SPOTLIGHT ON: REGIONALISM Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide COUNTIES GET VETO FLORIDA COUNTY OFFERS POWER IN FEDERAL LAND MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING Utah county ACQUISITIONS. PG. 4 TO ALL EMPLOYEES. PG. 13 balances rural, urban NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES VOL. 52, NO. 22 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 priorities. Mail-in ballot Pg. 5 count was ‘just all hands on deck’ by Rachel Looker staff writer

All eyes were on county elec- tion boards across the country Rural counties as they burned the midnight oil beckon urban to complete counts of a record number of mail-in ballots in dwellers who the election. can work from It was no different in Penn- In the wake of Orange County, Calif. going to the strictest “purple” tier last week, Orange County Board sylvania. anywhere. of Supervisors Vice Chairman Andrew Do holds one of the 11,000 COVID-19 saliva test kits that will be available soon at clinics in Anaheim and Santa Ana, as he speaks during a press conference at the “It was just all hands on Pg. 6 Orange County Hall of Administration in Santa Ana Nov. 17. © Mark Rightmire/Orange County Register via ZUMA Wire deck,” said Robert Harvie, Bucks County, Pa. chair of the Board of Elections. Counties sound alarm about Bucks County received around 165,000 ballots out of 199,000 mail ballots request- holidays, ‘COVID-19 fatigue’ ed. In the 2016 presidential by Charlie Ban tive tests. “People are tired and they’re election, the county received senior writer Ada County, Idaho, for one, letting their guard down,” she 20,000 absentee/mail-in bal- is sending a message of posi- said. “It’s challenging to keep lots. As the nation enters its ninth tive reinforcement. people connected emotional- “A tenfold increase this year,” LUCC/RAC month of coronavirus restric- “We’re trying to stay positive ly when you can’t get together Harvie said. tions amidst rising case num- with our messaging,” said Com- physically, especially when Over 2.6 million voters in Virtual bers, “COVID fatigue” is setting mission Chair Kendra Kenyon. they look forward to family Pennsylvania returned mail-in Symposium in right when it can be most “We’re saying ‘Thank you for holidays.” ballots for the 2020 election, dangerous. At the same time, wearing your mask’ rather than That strategy, avoidingaccording to data from the U.S. Dec. 10. dropping temperatures are ‘Do it.’” shaming people, is central to Elections Project. This num- Pg. 8 making outdoor recreation less They’ll try to draw more flies Hennepin County, Minneso- ber is more than 10 times the appealing, removing a much with honey than with vinegar. ta’s Take Care campaign, which amount received across the safer environment for avoiding The county is working with the highlights the vulnerabilities of state in 2016, according to the transmission. city of Boise to coordinate so- sensitive groups and frontline Associated Press. Adding in large, indoor-cen- cial media messaging, in lieu of health care workers. Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed tric holidays in November and a statewide campaign. “The trick is figuring out how legislation last year that allows December, and counties are “We think it’s better, espe- are you trying to communicate Pennsylvania voters to vote facing their toughest test of the cially when you have a coun- to people’s psyches? If you’re by mail up to 50 days before pandemic just when many are ty where half don’t feel like not going to do it for yourself, an election. The law created a setting records for daily posi- masks do anything,” Kenyon do it for others,” said Carolyn vote-by-mail option without said. “The people we’re try- Marinan, chief public relations the need to provide an excuse, ing to appeal to are the people officer for Hennepin County. which was previously required who think it’s a hoax or that “Communication is proba- to vote by absentee ballot. masks don’t work,” so there’s bly the most significant weap- Per state law, election offi- little good in entrenching their on that can help or hurt us, cials were unable to start the positions with aggression and because you are really trying to count, or even open ballots, shaming. impact behavior, and that’s one until 7 a.m. on Election Day. Kenyon can see how the du- of the hardest things to do with County officials and the Coun- ration of the pandemic has af- fected people. See ALARM page 2 See BALLOTS page 3 2 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS Counties address pandemic housing needs by Charlie Ban below 20 degrees, would be “Our prayers were answered,” in recent memory, Waters said, ing through the pandemic with senior writer incompatible with U.S Depart- said Nicole Waters, a New Cas- becoming a last-minute bid- onsite case management and ment of Housing and Urban tle County program manager, ding war that ended with the health services, allowing people After more than eight months Development guidance to re- during a Nov. 11 NACo webinar. county winning for $19.5 mil- to shelter in place, self-isolate, of the COVID-19 pandemic, duce the spread of COVID-19. “This would be the best shelter lion, still under the property’s recuperate from COVID-19 and millions remain unemployed In January, shortly after the and social services