
Ginger Delegal, executive director of the Florida Association of Counties and Eric Johnson, executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties discuss how states are tackling county priorities at NACo’s 2020 Legislative Conference in Washington D.C. Photo by Denny Henry
Error message
In order to filter by the "in queue" property, you need to add the Entityqueue: Queue relationship.-
County NewsAs creatures of the state, county government operations are tightly linked to what happens in the capitol.State governments’ actions affect county operations
-
County News Article
State governments’ actions affect county operations
From opioids to housing to rural broadband, county officials at NACo’s 2020 Legislative Conference discussed how some states’ actions are affecting county priorities.
When it comes to opioids and litigation, states are taking more of a behavioral health perspective and recognizing the co-occurring disorders between mental health and chemical dependency, said Eric Johnson, executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties.
In 2019, Washington had 776 deaths from opioids and 531 from methamphetamines.
“I think that has merged into this whole concept of whole health and that this is a treatment of a medical condition as much as it is about just behavioral health,” Johnson said.
For example, he described how the state of Washington is seeing a connection between substance use disorders and homelessness issues.
“If you can’t keep someone housed first, it’s very difficult to be able to understand how you’re going to provide treatment because if they’re not in a safe, healthy, home environment, the last thing on their mind frankly is how to deal with either a mental health issue or chemical dependency issue,” he said.
Johnson added that Washington has been working to do more in this area out of the criminal justice system, such as embedding social workers with law enforcement.
When discussing county revenues and the state government’s impacts on county revenue streams, Ginger Delegal, executive director of the Florida Association of Counties, explained that there are multiple examples of restrictions on county-imposed sources of taxation in Florida.
“Many states around the country are feeling the impacts of state legislatures creating additional restrictions and limitations on property taxes,” she said.
Florida counties face challenges when there are additional restrictions coming from the state legislature that are placed upon the only primary local government revenue source, she noted. Delegal said other restrictions are placed on taxes that are state-authorized taxes, but imposed at the local level, such as gas taxes, tourist development taxes and surtaxes on sales tax revenue.
“We’re seeing an entire swath of additional restrictions on these areas and it’s taking the form of increasing the voting thresholds for when your county commission may take one of these approval questions to the electorate,” she said.
North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Executive Director Kevin Leonard moved on to discuss how states are working with counties in North Carolina on broadband access.
Rural broadband deployment and infrastructure is the number one legislative issue for North Carolina counties, he said. Due to a variety of topography issues with mountains, beaches and wide-open areas, it makes providing broadband there difficult. “Our objective in North Carolina is to change the laws so counties can use funding to build infrastructure,” Leonard said.
He explained that counties there have no desire to provide service, but want to take their funding and work with the private sector to get broadband access to underserved and unserved locations.
“The major distinction is that electricity/energy is federally regulated, and broadband is not,” he said. “It is not a utility, although we think of it as a utility, it is not.”
Leonard said North Carolina is attempting to change the process so counties can put requests for proposals out to small providers who want to provide service in unserved areas, but don’t have funds to build the infrastructure. With changes made, counties would be able to provide the infrastructure.
“We’re trying to flip the paradigm on the front process of just trying to get the internet out,” he said. “We’re trying to take advantage of the fact that fundamentally, it is a free market process and it is not a regulated industry from the federal level.”
As creatures of the state, county government operations are tightly linked to what happens in the capitol.2020-03-02County News Article2023-04-11
From opioids to housing to rural broadband, county officials at NACo’s 2020 Legislative Conference discussed how some states’ actions are affecting county priorities.
When it comes to opioids and litigation, states are taking more of a behavioral health perspective and recognizing the co-occurring disorders between mental health and chemical dependency, said Eric Johnson, executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties.
In 2019, Washington had 776 deaths from opioids and 531 from methamphetamines.
“I think that has merged into this whole concept of whole health and that this is a treatment of a medical condition as much as it is about just behavioral health,” Johnson said.
For example, he described how the state of Washington is seeing a connection between substance use disorders and homelessness issues.
“If you can’t keep someone housed first, it’s very difficult to be able to understand how you’re going to provide treatment because if they’re not in a safe, healthy, home environment, the last thing on their mind frankly is how to deal with either a mental health issue or chemical dependency issue,” he said.
Johnson added that Washington has been working to do more in this area out of the criminal justice system, such as embedding social workers with law enforcement.
When discussing county revenues and the state government’s impacts on county revenue streams, Ginger Delegal, executive director of the Florida Association of Counties, explained that there are multiple examples of restrictions on county-imposed sources of taxation in Florida.
“Many states around the country are feeling the impacts of state legislatures creating additional restrictions and limitations on property taxes,” she said.
Florida counties face challenges when there are additional restrictions coming from the state legislature that are placed upon the only primary local government revenue source, she noted. Delegal said other restrictions are placed on taxes that are state-authorized taxes, but imposed at the local level, such as gas taxes, tourist development taxes and surtaxes on sales tax revenue.
“We’re seeing an entire swath of additional restrictions on these areas and it’s taking the form of increasing the voting thresholds for when your county commission may take one of these approval questions to the electorate,” she said.
North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Executive Director Kevin Leonard moved on to discuss how states are working with counties in North Carolina on broadband access.
