CHALLENGES MOUNT, PARTNERSHIPS POWER WESTERN COUNTIES - National Association of Counties
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
SEE MORE WIR ONLINE TECH TRAINING CYBER SECURITY MONTH:
CONFERENCE PHOTOS, ATTRACTS THOUSANDS HERE’S HOW TO SHARE
COVERAGE. PGS. 5-8 OF SENIORS. PG. 11 YOUR KNOWLEDGE. PG.13
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES VOL. 53, NO. 18 OCTOBER 25, 2021
CHALLENGES MOUNT,
PARTNERSHIPS POWER
WESTERN COUNTIES
by Charlie Ban WIR conference in Mariposa
senior writer County, Calif. figured into meet-
ings and workshops, program-
Under welcome rainy skies, ming focused on longstanding
county officials from parched existential threats unique to the
and wildfire-threatened coun- two rural constituencies that
ties met earlier this month in largely saw their low popula-
Salt Lake County, Utah for the tion density as a defense against
2021 Western Interstate Region the spread of COVID-19. And
Conference, joined by NACo’s the threat posed by continued
Rural Action Caucus Sympo- drought was a constant topic.
sium. “Figuring out how to work
The conference, held Oct. 13- with more limited resources with
15, was the first in-person meet- more people has been a huge
ing for the groups since 2019, challenge,” Brian Steed said of
2021 WIR officers pause in Salt Lake County (l-r): Mark Whitney, president, Beaver County, Utah;
and while the pandemic that John Espy, second vice president, Carbon County, Wyo.; Daniel Joyce, first vice president, Malheur
forced cancelation of the 2020 See WIR page 6 County, Ore. and Greg Chilcott, immediate past president, Ravalli County, Mont. Photo by Hugh Clarke
Remembering a leader: was awarded the Purple Heart,
the Bronze Star and the Soldier’s
A year later, 2020 hangs
General Colin Powell Medal for rescuing fellow ser-
vice members from a burning
over county elections
helicopter crash from which he, by Charlie Ban
by Tim Rahschulte supported the NACo High Per- too, was injured. senior writer is rotten in Phoenix.
formance Leadership Academy Throughout his life, Powell “I try to approach this all as
Long before he was a four-star to make leaders better and in so received more than a dozen mil- Every hour he spends deal- noise — I have a job to do and
general, Colin Powell was a lead- doing build stronger counties itary awards, accommodations, ing with the past is one Jack that’s where my focus is, so I
er. He was a leader while attend- for a stronger America. and decorations. He has also Sellers can’t spend working continue to attend all the same
ing City College of New York; a He passed away Oct. 18 due to been awarded two Presidential on the future. As the chair- meetings, all the same func-
commander of his Reserve Offi- complications from COVID-19. Medals of Freedom, the Pres- man of the Maricopa County, tions, everything I always did,”
cers’ Training Corps unit’s drill Fully immunized, his immune ident’s Citizen Medal and the Ariz. Board of Supervisors, he Sellers said. “I’m just trying to
team. He was commissioned as system was compromised due to Congressional Gold Medal. has led the county’s pushback keep things as normal as pos-
a second lieutenant in the U.S. treatment for multiple myeloma. His focus to make leaders against criticism that prompt- sible.”
Army. He served two tours of A trailblazer, Powell served as better is captured in his book, ed a lengthy audit that ended But how much do those
Vietnam combat. the country’s first Black national It Worked For Me: In Life And up confirming the results. goals conflict?
Beyond his military creden- security adviser, chairman of the Leadership and throughout the He’d rather focus on long- “Not only has what’s gone on
tials, Powell served on a num- Joint Chiefs of Staff and secre- NACo High Performance Lead- term infrastructure planning and on and on with the elec-
ber of corporate boards, helped tary of state. ership Academy. to ensure the county’s prosper- tion challenges been frustrat-
non-profit organizations and For leadership and service he Nearly two-thirds of counties ity, years down the road, but ing, but I can’t help but keep
across the country have leaders he can’t ignore attacks on the thinking that the same people
who have graduated from the foundation of representative that we are in arguments with
NACo HPLA and learned direct- democracy or his county’s rep- right now are the people I have
ly from Powell. utation. So, he travels to Wash- to work with to accomplish
It is with grief and sadness ington, D.C. to testify before what I need for infrastructure
that we experience his passing, the House Oversight and Re- improvements and those types
but it is with gratitude and per- form Committee. He responds of things.”
petual optimism that we cele- to the state Senate’s accusa- Sellers also noted that most
tions. He engages with individ-
See POWELL page 4 uals who are certain something See ELECTIONS page 2
2 OCTOBER 25, 2021 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS
After 2020 election: ‘It’s a year after, but it still feels like the day after’
From ELECTIONS page 1
of the noise about the election’s
integrity has come from polit-
ical candidates angling ahead
of their races, far outnumber-
ing the feedback he has gotten
from private citizens.
Some state Legislatures have
been startled by the noise and
are reacting reflexively, like in
Iowa, where county auditors
may no longer mail out absen-
tee ballot request forms, dead-
lines are moved up and voting
hours are shortened.
“Because of allegations of
misconduct in other states,
our Legislature passed laws
that made it look like we were
breaking laws willy-nilly,” said
Grant Veeder, Black Hawk
County, Iowa’s auditor. Jack Sellers, chairman of the Maricopa County, Ariz. Board of Supervisors, fields reporters’ questions. He has largely handled the coun-
A member of the Pennsylva- ty’s public response to unfounded allegations of improper administration of the 2020 election. Photo by Fields Moseley
nia Senate was inspired by the
Arizona audit and requested decommissioning, with no re- ing election misinformation, we’re getting feedback from.” for people, before they’re filled
access to voting machines from imbursement from the state and has been barred by a judge In Hoffman’s estimation, in by people who don’t work in
three counties, all of which de- to replace them. At the same from overseeing November’s public health restrictions elections,” she said.
clined. Pennsylvania’s secre- time, the clerk and recorder in election. during the COVID-19 pandem- Then there are the threats.