hub. Re- assessed value. protect the health, safety and while their benefits start to dry county’s point-in-time count searchers found fewer clusters The shelter, scheduled to welfare of the general popula- up as time and temperatures found 665 people experienc- and outbreaks of COVID-19 open in December, will include tion.” drop. In response, counties are ing homelessness on any giv- among individuals who stayed on-site social service providers, tailoring housing stabilization en night in the county, carbon in hotels than among those who including case management for Hamilton County, Ohio and homeless services to stem monoxide from a malfunction- remained in traditional large families to identify permanent Hamilton County, Ohio want- the tide of home losses as evic- ing heater killed four people in a group settings.” housing options. The building ed to make sure it had enough tion moratoriums end. makeshift homeless camp. And no voucher-holders in includes 20 suites that can be resources in its rental assistance The common thread among But as the pandemic shifted the county had tested positive, adjoined to accommodate up to program to last, so it started counties is that the pandemic, the county’s homelessness ap- to that point, out of 634 house- 10 larger families. small, working with three non- and its effects, have gone on proach to hotel vouchers, the holds staying in 12 different ho- “The chance for transforma- profit service providers. But ear- far longer than staff initially ex- demand was enough that New tels. tive change is now,” Waters said. ly demand soon proved much pected, with faint hope in sight. Castle County would be better After a $5.5 million opening “This is a once-in-a-lifetime op- greater than anticipated. off acquiring their own proper- bid, the auction for the Sher- portunity that brings hope to Within the first 30 hours, New Castle County, ty, though none were available. aton, which was renovated five not only eradicate COVID-19, the county received more than Del. Roughly 300 families need- months before, became one of but homelessness as we know 2,000 calls for service. Well ahead of winter, it was ed shelter each week, but the the most-watched Delaware it, by providing emergency clear to New Castle County, county could only house 200 of commercial real estate auctions shelter and temporary hous- See HOUSING page 4 Del. that its Code Purple shelter them. plan for the homeless wouldn’t Then, the Sheraton Wilming- work. The congregate shelter, ton South hotel was available at open when temperatures drop auction. Counties try to head off holiday COVID spike

From ALARM page 1 rise at a high rate.” In the week leading up to Kenyon noted that a recent Thanksgiving, Contra Costa human beings.” press conference by Gov. Brad County, Calif. launched a “Test- In contrast, Charity Menefee, Little (R) got some traction ing Before Turkey” campaign director of communicable and when a nurse shared her story to encourage COVID-19 test- environmental disease and of working during the pandem- ing before gathering for meals, emergency preparedness for ic. “That seemed to resonate while nearby Yolo County en- the Knox County, Tenn. Health with people, so we’re trying couraged families to limit their Department, did not mince her to incorporate testimonials to gatherings to 16 people. words in a recent news confer- help people relate to what’s go- But even when the holidays ence, gauging her concern at ing on, using real people.” are over and 2020 is in the rear- an eight or nine out of 10. Harris County, Texas sent an view mirror, the United States “I know you’re tired of hear- emergency text alert to all 4.7 will be months away from any ing it and I’m tired of saying it, million of its residents asking number of COVID-19 vaccines but I’m coming to you today them to cancel their holiday and still looking at roughly a pleading to please take these gatherings and to get tested. dozen weeks of cold weather. actions seriously,” Menefee Whatcom County, Wash. Kenyon thinks Ada Coun- TOP 6 TURKEY-PRODUCING STATES said of the county’s five core ac- Health Department Director ty residents would be well- tions to prevent transmission: Erika Lautenbach suggested served by continuing to enjoy State No. of turkeys Practicing physical distancing, families forge new holiday tra- the outdoors if they want to Minnesota: ...... 39 million wearing a face covering, wash- ditions, including preparing be social. “We have an influx Arkansas:...... 31 million ing hands, sanitizing surfaces meals for homebound neigh- of new residents who aren’t and staying home if sick. bors and synchronizing remote really acclimated to our way North Carolina:...... 30 million “There’s not going to be time viewing of holiday movies or of life, so that’s something we Indiana:...... 20 million for the cases to come back football games with family and want to stress,” she said. “It’s Virginia:...... 16.3 million down by the time we have friends in other households. so easy to distance outside, so Missouri:...... 16 million our next holiday. … If nothing “This year, we have the op- go snowshoeing, take a walk Source: U.S. Census Bureau about our behavior changes, portunity to be creative about in the park. Get out and enjoy these numbers will continue to how we celebrate,” she said. why you moved here.”