Rural broadband deployment and infrastructure is the number one legislative issue for North Carolina counties, he said. Due to a variety of topography issues with mountains, beaches and wide-open areas, it makes providing broadband there difficult. “Our objective in North Carolina is to change the laws so counties can use funding to build infrastructure,” Leonard said.
He explained that counties there have no desire to provide service, but want to take their funding and work with the private sector to get broadband access to underserved and unserved locations.
“The major distinction is that electricity/energy is federally regulated, and broadband is not,” he said. “It is not a utility, although we think of it as a utility, it is not.”
Leonard said North Carolina is attempting to change the process so counties can put requests for proposals out to small providers who want to provide service in unserved areas, but don’t have funds to build the infrastructure. With changes made, counties would be able to provide the infrastructure.
“We’re trying to flip the paradigm on the front process of just trying to get the internet out,” he said. “We’re trying to take advantage of the fact that fundamentally, it is a free market process and it is not a regulated industry from the federal level.”

-
Blog
The County Countdown – September 13, 2023
Every other week, NACo’s County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. Watch the video and explore NACo resources below on some of the top issues we are covering this week. -
Webinar
Earmarks: What Rural Counties Need to Know to Get Started
Sep. 12, 2023 , 1:00 pm – 2:00 pmCongress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending (often referred to as earmarks) in early 2021. Since then, hundreds of county governments have secured billions of dollars in funding during the last three funding cycles. -
Blog
NACo sends letter to congressional leadership urging prioritization of county activities in FY 2024 appropriations
NACo has sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to prioritize federal investments in crucial local government activities through the FY 2024 appropriations process. -
Webinar
Update on the Amended Waters of the U.S. Rule
Sep. 11, 2023 , 3:00 pm – 4:00 pmOn August 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) issued a final rule amending the 2023 definition of “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) to conform with the U.S. Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) decision in Sackett v. EPA. -
County News
White House Advisor Tom Perez to county officials: ‘Let’s keep the momentum going’
Formerly a Montgomery County, Md. Council member, Tom Perez is now the White House director of intergovernmental affairs -
County News
Build relationships with state legislators, media to avoid local government preemption laws
Building relationships with state representatives and the press is the way to ensure counties still have a seat at the table amid the national rise in state preemption bills, according to county state association directors.
-
Webinar
Supreme Court Preview for Local Governments: 2023-2024 Term
October 31, 2023 , 1:00 pm – 2:00 pmHosted by the Local Government Legal Center (LGLC), join legal experts in a discussion of the new Supreme Court term and what decisions local governments should watch. The Supreme Court will rule on several major cases this term, including on issues related to:10311:00 pm<p>Hosted by the Local Government Legal Center (LGLC), join legal experts in a discussion of the new Supreme Court term and what decisions local governments should watch. The Supreme Court will rule on several major cases thi
-
Reports & Toolkits
American Rescue Plan Resource Hub
In March of 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 authorized the $350 billion State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund (Recovery Fund), which provided $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America.Reports & Toolkitsdocument03092:00 pmReports & Toolkits<p>In March of 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 authorized the $350 billion State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund (Recovery Fund), which provided $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to
-
Basic page
Finance, Pensions & Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee
All matters pertaining to the financial resources of counties, fiscal management, federal assistance, municipal borrowing, county revenues, federal budget, federal tax reform, elections and Native American issues. Policy Platform & Resolutions 2023-2024 2023 NACo Legislative Prioritiespagepagepage<p>All matters pertaining to the financial resources of counties, fiscal management, federal assistance, municipal borrowing, county revenues, federal budget, federal tax reform, elections and Native American issues.</p>
Contact
Related Resources
-
Blog
The County Countdown – September 13, 2023
Every other week, NACo’s County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. Watch the video and explore NACo resources below on some of the top issues we are covering this week. -
Blog
NACo sends letter to congressional leadership urging prioritization of county activities in FY 2024 appropriations
NACo has sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to prioritize federal investments in crucial local government activities through the FY 2024 appropriations process. -
County News
White House Advisor Tom Perez to county officials: ‘Let’s keep the momentum going’
Formerly a Montgomery County, Md. Council member, Tom Perez is now the White House director of intergovernmental affairs
-
Reports & Toolkits
Intergovernmental Roles and Responsibilities in Disaster Resilience
County governments across America play a critical role in preparing for or recovering from major disaster events. Since 1980, the United States has experienced 363 weather or climate related disaster events that have cost under $2.6 trillion dollars and taken the lives of 15,971 people. -
Press Release
Counties Encouraged by White House Action on Mental Health Parity
County leaders invited to White House for announcement of new proposed rule -
Press Release
Counties Support Bipartisan Legislation Reforming the National Flood Insurance Program
NACo today issued a statement of support for bicameral, bipartisan legislation reforming the National Flood Insurance Program.
Related Events
-
31Oct2023Webinar
Supreme Court Preview for Local Governments: 2023-2024 Term
Oct. 31, 2023 , 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
More From
-
Strengthening Local Economies through the Recovery Fund: Executive Summary
NACo's report examines how counties are leveraging American Rescue Plan resources to support communities and rebuild the economy, even as the pandemic continues to affect jobs, public health, housing, and more.
Learn More