Workshop offerings abound at Annual Conference

24 videos of #NACoANN workshops are available at the NACo Conference Learning Center 

Workshops and panel discussions at the Annual Conference covered a range of topics, including how to engage citizens and mobilize their support for projects, workforce training and economic development and integration of smart transportation technology into infrastructure. 

 

Leadership Strategies for Women in Government: How to Thrive in Your Career

Who spoke?

• Ellie Nieves, JD, MBA, women’s leadership speaker and coach, Leadership Strategies for Women

What participants learned: When you think of the “powers” you have, related to your career, it might conjure up images of Wonder Woman or Superman. Do you know your power? You might have more than you realize. That’s what women county officials — and a few brave men — discovered listening to leadership expert Ellie Nieves Sunday, July 23.

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Your powers come through relationships, education and expertise, and start with your job description, Nieves said. “Your title comes with a subset of powers. Ask yourself, are you leveraging your power? Pull up your job description. What does it say? What does the law say?”

Another source of power, she noted, is power by association. “When I was chief of staff, I had power because of my boss,” she said. “It’s a delicate power. Hold this power lightly.” The same goes for [political] party power, Nieves said. “If you’re aligned with a particular party, use your judgement.”

Another kind of power is “expert” power — for example, if you’re a lawyer or grew up in politics. “Use that power,” she said.

Other kinds of power include coercive power or the ability to persuade, and “reward power,” Nieves said. Coercive power is “not something you wield around. Keep this in your back pocket.”

Reward power can be as simple as saying “thank you” — rewarding and acknowledging people so they will do business with someone they know and trust.

Be visible

Nieves told the standing-room-only crowd that it’s important to look for opportunities “where you can be visible, where you can be seen by important people.”

“Where does it count?” she asked. It’s important to be seen by employees and team members. “Get up and walk around, get to know employees and colleagues on a more personal level.”

There’s even an art to attending meetings if you’re looking to get ahead, she said. “Try to show up early.” It could be an opportunity to learn more information than what’s being officially doled out at the meeting, she noted. Same goes for after a meeting. “Linger after the meeting and chat.”

Being seen is especially important if you’re an elected official, she said. Sometimes that’s difficult, Nieves said, relating a story about a friend who is an elected official and is also a single mom. “Going to every event was not real for her,” she said. “Empower someone on your behalf, prioritize events.”

Partnerships count

“Likeability is not being liked just to be liked,” said Nieves. “It’s because you can’t do your work alone. You need partnerships.”

How do you make those important contacts? First, you’ve got to put your gadgets away, she said. “Smile more, it’s an invitation to connect. Make eye contact. Develop emotional intelligence.”

Nieves also asked participants to ask each other: “What are you known for?” to help them discover their personal “brand,’ a la McDonald’s or Starbucks.

Audience member Becky Belt, finance officer with the Pottawattamie County, Iowa Auditor’s Office, said she’s known as a “people pleaser.” She’s the person her office turns to when sticky problem calls for one-on-one negotiating skills, she noted.

“Think about what you want to stand for,” Nieves said. “Starbucks wanted to be known as ‘the third place’ in addition to home and work. Think about your story. It’s part of your brand. What is your unique voice? What do you want to be known for?”

Staff contact: Alana Hurley, ahurley@naco.org

The Gig Economy: The Rise of the Freelance Workforce

Who spoke?

• Trevor Brown, dean of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at Ohio State University
• Molly Turner, a University of California lecturer who worked for Airbnb

What participants learned: The gig economy is not new — ask any freelance writer, babysitter or bass player — but the proliferation of technology platforms that replace the middleman between the service provider and the customer has made it an increasing part of the American, and global, labor market.

At the same time, the federal government has not yet agreed on a definition, and the most recent research by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was published in 2005, long before the gig economy transformed into its current state.

“It’s a global trend, but there isn’t good data,” Turner said. “It’s not going away, it’s going to continue to grow.”

The gig economy breaks down into the service sector — ridesharing, labor — that draws lower income people who have few other job options, and the goods sector — Airbnb, Etsy — for whom gig income is nice to have but not their primary source of earnings.

