County News

Intergovernmental Affairs

County News

Appropriations to dominate fall legislative agenda

As 2019 winds down, both Congress and the White House have a long to-do list, with FY 2020 appropriations and major program reauthorizations topping the agenda. County priorities – ranging from human services to disaster recovery – will be at the center of these negotiations.

Justice & Public Safety

County News

Potential Area 51 gathering concerns Lincoln County, Nev. officials

If thousands of people fascinated by Area 51 show up in Lincoln Count, Nev. in September, county officials would much rather see them in one place for a music festival, rather than trying to "storm the gates" of an Air Force base.
Resiliency

Drone shots show the flooding of North Carolina Highway 12 in Hyde County, N.C. Photo courtesy the North Carolina Department of Transportation

County News

Hurricane Dorian: Coastal counties face flooding, power outages

Dare and Currituck counties in North Carolina faced flooding and wind damage from Hurricane Dorian.
Intergovernmental Affairs

NACo CEO/Executive Director Matt Chase welcomes attendees at the 2019 NACo-NCCAE Knowledge Management Forum held at NACo headquarters. Photo by Hugh Clarke

County News

County state associations prioritize legislative issues

NACo staff and personnel from state associations of counties tackled common issues at the Knowledge Management Forum.
Leadership

Erie County Council Chairman Fiore Leone leads a county council meeting in Fairview Township, Pa. Photo by Rachel Looker

County News

Erie County’s Fiore Leone recalls four decades of service

Fiore Leone has been an Erie County, Pa. council member for nearly 42 years – as long as the Erie County Council has existed.
Transportation & Infrastructure

Montgomery County, Md. Executive Marc Elrich steps off a Flex microtransit bus. Photo courtesy of Montgomery County

County News

On-call service spreads transit opportunities

Instead of subsidizing Uber and Lyft, some counties are combining shuttle buses with smartphone apps to offer their own microtransit services.
Public Lands

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) discusses his proposal to reauthorize the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program for 10 years during a Sept. 11 Capitol Hill briefing. Photo by Hugh Clarke

County News

Robust crowd turns out to advocate for PILT, SRS

A robust crowd of county officials turned out to talk to members of Congress about PILT, Secure Rural Schools

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Resiliency

Reports & Toolkits

County News Hot Topic: Preventing Disasters: How prepared is your county for an emergency?

Threats are growing and the world changes, but counties likewise display the creativity and insight needed to prepare for natural and manmade disasters.
Western Interstate Region

County News

Western county officials flow into Spokane for WIR 2019

Speakers from the U.S. departments of Interior and Agriculture updated attendees on their agendas and Washington state officials showed how things were done in the Evergreen State.
Environment

Reports & Toolkits

County News Spotlight: Environment and Energy

County News takes a closer look at environment and energy issues that counties are facing.
Telecommunications & Technology

Reports & Toolkits

County News Spotlight: Rural Broadband

For rural counties, broadband internet supports commerce, medicine, agriculture and educational opportunities that even the playing field in attracting and retaining residents and steadying economic health.

The Latest

Civic Engagement

Blog

This Week in Photos: Sept. 15 – 21

Photos from Washington, D.C. and counties across the country.
Land Use

Blog

House approves legislation limiting offshore drilling

On September 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two measures that would prohibit offshore oil and gas drilling along much of the nation’s coastal shores. Primarily supported by Democrats, both bills received bipartisan support, however, some Democrats opposed the legislation.
Land Use

Blog

EPA and Army Corps move to limit state authorities under the Clean Water Act

On August 8, the EPA announced a proposed rule that would revise Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), which gives states the responsibility to “certify” that proposed projects meet water quality standards.
Agriculture

Blog

USDA announces $3 billion in disaster aid for farmers

On September 9, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $3 billion in aid would be made available to famers who incurred losses from recent natural disasters.
Transportation & Infrastructure

County News

Rail safety facility draws NACo members

Members of the Transportation Steering Committee saw research and training facility that guides railroad safety measures.
Telecommunications & Technology

County News

Balancing Data Privacy in a Day of Convenience

I recently had the opportunity to watch The Great Hack, a Netflix documentary that came out in late July that is about the Cambridge Analytica scandal involving citizen data and elections. If you haven’t watched it, I highly encourage you to do so.
Environment

Blog

Administration releases final rule to repeal the 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule

On September 12, the Trump Administration released a final rule to repeal the 2015 “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) definition and reinstate the pre-2015 WOTUS definition from 1986.
Civic Engagement

Blog

This Week in Photos: Sept. 8 – 14

Photos from Washington, D.C. and counties across the country.
Corporate Engagement

Blog

How to Fix Land Development Pain Points

Physical land is a county’s most valuable – and finite – resource. Developing land comes with pain points and risk. How much revenue, for example, will a developed parcel generate in the near and long-term future? What type of maintenance and service will new infrastructure require?
Community & Economic Development

Blog

HUD awards $75 million to support local youth housing programs

On September 3, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it will award $75 million in Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) grants to 23 local communities to support innovative programs aimed at ending youth homelessness.
Community & Economic Development

Blog

Public comment period opens for Opportunity Zones planning

On September 3, the Economic Development Administration released a Request for Information on opportunity zone planning and will accept public comments on the proposal
Civic Engagement

Blog

This Week in Photos: Sept. 1 – 7

Photos from Washington, D.C. and counties across the country.