tary of state ruled that allowing Mesa County, Colo. has done “It’s a year after, but it still ic affected people’s view of the Friends alerted Hoffman to
unauthorized access to voting just that, after involvement feels like the day after,” said Lisa election system. some online postings about
machines will result in their with organizations disseminat- Schaefer, executive director of “We lost the personal touch, her. While it did not add up
the County Commissioners As- where people would speak to to actionable intelligence, the
sociation of Pennsylvania. an election worker in person,” county sheriff has sent regular
“Short of changing the re- she said. “They didn’t have patrols past her house to check
sults, I’m not sure what we can someone help them vote in up on her safety.
do to convince folks that we ran person, and we weren’t able Sellers has police protection
a good fair accurate election.” to get out to schools, home- too, though as a widower who
Yavapai County, Ariz. Re- owners’ associations, Kiwanis lives alone, he is more con-
IT’S BAT corder Leslie Hoffman said the Clubs and be part of the com- cerned for county supervisors
WEEK! facts, such as the legal separa- munity. In a presidential elec- with families to protect. The
(OCT. 24-31)
tion of responsibilities that pre- tion year, we’d be somewhere sheriff told him to install a
vents her from participating in every day leading up to Elec- doorbell camera to add a layer
parts of the elections process, tion Day.” of security to his house, partic-
5
often get little traction with the Missouri county clerks have ularly after answering the door
more passionate of her skep- invited legislators to observe following irate knocking by a
tics. county elections operations, stranger.
TOP BAT LOCATIONS “They don’t want to accept to see how they’re done, and “I talked to him for 20 min-
the truth,” she said. “They don’t the steps clerks take to verify utes and at the end, he said ‘I
TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS.................... MEXICAN FREE-TAILED BAT have any interest in knowing security in hopes of proactive- still have unanswered ques-
COMAL COUNTY, TEXAS.................... MEXICAN FREE-TAILED BAT we saved $43,000 in return ly fending off laws that would tions, but at least I’m now con-
postage last year because peo- limit their authority. Scotland vinced that you’re an honest,
DICKINSON COUNTY, MICH.................................... BROWN BAT
ple used drop boxes. And a lot County Clerk Batina Dodge quality guy and I take back any
EDDY COUNTY, N.M......................... BRAZILIAN FREE-TAILED BAT of times, we get mail about the said that initiative could help bad thing I’ve ever said about
MARION COUNTY, TENN..............................................GRAY BAT election from people who don’t start a more informed conver- you,” Sellers said. “My chief of
Source: Sierra Magazine, The Sierra Club
even live in Yavapai County, so sation. staff said, ‘One down, 1.8 mil-
it’s not always our residents “We can help fill in the blanks lion to go.’”
President Editor and ADVERTISING STAFF Published by: The appearance of paid advertisements in County POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
Larry Johnson Senior Writer National Association of Counties News in no way implies support or endorsement County News, 660 N. Capitol Street, N.W.
Job Market/Classifieds
Publisher Mary Ann Barton Research Foundation, Inc. by the National Association of Counties for any of STE. 400, Washington, D.C. 20001
representative the products, services or messages advertised.
Matthew Chase Digital Editor 660 N. Capitol Street, N.W. STE. 400,
National Accounts Periodicals postage paid at Washington D.C. and (USPS 704-620) n (ISSN: 0744-9798)
Chief Public and Senior Writer Washington, D.C. 20001
representative other offices. © National Association of Counties
Affairs Officer Charlie Ban 202.393.6226 | FAX 866.752.1573 Research Foundation, Inc.
Brian Namey Staff Writer Mary Ann Barton E-mail cnews@naco.org Mail subscriptions are $100 per year for non-mem-
Rachel Looker 202.942.4223 Online address www.countynews.org bers. $60 per year for non-members purchasing
FAX 866.752.1573 multiple copies. Educational institution rate, $50 per
Design Director
year. Member county supplemental subscriptions
Leon Lawrence III
are $20 each. Send payment with order and address
changes to NACo, 660 N. Capitol Street, N.W. STE.
400, Washington, D.C. 20001.
We are committed to getting County News on your desktop ASAP. Send your address corrections to cnews@naco.org.
COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES OCTOBER 25, 2021 3
County clerks ‘pull back the curtain’ on elections
by Rachel Looker San Mateo’s committees re-
staff writer view election programs and
recommend outreach efforts.
After receiving an unprec- The groups are comprised
edented level of interest and of stakeholders, communi-
scrutiny in elections and elec- ty-based organizations and
tion administration following advocacy groups.
the 2020 presidential election, “Everyone is invited to the
Utah County, Utah, Clerk Josh table,” he said.
Daniels decided to open his Irizarry said he has seen
doors. an increased interest in vot-
Daniels hosted a first-of-its- ing integrity and transparen-
kind event in the county: An cy during the last election by
election open house. elections integrity projects and
The event allowed the public other groups ensuring the elec-
to see what goes into running toral process is transparent.
an election and find out about “But that’s in our DNA, way
the technical details behind before the heightened interest
election administration. that’s here now,” he said.
“It became clear that in or- He described how the coun-
der to improve public faith Elections staff in San Mateo County, Calif. stand next to an official ballot drop box. The ballots are ty has had an “open-door” pol-
and confidence in the election regularly collected by staff with two-person integrity and custody logs rechecked at each stage of the icy and encourages residents
system, we needed to become process. Photo courtesy of San Mateo County Office of the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer to observe the elections pro-
more transparent and more cess to walk through different
proactive in communicating to from the beginning to end and Elections Officer Mark Church and engagement, Irizarry said. units and stations to see the
the public,” Daniels said. that’s part of the outreach ef- led the initiative to form the Irizarry, who is also the assis- vote by mail, signature verifi-
Daniels brought out samples forts I’m working on,” he said. citizen advisory committees. tant assessor-county clerk-re- cation and adjudication pro-
of equipment and mixed the Diaz said his office has in- Church is elected to his posi- corder, said the county was the cess.
