s oral health, which in turn will lead to better perfor-mance in the fi rst years of school. To accomplish this goal county-wide, Sutter County Children and Families Commission purchased a 45-foot LifeLine Mobile Dental Clinic which is equipped with

two operatories, x-ray equipment and a dental education center. The mobile dental clinic is staffed by a pediatric dentist, registered dental assistant, bilingual parent liaison, bilingual outreach coordinator and a program manager. This project can reach children whose families face a variety of barriers in accessing den-tal care for their children including transportation, language barriers and lack of insurance coverage.

In Sutter County Smiles’ past two years, 4,116 dental services were provided. The current program year has already exceeded that number by 26 in the fi rst six months alone. Included in this year’s services were 1,339 x-rays, 1,004 fi llings, 705 “prophy and fl uoride” clean-ings, 275 sealants, 222 extractions and 416 exams. Surveys completed by parents showed that 62 percent stated that their child would not have

received dental care this year with-out the dental clinic. Fifty-percent of parents stated that this was their child’s fi rst visit to a dentist.

(For more information on NACo’s Counties Care for Kids Awards contact Gary Gortenburg at ggortenb@naco.org or 202/942-4287. You may also visit NACo’s Web site, www.naco.org and click on “Awards.”)

! The program provides great fl exibility for participating counties. The discount cards can be used by anyone — se-nior citizens, the elderly or the uninsured. Some counties may use the cards for their jail populations or their employees if they do not have a prescription drug insurance program. ! There is no cost to NACo, no cost to participating counties and no cost to the citizens using the discount card.

! Citizens do not have to fi ll out any forms to participate, and, therefore, counties do not have to maintain any database of who has the cards. The card is issued with a brochure and can be used immediately by anyone who needs it. ! The discount cards are accepted at more than 57,000 pharmacies nationwide. Overall average savings is about 20 percent, ranging from 13 percent to 35 percent on purchases of drugs at a local pharmacy and up to 50 percent on mail order purchases. Savings differences are based on brand-named prescriptions vs. generic. ! The Prescription Drug Program is open exclusively to NACo member counties.

On the Web ...Prescription Drug Discount Card Program

For more informationFor more information about NACo’s Prescription Drug Discount Card Program, visit the Members-Only section of NACo’s Web site at www.naco.org/membersonly/www.naco.org/membersonly/. Use your e-mail address to log in, and your county’s name (Remember to include “county”) for the password.

"NACo Membershipprograms ...

10 County News, May 22, 2006

San Francisco County, Calif.’s Recreation and Parks Department won a Com-munity Improvement award for its Natural Areas and Volunteer Programs. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Kristin Bowman, director of volunteer services; Lisa Wayne, natural areas program director; and Hansell.

All photos by David Hathcox

Washoe County, Nev. picked up a Community Improvement award for its Sun Valley Shines: A Communitywide Clean-up Effort program. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Jennifer Budge, park planner; Doug Doolitle, director of parks and open space; and Hansell.

Caroline County, Va.’s Dawn Wastewater Project won a Community Improvement award as well as a visit from their congressman’s aides! Pictured (l to r): Lee; Sean Smith, aide for Rep. Jo Ann Davis; Jimmy Fields; Irene Fields; com-munity volunteer; Brent Robinson, aide for Rep. Davis; Hansell; and Maxie Rozell, vice chairman, Caroline County Board of Supervisors.

Clackamas County, Ore.’s FIDO (Friends Involved in Dog Outreach) program earned a Community Improvement award. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Chip Sam-mons, holistic pet center and FIDO board member; Michael Moises, FIDO president; and Hansell.

Sacramento County, Calif. took home a Criminal Justice/Emergency Management award for its Neighborhood Ac-countability Board (NAB) Program. Pictured (l to r): Preston V. Lee, Jr., director of industry relations, Freddie Mac; Jeff Chandler, deputy probation offi cer; Fred Parenzin, deputy probation offi cer; Roberta MacGlashan, chair, Sacramento County Board of Supervisors; Delores Johnson, NAB volunteer; Hank Taber, NAB volunteer; Karen Dodrill, chief deputy for the NAB; Roger Dickinson, Board of Supervisors; and Bill Hansell, NACo president.

County News, May 22, 2006 11

Washoe County, Nev.’s Sheriff’s Mobile Auxiliary Response Team won an award in the Criminal Justice/Emergency Management category. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Deputy Keith Walsh; Kaydie Paschall, S.M.A.R.T. volunteer; Assistant Sheriff Jim Lopey, S.M.A.R.T. coordinator; Elaine Nickovich, S.M.A.R.T. chairperson; and Hansell.

Fairfax County, Virginia’s Long-Term Care Volunteer Ombudsman program was a winner in the Elderly Services cat-egory. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Manny Solon, volunteer ombudsman; Loretta Redelman, volunteer ombudsman; Gerry Hyland, Fairfax County Supervisor; Nancy Cavicke, coordinator of volunteers; and Hansell.

Pierce County, Wash. collected a Criminal Justice/Emergency Management award for its Neighborhood Emergency Teams (PC-NET) program. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Gretchen O’Connor, community program educator; Barbara Nelson, community program educator; and Hansell.

Grand Traverse County, Mich.’s Probate Court Volunteers — Volunteers in Prevention earned a Criminal Justice/Emergency Management award. Pic-tured (l to r): Lee; Esther Cooper, offi ce manager, 13th Circuit Court; Linda Fawcett, coordinator, probate court volunteers; and Hansell.

Lyon County, Kan.’s RSVP Program garnered an Elderly Services award. Pictured (l to r): Lee, Jan Newsome, National Senior Service Corps program offi cer; Brenda Holmes, RSVP director; and Hansell.

12 County News, May 22, 2006

Dauphin County, Pa. accepted an Elderly Services award for its Public-Private Senior Transportation Groups. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Robert Larson, Elder Express; James Zeiters, West Hanover Township Senior Van Service; Claire Zeiters, West Hanover Township Senior Van Service; Robert Schmoyer, Elder Express; M. Eileen Carson, deputy administra-tor Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging; Raymond Dively, Jr., Dauphin Area Senior Transit; and Hansell.

Tulsa County, Oklahoma picked up its fi rst award for the Recycled Medication Program, in the Health and Social Ser-vices category. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Dr. Jerry Gustafson, Tulsa County Medical Society; Linda Johnston, director of social services; Erica Brettell, aide for U.S. Sen. James Inhofe; Oklahoma State Rep. Darrell Gilbert; and Hansell.

Wise County, Texas accepted a Health and Social Services award for its Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Dolores French, interim executive director; Janetta Killen, CASA volunteer; and Hansell.

Hennepin County, Minn.’s Back to School Backpack Challenge picked up an award in the category of Programs for Children and Youth. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Dean Larson, community coordinator of the Hennepin County School Success Initiative; and Hansell.

Stevens County, Wash. was recognized in the Programs for Children and Youth category for its Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Debbie Sharon, volunteer coordinator; Barbara Dannenbring, CASA/GAL; and Hansell.

County News, May 22, 2006 13

Tulsa County, Okla. was awarded the top prize, the Legacy Award for Excellence and Innovation, for its Recycled Medication Program. Pictured (l to r): Naake; Dr. Jerry Gustafson, Tulsa County Medical Society; Oklahoma State Rep. Darrell Gilbert; Erica Brettel, aide for U.S. Sen. James Inhofe; Linda Johnston, director of social services; and Hansell.

