 National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C. Vol. 31, No. 12 * June 21, 1999 Previous story | Table of Contents | Next story
With more than 50 workshops on topics ranging from animal control to the Internet, there are some hard choices to be made. To help you along, County News staff has prepared this list of "Good Bets." It is by no means exhaustive, and we still recommend that you review your conference program once you get to St. Louis, but in the meantime, you may find these workshops as intriguing as we did. In the light of t increased violence in our nation’s schools, "Kids Killing Kids: Blueprints for Preventing Juvenile Violence," is a likely Good Bet. Scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m. this workshop will present the results of a comprehensive study of juvenile crime prevention and intervention programs conducted by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. Tax-exempt organizations play vital roles in a community’s well being. No one will dispute that. Yet, the loss in tax revenue to counties can be significant. This workshop, "Are Tax-Exempt Organizations Paying Their Way?" Sunday, 3:15 p.m., examines this sensitive issue and presents some innovative ways some governments are recouping the lost revenue. Courts have been steadily chipping away at traditional local government authority over land use. Armed with the Constitution’s "takings" clause, property rights activists have successfully challenged county government zoning decisions across the country. At "Protecting Local Land Use Authority," Sunday, 3:15 p.m., speakers will give tips about avoiding takings liability though adopting prudent processes and legal techniques. Speaking of local land use, Sunday’s 3:15 p.m. time slot is also home to "Successful Farmland Preservation Programs," a must-attend for officials seeking to keep their counties alive with green space. Now here’s a great way to follow up Monday morning’s opening general session – "Laughter Becomes You"–a workshop that explores how you can use humor to diffuse tension and make life a whole lot better for you and everyone around you. The workshop begins at 11 a.m. Discovering patterns in crime incidents or evolving housing patterns are just two of the practical applications that geographic information systems (GIS) can bring to your government operations. Come find out more at "Decision Support Tools for Human Service & Public Safety," Monday 11 a.m. The deterioration of inner-ring suburbs has many counties scrambling for answers. You can find some at "Commercial Revitalization of Inner Ring Suburbs," workshop, Monday at 11 a.m. Or if you’re more concerned about getting your newest residents off to a good start, you can try "Prenatal and Early Childhood Home Visitation Programs," also on Monday at 11 a.m. A Hampton, Va. partnership claims impressive success with reducing child abuse and welfare caseloads through its social services, health and library network. "Why Collaborate? Counties and Cities Working Together for a More Livable Future," at 11 a.m. will walk participants through the basics of gaining community consensus with special emphasis on community visioning initiatives and county-city partnerships. County officials will hear from professional and county experts in the field of collaboration building and receive the tools to begin their own strategy to increase citizen input into their counties’ future. In the global economy, a well-trained smart workforce is as critical as good infrastructure. Find out how the latest federal legislation on workforce development will affect how your county delivers training and employment services at "Investing in Your Workforce: New Strategies to Address Old Problems," Monday, 1:45 p.m. Monday afternoon’s workshop block also features Jefferson County (Colo.) Board Chair John P. Stone who will talk about how his office dealt with the media in the aftermath of the Columbine High School shootings. Stone will speak at "Stopping a Media Fire Before It Starts," at 1:45 p.m. Round off your workshop experience on Tuesday morning with a bit of financial intelligence. "Financing Alternatives for Capital and Equipment Purchases," at 10:15 a.m., should give you the tools to make your county a little wiser and more flexible in financing those big-ticket items. |
