2021 NACo Annual Conference

The U.S. Treasury has released guidance on the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, which provides $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America, as well as other crucial investments in local communities. During this moderated meeting up, participants will have the chance to discuss how they plan to invest Recovery Funds in broadband infrastructure. 

The U.S. Treasury has released guidance on the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, which provides $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America, as well as other crucial investments in local communities. During this moderated meeting up, participants will have the chance to discuss how they plan to invest Recovery Funds towards services and programs that support justice and public safety.

The U.S. Treasury has released guidance on the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, which provides $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America, as well as other crucial investments in local communities. During this meeting up, participants will have the chance to discuss and hear from others how they plan to invest Recovery Funds to support technology infrastructure.

The U.S. Treasury has released guidance on the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, which provides $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America, as well as other crucial investments in local communities. During this moderated meeting up, participants will have the chance to discuss how they plan to invest Recovery Funds  to support critical water and sewer to assist in meeting the critical need for investments and improvements to existing infrastructure.

Automation, shifting demographics, COVID-19 and increased tele-work opportunities are reshaping the workforce landscape amid shifting industry needs. Counties, through local and regional partnerships and workforce development boards, are working with public, private, and nonprofit partners to help train job seekers and connect them with local employers and higher education supports. Counties must also adapt to changing workforce environments, including remote work and the technology and security considerations that come with these changes. Join this session to learn more about these efforts, including how counties can leverage local relationships in developing the workforce of the future.

Join us for this networking and peer-learning meetup of coal-reliant and coal-impacted county leaders. Meet and interact with peers to discuss challenges, helpful resources available, and share inspiring ideas and successes to build economic resilience in coal counties across the nation.  
 

Join this meetup for an informal discussion focused on opportunities to use American Rescue Plan Act funds to support vulnerable children and families. Attendees will have an opportunity to share ideas, ask questions and collaborate on strategies to help children and families recover from the pandemic. 

The U.S. Treasury has released guidance on the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, which provides $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America, as well as other crucial investments in local communities. During this moderated meeting up, participants will have the chance to discuss how they plan to invest Recovery Funds  to support support small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join IT Standing Committee members to hear from the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) concerning DotGov updates and their perspective on recent Cyber incidents. AT&T will also be presenting the examples and innovative solutions that they have encountered over the past year in addressing the digital divide.

During COVID-19, counties have played a key role in administering programs and building systems that meet the needs of infants and toddlers. County leaders have leveraged their position and decision-making authority to support families and ensure their children have a strong foundation to learn, grow and develop. This workshop will focus on how investments in the first three years can benefit a county for years to come and the role local leaders can play in building supports and systems for young children and their families, especially as counties move forward with COVID-19 recovery. 

Highlighting NACo FSC's programs and partnerships that deliver value added solutions in the post-COVID environment. Please join us to hear about our latest initiatives. 

NACo’s Arts & Culture Committee Workshop is open to all and will showcase the work of the committee as well the critical role of the arts in local communities. Expert speakers and county leaders will present a diverse assortment of arts programming including a focus on historic preservation, the arts as a means to bridge racial and cultural divides and using ARP funds to support the arts. The committee will also honor the recipient of this year’s Public Leadership in the Arts Award in partnership with Americans for the Arts. 

Join leadership from the New York State Association of Counties as they read selections from their new book, “Our Darkest Hours: New York County Leadership and the COVID Pandemic,” and discuss key lessons learned over the last year. A limited number of book copies will available at no cost (books are compliments of NYSAC and NACo). 

Join Dr. Brenda Jones Harden (University of Maryland School of Social Work) and Dr. George Askew (Prince George's County, Md.) for an informal chat about what neuroscience research means for counties and how investing in the early years can pay off down the line. Learn about how recent research on brain development can shape local policy and systems changes and support evidence-based decision-making. Light refreshments will be served.

As vaccines became more readily available, county public health officials were tasked with ensuring distribution was achieved in an equitable manner. Counties quickly implemented programs to reach vulnerable individuals, engage vaccine-hesitant communities, and track which portions of the population were receiving the vaccine. Join this session to learn about these ongoing efforts to protect our communities against COVID-19, and to hear about lessons learned in delivering equitable public health services.
 

Approximately 2 million times per year people with serious mental illness are booked into local jails. Roughly three-quarters of these individuals also meet criteria for a co-occurring substance use disorder. Counties are increasingly using crisis triage and stabilization centers to decrease the use of incarceration when appropriate and connect people to community-based care. Join us for a moderated discussion among county officials and individuals with lived experience on developing an effective crisis continuum with a focus on facilities that screen, assess and provide treatment and warm hand-offs to long-term care.

Whatever the crisis, problem or the size of your county, there are universal principles and tactics, tried and true, to successfully telling your story. From the high profile trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin in Hennepin County, Minn. to flooding in Weld County, Colo. to wildfires in Sevier County, Tenn., you will hear from three National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) board members from large and small counties on what works. After the workshop, they will stay to answer questions. In addition, NACIO members offer professional communication advice and consult throughout the year.

Counties across the nation are employing various strategies to act on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). More than 75 counties have declared racism a public health crisis as an initial step for guiding future equity initiatives and formalizing related policies; however, these declarations are not the only way to advance equity and may not be right for your jurisdiction. This session will explore five key themes to consider along a spectrum of county DEI strategies, from establishing dedicated offices to starting small with community engagement.

Across the country, states are beginning to reach settlements on opioid litigation. Many of these agreements will allocate funding directly to state, county, and municipal governments. Join this session to learn about the latest on settlements in your state, how funds can be used, and best practices for stemming the substance use epidemic.

Counties across the nation have made rapid shifts in service delivery to keep pace with longstanding and emergent community needs. Whether it be public health, behavioral health or public safety, engaged communities are the cornerstone of maintaining transformative work. Join us to learn about effective approaches for public engagement to inform planning efforts, improve community buy-in, and strengthen the relationship between counties and residents.   

County News Digital Editor and Senior Writer Charlie Ban discusses County News, NACo's flagship newspaper, celebrating its 53rd year in print and how to get your county news into the paper. Q&A will follow with the authors of "Our Darkest Hours," a look at how county officials in New York responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and podcaster David Martin of "The Good Goverment Show."

For counties in most states, property taxes constitute a majority of operating revenues on an annual basis. Several major trends have the potential to impact property values and assessments over the next five to ten years. This session will address challenges to property assessments for large commercial retail stores and discuss how county leaders can help residents navigate an extremely hot housing market and discuss solutions county leaders can implement to address housing supply and demand challenges.

Now that the U.S. Treasury has begun distributing Fiscal Recovery Funds authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), counties across the country are eager to invest this funding to support our residents and communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the ARP, counties may use Recovery Funds for the provision of “government services” to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to COVID-19. Join NACo staff for a demo of a new revenue loss calculator tool that counties can use to calculate your county's revenue loss and discussion on how to invet these funds.