Orangeburg County, S.C. picked up a Program for Children and Youth award for its Operation Spring Break program. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Cindy Smith, director of American Red Cross; John Smith, deputy county administrator; Bill Clark, county administrator; Johnny Ravenell, county council member; Heyward Livingston, county council member; Hansell; and Harold Young, direc-tor of planning and land use.

Skagit County, Wash. collected an award for its Best SELF Program, in the Program for Children and Youth category. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Ann Nardo, Best SELF site coordinator; Patrick Adams, former Best SELF student; Tawni Helms, Best SELF program director; Trevor Helms, former Best SELF student; and Hansell.

Chesterfi eld, Va. was honored with the Youth Service Award for its Bandfest Program. Pictured (l to r): Lee; Bancroft Greene, chairman, SAFE board of directors; Sharyl Adams, Chesterfi eld County youth planning and development; Steve Harper, Southside Nazarene Church; Crystal Thornhill, SAFE board member and youth volunteer; and Hansell.

14 County News, May 22, 2006

■ In the NewsThe Charlotte Observer mentioned NACo in a May 13 article en-

titled “Illegal Immigration: Counties’ Hot Topic.” Jacqueline Byers, research director, was quoted as saying, “I’d say it’s in the top fi ve ... in terms of concerns. It’s not necessarily about immigration, but the concerns are about the costs immigrants are posing.”

■ NACo Offi cers• Second Vice President Eric Coleman was selected as the 2006

County Political Leader of the Year by the Crystal Home Health Care Modest Awards on April 29. The goal of the Modest Awards is to recognize extraor-dinary individuals and organizations that have made important contributions to the betterment of life in the home health care arena and the Detroit community. Individuals are selected based on their professional and community efforts.

■ NACo Staff• Steve Swendiman, FSC managing director/CEO, and Nancy Par-

rish, director of program management, traveled to Orleans Parish (New Orleans) to facilitate a workshop at the Restoration 2006 Conference entitled “Saving and Recovering Money During Restoration,” May 15–17. Larry Naake, executive director, also introduced the keynote speakers at one of the conference’s general sessions. Martin Harris, director of the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities and Erik Johnston, community services assistant, moderated sessions entitled: “Making Post-Disaster Redevelopment Sustainable” and “Working with Nature to Avoid Man-Made Disasters,” respectively.

• Jacqueline Byers, director of research, participated in a panel on planning for the 2007 Census of Governments conducted by the National Academies of Science May 9 in Washington, D.C. She also made two presentations on current trends facing county governments at the Mississippi Association of Supervisors Minority Caucus Educational Seminar in Hinds County (Jackson), Miss. May 2–4.

• Abby Friedman, county services program director, gave a brief presentation on NACo during the “Responding to Change — Com-munities and Base Realignment and Closure” conference held in Fulton County (Atlanta), Ga. May 3–5.

(On the Move is compiled by Dan Miller, staff writer, and Allison Mall, editorial assistant.)

NEWS FROM THE NATION'S COUNTIESNEWS FROM THE NATION'S COUNTIES

■ See NEWS FROM on page 15

ARIZONAConcerned about the reliability of

electronic voting machines, offi cials in PIMA COUNTY decided to hold off on purchasing $2 million worth of voting equipment.

According to the Arizona Daily Star, the county intended to purchase touch-screen machines to assist dis-abled voters, in compliance with the Help America Vote Act. However, approximately a dozen activists, including a state representative and the county’s Democratic Party chairwoman, attended a recent board meeting to voice their concerns over the machines.

The activists claimed that the machines can be tampered with and don’t provide a paper record that could be checked in the case of fraud allegations. According to the Star, the supervisors said they have enough questions to wait.

“This is a bipartisan issue,” said Supervisor Ray Carroll. “We need to have confi dence in the votes.”

COLORADOMuch like replacing their regular

coffee with Folger’s Crystals, SUM-MIT COUNTY quietly switched their fl eet to a biodiesel fuel.

Summit Stage Director John Jones told the Summit Daily News that “nobody’s really noticed any difference at all. The new fuel is a blend of 10 percent soybean extract and regular diesel fuel.

The county recalled a program in 2002 because of blending issues that resulted in widespread technical failures.

FLORIDAHILLSBOROUGH COUN-

TY’s Offi ce of Management and Budget received both Special Capital Recognition and Special Performance Measures Recogni-tion from the Government Finance Offi cers Association (GFOA) for its FY06 budget.

In 2004, the county became the fi rst jurisdiction in the nation to re-ceive both awards simultaneously. Since that time, only three jurisdic-tions have achieved this signifi cant achievement.

In addition, Hillsborough County’s FY06-07 biennial budget received an outstanding score as a fi nancial plan.

ILLINOIS The DeKALB COUNTY, Ill.

Board combined the 2006 National

County Government Week with national “Bring Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day” for an interesting celebration. Children and grandchildren of employees took tours of county offi ces, did tasks at their parents and grandparents desks, and then all gathered for a mid-afternoon presentation where they were given an activities booklet spotlighting “Protecting Our County Communities.”

The theme for the week was underscored when the kids were visited by Deputy Dumdee of the K-9 unit who showed off his part-ner Enjo, a German Shepard police dog. The afternoon concluded with the children exploring their creative talents by “Building Their Own Ba-nana Splits!”

LOUISIANAFishermen, oil workers and other

residents of lower PLAQUEMINES PARISH are outraged that the federal government is discussing abandon-ing the area to the elements.

Federal officials recently an-nounced that they intend to protect all of hurricane-ravaged southeastern Louisiana except, maybe, the piece of land south of New Orleans. Residents fear that if the government decides not to spend $1.6 billion to strengthen and heighten levees, it may be impos-sible for the residents to get fl ood insurance.

“We have sacrifi ced a great deal for this nation, and now to turn their back on us and cut us off would be un-American,” said Benny Rousselle, parish president.

A White House representative said that offi cials will study the feasibility of building up levees in the area and issue a report by June. The govern-ment is unsure of whether it should spend so much money to protect 14,000 people — about 2 percent of the metropolitan New Orleans popu-lation — according to the AP.

MICHIGAN• INGHAM COUNTY has be-

come the fi rst county in Michigan to offer online fi ling for deeds, mort-gages and other documents.

County Register of Deeds Paula Johnson told the Lansing State Journal that the change will add convenience for businesses and will save taxpayers money.

“Every occupation has those ‘ah-hah’ moments, ‘Look at what we did,’” she said. “This is our big moment. It’s revolutionary.”

Before this innovation, paper documents needed to be fi led with at the Register of Deeds’ offi ce, which took between 10 to 15 days. Now, the process takes 10 to 15 minutes.

The offi ce processed approxi-mately 69,000 documents last year.

• A KEWEENAW COUNTY commissioner is leading the charge for a countywide trail system. Com-missioner Don Keith is asking for a three-year, half mill increase in the August election to acquire, develop and maintain the system, which would accommodate both motor-ized and non-motorized trails.

The tax increase would translate to 50 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, according to the Daily Min-ing Gazette. The tax would generate approximately $51,000 annually.

