NACo Board approves new outreach campaign, new affiliate

Members of Congress and the Trump administration will see a refreshed media campaign by NACo in 2026, designed to elevate the visibility, influence and understanding of county government.

During its fall meeting in Wise County, Texas, the NACo Board of Directors passed a $30 million budget for 2026 that includes the first part of a three-year $3.5 million public affairs campaign called “We Are Counties.”

“We’re trying to elevate the brand of counties,” Executive Director Matt Chase said during the Dec. 5 Board meeting. “We’re not trying to market NACo. We’re trying to do public affairs-driven advocacy. We’re looking at how we educate the public, but really we want to influence policy.”

That budget will include funding for paid advertisements in critical congressional districts, supporting legislation beneficial to counties. The first materials, including a video aimed at policymakers, will be released during the Legislative Conference Feb. 21-24 in Washington, D.C. 

Other messaging platforms will include social media activation, short films and podcasts, multimedia storytelling and events integration.

Chase reflected on an exchange with then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) during negotiations for the American Rescue Plan Act that changed Chase’s understanding of the political dynamic and informed the “We Are Counties” campaign. Despite already supporting county priorities for the bill, Schumer advised NACo members to tweet their requests at him. 

“’Just [agreeing] face-to-face is no longer enough,’” Chase recalled Schumer telling him. “’You need to create an eco-system, you need to create a public pressure for me to do [what you want].’”

Membership

NACo finished the year with 2,606 members, accounting for 85% of counties, parishes and boroughs and a retention rate of 99.7% compared to the beginning of the year. More than half of the states with county governments, 26, boast 100% NACo membership, including the most recent — Nebraska. Another four states have county participation rates exceeding 90%.

NACo’s coalition of affiliates will grow in 2026, following the recognition of the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners — IACME —which boasts a membership of 2,500 death examiners, many of whom are elected coroners. 

County policy priorities

The Board also adopted 10 legislative priorities for 2026 that Chief Government Affairs Officer Mark Ritacco noted resembled prior years’ priorities, but with a significant rhetorical revision suggested by President J.D. Clark, Wise County, Texas Commissioner's Court judge.

“We attempted this year to put a more positive spin on what we are for, not necessarily what we are against,” Ritacco said. 

NACo Chief Government Affairs Officer Mark Ritacco joined NACo as deputy legislative director right as COVID-19 became a pandemic and will leave at the end of the year to work in the private sector. In the nearly six years since, he was critical in representing the county position throughout the development of several COVID-19 aid packages —  including the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 — and orienting NACo advocacy in a changing political environment.

Those county policy priorities are:

1. Strengthen the intergovernmental partnership by ensuring the county officials who deliver many of America’s most essential public services bring our frontline perspectives and on-the-ground experiences early and consistently into national policy making. By fostering collaboration among federal, state, local and tribal leaders, we help promote prevent local preemption unfunded mandates and cut through inefficiencies, leading to smarter policies and better results for our communities and residents. 

2. Pass a multi-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that supports the essential role of county-owned infrastructure and our nation's multimodal transportation system. Key county priorities include increasing access to federal formula and discretionary resources, improving project selection and planning processes and reducing project cost and timelines through common sense permitting reforms.

3. Enact a bipartisan, multi-year farm bill that strengthens rural development and infrastructure, forest and farmland health and food and energy security — improving economic opportunities and quality of life across rural America.

4. Advanced practical predictable federal investments with local flexibility so counties can deliver essential health and human services, as we strengthen the workforce, grow local economies, address the housing crisis and serve our most vulnerable residents.

5. Promote better outcomes in behavioral health, homelessness and criminal justice by removing barriers to local innovation collaboration. Expand federal incentives, flexibility and resources so counties can lead cross-sector solutions and optimize safety net services for our taxpayers and most vulnerable residents — without burdensome unfunded mandates or unnecessary policy constraints.

6. Support counties with non-taxed federal public lands by fully funding Payments in Lieu of Taxes and the Secure Rural Schools program while promoting active management, restoration, multiple use and revenue sharing for counties.

7. Preserve local decision making and authorities and land use, environmental stewardship and infrastructure development. Ensure counties are at the table and guiding investments and decisions based on community priorities, input and values and ensure meaningful county consultation and cooperation in federal land use and NEPA processes.

8. Enhance the nation’s disaster mitigation, response and recovery efforts by strengthening intergovernmental partnerships, supporting pre disaster mitigation investments, modernizing federal disaster policies including FEMA reimbursement processes and building local capacities with predictable sustained federal support.

9. Strengthen county technology capacity and readiness — AI, broadband, cybersecurity, energy, infrastructure and workforce — through federal partnerships and investments that advance our nation's competitiveness while preserving local decision-making authorities.

10. Maintain election integrity and strengthen election worker safety through intergovernmental investments in county election administration capacity.