night with hands-on demon- creased their outreach efforts tion. first in the state to conduct all “The foundation of elections
strations, a question-and-an- since March 2020. The committees include the mail ballot vote-center elec- is trust and transparency and
swer portion and a presenta- The office performs so- Language Accessibility Advi- tions as a pilot project in 2015. of course professionalism and
tion on the steps that go into cial media outreach and live sory Committee, the Voting This led to the passage of the applying the very best technol-
running an election for the broadcasts the arrival of bal- Accessibility Advisory Com- California Voters Choice Act ogies and the very best people
event’s 40 participants. lots, the counting of ballots, mittee and the Voter Educa- of 2018 that establishes a new to ensuring that you have an
The event helped inform the running ballots through ma- tion and Outreach Advisory election model and requires open and fair, honest, trans-
public about the security of chines and troubleshooting Committee. counties that opt into it to es- parent and of utmost impor-
elections, he said. any errors, he said. The committees’ goals are tablish a voter education and tance, an accurate process,” he
“If we’re going to be effective “I think people are apprecia- to increase voter participation outreach component. added.
public servants, we need the tive of the fact that they can see
trust and faith of the public,” what’s going on, who’s working
he said. in the elections office,” he said.
“In order to gain public faith Diaz holds live broadcasts
and confidence, we need to be where he answers common
transparent about what we do questions related to the elec-
and inform people about what tions process.
we do.” He also holds presentations
According to Daniels, his that walk residents through
office is planning on holding the entire elections facility
similar online events in a webi- and shows off the room where
nar format in the future. ballots are located. The groups
“Just given the degree of can range from one person to
scrutiny in the wake of the 2020 60.
election, it’s really important Diaz said he thinks the tours
that we get ahead of it and be take away the mystery behind
proactive, ‘open up’ so to speak the election process.
and give the public a peek into “We highly encourage those
what we do,” he said. individuals who come into our
Francisco Diaz, the assis- facilities to become volunteers
tant county clerk-recorder in for the next election and some
San Benito County, Calif., said of them have taken us up on
the county has also seen an that offer,” he said.
increase in the number of peo- The San Mateo County, Ca-
ple who have voiced concerns lif., clerk’s office established
about how the election process community-based citizen ad-
works. visory committees to help with
“I think more than anything voter outreach.
it is about trying to understand Assistant Chief Elections
how the entire process works, Officer Jim Irizarry said Chief
4 OCTOBER 25, 2021 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS
In memoriam: A salute to Colin Powell, a true leader and friend of NACo
From POWELL page 1
brate his life.
We will continue to work
hard to achieve our mission
to make leaders better and to
build Stronger Counties for a
Stronger America; and so will
he — through his examples of
courage, stories of success, and
his leadership rules he has pro-
vided us for the NACo High Per-
formance Leadership Academy.
Here are a few things to re-
member about Powell’s lead-
ership:
First, “It will look better in the
morning.” You may not believe
this right now as you grieve his
loss, but as he said in Leader-
ship Rule #1: “It will look better
in the morning.”
Second, “Perpetual optimism
is a force multiplier.”
His Rule #13 speaks for itself.
And, if you need to get mad
about this terrible event, well,
go ahead and get mad.
But, remember his Rule #2
“Get mad, then get over it.”
Tim Rahschulte, PhD, is the
chief architect of the NACo High
Performance Leadership Pro- Colin Powell speaks to county officials March 3, 2020 at the 2020 NACo Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. in a conversation
gram. with NACo CEO/Executive Director Matt Chase. Photo by Denny Henry
SAVE THE DATE | REGISTRATION OPENING SOON
2022 NACo
LEGISLATIVE
CONFERENCEFEBRUARY 12-16, 2022 | WASHINGTON HILTON | WASHINGTON, D.C.
COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES OCTOBER 25, 2021 5
2021
WESTERN
INTERSTATE
REGION
CONFERENCE
IN PHOTOGRAPHS
Photos by Hugh Clarke
Naomi Torres sings the
national anthem during the
Oct. 14 General Session.
Members of the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office present the colors Oct. 14 to open the General Session.
Following a tour of the new Olmsted Hydroelectric Plant in
Utah County, attendees visit the historic Olmsted Station Pow-
er House, which operated from 1904-2015 and now serves as
an interpretive historical center. Photo by Charlie Ban
Members of the Public Lands Steering Committee view the impacts of the recent Parleys Canyon
Fire in Summit County, Utah.
Yavapai County, Ariz. Recorder Leslie Hoffman and Arizona
Association of Counties Executive Director Jen Marson get
comfortable behind the wheel of an ATV before starting
their trip to Moonshine Arch in Uintah County, Utah. Photo by
Charlie Ban
Utah native Chad Hymas delivers a
stirring luncheon address touching
on leadership, determination and
firm fatherly guidance.
NACo Executive Director Matt Chase captures NACo
President Larry Johnson fitting in with the Western crowd
as Second Vice President Mary Jo McGuire looks on.
6 OCTOBER 25, 2021 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS
‘We’re experiencing conditions where we have less water and more people’
From WIR page 1 man on page 7).
WIR named two Sowards
Utah’s drought combined with a honorees because there was no
growing population. Steed is the WIR Conference or award given
executive director of the state’s in 2020.
Department of Natural Resourc- Devlin has long been known
es, following a stint at the De- as the county government guru
partment of Interior during the on Payments in Lieu of Taxes
Trump administration. and has been involved in NA-
“If you’re a Westerner, you’ve Co’s efforts to reform the system
faced that challenge as well, and since 2005. It’s an effort in which
there’s no easy solution for this,” he’s dived into numbers and re-
he said. “We’re experiencing surfaced with an almost-ency-
conditions where we have less clopedic knowledge of the pro-
water and more people, and of- gram as he fought to represent
tentimes the demands for that less-populated counties in the
water are different than they’ve PILT funding formula.