The county has less than 7 per-cent public lands, which is the least of the 15 counties in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

NEVADAA settlement between WASHOE

COUNTY and a landowner will preserve hundreds of acres of open space – not the thousand-plus acres the county wanted spared from de-velopment. County commissioners voted 4-1 recently to halt the county’s efforts to condemn and preserve the 1,019-acre Ballardini Ranch as park land, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.

A Minnesota-based developer, Evans Creek LLC, plans to build up to 3,000 homes on the ranch’s scenic Reno hillsides. “Sometimes it’s hard to make compromise decisions,” said Commissioner David Humke, “but in this case I fi rmly believe it’s the right thing to do.” Critics of the plan said the county sold out. “This is not a compromise in any way,” said Mike Robinson, a resident. “This is a ca-pitulation. This is cut and run.”

NEW JERSEYArtists in three counties are get-

ting a little “Southern Exposure” this month, thanks to the Cul-tural and Heritage Commissions of BURLINGTON, CAMDEN and GLOUCESTER counties. In a fi rst-ever joint art exhibit dubbed South-ern Exposure, the three commissions are displaying the work of about 50 artists through the end of May, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. It’s being funded by a $6,000 grant the counties sought and were awarded by the state’s Council on the Arts.

The exhibit will give artists the chance to display works regionally, said Diane Robinson, director of Gloucester County’s commission. She hopes the exhibits will “build new audiences and possibly patrons” and allow local artists to “network and learn from other artists throughout the region.” Commission members are appointed by the counties’ Boards of Chosen Freeholders.

NACO ON THE MOVENACO ON THE MOVE

Eric Coleman

NEW YORKA new study says a countywide

economic development plan is needed to attract businesses to ON-ONDAGA COUNTY. Otherwise, it will continue to lose population and remain uncompetitive with other parts of the country.

The report, Strategic Govern-ment Consolidation, was con-ducted over the course of a year by the Onondaga Citizens League. Among its recommendations are the creation of a countywide economic development plan and providing “one-stop shopping” for develop-ers. Currently, projects must pass muster at the town, county and state levels, according to The Post-Stan-dard. “Planning has to be strategic in nature,” said Larry Bosquet, who chaired the study. “We need to have a centralized area for dealing with everything.”

OHIO• BUTLER COUNTY is

considering doing away with part-time judges to prevent potential confl icts of interests, WCPO-TV reported. Thirty-six of Ohio’s 88 counties have some part-time ju-rists. Butler County commissioners voted recently to study a proposal to convert the county’s three part-time judge positions into two or three full-time jobs.

“No matter how careful a judge might be, the part-time arrangement creates a justice system where one day a week an attorney may sit as a judge and four days a week as a lawyer going up against other lawyers who might have cases before his court,” said Commissioner Mike Fox. “That creates the appearance and the reality of a confl ict.”

County News, May 22, 2006 15

RESEARCH NEWSRESEARCH NEWS

If you haven’t heard about BORF, you should ask shopkeepers and local offi cials in the Washington, D.C. area about him. BORF is an 18-year-old graffi ti artist who has spray painted his way across the area. He painted on buildings, walls and utility equip-ment much to the chagrin of law en-forcement offi cials and passersby.

Local jurisdictions and private owners spent thousands of dollars cleaning up BORF’s graffi ti. After his apprehension and conviction, he was sentenced to pay $12,000 in restitution, in addition to doing jail time and performing community service.

BORF — aka John Tsombikos — also has been blamed for copious amounts of graffi ti in Wake County (Raleigh), N.C., New York City and Los Angeles, according to The Washington Post. Fairfax County, Va. Crime Prevention Offi cer Katy Fernbacher was honored on May 12 at the Annual Law Enforcement Awards by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for her work in identifying BORF.

Counties across the country are facing a rise in graffi ti and the nui-sance that it becomes in the commu-nity. Some ordinances actually defi ne a “graffi ti nuisance property” as one where the graffi ti is visible from a public right of way and has been present for at least fi ve days.

Ordinances range from those in Marion County, Ore., which holds the property owner responsible for the abatement of the graffi ti and requires service on the owner and posting on the property. Owners can request a hearing within fi ve days of receipt of the notice to abate, and the hearings offi cer, whose decision is fi nal, can make a ruling about the existence of the nuisance and request removal or abatement within seven days of the decision.

If the property owner does not abate the nuisance, the local enforcement offi cer or designated person can, with permission or a warrant, enter the property and abate the graffi ti. All charges for the cost of abatement, plus an administrative charge, are forwarded to the property owner for payment. Failure to com-ply with this ordinance can result in penalties and a lien with the county clerk’s offi ce. Gwinnett County, Ga. and Santa Clara County, Calif. have similar ordinances.

Washoe County, Nev. has taken a different direction with its or-dinance. The Sheriff’s Offi ce and the District Attorney’s Offi ce have

Graffi ti has Got to Go!!

graffi ti. One of the new provisions in the ordinance makes it illegal for an individual to possess (with intent to place graffi ti on any public property or within 50 feet of bridges, overpasses and other infrastructure) more than three of the following graffi ti marking materials:

• aerosol paint cans• broad tipped markers• paint sticks, and• etching materials that can mark

or scar glass, wood or metal.The ordinance goes even farther

by requiring specifi c observable loca-tions for graffi ti materials in stores and requiring employee assistance to purchase these items. It also provides penalties for people who supply these materials to minors.

Meanwhile, Clark County, Nev., working with the city of Las Vegas and the local business community, has developed a new approach to clean up graffi ti and target the of-fenders. Its four-point plan includes increased enforcement, tougher penal-ties, stepped-up public outreach and expanded community service. Clark

County Commission Vice Chair Myrna Williams, one of the authors of the new plan, said “A lot of people think graffi ti is kid stuff, a victimless crime, but it hurts the community and costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year … We are fed up with looking at this mess in our community.”

Hillsborough County, Fla. has

implemented a two-pronged pro-gram because the county believes that graffi ti has a negative impact on the aesthetics and livability of the community, and it fosters ri-valries among the youth gangs. By ordinance, the county has prohibited graffi ti and the carrying of aerosol cans and broad-tipped markers with intent to create graffi ti. In addition to penalties outlined in Florida statutes, the ordinance gives the court author-ity to order restitution to the victim for damage or loss and can require the defendant to restore the damaged property to the condition it was in prior to the offense.

If your county is looking to imple-ment an ordinance concerning graffi ti in your community, there are several good resources available.

Rodney T. Willet, senior associ-ate counsel for the International Municipal Lawyers Association, has created guidelines for drafting anti-graffi ti ordinances. These guidelines can be found at www.anti-graffi ti.org. Another good resource can be found at www.graffi tihurts.org/community_resources/prevention.cfm.

(Research News was written by Jacqueline Byers, director of research.)

Oregon county declares open season on mountain lions■ NEWS FROM from page 14

• HAMILTON COUNTY will pay BUTLER COUNTY $65 a day to help ease Hamilton’s jail overcrowd-ing, WCPO-TV reported. County com-missioners in Butler recently approved a six-month contract to house at least 125 of Hamilton’s inmates.