President Editor and ADVERTISING STAFF Published biweekly except August by: The appearance of paid advertisements in County POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gary W. Moore Senior Writer Job Market/Classifieds National Association of Counties News in no way implies support or endorsement County News, 660 N. Capitol Street, N.W. Mary Ann Barton by the National Association of Counties for any of Publisher representative Research Foundation, Inc. STE. 400, Washington, D.C. 20001 Matthew Chase Digital Editor 660 N. Capitol Street, N.W. STE. 400, the products, services or messages advertised. National Accounts (USPS 704-620) n (ISSN: 0744-9798) and Senior Writer Washington, D.C. 20001 Periodicals postage paid at Washington D.C. and Chief Public © National Association of Counties Charlie Ban representative 202.393.6226 | FAX 866.752.1573 other offices. Affairs Officer Research Foundation, Inc. Brian Namey Staff Writer Mary Ann Barton E-mail [email protected] 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 Design Director FAX 866.752.1573 multiple copies. Educational institution rate, $50 per Leon Lawrence III year. Member county supplemental subscriptions are $20 each. Send payment with order and address changes to NACo, 660 N. Capitol Street, N.W. STE. We are committed to getting County News on your desktop ASAP. Send your address corrections to [email protected]. 400, Washington, D.C. 20001. COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES NOVEMBER 23, 2020 3 Mail-in ballot counts took ‘around the clock’ effort for counties, volunteers From BALLOTS page 1 ty Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania pushed for more time to pre-canvass, but the rule did not change. An influx of voters in Bucks County began requesting mail- in ballots in early August, Har- vie said. Harvie described how the county took an “all hands- on deck” approach to counting ballots and borrowed county employees from corrections, parole, the clerk of courts and the recorder of deeds to aid in the counting. Around 250 employees and volunteers took turns working four-to-eight-hour shifts arriv- ing at all hours of the night to help in the process. Each mail- in ballot had two envelopes, the return envelope and the privacy envelope, that needed to be opened before poll work- ers could flatten each ballot and then scan them through a high-speed scanner. Bucks County elections staff Poll workers open, flatten and scan mail-in ballots at the Ehinger Gym at West Chester University in Chester County, Pa. Photo courtesy of Chester County counted nonstop until they fin- ished the majority of the ballots amount of time.” mid-day Thursday and then In Chester County, Pa., Com- moved to review provisional mission Chair Marian Mos- ballots. kowitz said the county faced “It was really neat to see the additional challenges handling teamwork of people who didn’t the influx of mail-in ballots really know each other,” Harvie when the county’s director of said. “Yet there they were, side voter services retired in August. by side, figuring out the best, She said the county turned to most efficient way to process the deputy director of emer- ballots and work with each gency management to run the other.” process. In addition to preparing for “This was such a different the record-breaking mail-in animal than anything we’ve ballot numbers, Harvie said his ever done in the county, but I staff still had to prepare over think we did OK,” she said. 300 polling locations for voters Moskowitz said the counting who chose to cast their ballot in process for the nearly 150,000 Poll workers count the nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots received in Chester County, Pa. Photo courtesy of Chester County person. mail-in ballots received took “We had a huge turnout longer than expected. Chester would not have fit within the finished the count within 41 He said not being able to there and we were doing the County received nearly 19,000 facility while meeting distanc- hours. even open the ballots prior to mail-in voting, so we had enor- absentee or mail-in ballots in ing rules. He said the county learned 7 a.m. on Election Day compli- mous numbers,” he said. 2016. Despite the hard work of the a lot from the June primary, cated the process. Handling the increase in Officials called in an extra county elections staff, she said when they received 126,000 “A lot of people say, ‘Well you mail-in ballots while simulta- 250 employees comprised of many members of the public mail-in ballots and took 17 started counting at 7 a.m. on neously running polling loca- both county employees and didn’t understand why there days to complete the count. Election Day,’ but no, we didn’t tions will be more expensive workers hired by an employ- weren’t complete numbers by “We knew that would be far start counting then, we started for the county with the added ment service to work in three Tuesday night. too long for the general elec- opening those ballots,” he said. costs in hiring staff to open and shifts with about 62 people per “That was really difficult to tion,” he said. He credited the poll workers count ballots, Harvie said. shift, she said. keep