A guard - possibly with the name Rover or Spot - is watching over inmates in MARICOPA COUNTY. Last month, Sheriff Joe Arpaio began sending German shepherd dogs, wearing security cameras and microphones, to patrol the perimeters of two "tent cities" that house about 1,000 inmates. The canines are trained to watch for escapes and fights.
The dogs will also be equipped with antennas to pick up conversations and "gather intelligence," the sheriff told the Associated Press.
A U.S. News and World Report item - "Washington Whispers," May 26 - claims that a visit from the LOS ANGELES COUNTY Board of Supervisors with Vice President Al Gore last month may have sealed the current budget deal. The supervisors pressed Gore for restoration of medical and disability benefits to legal immigrants and the elimination of a cap on Medicaid spending. When the budget deal was done, both Democrats and Republicans had signed on to the L.A. provisions. Gore, the article claimed, called the supervisors to let them know that their visit had made an impact. California has 54 electoral votes, U.S. News and World Report also pointed out.
Church volunteers from the World Changers Church International announced last week they plan to provide a variety of human services to residents of a housing community in FULTON COUNTY.
The group plans to "adopt" the community through a program it calls Project Change. With the theme of "Putting Unity Back in Community," services will include teen outreach, clothing and food distribution, transportation to church and other sites, job training and placement, educational assistance and tutoring.
The services will supplement existing programs, managed by the Housing Authority of Fulton County.
A broken water main caused a flood in the COOK COUNTY building May 25. Six inches of water damaged some birth, death and marriage records, but most of the four million records were unharmed, according to The Washington Post.
BIG HORN COUNTY has no plans to set aside funds to pay an $11.4 million judgment to the Crow Tribe, according to the Montana Association of Counties. The county hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will agree to hear an appeal of a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in the coal severance tax case. The county believes the state should pay the county's share of the judgment if the Supreme Court declines to hear the case or rules against the state.
The Nebraska Legislature has passed a bill allowing counties to accept credit, debit and charge cards. Under the bill, counties may choose to accept these cards for taxes, licenses, fees and other payments, according to the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO), which requested that the bill be introduced.
TILLAMOOK COUNTY Commissioner Sue Cameron was honored last month at the White House for her work on the national Teen Pregnancy Prevention Campaign.
Cameron, one of 12 honorees, met with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to discuss Tillamook County's successful efforts to reduce teen pregnancy by almost 75 percent from 1990 to 1994.
The county program's theme is "Unity of goal; diversity of means," that is, those who are working to reduce teen pregnancies "agree to disagree" on the methods of reducing teen pregnancy, but agree on the goal.
(For information on the program, call 503/842-3403.)
FAIRFAX COUNTY is considering a plan that would lower property taxes to revitalize older areas in the county. Under the proposed program, qualified owners would receive real estate tax credits for the rehabilitation, renovation or replacement of buildings that are at least 25 years old. The improvements must increase the assessed value by at least 25 percent. The same would apply to commercial structures, except the value must be increased by 40 percent.
The proposed credit equals the value of taxes on the incremental increase of assessed value of the improvement, and would be applied annually for 10 years to the owner's real estate tax assessment.
(For more information, call the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development at 703/246-5103 or view a copy of the draft amendment on the Fairfax County Web site: <www.co.fairfax.va.us>.)
According to an article in The (Tacoma) News Tribune, PIERCE COUNTY Executive Donald Sutherland is considering a run for the U.S. Senate. Sutherland would participate in next year's Republican primary, challenging the seat now held by Democrat Patty Murray.
Sutherland, a moderate, is chairman of the Mainstream Republicans of Washington.
The newspaper contacted Sutherland while he was in Hawaii, where he was
attending NACo's Western Interstate Region conference.
(News From the Nation's Counties is compiled by Mary Ann Barton, senior staff writer.)
Does your county have news it would like to share? Mail it to County
News, 440 First St., NW, Washington, DC 20001 or contact Barton at 202/942-4210
or mbarton@naco.org.