OREGON• Cougars beware! JACKSON

COUNTY plans to hire a federal wildlife agent this summer to hunt any of the wild felines that pose a threat to residents or their animals.

The county recently approved spending $30,000 to contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide an agent to hunt cougars with dogs on private and public lands, according to the Associated Press.

Twenty-three Oregon counties have wildlife managers provided by USDA. The agency pays some of the costs and seeks additional sources of funding to help counties maintain the positions.

• Oregon State University

Extension Service says the answer to reversing the decline of rural communities is “blowin’ in the wind.” A new study, focused on UMATILLA COUNTY, found that development of wind power projects there could provide a multimillion dollar boost to the state’s economy, the Gazette-Times reported. Three wind turbine companies own property in the county valued at about $124 million, according to Paul Chalmers, the county’s director of assessment and taxation. While the study focused on Umatilla, researchers said other Oregon counties have the potential for wind energy.

VIRGINIAA FAIRFAX COUNTY police

detective was killed and a second offi cer later died of his wounds after a gunman opened fi re May 8 at the county’s Sully District police station.

They are the fi rst offi cers shot and killed in the line of duty in the department’s 66-year history, of-fi cials said.

Det. Vicky O. Armel, 40, was killed when a heavily armed 18-year-old ambushed several offi cers in the station’s parking lot during a shift change. Master Police Of-fi cer Michael E. Garbarino, 53, was pronounced dead May 17 at a local hospital.

Gerald E. Connolly, chairman of the county’s Board of Supervi-sors, said, “We will stand together with our public safety offi cers and in deep respect and sympathy for their fallen comrades, together we will begin the healing process and move forward.”

Armel is survived by her husband, also a Fairfax detective, and two chil-dren, ages fi ve and seven. Garbarino is survived by his wife, two children and his parents.

The gunman was killed by police fi re.

** SPOTLIGHT **Congratulations to the JOHNSON

COUNTY (Kan.) and MATHEWS COUNTY (Va.) public libraries, which were honored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services

(IMLS) with a National Award for Museum and Library Service.

The awards are the nation’s highest recognition of libraries’ and museums’ contributions to America’s communities, honoring their “long-term commitment to public service through innovative programs and community partnerships.” IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.

The awards included a $10,000 prize for each honoree. Mathews Li-brary Director Bette Dillehay said op-tions being considered for the money include purchasing more laptops for a free computer training program, and establishing an educational endow-ment. The winners were recognized by First Lady Laura Bush at a White House ceremony earlier this year.

(News From the Nation’s Counties is compiled by Charles Taylor and Dan Miller. If you have an item for News From, please e-mail ctaylor@naco.org or dmiller@naco.org.)

Counties across the country are facing a rise in graffi ti and the nuisance that it becomes in the community.

joined forces to prevent and control graffi ti incidents in certain areas of the county. They recently adopted a new ordinance that provides more power and authority to law enforce-ment offi cials to stem the tide of

16 County News, May 22, 2006

FOCUS ON ACHIEVEMENTFOCUS ON ACHIEVEMENT

Word SearchVerb Counties

Created by Allison Mall

BY CHARLES TAYLOR

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Before Katrina, when most people heard the word “hurricane,” one state came to mind: Florida — and for good reason. The Sunshine State had 60 direct hits from hurricanes from 1900 to 2000, the most of any state.

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1, and when it does, two Florida counties — Orange and Polk — will be ready with award-winning programs that have helped them weather past storms.

Since 2004, the Orange County Regional History Center has operated a free, post-hurricane day camp for the children of county employees — enabling workers to focus on recov-ery efforts without concern for their kids’ safety. In nearby Polk County, its Transit Services Division will be ready to help residents with special transportation needs, before and after the storm, because of its Hurricane Simulation Training Program.

Camp Hurricanes Charley and Frances

Camp Hurricane Charley expand-ed on the Orange County Regional History Center’s existing day camp program, which had been operating during the summer of 2004. When Charley hit on Aug. 13, right at the beginning of a new school year, schools and day care centers that were damaged or left without power were closed for several days. The history center, operating on generator power, responded by continuing to do what it does best.

“We couldn’t provide a lot of emergency relief services,” said Bob Beatty, the center’s curator of education. “We didn’t have money we could give out; we didn’t have the wherewithal or ability to clear trees or to get power turned back on. What we did have though was a good program.”

Camp Hurricane Charley operated for nearly a week after the storm, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., accommodat-ing about 70 children per day, ages 5 through 12. This enabled more than 80 county employees to return to work, many in emergency response and county-related hurricane relief efforts, according to county offi -cials. Center staff ran the program with help from seven teachers from Orange and neighboring Osceola and Seminole counties, left idle by the school closings.

Each day at camp had a different

Two Florida counties offer lessonsin hurricane preparedness, response

theme that included activities, crafts and special guests: a local disk jockey entertained children during Rock ‘n Roll Day; children churned their own butter on Pioneer Day and made clay pots on Native American Day.

Before Charley, Orlando hadn’t taken a direct hit from a hurricane in about 40 years. Three weeks after Charley, Hurricane Frances hit, and the day camp — having proved its worth — swung into operation again. The camp now has become a perma-nent part of the county’s hurricane response planning.

Camps Hurricane Charley and Frances cost the county approxi-mately $33,000; most of that amount

— $26,577 — was attributed to the 1,500 hours worked by center staff. The business community and local civic organizations donated more than $2,300 worth of goods and services.

The value of the program’s “ripple effect” may be incalculable, Beatty noted. “You know you help one coun-ty employee, who goes back to work answering phones in the emergency operations center or roads and drain-age, or something like that, you’re helping a lot of citizens.”

In addition to providing a service to county employees, the camps had therapeutic value for history center staff, who were grieving the loss of

a colleague killed in the storm. “We really felt that it was important that we get back … It helped us recover mentally and emotionally ourselves. We were helping other people.”

Polk County’s Hurricane Simulation Training

Normally, Polk County Transit Services provides non-emergency transportation for eligible Medicaid patients and operates the county’s Transportation Disadvantaged Program for low-income, elderly or disabled persons. When disaster strikes, its mission includes evacu-ating residents to public and special needs shelters.

“On any given day, we have around 500 people that we transport for dialysis, and that need does not go away just because a hurricane comes through,” said Sandra Winegar, di-rector of transit services.

Polk County sits about dead center of the Florida peninsula, its northeast tip barely touching Orange County. Like Orange County, it hadn’t been ground zero for a hurricane since 1960 — when Category 4 Donna

struck — and many on Winegar’s staff of about 70 had never been through a hurricane, much less an evacuation.

Winegar had. She experienced Donna and lived along the Missis-sippi Gulf Coast when Camille hit in 1969. “I was very aware of what a hurricane can do, even to an inland county,” she said. Winegar began de-veloping a training module for her division’s employees in 2001. Its cost was minimal — consisting of staff time and duplicating handouts. The training since has become a regular part of annual preparations for hur-ricane season.

The hurricane simulation train-ing was designed to take advantage of the various learning styles of its participants, including drivers, dis-patchers, and clerical and supervisory staff. It consists of speaker presenta-tions, role-playing, interactive testing and group activities. A PowerPoint presentation goes through a list of scenarios, providing multiple-choice options around which discussions are

Photo courtesy of Polk County, Fla.