historically been, so water poli- “NACo and WIR, since that
cy has been a really big deal.” time, have taught me some
That’s one reason why attend- valuable lessons in life,” he
ees didn’t mind a little rain in a said. “As an advocate for small
region that hasn’t seen much. counties on PILT payments, I
The variety of high profile and assumed and thought. that the
(L-r): Mark Whitney, Beaver County, Utah; Darin Bushman, Piute County, Utah; Todd Devlin, Prairie
relevant speakers, along with thought that I had, was obvious
County, Mont. and Greg Chilcott, Ravalli County, Mont. Bushman and Devlin each accepted the Dale
trips to visit local wildfire dam- Sowards Award Oct. 15 in Salt Lake County, Utah. Photo by Hugh Clarke to all counties, that small coun-
age, natural gas and oil drilling ties were being treated unfairly
sites and the facilities made governments are failing to fully communities and state and fed- and that an immediate change
possible by proceeds from that serve their citizens.” eral land managers, looking at would be fully supported by
extraction and a hydroelectric Cox served as a Sanpete the role local communities play WIR and NACo.”
plant, kept county officials busy. County commissioner earlier in in successful land management. That changed in April 2012,
2021
Deputy Secretary of the Inte- his career. “It will provide a forum to when his wife, Susan leveled
rior Tommy Beaudreau noted in “County voices aren’t just im- develop bipartisan strategies with him, days before she died.
a video address that the Nation- portant in guiding Utah policy, WESTERN to support those Western com- “Todd, you need help on PILT
al Interagency Fire Center had but federal policy as well,” he INTERSTATE munities that are seeking to reform, you can’t do it alone,”
been at preparedness levels four said. “Not only do laws and reg-
REGION improve land management and she said.
CONFERENCE
or five for 99 days in 2021, the ulations coming out of Washing- mitigate wildfire risk and restore Shortly after, Devlin attended
longest stretch on record. ton directly impact Utah coun- ecosystems,” Ogsbury said. the WIR Conference in Santa
“Wildfire is an ‘always has ties, but with over 60 percent of Fe County, N.M., where he re-
been’ part of life in the West, but our state owned by the federal far more than it ever had, and Down to business ceived a warm welcome from
in recent years, we have seen a government, their policies have shared stewardship agreements Beaver County, Utah Com- Ron Walter, then a Chelan
new normal in extended and more of an impact here than in were making that possible. missioner Mark Whitney took County, Wash. commissioner
more severe wildfire seasons, Eastern states. “Fire knows no boundaries,” office as president of WIR during and WIR president, who soon
unprecedented drought and “What might seem like a great she said. “Economic develop- a May WIR Board meeting in made him chairman of the
stress on water systems as well idea in Washington, D.C. can ment is something we have to Ravalli County, Mont., home to Public Lands Subcommittee on
as extreme heat,” he said. “The have lasting economic impacts do together. We’ve lost capaci- Immediate Past President Greg Federal Lands Payments.
reality, as we all know, is that on counties here in Utah,” he ty [for fuels treatment] and we Chilcott. Malheur County, Ore. “The gesture by Commission-
there is just not enough water in noted. “Our partners in Wash- need to grow it back in order to Judge Dan Joyce was elected er Walter started a wonderful
many basins, which means our ington need to listen to your move forward.” first vice president and Carbon relationship of care and trust be-
relationships, strategic thinking voice to improve decisions and Forest Service Chief Randy County, Wyo. Commissioner tween me and WIR and NACo,”
and spirit of community that build trust withing rural com- Moore told an Oct. 15 General John Espy was elected second Devlin said. “It all happened
have served us so well over the munities.” Session audience that the atten- vice president. because of caring and trusting
decades is needed now more Speakers returned consistent- dance at the Forest Service’s first The WIR Board of Directors relationships.”
than ever.” ly to the need to pursue active webinar on its guidebook on voted to approve a change to its Though Devlin sees the Amer-
forest management practices in working with local officials, au- bylaws, empowering itself to ap- ican Rescue Plan Act framework
Intergovernmental federal forests to both remove thored in part by Sublette Coun- point members to the Wildfire as a possible PILT formula re-
partnerships are potential fuel for forest fires and ty, Wyo. Commissioner Joel Leadership Council. placement, he also hasn’t lost
necessary glean economic benefit from Bousman, drew more than 300 The WIR Executive Commit- sight of the big picture.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) the wood products. line officers [forest supervisors], tee named two Dale Sowards “Counties and the people
praised the initiative county of- “We target areas that are likely which encouraged Moore about Award winners, recognizing we serve would survive with-
ficials take in their intergovern- to burn catastrophically,” Steed the future of intergovernmental service to public lands counties: out PILT,” he said. “It would be
mental relationships and urged said. ‘We’ve had some success cooperation. Prairie County, Mont. Commis- tough, but we don’t need fed-
them to continue it. in that,” along with watershed Jim Ogsbury, executive direc- sioner Todd Devlin and Piute eral revenue-sharing — we’d
“We take great pride in our restoration initiatives that have tor of the Western Governors As- County, Utah Commissioner survive. But I’m so pleased that
efforts to include county gov- removed invasive species. sociation, presented WGA Chair Darin Bushman, whose efforts what happened in this confer-
ernments in the decisions we Mary Farnsworth, Intermoun- and Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R)’s to prepare his county for remote ence, to make the number one
make that impact your commu- tain Regional forester with the “Working Lands, Working Com- work, well ahead of the pan- priority access to federal lands
nities and economies,” he said U.S. Forest Service, told the WIR munities” initiative, which will demic, fueled the Rural Online — that’s huge. Without it, we
via a video message. “Without Board of Directors that the ser- examine the interdependent Initiative with Utah State Uni- would have no constituency to
your knowledge and input, state vice was working with counties relationships between Western versity (read more about Bush- serve.”
COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES OCTOBER 25, 2021 7
maybe they aren’t.”
Filling positions in rural hos-
MATH OFTEN
pitals remains a challenge, one
problem that Holli Mills, work-
force development coordina-
DOES NOT
tor at the Utah Department of
Health Office of Primary Care
and Rural Health, hopes the
ADD UP FOR
state can combat with student
loan forgiveness programs for
doctors who live and work in
RURAL
rural communities for several
years.
For the last three years,
HEALTH CARE
Bushman has been coordinat-
ing working sessions to address
challenges, challenges that the
DELIVERY
participating EMT directors,
sheriffs and state lawmakers
numbered at 300. A big chal-
lenge was addressed immedi-
ately.