A study by the Pew Research Center found that 26 percent of Americans reported earning money from the digital platform economy.

“Now is a good time for counties to take stock of their gig economy workforce and pilot creative solutions,” Turner said. “If you formally recognize this kind of work and help people understand that this is real work, they are more likely to pay their taxes.  A lot of this [payments] can be done under the table.”

Brown drew on his reflections of his students, many of whom are beginning to use their education to begin careers as entrepreneurs, rather than public servants.

“To contextualize it for the public sector, it’s a reflection of declining faith and trust in institutions,” he said. “You see rise of tech platforms, you also see disenchantment with a single employer. As a young person entering into the workforce, they see it as a way to craft their own story.”

Staff Contact: Christina Iskandar, ciskandar@naco.org

Smarter Cities, Smarter Counties: How Intelligent Transportation Solutions are Driving Regional Connectivity

Who spoke?

• Eric Janas, deputy county administrator, Franklin County, Ohio
• Joanna Pinkerton, co-director, Honda-Ohio State Partnership
• Michael Stevens, chief innovation officer, Columbus, Ohio

What participants learned: Columbus beat nearly 80 other competitors for the Department of Transportation’s Smart Cities Challenge, a $40 million grant with an extra $10 million from the Vulcan foundation.

Janas said the application process and what to do with the grant was a decision point for the Columbus region.

“It’s an opportunity to align our community to answer fundamental questions about how are we going to continue to grow, how we will keep up with changing technology, how we will connect to the global market and how we will meet the needs of residents,” he said.

The city’s four goals include improving vehicle safety by reducing human error, fostering sustainability by decreasing vehicle emissions, driving economic growth through infrastructure innovation and improving the quality of life for residents.

“We were successful because the focus on quality of life, thinking about people, helped us stand out,” Janas said.

Stevens said the win at the challenge was an opportunity to become a national leader in transportation planning and execution, as the 15 projects planned could be seen as models.

Columbus plans to integrate a connected vehicle network, including installing digital short-range communications equipment in 3,000 public vehicles and complementing technology along the rights-of-way.

While these plans are easy for a city that just won $50 million in grants to make, counties that don’t have that kind of money are left wondering where they fit in with high-tech transportation planning.

Pinkerton, from the Honda-Ohio State Partnership, addressed that skepticism head-on.

“A question I get a lot is, ‘I can’t afford to fill my potholes, why would I invest in this smart stuff,’” she said.  “We’re pretty risk-averse in government, but making the decision to try something else to improve the level of service to citizens at a reduced cost. There are ways to generate revenue and lower your operating costs.”

Staff Contact: Sanah Baig, sbaig@naco.org

County Cannabis Roundtable

Who spoke?

• Rob Bovett, legal counsel, Association of Oregon Counties
• Bill Hall, commissioner, Lincoln County, Ore.
• Obie O’Brien, commissioner, Kittitas County Wash.
• Rex Bohn, supervisor, Humboldt County, Calif.

What participants learned: Whatever their constituencies think, morally, about cannabis, county officials are finding themselves forced to set land use policy regarding its cultivation, lest they put themselves at a regulatory disadvantage.

The County Cannabis Roundtable assembled a cast of county officials who have dealt with the process of cannabis regulation in Washington state, Oregon and California to share their experiences and advice.

James Gore, a Sonoma County, Calif. supervisor, pointed out that many of the crop’s growing hotspots were once-thriving timber regions.

“We are dealing with a problem that has been ubiquitous in our communities for 30 years; we’re trying to bring it into the light,” he said.

With 28 states and the District of Columbia having passed some form of cannabis legalization, “it’s becoming de facto legal overall, so you’d better be ready to handle it,” he said.

“In 30 years, this is the most chaotic mess I’ve ever seen,” Hall said about Oregon’s experience. When counties attempt to regulate land use for cannabis growing operations, they should “be prepared for chaos, be prepared for unintended consequences.”

