National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C.            Vol. 32, No. 10 * May 29, 2000

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Baumgart takes reins as WIR president

By Mary Ann Barton
senior staff writer

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Wiring the West and managing federal forests took center stage at the 2000 Western Interstate Region Conference, held May 17–20 in Ada County (Boise), Idaho.

The conference wasn’t all policy and paperwork – the 400 delegates were also treated to a Basque street festival, a forest tour that included glimpses of grazing sheep and snow-capped mountains and a picnic next to a roaring white-water river and steaming hot springs.

Other highlights included the presentation of WIR’s prestigious Dale Sowers Award to Box Elder County (Utah) Commissioner Lee Allen at the WIR dinner May 19.

Speakers at the conference (which included an address by Republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, via satellite) delved into telecommunications, and workshop presenters zeroed in on planning issues, managing ecosystems, controlling weeds and county interest in the relicensing of dams.

WIR Board meeting
The WIR Board meeting May 17 began with a moment of silence to remember Jim Regan of Churchill County, Nev., who died of a heart attack earlier this year. He would have become WIR president this year.

Delegates elected Ronald Baumgart of Hughes County, S.D. as their new WIR president; George Enneking, Idaho County, Idaho, as WIR’s new first vice president; and John Howard, Union County, Ore., as the group’s new second vice president. Enneking also volunteered to take Regan’s place on the Telecommunications Task Force.

The group decided to hold its fall board meeting in Teton County (Jackson Hole), Wyo. in October. Yellowstone County, Mont. is being considered as the site for the 2002 WIR conference. The application process is open until June 30. The site will be decided at NACo’s next Board meeting, to be held in July in Charlotte at the Annual Conference in Mecklenburg County, N.C.

NACo Board action
The NACo Board met May 19 during the WIR conference. While the board did not have a quorum present, it took several actions to be ratified at the Annual Conference. That action included:

• Approval of Denver, Colo. as the site for the NACo Annual Conference in 2006.
• Approval of a new steering committee on Telecommunications and Technology. The Transportation and Telecommunications Steering Committee would be changed to the Transportation Steering Committee.
• Elimination of the NACo Research Foundation’s long-standing deficit and provision for future contributions to NACoRF from NACo.
• Allow expense reimbursement of airport waiting room passes and first-class upgrades for NACo officers and staff who travel frequently on NACo business.
• Temporarily suspending training expenses for NACo Executive Officers, until a policy can be established.