“State lawmakers had no
idea that we had a rural emer-
gency care crisis,” Bushman
Piute County, Utah Commissioner Darin Bushman speaks to county officials during an Oct. 14 workshop on rural health care during the said. “Nobody had commu-
2021 Western Interstate Region Conference and Rural Action Caucus Symposium in Salt Lake County, Utah. Photo by Charlie Ban nicated that up to the director
of the Department of Health.
Now they know.”
by Charlie Ban People volunteering for these seen grow in the dark, thanks The effort has affected a few
senior writer positions is almost a thing of to COVID-19, things like men- helpful funding changes. For
the past.” tal health, substance and opi- one, small counties now have
Darin Bushman was at home In most rural counties, par- oid use disorders.” access to revenue from a tax
in 2003 when his beeper went
off.
ticularly in larger Western
counties, help can be about an
2021 Additional funding, includ-
ing the Provider Relief Fund,
intended to fund rural hospi-
tals, which they did not before,
Somewhere in Piute County, hour away, if the ambulance on WESTERN which replaced lost revenue counterintuitively enough. A
Utah, an emergency call went staff is even available. Econom- INTERSTATE during the pandemic, and the spaghetti plate worth of lines
out — a horse accident with a ics squeeze counties, like Piute,
REGION Paycheck Protection Program of responsibility for funding
potential double fatality. The
only EMS worker in the county
which has five EMTs and two
ambulances, one at each end
CONFERENCE kept staffing levels from suf-
fering. The combination of
emergency response service
has now been straightened out,
was on his way. Bushman was of the county. Nothing is more eliminating Medicare seques- with each jurisdiction respon-
a volunteer firefighter and the pressing than the supply of vol- in 2021, 253 rural hospitals are tration and an increase in the sible for its own territory, by
call was outside of his wheel- unteers. operating at similar margins to Medicare physician fee sched- default.
house. “This is not sustainable, it’s those that closed in 2019. ule added up to a 5 percent in- “We figured out we had four
“I can’t let him go by him- not the way to run an opera- “I think that sets up for a crease in Medicare payments. players on the field and ev-
self,” he said about that mo- tion,” Bushman said. “Finan- decade of potential closures “You’re dealing with hospi- eryone else was sitting in the
ment, and he didn’t. “After cially, it doesn’t work to keep unless Congress can take the tals that are treating a patient stands watching us play foot-
that, I decided I was going to full-time crews in these ar- reins, folks in state capitols can base that is oftentimes older, ball,” Bushman said. Now, the
become an EMT and see what eas. It’s just impossible for my do that same thing and make has a higher prevalence of un- teams are more even.
I could do to help my county.” county of 1,500 people to pay some changes,” said Jack Jor- derlying health conditions,” The Legislature also awarded
In the 18 years since then, and staff 24 hours a day, seven gensen, government and poli- Jorgensen said. a $6 million grant for emergen-
Bushman worked his way up days a week. cy manager at the National Ru- “This is all a recipe, going cy services, which works out to
in the emergency response hi- “Invariably, the same people ral Health Association. into the pandemic, where a lot $175,000 for every agency in
erarchy before being elected who are running their ambu- He credited the federal gov- of these rural health facilities the state. And five EMS liaisons
to the Piute County Board of lances are also their search and ernment with adjusting during were vulnerable. At the end of will assist local departments.
Commissioners, where he re- rescue volunteers and work the COVID-19 pandemic that this public health emergency, Bushman said one of the
cently started his third term. for the fire department, and has helped stave off the demise all of [those measures] are go- group’s next priorities was to
Throughout that tenure, those they’re doing it, for the most of vulnerable rural hospitals. ing away.” have EMS services designated
experiences in emergency re- part, out of the goodness of Expanding telehealth flexibility Many federal regulations an essential service in Utah.
sponse have informed his work their hearts. When you take out led to a 4,000 percent increase have also been waived during “If your house is on fire,
to improve conditions for rural the aged who can’t [work] on in claims. the pandemic. we’re obligated to bring a
counties throughout the state. an ambulance and you take out “That really allows that pa- “Waiving them helped put truck to your house and put
“There’s an inadequate num- the under-18 crowd, you have a tient-provider relationship to rural providers put patients it out,” he said. “If someone is
ber of volunteers and there’s an very small group of people who continue in rural communities, ahead of paperwork,” Jor- robbing you, we’re obligated
inadequate number of person- can potentially staff an ambu- and not circumvent it to go to gensen said. Rural hospitals to have a police officer show
nel, so we have ambulances lance service.” urban or suburban hospital “don’t have the staffing to han- up at your front door. But God
that sit in sheds with no staff Where those ambulances systems,” Jorgensen said. “The dle as much compliance as forbid grandpa’s having a heart
to run them,” he said. “I don’t can take people is also a shrink- future of telehealth could really larger facilities. If we’ve gone attack, we’re not obligated by
think it’s unlike what we see in ing target. Between 2010-2020, be helpful for some of the un- 18 months without them and law to show up at your house.
other states across the nation. 138 rural hospitals closed and derlying conditions that we’ve they haven’t been necessary, That’s a travesty.”
8 OCTOBER 25, 2021 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS
TWO-MAN SHOW POWERS UTAH COUNTIES’
RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS
by Charlie Ban tive communities? Who do you was about creating a frame- very successful. The key to our
senior writer go to for help if you’re not a Salt work. How do we figure out a success is that we show up.”
Lake County with 1,800 em- holistic approach to get com- The pair sees their success
If rural counties in Utah are ployees?” munities to aggregate togeth- in securing Economic Devel-
looking for an economic de- Clason and Patrick Mullen, er?” opment Administration fund-
velopment boost, they just talk Opportunity Zone and finan- 2021 And they come in with a bet- ing as validating that their
to their state association. They cial incentives director for the WESTERN ter understanding of the details approach is working, but they
know a guy. association, operate like a tiny
INTERSTATE of nuances in each county and also like that their successes
Or two guys, rather. The pair
of staffers from the Utah Asso-
consulting firm, helping craft
incentive packages and long-
REGION region.