explaining to people as To expedite the process, the who worked tirelessly until the “It’s something we’re going “They wanted no problems they kept calling saying, ‘Where county invested $1.7 million in counting was complete. to have to prepare for I think and they worked really hard to are the numbers?’” she said. equipment to aid in counting “They are literally the heroes as long as we’re not able to do that,” Moskowitz said of the In Montgomery County, and created a new position, of democracy,” Lawrence said. pre-canvass days ahead of poll workers. Pa., the counting process of the director of the mail-in elec- “I don’t think people realize time,” he said. “We’re going to Given the restrictions and the 248,000 mail-in ballots re- tion, who focused solely on the the intensive manpower that’s have to put people on shift 24 social distancing requirements ceived went well, according mail-in portion of the election needed for this and the partic- hours just so we can get the with COVID-19, Moskowitz to Ken Lawrence, chair of the while a separate individual fo- ularness of it as well. My hat’s count done in a reasonable said additional employees Board of Elections. Workers cused on in-person voting. off to all the poll workers.” 4 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS Counties meet housing needs Counties get veto power in From HOUSING page 2 El Paso County, Texas El Paso County, Texas joined federal land acquisitions “We wanted to make sure we forces with the city of El Paso to didn’t spend the entire (CARES coordinate homeless services by Aaliyah Nedd The LWCF is funded by roy- tions of private land because Act) allocation in case there during the pandemic, an effort alties from offshore oil and gas counties are unable to collect were additional needs related to that Joel Bishop, the executive Counties will have veto pow- development in federal wa- property taxes from federally rent and utilities that we weren’t director of justice and commu- er over federal land acquisi- ters. Prior to the passage of the owned lands. Although they aware of before the end of the nity services for the county said tions under a recent order is- Great American Outdoors Act, are eligible for the Payment In- year,” said Holly Christmann, has worked better than anyone sued by Interior Department the program was rarely fully Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, assistant county administrator. expected. Secretary David Bernhardt. funded and was subject to the PILT payments are much less “Our initial plan was to “Our partnership with the city Bernhardt issued a secretari- annual congressional appro- than property tax revenues and spend $3.5 million,” she said, has been important through al order Nov. 13 regarding im- priations cycle. remain subject to the unpre- with another $1.5 million in this process,” he said. “We’ve plementation of the Land and In addition to permanently dictable congressional appro- reserve. The county eventually had a better partnership with Water Conservation (LWCF) and fully funding the LWCF, priations process. increased the allocation to $7 them than ever before.” The fund. Established in 1965, the GAOA also established the Na- This directive from Bern- million. county and city, which together LWCF is used for state and lo- tional Parks and Public Legacy hardt is a win for counties as The county modeled eligibil- manage 20 shelters, established cal conservation efforts and Restoration Fund. The Resto- it provides them with a much ity after the Community Devel- a homeless shelter work group the acquisition of federal lands ration Fund provides up to $1.9 greater say over any proposed opment Block Grant program, to integrate the shelter systems. and water. This secretarial or- billion annually to the National federal land acquisitions. and specifically required ap- “We knew we’d have a ma- der follows the passage of the Park Service, the U.S. Fish and While the order mandates a plicants (who, to qualify, could jor outbreak in our shelters if Great American Outdoors Act Wildlife Service, the Bureau key provision to mitigate lost earn 80 percent or less of the av- we didn’t do something about (GAOA) earlier this year. of Land Management and the revenue, counties encourage erage median income) to show this,” Bishop said. “Some were The act provides $900 million Bureau of Indian Education Congress to support long-term proof of past-due rent or utility siloed, some were working to- in annual mandatory funding for projects that address the funding for federal land coun- bills and a decrease in income gether,” but there was potential for the conservation fund. Ber- deferred maintenance backlog ties through the PILT and Se- due to COVID. The program for trouble. nhardt’s order requires written between FY 2021 and FY 2025. cure Rural Schools programs. would directly pay landlords or So, the work group estab- support for any federal land or Counties support this effort as utility providers for up to three lished a site — a closed recre- water acquisition from both it will improve land manage- months or $2,500. That was later ation center — that could serve the respective state governor ment and