And counties have to come in with a clear plan for what they want.

“You’re going to find yourself in zoning regulatory land use areas dealing with a lot of smart businesspeople,” he said.

As legal counsel for the Association of Oregon Counties, Bovett advised counties to dig in their heels when state policy is set, because counties are facing a must-win scenario for maintaining local control over zoning.

“I guarantee there is nobody else who will promote local control,” he said. “Don’t let sheriffs or chiefs of police run away from the table, because the industry will run right over them.”

O’Brien agreed “If you don’t seize control from the beginning, you will never get it back,” he said.

Bohn, a supervisor in Humboldt County, Calif., in one of the most productive regions in the world for cannabis growth, suggested that studying the history of prohibition was a good preview for some of the issues and struggles ahead in the legalization of cannabis.

Staff Contact: Cara Martinson, cmartinson@counties.org.

How to Gain Citizen Buy-In

Who spoke?

• Verdenia Baker, county administrator, Palm Beach County, Fla.
• Karl Keith, auditor, Montgomery County, Ohio
• Michael Montplaisir, auditor, Cass County, N.D.

What participants learned: NACo members learned how to engage citizens when it comes to important projects such as raising funds for infrastructure needs. Topics included successful messaging and using social media to mobilize a community.

When Palm Beach County, Fla., needed to raise its county sales tax from 6 cents to 7 cents to repair infrastructure, the county invited the media on a tour to see the area’s crumbling roads and bridges. The county mayor talked to reporters while holding a chunk of concrete in her hand that had fallen off a bridge.

Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker told NACo members Sunday afternoon at a standing-room-only meeting at the session that inviting the media on the tour was just one piece of the pie that helped the sales tax pass.

The county also spent time educating voters at church, home owner associations and chambers of commerce meetings, identifying specific projects and infrastructure that would be fixed. An interactive website, onecountyonepenny.org, was created to show users where the planned renovations were located.

The county shared all of its financials with local newspapers and got an endorsement for the sales tax from the largest newspaper in town. “Transparency was paramount,” Baker said.

The tax proposal passed in November, getting just under 57 percent of the vote. The sales tax, which went into effect in January, is split between the county, 39 municipalities and the school board. The tax will sunset after 10 years or $2.7 billion, whichever comes first.

Also at Sunday’s packed meeting were Auditor Karl Keith of Montgomery County, Ohio and Auditor Michael Montplaisir of Cass County, N.D.

Keith discussed getting the word out about a serious problem: “Skimmers” being placed at gas stations, after four were found in August 2013.

Keith tackled the problem by holding “skimmer summits” for local police, gas station managers and police.

A “skimmers sweep” was held over Labor Day weekend, with 64 of the Ohio’s 88 counties participating. In all, 1,400 gas stations participated and 12,000 pumps were checked. Five skimmers were found.

“The real advantage,” Keith said, “was public awareness.” In addition to posting information on Facebook about the skimmers, 70 news stories were generated in 10 media markets.

Auditor Michael Montplaisir of Cass County, N.D. discussed getting the public on board to raise the sales tax for flood protection measures. “1997 was a big year in Grand Forks,” he said.

“The levees were breached and the city was evacuated.” Grand Forks is located about 75 miles north of Cass County. “We were saved by lousy weather,” Montplaisir said. “We survived that flood.”

But 2009 was the county’s “wake-up” call, when flooding was predicted.

“We thought we had two weeks [to prepare]. Then we were told we had six days and it would be two feet higher.” The county evacuated hospitals, nursing homes and jails.

“We needed the jailers to work during the flooding,” he said. The county bussed in volunteers and dug clay from wherever they could find it to build dikes.

They ended up saving the county. Shortly after the flood ended, a half-cent sales tax was passed with 91 percent saying “yes” to the tax. “It was kind of a desperate time,” Montplaisir said.

In later years, when the county needed to raise the sales tax again for yet more flood protection, they engaged the Chamber of Commerce and started an ad campaign, especially to reach new people who had moved to the area and weren’t there for past-years’ flooding.