“Beaver County is a unique
are building stronger networks
within Utah and between the
ciation of Counties who have term, holistic development CONFERENCE county, and Beaver County is counties and their state associ-
been handing economic devel- strategies. Clason has profes- different from Box Elder Coun- ation, rather than with consul-
opment efforts throughout the sional experience in public fi- and that’s why it’s starting to ty,” Clason said. “Your resourc- tants outside the state.
state aren’t looking toward the nance and Mullen has worked shift.” es, availability of resources, “They’re paying [the state
day a county signs a deal to be a in private finance, giving them Mullen said that part of that access to infrastructure, your association] money that would
company’s new home. They’re a broad perspective from which shift involves looking beyond neighboring counties they are have otherwise gone to an eco-
looking years down the road, to approach their projects. the traditional finish line of very unique.” nomic development consul-
making sure that home can “You have a tremendous inking a development deal. The pair prefers to work with tant,” Clason said.
support the new employees. amount of population density “We’re addressing ‘If I in- local associations of govern- Mullen said their approach
“The incentives are the easy along the Wasatch Front but vest in your company, where ments rather than grow their also helps save counties the
part, getting the deal done, the rest of the state is tremen- are people going to live?’” he staff, which allows them to re- expenses that could hobble de-
that’s traditionally where eco- dously open,” Clason said. said. “If you don’t solve that main nimble. velopment projects before they
nomic development stops,” “That’s a core part of what housing problem, ‘Where’s “I don’t think that we’ve start.
Stuart Clason, the association’s makes our state’s identity, and our labor coming from?’ ‘If you figured anything out,” Clason “When you start thinking
regional economic growth it creates natural resources, but don’t have vocational train- said. “I think the fact that we’re about all of those pieces it al-
manager, said during the West- for very long it was just over- ing, where’s that labor coming present and we get on the road most gets impossible because
ern Interstate Region Gener- looked by the economic devel- from?’ and go do work and we don’t you’re spending so much
al Session Oct. 14 in Salt Lake opment sector. Our current ad- “What this was about was act like we have all the answers money up front — who has
County. “You guys are grap- ministration would be the first collaborating as a region to fig- and have all the solutions, but $50,000 to explore with an at-
pling with things like how do to admit that that’s why they’ve ure out where you could build we’re willing to roll up our torney what that looks like?”
you build out in your respec- prioritized rural development clusters [of development]. It sleeves and do work, has been he said.
Stuart Clason (left) and Patrick Mullen discuss economic development with the Western Interstate Region General Session Oct. 14 in Salt Lake County, Utah. Photo by Hugh Clarke
COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES OCTOBER 25, 2021 9
Winning student artwork features family
connections in Granville County, N.C.
Brim Royster is the 11th-
grade winner of the NACo stu-
dent art competition held this
year. In his pencil artwork, he
wrote “I love my county be-
cause of the family connections
I have here.”
This fall, Brim is a senior high
school student at J.F. Webb High
School in Granville County,
N.C. Brim’s art teacher is Oph-
elia Staton.
“Granville County was well
represented in this contest,”
said Sue Hinman, chair of the
Granville County Board of
Commissioners.
“We thank all the students
who participated as well as the
art teachers who submitted en-
tries on behalf of their students.
We are also grateful to Granville
County Public Schools, who as-
sisted us in this project.”
In addition to participation
from students at J.F. Webb High
School, students at Tar River
Elementary School and Creed-
moor Elementary also submit-
Brim Royster is the winner in the 11th grade category for the NACo Student Art Competition. A stu-
ted artwork to the competition.
dent in Granville County, N.C., he drew this image for the “I Love My County Because…” student art
All entries from the county were competition, stating: “I love my county because of the family connections I have here.”
on display at the Harris Exhib-
it Hall of the Granville County certificates from the county. sustain and support the arts in Winning artwork will be fea-
Historical Society Museum, 1 The art competition is spon- America. They have partnered tured in a 2022 NACo calendar
Museum Lane in Oxford, N.C. sored by Americans for the Arts, with NACo for almost 25 years and in County News.
The Granville County Board the nation’s leading non-profit to educate and inform county
of Commissioners recognized arts organization, which serves, elected leaders about the im- Brim Royster (center) holds
a certificate he received from
student winners at a recent advances and leads a network portance and value of the arts to Granville County officials for
meeting and took photos of of organizations and individ- their community, both cultural- his winning artwork in NACo’s
them with their parents and uals who cultivate, promote, ly and economically. Student Art Competition.
GET TO
KNOW ... Hamblen County, Tenn.
Welcome,
Hamblen County, Tenn.
In the valley between the
Holston and Nolichucky rivers,
Hamblen County is located
in eastern Tennessee. The
county formed in 1870 and is is Morristown, named after Disc Golf Capital,” Morris-
named for Hezekiah Hamblen, Gideon Morris, the first Europe- town has four champion-
a lawyer in neighboring Haw- an settler in the area. Despite ship disc golf courses.
kins County. being under the jurisdiction of American folk hero Davy
Textile mills and furniture Hamblen County, a portion of Crockett lived in Hamblen
companies dominated the Morristown is located inside County before serving as a
county’s earliest local indus- neighboring Jefferson County. member of the Tennessee
tries. Currently the largest em- The county seat offers a variety State Legislature and a repre-
ployers in the county belong to of outdoor attractions from sentative in Congress.
the automotive parts industry boating, fishing and mountain
or furniture products industry. biking to hiking and camping. “Get to Know” features new
The Hamblen County seat Nicknamed “Tennessee’s NACo member counties.
10 OCTOBER 25, 2021 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS
CoastalCloud.us
Deep Experience. Rapid Results.
Coastal Cloud’s experienced public sector team has delivered robust solutions
for more than 25 state and local government clients across the country.