Polk County Transit driver Glenda Richardson assists a passenger during an evacuation prior to Hurricane Frances in 2004.

■ See FOCUS on page 18

Photo Courtesy of Orange County, Fla.

Sack races in Orlando’s Heritage Square were just part of the fun for Orange County employees’ kids who participated in Camp Hurricane Frances.

D H Z K L S S K L D R A E H V F R B R V T R T O D H L N Q G U M C B Y J J O R T S J C C D D D Q E I X Z U H M H I R P H O P B L O O C E H G Y A C X Q Z I S E B I Q W O M N F T C O N H E R D Q J D X J D D E C H H V F A L E F O I X G A V Y A S H I S I C S E J Z L M E I D K P A Z Y N Q E N G A J V R A B E L P Q K R U I X S C B Z F W N R X S I J F Y S F K O W W O I K A Z J G P R Q E Q Z D F I H L C G D J D V L I S U M V W K E K U T F L W K E R U S A E R T E A S V K K V H U Y E J K R M E Z E N T M C C J F A E R V Y C H A S E Z Y F T W H B R K T E N Y W B Q P F K O J M A S Z K E R E Z F R N U C G W M H B O F T X O X C A B I H L R G T A R J R P R Q G G B V X T I N P Z O Y Z H V M R M D V J S T K T O K F C E K V L K U N P U H G E G B Y R W G O T N B D E X G J I W O E E W N E U F E G A P F X I R N T E B P J T K G U T R L Y M H R G R N P A V G M H N I B G S P Y S Y H X W Q X B P H G W S H R P F B N Q J C J K N J M U S I H D F I C S Z U P Z C X C O O S F O I O I C

CAMPCHASECONVERSECOOKCOOS

DENTDIVIDEDODGEFALLSFERRY

GARDENGRANTHEARDLOVEPAGE

PIERCEPINERAINSTREASUREYELL

County News, May 22, 2006 17

FINANCIAL SERVICES NEWSFINANCIAL SERVICES NEWS

What happens when you ask high school seniors why you should save now for retirement? Nationwide found that you get a whole new perspective on what retirement’s all about, thanks to entries submitted to the Nationwide/NACo 25th An-niversary Scholarship.

Last autumn, Nationwide and NACo asked high school seniors whose parents were employed by a NACo plan sponsor to submit a Retirement 101 Top Ten List: The

NACo scholarship winners look confi dently to retirement

top ten reasons why it’s important to save early for retirement. Some witty, some eyebrow-raising, every one interesting, their submissions of-fered good — if sometimes unique — reasons.

Winners chalk up great reasons to save

Earning a $2,500 college scholar-ship each, Briana Rowe of Larimer County (Loveland), Colo. and John P. Rod, II of Monmouth County

(Howell), N.J. tackled the subject of preparing for retirement with verve.

In her Top 10 List, Briana sug-gested that, by starting a retirement fund early, you can pay people when your age is “too ancient to even mow a lawn.” You can “relax instead of having to work with people the age of your children and grandchildren.”

Besides, she added, you’ll be able to “afford to get yourself a personal trainer to stay fi t and looking good

Retirement 101Briana Rowe’s Top 10 List1. Saving money at an early age for your future ensures you will have

some amount of money when that time comes.2. If you start saving early in life, then you can pay individuals to do

chores for you when your age is too ancient to even mow a lawn.3. Having money saved up will allow you to relax instead of continuing

to work with others the age of your children and grandchildren.4. Starting a retirement fund for yourself when you’re young is always

a good idea because you never want to completely rely on the company you someday may work for.

5. When you get to a certain age, it’s always convenient to have time for yourself instead of making time for work.

6. With ongoing infl ation and decreasing retirement funds, the money provided is simply not enough to live off of. So, be prepared and have a separate pile stashed for this very purpose.

7. One great reason to save retirement money early is so that you’re not the oldest one in your company.

8. You should save money early so you can afford to get yourself a personal trainer to stay fi t and looking good at 70+ years old.

9. By saving early, your investments should be able to keep up with infl ation.

10. The earlier you save retirement money, the longer it has to compound.

John Rod’s Top 10 List1. To have one less thing to worry about, so I can live life to the fullest

now2. To be able to travel3. To spend time with my family4. To achieve fi nancial objectives5. So I can give back to the community, share life or make a

difference6. To be able to make my own choices, either relax or continue to work7. To be able to learn something new8. To live well: mentally, physically and emotionally9. To be able to send my children to college10. To be better prepared for the transition, with no regrets

Sierra County was created on April 3, 1884. It was named for the Sierra de los Caballos range of mountains in the county. Hill-sboro, a mining town, became the county seat in 1884. As popula-tion declined, the county seat was moved to the thriving town of Hot Springs in 1937, and a new court-house was built with “New Deal” funding that same year.

Hot Springs voted to change its name in 1950 in response to a request from the then popular radio show, Truth or Consequences, and today the Sierra county seat is affection-ately referred to as Truth or Conse-quences, or T. or C. for short.

Sierra County’s logo was cre-ated at the request of the New Mex-ico Association of Counties in the early 1980s so that a fl ag could be made and fl own to represent Sierra County at the State Capitol Round House in Santa Fe.

In November 2004, Sierra County’s logo was revised. The revision included the clean-up of the line work, adding color and the digital enhancement of the logo so that the county could use it on of-fi cial documents.

The images on Sierra County’s logo represent a wide range of the county’s diverse cultures and heritages.

The border: Represents the diverse cultures and heritages that are within Sierra County’s boundaries. Sierra County’s his-tory is built on mining, agriculture, farming, ranching, homesteading and recreation.

The adobes: Represent homesteading and the varying heritages and cultures that have come to Sierra County. Several historic landmarks and sites that are within Sierra County are strongly associated with the de-velopment and history of Sierra County.

The cowboy, horse and cows: Represent the limitless ranching opportunities that exist to this day. The word ranch is derived from Mexican-Spanish rancho, which denotes the home (headquarters) of the ranchero or rancher. From the beginning, ranching often in-cluded raising cattle, sheep, goats and horses. Cattle ranching has been — and still is — a major part of Sierra County’s culture.

The chile and tractor: Rep-resent agricultural heritage. Agri-cultural industry is a signifi cant resource associated with the Rio Grande Valley. A drive down the valley of Sierra County, clearly shows a wide range of farms that still produce crops such as chile, hay and vegetables.

The gold pan and hammer: Represent Sierra County’s history of mining. One of the biggest silver mines in history was the Bridal Chamber mine located in the community of Lake Valley. The walls of the subterranean mine were lined with silver so pure it was shipped unsmelted to the U.S. Mint. After a decline in silver min-ing, the post offi ce closed in 1954, and the last of its residents moved on. The Bureau of Land Manage-ment watches over the town site today and has set up a walking tour. The schoolhouse, built in 1904, is open to the public. A chapel, some old homes and railroad buildings still stand.

The water: Represents the connectivity that Sierra County residents have with their land. Construction of Elephant Butte Reservoir began in 1911 and was completed in 1916. Originally, the reservoir was constructed to provide a stable fl ow of water for irrigation from the Rio Grande River. Other benefi ts and attrac-tions that were derived from the reservoir include boating, skiing, swimming and fi shing. The word “butte” refers to an inactive volca-nic core that is an island located in this reservoir. The butte resembles the head of an elephant; therefore giving its name to Elephant Butte Lake.