Staff contact: Andrew Hartsig, ahartsig@naco.org

Cost-Saving Strategies to Improve County Economic and Energy Resilience: A Resilient Counties Forum, Managing Disasters Panel

Who spoke?

• Darry Stacy, commissioner, Cleveland County, Okla.
• Margaret Larson, Emergency Management Services, EY
• Steven G. Kral, director, senior manager, Emergency Management Services, EY
• Steve Traina, program director, economic development and disaster recovery, IBTS

What participants learned: When a disaster strikes, sometimes the aftermath is overwhelming and too much for a county to handle on its own. That’s when you call in the experts.

When Cleveland County, Okla. Commissioner Darry Stacy was elected in 2013, he had no idea he and his fellow commissioners would be dealing with the devastation of an E-5 tornado clocking 210-MPH winds in a few short months.

“It killed 24 people and did $2 billion damage — it was absolutely devastating,” he told an audience at a forum on resilient counties, July 23. 

Stacy had worked disasters before as a longtime member of the Norman, Okla. Police Department, but as an elected official, this was different, he said.

“This was going to be an ongoing process, not just a few days.”

As the county began working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies, “I soon learned we were in over our heads,” he said.

After first turning to a local engineering company but finding they were “making promises they couldn’t cash,” Stacy said, the county turned to a non-profit, IBTS, that helps when disaster strikes.

“It was one of the best decisions we made as a county,” Stacy said. The non-profit helped them maneuver through the labyrinth of red tape necessary to get the county and its residents back on their feet.

Stacy reminded the county officials in the room: “Your next election is based on your last disaster. How people recover…that’s the impression that will be left on your community.”

What you can do before disaster strikes

“When you talk about preparedness, you look at hospitals — are they prepared in terms of a crisis?” asked Steven Kral, director, senior manager, emergency management services, EY. “Are your transit systems prepared? What about your universities and school systems? Are they prepared for an active shooter situation?”

Utility systems are another area that needs to be explored. “How would you handle intrusions whether they were physical or via computer systems,” he said.

“Take a look at your pre-mitigation plans,” he advised. “Your 911 call centers — how do you keep them from being interrupted? You’ll need a generator. Be as detailed as possible.”

Margaret Larson, emergency management services, EY, said unexpected consequences from disasters, such as floating debris and trash during and after a flood, needs to be planned for in advance.

“Have standby contracts,” she said.

Kral said: “We’ve come a long way from ‘As long as the Waffle House is up and running, we’re up and running.’”

Staff contact: Jack Morgan, jmorgan@naco.org

Workforce and Labor Trends Breakfast

Who spoke?

• John Courson, president and CEO, Home Builders Institute
• Terry Green, CEO, Think Make Live
• Brian Schaitkin, senior economist, The Conference Board

What participants learned: An economist, a construction executive and a social engineer walk into a workshop and update county officials on trends in labor and workforce.

Schaitkin explained the components of the Labor Shortage Index, which measures risk that a given occupation over 10 years will experience labor shortages compared to other occupations.

“The most likely fields to experience labor shortages are the skilled trades,” he said. “Not many young people are going into the field. He said immigration could be one of the key ways to address labor shortages, particularly in healthcare and science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Courson described his organization’s Job Corps training.

“Our mantra is to take tax users and turn them into taxpayers,” he said. “Training is hands-on, and last day of training with us is just like the first day on the job with their new employer.”

At the same time, although it is vocational training, Courson saw more than that.

“I look at us as the liberal arts,” he said. “Yes, we train students and place them in jobs, but we want them to explore the career paths beyond being in the trades themselves.”

Green outlined his organization’s approach to leadership development for at-risk youth 16–24, which has participants alternate between a week of classroom instruction to finish high school or earn a GED with a week of learning skilled trades.

Green spent roughly four years in prison, and he doesn’t want trouble to permanently derail someone’s professional life.

“Just because I was incarcerated doesn’t define my life, my future, who I’m going to be tomorrow,” he said.

Staff Contact: Sanah Baig, sbaig@naco.org