SPONSORED CONTENT
COASTAL CLOUD USES THE POWER OF SALESFORCE
TO STREAMLINE GRANT MANAGEMENT
Coastal Cloud, a Flori- ranked as the number one con- tion has a depth of functions Salesforce grants management COVID-19 solutions, CARES
da-based technology company, sultant in the world in Customer and features that only Salesforce solution include the ability to: Act and American Rescue Plan
has been assisting state and lo- Satisfaction by Salesforce. cloud platforms can support, ● Standardize grants process- (ARP) Funding, among other
cal government agencies with An expert in public sector along with customizable dash- ing and reporting on a single funding streams from multiple
enhancing grants management, solutions, Coastal Cloud is the boards and reporting tools that platform by connecting data federal entities.
economic development and premier grants management allow users to easily visualize and replacing or retiring isolat- Coastal Cloud has installed
community engagement for software provider for state and and report on information in the ed systems. this system within weeks, while
more than a decade. local government. The compa- ways best suited to their needs. ● Manage grants quickly with it typically takes months to im-
Today, having state-of-the- ny’s system has been designed Federal grants require states completely automated grant plement similar functionality.
art connectivity and technology to handle high-volume and and counties to gather exten- approval and payment pro- The company’s grants man-
solutions is critical to successful complex grant management sive information about citizen, cesses, available to grant re- agement solution allows local
government/citizen relation- solutions, typical requirements business and community needs, cipients via an easy-to-use web governments to hit the ground
ships. For your county, innova- for today’s state and federal solu- determine eligibility, process in- portal. running, saving time and money
tive cloud-based solutions can tions. take and case management and ● Access live dashboards and by reducing overall implementa-
quickly scale to streamline your By utilizing Salesforce as the generate financial assistance, reports anytime to confidently tion costs and reducing risk.
internal program development platform, the Coastal Cloud while also providing accurate display a 360-degree view of Coastal Cloud’s dedicated
and external grant delivery. grants management solution and timely reporting and moni- approvals and payments. public sector team boasts a
Coastal Cloud is a wom- easily integrates with your ex- toring and avoiding duplication ● Meet state and federal re- broad range of skills and expe-
an-founded, award-winning isting systems and provides au- of benefits. porting and compliance re- rience serving the public sector.
Salesforce technology partner. tomated processes, with a com- Coastal Cloud’s grant man- quirements. The team has delivered robust
Our team of more than 400 em- pletely integrated audit tracking agement solution can automat- Coastal Cloud has imple- solutions for state and local gov-
ployees has served more than capability. The cloud-based ically scale from one to millions mented its grants solution for ernment clients in more than 25
800 clients and completed 4,000 solution has a high degree of of users. This flexibility allows dozens of state and local govern- states across the country. Learn
Salesforce projects across 35 adaptability and affordability, agencies to expand the capacity ment agencies across the coun- more about how to get your
states with an innovative 100 while also being easy-to-use for of their programs on short notice try in emergency management, grants management process up
percent on-shore national de- county staff and grant recipients. and with little added expense. economic development, disas- and running quickly at www.
livery model. The company is The grants management solu- The benefits of Coastal Cloud’s ter recovery, rural development, coastalcloud.us.COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES OCTOBER 25, 2021 11
BRIGHT IDEAS MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md.
Older Adults Technology Training
Program Pivots to Offer Virtual Help
PROBLEM: The COVID-19
pandemic shut down in-person
technology training sessions for
older adults.
SOLUTION: Switch all
courses and training online, while
increasing outreach to guide older
adults to use online platforms.
by Rachel Looker
staff writer
Montgomery County, Md.,
Department of Technolo-
gy Services staff knew when
COVID-19 hit in March 2020,
they would need to pivot an al-
ready-existing, in-person tech-
nology training program to a
virtual platform to help older
adults navigate the new online
world.
The county partnered in Montgomery County partnered with the county’s Chinese Cultural Center to hold a virtual iPad essentials class in Mandarin to address
2016 with Older Adults Tech- the county’s underserved older populations as part of the Senior Planet Montgomery Home Edition. Photo courtesy of Montgomery County
nology Services to launch Se-
nior Planet Montgomery. The a little bit harder and more “One of the silver linings of These online programs ing glass and Senior Planet was
program was held at 16 senior intentionally about how to COVID is that we were able to supported 10 times as many very cognizant of older adults
centers and libraries through- make a program successful,” really get the word out to a lot participants compared to the feeling socially isolated and
out the county and teaches in- Haribhakti said. more people than we were in in-person trainings. needing to connect as a result
dividuals 55 and older how to She said the county worked person just because of the out- Senior Planet Montgomery of the pandemic,” she said.
use technology. to create curriculum specific reach and how easy it was to do Home Edition also targeted One program called Hello
But when the pandemic hit, to the digital space, initially from home,” Haribhakti said. underserved populations by Montgomery County is held
Senior Planet Montgomery posting technology guides and The program now offers providing different courses in every two weeks and simu-
transformed into the Senior “how to Zoom” videos online more than 200 classes created English, Spanish and Chinese. lates a senior center lobby to
Planet Montgomery Home along with “stuck at home” for the virtual space that are Haribhakti said they part- provide an open dialogue for
Edition to deliver all the same guides for virtual ways to shop 60-minute lectures. Courses nered with the Chinese Cultur- small talk.
training via online platforms. online or connect with friends. are now taught by two trainers al Center in the county which “There was a lot of thought
Senior Planet Montgom- A key to the virtual pivot was to allow one person to teach helped identify residents who put into some of the program-
ery Regional Director Shivali outreach, Haribhakti said. Staff while the other helps those would benefit from the pro- ming that we had to make sure
Haribhakti said the transition worked to get the word out having trouble getting online. gramming. This led to the that they were really encourag-
to all virtual training was rocky about the virtual offerings and Zoom lectures cover a vari- creation of an iPad essentials ing that sort of engagement,”
at first. inform those who participated ety of topics ranging from Face- course taught in Mandarin — Haribhakti said.