(If you would like your county’s seal featured, please contact Al-lison Mall at amall@naco.org or 202/942-4256.)

What's In a Seal?Sierra County, N.M.

at 70+ years old.” She hit the nail on the head with her fi nal piece of counsel: “The earlier you save re-tirement money, the longer it has to compound.”

Briana is the daughter of Kathryn and Lloyd Rowe, who participate in the NACo Deferred Compensation Plan in Larimer County. She plans to enroll at Colorado State University to study business administration with an emphasis in marketing.

John Rod approached his Top 10 List from a practical point of view, diving right in with: “To have one less thing to worry about, so I can live life to the fullest now.”

He noted that “planning for retire-ment early enables you to be better prepared for the transition, with no regrets.”

And, John pointed out that — at retirement time — you will “be able

to make [your] own choices, either to relax or continue to work.”

John is the son of Deana Valiante, a participant in the NACo Deferred Compensation Plan in Monmouth County. He attends Freehold Town-ship High School. He plans to attend college to study digital media arts.

Scholarship honors 25 years of partnership

Nationwide sponsored the Nationwide/NACo 25th Anniversary Scholarship to recognize its quarter-century continuing partnership with NACo and its member counties.

Through Nationwide-provided governmental deferred compensa-tion plans endorsed by NACo, the relationship has helped thousands of county employees across the United States build fi nancial security for themselves in retirement.

18 County News, May 22, 2006

communications when we are making a 911 call or determining if Child Pro-tective Services should be dispatched to deal with an abused child.

To those colleagues who still persist in believing that the best pathway to power is by hoarding information, please know that you might have been promoted in the civil service of 100 years ago, but in modern public administration in the United States you would drive other colleagues crazy. Take a lesson from the wonderful Bill Danielson, “power hoarded is opportunity wasted.” Give bright people the opportunity to excel to make amazing things happen and you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you, Bill, for the profes-sional lessons you have taught me over the years. You have helped me in my career and my life.

The HR Doctor wishes you all the best,

Phil RosenbergThe HR Doctorwww.hrdr.net

NOTICESNOTICES

■ ConferenceThe International Economic Development Council (IEDC) will hold

its 2006 annual conference Sep. 17–20 in New York City. The conference’s theme is “Roadmap for the Knowledge-Driven Economy.” The conference will feature sessions and discussion on hot topics in economic development. Go to www.iedconline.org/AnnualConference/registration.html for more information and to register.

■ PublicationThe Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) published its 2006 Risk Management

Yearbook, which features articles by industry experts on topics such as levee maintenance, hazard mitigation and disaster recovery.

The Yearbook takes a lessons-learned approach, examining emerging trends and recent events, such as Hurricane Katrina, to improve the ability of all communities to plan and respond to the uncertainties they face in their own regions.

For more information about the 2006 Risk Management Yearbook or to purchase a copy, go to the PERI Bookstore at www.riskinstitute.org. The cost is $29, which includes shipping and handling.

■ WorkshopNew Urban Research will hold one-day GIS workshops called Mapping Min-

nesota Communities: An Introduction to GIS and Community Analysis. This hands-on workshop teaches the fundamentals of how to use a Geographic In-formation System (ArcGIS 9.1) in a way that is particularly relevant to social service providers, planners and researchers.

Participants will learn to make thematic maps of their community, geocode addresses and perform spatial queries and analysis. Participants will also learn to extract and map census variables such as race, poverty, language, education, health and many other demographic variables. The workshops will take place June 15 and 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Hennepin County (Edina), Minn.

To register and check other locations, go to www.newurbanresearch.org or call 877/241-6576.

(If you have an event or publication or conference that you would like to be featured in Notices, please e-mail it to amall@naco.org.)

THE H.R. DOCTOR IS INTHE H.R. DOCTOR IS IN

Rudyard Kipling notwithstand-ing, how could the British govern-ment expect to control many millions of people in 750,000 square miles of territory in 19th century India with a relatively small number of British civil servants and soldiers?

For a hundred years the British Raj ruled India, changed many aspects of its culture and managed to keep rela-tive stability there as well as in the rest of its far-fl ung worldwide empire.

Queen Victoria’s reign ended in 1901. At that time, there were 300 mil-lion Indians ruled by a civil service of 1,500 people, and an army of Indian soldiers commanded by 3,000 British offi cers and several British regiments. There were fewer than 20,000 British civilians in the country. The British period of rule involved 600 sovereign territories in India with British advi-sors. Despite a mutiny in the mid 19th century and a huge array of increas-ingly complex issues, it was a century of continued colonial rule.

There are certainly many factors and insuffi cient time in a short article to review the dynamics of colonial rule, but there is one that deserves spe-cial attention. In part, this is because it involves such a curious phenomenon of bureaucracy, which was called the

Bureaucrats ‘…In Injia’s Sunny Clime…’“note and fi le” system of communica-tions. It was a tool of the bureaucrats that resulted in centralized decision making control.

The real reason for focusing on this note and fi le system is that one of the HR Doctor’s favorite mentors, whom I have highly respected for more than 20 years, once served as civil service advisor to the Kingdom of Nepal. William F. “Bill” Danielson is a past president of the International Personnel Management Association, and former HR director of Alameda County and Oakland, Calif.

In a letter earlier this year, Bill remembered the intricacies of that system. Those recollections are very defi nitely worth sharing with the HR Doctor’s colleagues. With Bill’s per-mission, if not forgiveness, here are some excerpts. Consider this a history lesson and a public administration les-son from a master teacher:

“When I was a Ford Foundation consultant in the then peaceful King-dom of Nepal in 1969 and 1970, no one had the ability to communicate the way we do now. No one was permit-ted to communicate the way we do now. His Majesty’s Government of Nepal was completely hierarchical. There were about 10 (as I recall)

ministries; each was a small universe unto itself. Communications went the route of the note and fi le system. I had never heard of the note and fi le system before I went to Nepal. The way it worked was that a lower-level civil servant might write a report (e.g., ‘The Bagmati River is dammed by debris’). The report would go to his supervisor, who would read it, initial it and pass it up the line to the next level, who would read it, initial it, et al, until the top administrator found it on his desk.

“The decision-maker then would make a decision, or perhaps ask a question (‘Where is the Bagmati River dammed by debris?’) and then send it down the hierarchical line, be-ing noted and fi led at each step, to the originator of the report. This note and fi le system could require many days, weeks or moons.

“Communication was vertical within a given ministry among gazetted employees. Communication between ministries, below the top administrative level, was extremely rare and hazardous to do. Horizontal communications between, say, a mid-manager in the one ministry with a counterpart in another ministry did not take place without the knowledge

and approval of the people at the top.

“With cell phones and e-mail to-day, it is routine for workers within a department or agency to be able to talk among themselves about work issues. The extreme case of the Nepal note and fi le system (which His Majesty’s Government borrowed from the Re-public of India, and which in turn inherited it from the former British Raj, enabling a very small number of Englishmen to administer a very large colony) simply does not exist today.” (Danielson, 2006)

The note and fi le system is still alive in many bureaucracies. Re-quirements that all information go to a certain director or a certain manager for personal attention can stifl e the individual productivity of experi-enced employees and colleagues. It may have worked in the 19th century with an objective to resist change, but it hardly works effectively in an era of e-mail, cell phones, rapid information exchange and fast moving events.