encourage tourism. Aaliyah Nedd is a legislative as- increased to $5,000. as a welcome center for people and the affected county, which Counties can be negatively sistant in NACo’s Government As demand came in clearer, entering the shelter system. It NACo advocated for. impacted by federal acquisi- Affairs Department. the county added more provid- had two gymnasiums to serve ers. With a Dec. 20 deadline for as overflow from crowded shel- spending Coronavirus Relief ters, and screening procedures Fund money, the county was in found 26 people with positive a race against time to make sure COVID-19 tests and was able to GET TO Smyth County, Va. needs were met sooner rath- isolate them in hotel rooms. er than later. The county later Bishop noted that since many KNOW... made adjustments, including recently released jail inmates allowing self-attestation of in- were entering the shelter sys- Welcome, come reduction because of the tem, the county paid extra at- Smyth County, Va. number of jobs paid in cash. tention making sure the system Smyth County is located “Some of our criteria might could accommodate them. in southwestern Virginia have been a bit cumbersome,” With a poverty rate twice the and named after Alexan- Christmann said, prompting national rate, attention to hous- der Smyth, a general in revisions to make it more us- ing security has been a priority the War of 1812 and a er-friendly. “We should have for El Paso County. former congressman who county seat, visitors created a central online system “Families here have lower represented the area. The can travel to the to ‘triage’ applicants before they income on average and higher Virginia General Assem- Lincoln Theatre, one of went to program partners; pre- poverty on average, so we want- bly created the county in a few remaining Mayan screen them to make sure they ed to make sure we have the 1832. revival theaters in the met base criteria.” right infrastructure to support Smyth County includes United States. The build- By the end of October, the the issues,” he said. three major valleys ing is listed on the Na- program had spent one-third In addition, the county had carved by the Holston Riv- tional Register of Historic of its allocation, serving more provided more than $750,000 for er. A significant portion of Places and is a Virginia than 1,400 households. Less food supplies to assist the coun- the county is located near Historic Landmark. than a quarter of the funding ty’s food banks. the popular tourist desti- Marion is also was spent on utility assistance. “We have two- or- three-mile nation of the Mount Rog- the home of William “Our partners were over- long lines to pick up food some ers National Recreation Jones, a businessman whelmed with requests at days, up to 8,000 people,” Bish- Area where thousands of the start but have caught up,” op said. who created Christmann said. “The most The county also offers food tourists travel every year Mountain Dew. successful partners are work- home delivery programs for res- to visit the Hungry Mother ing with clients in person, idents who are COVID-positive, State Park. “Get to Know” features collecting everything at once elderly and medically at-risk. Smyth County has new NACo member rather than having long corre- The county has also worked with three towns: Chilhowie, counties. spondence trying to collect all the University of Texas-El Paso to Saltville and the county the documentation.” map food insecurity. seat of Marion. In the COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES NOVEMBER 23, 2020 5

SPOTLIGHT ON REGIONALISM BRIDGING THE URBAN RURAL DIVIDE.

MICROCOSM OF RURAL-URBAN DIVIDE LIVES IN A UTAH COUNTY

The Ogden Valley in eastern Weber County, Utah. Photo by Getty Images

by Charlie Ban go, but we have a distinct urban A few thousand people a year that if a guy buys 200 acres, he decide they want to buy a home, senior writer core along with a strong rural have to go somewhere, and should be able to do with it what they’re looking at $350,000, and presence,” he said. “It’s just as they’re finding open land east he wants,” he noted. that’s only going up. If a builder here do you keep important that the ‘rurals’ un- and west of the county seat of Though the county is con- can get $350,000, $400,000 for a your toothbrush? derstand transportation, home- Ogden attractive, making lucra- sidering establishing a 1-acre new house, there’s not incentive To Weber lessness and jail issues; we as tive offers to landowners. minimum lot size in unincor- to go any lower, because once County, Utah ‘urbans’ need to understand “In rural Weber County, on porated parts of the county to you put lumber in the ground, CommissionerW Jim Harvey, the mining and timber and public these generational farms, kids manage growth, other open- you have 15 or 20 offers on it answer means everything… and lands. are increasingly not wanting space preservation efforts have immediately.” And even where nothing. “The rural part of the county to work the land the way their not gained traction. density is scarce, there’s local It means everything because is very reliant on the urban part parents or grandparents once “The people who propose