The county first decided in the in-person trainings that book, Zoom, Google maps, the first training held in this She said Senior Planet Mont-
what platform to use for the new trainings would be avail- iPhones, Twitter, telemedicine, language in the county. gomery is slowly returning to
technology trainings and se- able online. ride sharing apps and online “We specifically are address- in-person events, but still plans
lected Zoom. Haribhakti said Senior Planet Montgomery shopping. ing the county’s underserved to have a virtual presence
Zoom is easy and accessible established a hotline while The wide variety of topics of- populations that speak Span- with a blended model of both
because it does not require an staff made outreach phone fered online brought an influx ish and Mandarin through in-person and virtual options
email and participants can dial calls and spoke on Telemundo of participants to the trainings. classes in those languages,” she for participants.
in through a phone without and other cable news shows. The county served 846 partici- said.
needing a wired connection. Additionally, county summer pants in the first three quarters Haribhakti emphasized that Montgomery County’s Senior
She said planning for virtual youth workers provided one- of 2020 before the pandemic. many older adults faced chal- Planet Montgomery Home Edi-
programming required more on-one tech support for older In the first three quarters of lenges with social isolation at tion is the recipient of a Best in
steps compared to planning adults and helped sign up in- offering online trainings, the the beginning of the pandemic. Category 2021 NACo Achieve-
in-person meetings. dividuals for low-cost internet county served a total of 8,804 The pandemic “really puts ment Award in the Information
“That has made us think programs. participants. social isolation into a magnify- Technology category.ESS CSQ Full-page Ad v21.10.PrintReady.pdf 1 10/20/21 3:24 PM
12 OCTOBER 25, 2021 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS
Stop cyber-
attacks in
their tracks
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
with CIS Endpoint
CMY
K
Security Services
To learn more, visit
www.cisecurity.org/services/
endpoint-security-services/COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES OCTOBER 25, 2021 13
SHARE YOUR CYBER KNOWLEDGE PROFILES IN
SERVICE
JAMES GORE
NACo Board Member
Supervisor
Sonoma County, Calif.
Gore
Number of years involved in
NACo: Seven I’m most proud of: Being a
Years in public service: great daddy for my seven and
Seven 10-year-old kiddos.
Occupation: Full-time county Every morning I read: My
supervisor. Prior to that, pres- local headlines.
idential appointee at the U.S. My favorite meal is: Super
Department of Agriculture. burrito— Al Pastor (seasoned and
Education: Undergraduate in marinated pork).
agribusiness at Cal Poly. Mas- My pet peeve is: Strongly
ter’s in political management at held, lightly informed opinions.
George Washington University.
by Rita Reynolds — such as fingerprints or facial especially if the email comes My motto is: GSD (Get ****
patterns — as well as a number from a known source. Ask your- The hardest thing I’ve ever Done)
As we close out 2021 Octo- password). self the question, “does this done: Battle through health
issues with my wife and kids. My favorite U.S. president
ber Cyber Security Awareness ● Change those default pass- email look official? Is it from
is: Teddy Roosevelt
Month, I am reminded of the words on your home devices, someone I know and is this for- Three people (living or
effective ways of learning. Peo- such as the wi-fi router, the Al- mat consistent with what that dead) I’d invite to dinner: My county is a NACo mem-
ple who listen to lectures retain exa, the security camera. person usually emails you? Teddy Roosevelt, Barack Obama ber because: NACo rocks! We
about 5 percent of knowledge. Check out that signature line and the Dalai Lama. have been able to demonstrably
People who read retain about You as an and the actual email address. leverage our work with NACo to
A dream I have is to: Find deliver services to our local com-
10 percent, while discussion organization Those two checks can help pre-
peace and practice mindfulness munities. Key examples include
yields a 50 percent retention As part of the basic skills vent irreversible actions!
within the chaos. the recent award of $37 million
rate. The highest retention that every individual is re-
rates are from doing (75 per- quired to have, it is your re- You as a mentor You’d be surprised to learn in FEMA Building Resilient
cent) and teaching others (90 sponsibility to keep your work You are a mentor for your that: I speak three languages Infrastructure and Communities
percent). environment both physically family, friends and those who fluently (English, Spanish and (BRIC) grant, amending rules
Cyber best practices don’t and virtually safe. To do this, report to you. By practicing Italian) and dabble in others for ARPA to support flexibility
just come from reading about implement the following three what we speak about, you can including Piedmontese, Amharic, of spending and numerous
them, but rather from imple- best practices become a powerful tool in this Yoruba and Guarani. improvements in health and
menting and showing others ● Lock your computer when cyber battle we will continue to My favorite way to relax is: human services programming.
how to be strong cyber practi- you walk away from your desk. fight against. Mountain biking. NACo is helping us make a major
tioners. With that in mind, here ● Practice a “clean-desk” pol- ● Always practice safe cyber difference at home!
are vital takeaways from this icy. Don’t leave confidential in- hygiene, even when you are
month that I hope we all will formation laying on your desk. tempted to take the easy way
implement and teach others This includes not writing down ● Remind your children
to incorporate into their dai- your password on a “sticky” (yes, even adult children) why THE MOST ADVENTUROUS
ly lives, whether at work or at
home!
that you attach to your monitor
or under your keyboard!
they should have their mobile
phone password protected
THING I’VE EVER DONE:
These takeaways are broken ● When entering a secure ● Share all the above cyber I spent two years living in the Bolivian
down into three categories: building with your key fob or tips with your co-workers, your mountains/jungle — riding on horseback —
key card, do not let someone friends, and your family as a Peace Corps volunteer.
You as an individual in that may be walking behind If you need additional assis-
So much of what we have you, especially if you do not tance, be sure to make use of
heard about this month is crit- know them. the resources available to you
ical in keeping our personal ● Don’t let someone else use year-round. These include:
identities safe. This includes your computer for anything, ● Homepage | CISA
protecting your private infor- even if it is just to print out a ● On the Internet — FBI
mation. The top three drivers document or find an address ● Internet Crime Complaint
to accomplish that are: or online resource. Center (IC3) | Home Page
● Use multi-factor authenti- ● Don’t give out your pass- ● National Cyber Security Al-
cation on all important online word to anyone – not even IT liance: Homepage (staysafeon-
accounts (bank accounts, loan support staff! line.org).
accounts, retirement accounts, ● And finally, remember to
etc.). not click on links or open at- Reynolds is chief information
● Password-protect your mo- tachments that come through officer at the National Associa-
bile phone (both biometrics emails. This can be a hard one, tion of Counties.You can also read