The note and fi le system is not the basis that any of us would want for

based. They range from the serious to the seemingly humorous. Scenarios include how supervisors, dispatch-ers, drivers and vehicle maintenance workers should respond to such pos-sibilities as dealing with an elderly man, needing shelter, who doesn’t want to leave his pets behind and what to do when a driver encounters loose cattle in the roadway. Don’t laugh. Polk is one of Florida’s top cattle producing counties.

“We just really tried to think of everything we could to prepare them for what they might see,” said Paul Simmons, the Transit Services Division’s operations manager.

In 2004, in the span of six weeks of “pure torture,” Polk County was hit by Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne, Winegar said. During the pe-riod, Transit Services provided nearly 3,000 trips for 1,100 clients. It also:

• transported 723 individuals to shelters

• evacuated 168 patients from

two nursing homes, and• evacuated an apartment com-

plex that had been condemned.That real-world experience has

benefi ted the training module and hurricane response. “When we made up these scenarios we tried to think of everything that could happen,” Simmons added. “But in 2004 we didn’t realize we would be evacu-ating nursing homes, apartment complexes or moving furniture. Those were not in the scenarios, and those were some of the things that happened.”

Recent experience also identi-fi ed the need for Transit Services to assign a staff member at the special needs shelter to serve as a transit coordinator, Winegar said. “This person acts as more a less a concierge for the frail and the el-derly who are in these special needs shelters,” helping shelter occupants to get prescriptions refi lled, among other things.

The lesson for other counties, according to Winegar: “First, don’t

assume that it won’t happen to you. Whether it’s a storm, or whether it’s a wildfi re, or whether it’s any other number of circumstances that could happen, it certainly can happen to you.

“And you need to have a worst-case scenario plan in place that looks not only at how will you operate prior to the event, but how will you continue your operations.

“You need to know what kind of decisions you’ll have to make when time is short and you don’t have the luxury to sit back and brainstorm ‘What do I do now?’ When you have to make decisions on the fl y, you’d better have thought them through ahead of time.”

(Focus on Achievement high-lights Achievement Award-winning programs. For more information on this and other NACo Achieve-ment Award winners, visit NACo’s Web site, www.naco.org, and click on “Model County Programs” in the Resource Library.)

Three back-to-back hurricanes help county refi ne training program■ FOCUS from page 16

County News, May 22, 2006 19

• Line Rates: $7 per line, NACo member counties; $10 per line, others.

• Display Classifi ed: $50 per col umn inch, NACo member counties; $70 per column inch, others.

• Billing: In voices will be sent after pub li ca tion.

• Mail advertising copy to: Job Mar ket, County News, 440 First St., N.W., Washington, DC 20001.

• FAX advertising copy to: Job Mar ket, County News, 202/393-2630.

• E-mail advertising copy to: edassist@naco.org.

• Be sure to include billing in for ma tion along with copy.

• Estimates given prior to publication are approximations only and do not necessarily refl ect fi nal cost.

For more in for ma tion, contact the Job Market representative at 202/942-4256.

Job Market - Classifi ed Rate Schedule

■ AIRPORT MANAGER — CLINTON COUNTY, N.Y.

Salary: $54,177 – $74,000, DOQ.Airport Manager, Plattsburgh Inter-

national Airport, Clinton County, N.Y. Salary: $54,177– $74,000. Closes July 1, 2006. Go to www.clintoncountygov.com for details. Call 518/565-4676, e-mail gibsona@co.clinton.ny.us.

■ ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER — CITY OF ALBANY, GA.

Salary: $60,000 – $80,000, DOQ.Albany (population 76,939) is

located 145 miles south of Atlanta in Georgia’s Plantation Trace region. It is the primary trade center for Southwest Georgia. Albany is the county seat for Dougherty County. The city has been designated a “City of Excellence” and, in 1998, Money Magazine found it the most livable city in Georgia.

Albany is a full-service city that uses a “commission/manager” form of government. The city employs about 871 full-time staff and has a current general fund budget of $44 million and a total budget of $79 million.

The assistant city manager for cus-tomer service and support (ACM) reports directly to the city manager and is re-sponsible for directing human resources, central services (which includes 911, fl eet management, materials management and procurement), information technology, the civic center and the recreation depart-ment. Additional responsibilities include public affairs and media relations, inter-nal and external communications, and service delivery. This position will also serve as a liaison to the city clerk and small and disadvantaged businesses, and provides staff support to boards, commis-sions and committees, and represents the city manager as required.

Requires training and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in public or business administration or closely related field (master’s pre-ferred) supplemented by signifi cant and progressively responsible local govern-ment experience including management and supervisory level experience. Prefer experience gained in a culturally and racially diverse stand-alone community comparable to Albany.

To apply: This recruitment will remain open until the position is fi lled. Please submit your resume along with

JOB MARKET / CLASSIFIEDSJOB MARKET / CLASSIFIEDS

your current salary without delay to: Robert E. Slavin; Slavin Management Consultants, 3040 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite B-1; Norcross, GA 30071; 770/449-4656, slavin@bellsouth.net, 770/416-0848 (fax). An equal opportu-nity recruiter/employer.

■ COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR — BALDWIN COUNTY, ALA.

Salary: $68,973–$109,252, DOQ.Competitive Benefi ts Package. The

Baldwin County Commission is currently accepting applications for the position of county administrator. Baldwin County is the largest county in size and is located on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico with the county seat located in the City of Bay Minette. The population is ap-proximately 165,000 residents. Today, out of Alabama’s 67 counties, Baldwin has experienced tremendous growth and remains one of the fastest growing in the Southeast. While being aesthetically and environmentally conscientious, there is signifi cant development in both residen-tial and commercial areas. The county administrator serves at the pleasure of the four-member County Commission and coordinates the daily operations of various county departments. Baldwin County has approximately 500 full-time employees. This appointee must possess the ability to motivate a highly skilled management team. Must possess a strong affi nity for fi nancial planning and creative manage-ment for an organization with a $125M budget. Master’s degree preferred in business administration, public adminis-tration or a related fi eld with a minimum of 8–10 years of experience in a responsible management position. Residency within county required within a reasonable time-frame. Send resume and cover letter with salary expectations to: Personnel Director, Baldwin County Commission, 312 Court-house Square, Suite #17, Bay Minette, AL 36507 no later than June 5. Resumes will be accepted as a matter of public record with no expectations of confi dentiality. Equal Opportunity Employer.

■ COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR — MANATEE COUNTY, FLA.

Salary: $135,000 – $165,000, DOQ.

Manatee County, population 338,715, is seeking a highly motivated and experienced leader for the position

of county administrator. The county, located on the South West Coast of Florida, enjoys year-round sunshine, a warm tropical climate, and water temperatures averaging 80 degrees on its 150 miles of pristine shoreline and 27 miles of beaches.