pressure against change. people come to their preferenc- and the urban is very reliant on did, and they see that the cash preservation are really excited “In the rural areas, when es through their experiences the rural part.” that developers are willing to as long as it doesn’t affect their you get to a four-way stop sign, and environment — fundamen- Utah is growing fast, and We- pay and they want to take it,” property,” Harvey said. you’ll have a little place for a tal characteristics. At the same ber County is no exception, see- Harvey said. “What happens if The housing costs add ten- country store with a Domino’s time, it means nothing, as long ing a 12.5 percent increase in the neighbors enjoyed looking sion, too. The county’s real es- Pizza and a few apartments on as everyone is brushing their residents from 2010 to 2019, ac- out at a 200-acre farm for 20 tate average costs increased 17 the second floor,” Harvey said. teeth. cording to the U.S. Census Bu- years and now, they see houses? percent between the third quar- “People don’t want apartments, “People go to war over less,” reau. With that growth comes They don’t want their homes to ters of 2019 and 2020. but they also want a place that he said. “I’m just happy they’re pressure in the form of both ur- change, but they don’t have the “We continue to have dou- their kids can afford so they practicing good hygiene.” ban infill and rural subdivision, resources the buy the property ble-digit growth up here in We- don’t have to move somewhere That’s how he looks at being a and the latter is a harder nut to for themselves. ber County now,” Harvey said. else. That’s something we need Weber County citizen, whether crack. “You can also make the point “That’s great, and if your kids to reconcile.” you’re an Ogden urbanite or a “It has to do with home den- Wherever they keep their rural dweller in the eastern part sity,” Harvey said. “People who toothbrushes, Harvey wants of the county. On the eastern live in urban areas like their Weber County residents to keep shore of the Great Salt Lake, We- density and rural people like using them, and being vigilant ber, like many counties, enjoys a wide open spaces and they with their floss. duality that involves balancing want to keep it that way, with as “The message I am pushing priorities that sometimes con- much passion and fever as they that there is a respect, a kind- flict but culminate in shared can muster.” ness and an understanding,” goals of prosperity for a grow- With a rail line making prox- he said. “It doesn’t necessarily ing county. It’s a microcosm for imity to Salt Lake City and mean that people have to agree understanding and bridging the Provo even more attractive to but they have the respect to rural-urban divide. newcomers, Weber County’s disagree without being mean “We aren’t urban to the ex- 260,000 2019 population was a or vicious or ugly with one an- tent of a New York City or Chica- 1.7 percent increase over 2018. The Weber County, Utah seat of Ogden.Photo by Getty Images other.” 6 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS

SPOTLIGHT ON REGIONALISM BRIDGING THE URBAN RURAL DIVIDE.

MOVING by Rachel Looker Go Topeka, an economic de- staff writer velopment agency, launched the Choose Topeka incentive Shawnee County, Kan. has program last year to attract in- INCENTIVES adapted its moving incentive dividuals to move to Shawnee program to attract newly re- County. mote workers to relocate to the The Joint Economic Devel- county. opment Organization (JEDO), According to the Bureau of a partnership between the Labor Statistics’ October jobs county and city governments, DRAW report, 21 percent or 1 in 5 of is overseeing the program. Go employed individuals nation- Topeka is funded by a portion wide are teleworking because of economic development dol- of the coronavirus pandemic. lars from a half-cent county With this in mind, Shawnee sales tax. REMOTE County is building upon its al- The Choose Topeka incen- ready established moving in- tive program matches perfor- centive program to bring tele- mance-based incentives by working individuals who now partnering with employers. have the option to relocate to Incentives are available after WORKERS the county. an employee has moved to the COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES NOVEMBER 23, 2020 7

ers to come to Shawnee Coun- with JEDO’s review committee. ty. Five remote workers have “The pandemic has changed completed the interview pro- how things look and how peo- cess and will be the first group ple may shift,” she said. to complete the program from JEDO approved a percentage start to finish. of the funding previously allo- Shawnee County Commis- cated for the Choose Topeka sioner Kevin Cook, who cur- program to add a remote as- rently serves as the chair of pect to the initiative. Through JEDO, said since Choose Tope- the program, employees who ka had a large response and in- work for a company outside of terested number of applicants Shawnee County can receive when the program launched in up to a $10,000 incentive for 2019, they wanted to expand it purchasing a home or up to a to adjust to the current circum- $5,000 incentive for renting