NACo members explore adding a midsize county caucus

Key Takeaways

One county official took a line right out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, likening a potential new county caucus catering to the needs of midsize counties as “just right.” 

She was one of many county officials March 2 who packed a room at the Legislative Conference at the inaugural meeting of the Midsize County Caucus Exploratory Committee. The meeting brought together county leaders to discuss the distinct challenges and opportunities facing midsize counties across the nation. 

The session focused on establishing key priorities and objectives to guide the caucus’s efforts in advocating for the unique needs of midsize communities.

“I think a programming track dealing with our midsized counties is going to be welcome,” said Boone County, Ky. Judge/Executive Gary Moore, chair of the exploratory committee.

“I think there is a place for this conversation, for midsize counties straddling both rural and urban,” said Guilford County, N.C. Commissioner Carly Cooke, vice-chair. 

“I think it’s time, and I’m very appreciative of not just NACo but my colleagues,” said Berks County, Pa. Commissioner Christian Leinbach, vice-chair.

County officials took turns at the meeting describing their counties that are hybrid mixes of urban, rural and suburban. 

Loudoun County, Va. Board Chair-at-Large Phyllis Randall noted that while her county has 440,000 residents, “two-thirds of our county by landmass is rural. But another part of my county is very, very tech-heavy. Sixty-five percent of the world’s Internet traffic travels through Loudoun County.” Randall noted that if the new caucus becomes a reality, she’d like to zero in on growth, housing, broadband, workforce development and economic development.

Other priorities that came up at the meeting included air quality, tourism, climate change, homelessness, energy issues and more.

One theme that bubbled to the surface was that many of the counties represented in the room are challenged by being a “bridge” county, trying to solve issues between rural and urban areas.

In addition to the challenges they hope to tackle as a caucus, the meeting March 2 also explored how the caucus might be structured. 

NACo Legislative Director Brett Mattson said some of that would be hammered out by NACo with input from the exploratory committee members. If the new caucus is approved, it could hold an inaugural meeting as soon as July, at the NACo Annual Conference in Philadelphia.

“The room is completely full,” he said, “it’s a great sign for an exploratory meeting.”