The county administrator, appointed by and serving at the pleasure of a seven- member Board of County Commission-ers, is responsible for carrying out the policies and directives of the commission. The county employs approximately 1,900 full and part-time personnel and has a total operating budget of approximately $522 million. The county administrator is also responsible for the supervision and management of 16 department direc-tors and for ensuring that all agreements, leases and other contractual obligations of the commission are properly per-formed. From time to time, the Board of County Commissioners also directs the county administrator and his or her staff to undertake and complete special projects and assignments that do not fall within the established responsibilities of county departments.

Requirements include a master’s of public/business administration (M.P.A. or M.B.A.) and at least two years recent appropriate senior management local or regional government experience, or a master’s degree in public/business admin-istration or related fi eld with a minimum of three years recent appropriate senior management local or regional government experience and/or comparable business experience, or a bachelor’s degree and seven years related experience. Must have demonstrated experience with bud-get preparation/control, strategic planning, and a thorough knowledge of public ad-ministration principles and practices. The successful applicant will be responsible for the implementation and management of countywide policies.

Send resume to: Manatee County Human Resources, P.O. Box 1000, 1112 Manatee Avenue West, Suite #863, Bradenton, FL 34206-1000 or fax to 941/794-3035. AA/EOE/M/F/H/Vet. Pref/Drug Free Workplace.

■ DEPUTY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR — SONOMA COUNTY, CALIF.

Salary: $109,452 – $133,032, DOQ.

Excellent Benefi ts (including 3% at 60 retirement plan and County contri-bution of 4.5% toward deferred comp) Sonoma County Administrator’s Offi ce is seeking an energetic, customer-focused executive to become part of its dynamic and professional team. This newly cre-ated position will play an integral role in managing existing and emerging strate-gic initiatives developed by the Board of Supervisors and county administrator. The ideal candidate for this position will have signifi cant experience in the areas of project management, complex budget analysis, policy analysis, and program

and organizational evaluation. Sonoma County government has a history of pro-viding excellent and responsive public service while operating under sound fi scal principals. This is achieved in a climate of respect and collaboration. This open-ing provides a unique opportunity coupled with an incomparable quality of life. Lo-cated less than an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, Sonoma County is a year-round haven that combines in one location the dramatic Pacifi c Coastline, the winding Russian River, the world’s best wineries and vineyards, majestic old-growth red-woods, historic towns, fi ne dining, and a wide variety of entertainment and cultural activities, including a fi rst-class symphony orchestra. Sonoma County is the largest county in the North Bay, covering approxi-mately 1,600 square miles, and home to over 475,000. For more information about this exciting opportunity, please visit our Web site at www.sonoma-county.org or contact Dr. William Mathis, Ph.D., Mathis and Associates, 707/252-2152, e-mail: Dr.BillMathis@gmail.com. Final fi ling date is Friday, June 16.

■ DEPUTY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR — STAFFORD COUNTY, VA.

Salary: DOQ.Population: 117,300. Excellent benefi t

package. $510 million annual budget; 781 full-time employees. Full service, high growth community known for its quality of life, economic development efforts and progressive form of government, located along I-95 corridor 40 miles south of Washington, D.C. in Virginia’s ‘Golden Crescent.’ Requires bachelor’s degree in business, public administration or planning (master’s degree preferred); fi ve years, or more, of prior planning and development experience in a developing community located in a rapidly growing metropolitan area strongly encouraged. Experience in planning, community development, utili-ties, transportation and code administra-tion programs a plus. Reports to county administrator. Primarily responsible for coordination of planning, utilities, trans-portation and code administration depart-ments. Manages projects as assigned by the county administrator. Must be committed to high quality, proactive service deliv-ery. Submit letter of application, detailed resume with salary history and work related references to: John A. Anzivino, Vice President or Roger M. Scott, Senior Vice President, Springsted Incorporated, 8790 Park Central Drive, Suite B, Rich-mond, VA 23227; Fax: 804/726-9752 or e-mail janzivino@springsted.com by June 10. Finalists will be required to complete a County application prior to interview. Stafford County is an equal opportunity employer.

■ HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR — CITY OF ALBANY, GA.

Salary: $55,000 – $75,000, DOQ.Albany (population: 76,253) is

located 145 miles south of Atlanta in Georgia’s Plantation Trace region. It is the primary trade center for Southwest Georgia. Albany is the county seat for Dougherty County. The city has been designated a “City of Excellence” and, in 1998, Money Magazine found it the most livable city in Georgia.

Albany is a full-service city that uses a “commission/manager” form of government. The city employs about 871 full-time staff and has a current general fund budget of $44 million and a total budget of $79 million.

The human resources director is responsible for overseeing a staff of 10 full-time employees providing services in the area of employment, compensation and benefi ts, employee training and organizational develop-ment. The department is responsible for providing organizational support, training, counseling and administra-tive assistance to the city manager, other city departments and the water, gas and light commission. The director will also assure that the city is compliant with all federal laws, regulations and local ordinances. Develops and implements long and short-range goals, developing and managing a department budget, and directing department staff.

Requires training and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in human resources management, public or business administration, or related fi eld and six years of progressively re-sponsible human resources management experience.

To apply: This recruitment will re-main open until the position is fi lled. The city is eager to complete the process, so please submit your resume along with your current salary without delay to: Robert E. Slavin, Slavin Management Consultants, 3040 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite B-1; Norcross, GA 30071; 770/449-4656; slavin@bellsouth.net, 770/416-0848 (fax). An equal opportu-nity employer and recruiter.

■ HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR — MAHONING COUNTY, OHIO

Salary: DOQ.Master’s degree in public adminis-

tration, human resources and/or labor relations or related fi eld and a mini-mum of fi ve years experience in human resources administration or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience; experience in public sector employment and labor contact negotia-tion and administrative preferred. Apply to: 21 W. Boardman Street, Admin. Bldg. 2nd fl oor or call 330/740-2130, ext. 7101. Deadline June 30 at 4:30 p.m.

(If you would like information about advertising your job openings in County News and County News Online, please contact Allison Mall at 202/942-4256 or amall@naco.org.)

Visit NACo online at www.naco.org.

20 County News, May 22, 2006

NACo and the Federal Highway Administration are sponsoring a Web conference on the new federal surface trans-portation legislation — SAFETEA-LU — on Thursday, June 8 from 1–2:30 p.m. EST. The goal is to make county offi cials more knowledgeable about the new law and to learn how their counties can access federal highway funds.

Topics covered will be:

● the new safety programs available to counties, including the Highway Safety Improvement Program, the High Risk Rural Roads Program and Safe Routes to Schools Program.

● the Surface Transportation Program, the Bridge Program and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (how these programs can fund county projects), and

● the environmental provisions in the new law, including environmental streamlining and other items that can make it easier and quicker for counties to obtain project approval and the necessary permits.

NACo • FHWA

SAFETEA-LU SAFETEA-LU Web Conference Web Conference June 8

www.naco.org

A Web conference connects the participants using both the Internet and a phone. The con-ference will include time to get your questions answered. NACo will have 75 – 100 spaces avail-able for this event on a fi rst-come basis.

Please register by e-mailing the information below to aeshete@naco.org. When registration is complete, NACo will send registrants informa-tion on logging onto the Web conference.

Title/Name ________________County ____________________E-mail ____________________Telephone _________________FAX _______________________

For additional information, call Bob Fogel at 202/942-4217.