in stances. Shawnee County. “With the pandemic that hit, Since launching in Septem- we saw that there was a change ber, there have been 40 appli- in how people work,” he said. cations. “That’s where we adapted the Interested individuals are Choose Topeka program to also required to submit an applica- include remote workers attract- tion, document and validate ing them to relocate to Topeka their current residency, prove and Shawnee County.” their full-time employment and Just 15 miles outside of the provide a remote work authori- county seat and state capital of zation form from their employ- Topeka, Cook said there are ru- er that validates the employer ral areas with aspects that many is supportive of them working people who have the option to remotely. After they meet the work remotely find appealing. requirements with the forms, “Until very recently, our they schedule an interview numbers of COVID-19 infec- tion were a lot lower than what you might find on the East and “When you have an West coasts, and I think that’s economic incentive what really kind of drew a lot of people’s attention,” he said. that you can have Cook also mentioned the reimbursement of moving lower cost of living in the coun- expenses or purchase of ty and Midwest region com- your home, that suddenly pared to other areas of the country. may push you over the “Maybe they hadn’t consid- edge to being a deciding ered moving to the Midwest or factor in where you want to Topeka or Kansas before and to live.” then when you have an eco- nomic incentive that you can — Shawnee County Photo courtesy of the Greater Topeka Partnership have reimbursement of moving Commissioner Kevin Cook expenses or purchase of your county and range from up to According to Stapleton, Go home, that suddenly may push $10,000 for individuals renting Topeka found that 40 percent of you over the edge to that being and up to $16,000 for individu- those who work in Topeka and a deciding factor in where you als purchasing a home. make over $40,000 per year did want to live,” he said. The cost of the incentive is not live in Shawnee County. Cook said the city-county shared equally between Go To- “We were looking at ‘How do partnership through JEDO has peka/JEDO and an individual’s we generate that interest, for been beneficial in boosting employer with both paying 50 employees to live and work in the county’s economic devel- percent of the incentive. If the the community in which they opment and noted that when employer retains the employee work for?’” Stapleton said. people and businesses relocate beyond one year, Go Topeka/ JEDO approved the Choose to the area, it benefits the entire JEDO will reimburse the em- Topeka program in December community. ployer 50 percent of their initial 2019 and saw high interest, “It really has had the ability contribution. with more than 4,000 individ- to attract higher wage jobs that Barbara Stapleton, Go To- uals submitting resumes or in- are in areas that we might not peka’s vice president of Talent quiring about the program. otherwise be able to fill,” Cook Attraction, who is also the ar- But when the pandemic hit said, “and since they’re able to chitect of the Choose Topeka and many people began tele- work remotely, they’re able to program, said it started as a way working, Stapleton said they fill that gap and also contribute to help employers recruit and knew they needed to alter the toward the overall economy of retain employees. program to target remote work- the community.” 8 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS Bridging the Divide: LUCC/RAC Virtual Symposium Set for Dec. 10

by Mary Ann Barton ating more than 900 hospitals rural counties to rethink day-to- bail. This session will address editor and 1,900 public health depart- SPOTLIGHT ON day operations of the criminal pretrial justice reform initiatives ments. While rural and urban REGIONALISM justice system, including exper- and offer insights from counties BRIDGING THE URBAN NACo’s Large Urban County counties are experiencing the RURAL DIVIDE. imenting with eliminating cash on reforming monetary bail. Caucus (LUCC)/Rural Action impact on health services dif- Caucus (RAC) Virtual Sympo- ferently, both are creatively Feeding America HERE’S A LOOK AT THE DAY’S SCHEDULE: sium will bring together county addressing the challenges of The impacts of a global pan- leaders to exchange ideas and providing services with limited demic on our nation’s food and Thursday, Dec. 10 share solutions in an informa- resources. nutrition system ripple through- 1-1:10 p.m.: Welcome remarks (NACo President Gary Moore, tive, interactive virtual event This session will highlight the out communities of all sizes. judge/executive, Boone County, Ky.) Dec. 10 from 1-5:30 p.m. availability of health resources Farmers are losing markets and Participants will hear the lat- and outline vaccine deployment plowing under crops while de- 1:10-1:20 p.m.: 2020 election update (Matt Chase, CEO/ est federal policy news from efforts in rural and urban areas. mand for nutritional assistance executive director, NACo) Washington, D.C., and connect skyrockets as the economy 1:20-1:30 p.m.: Federal policy update (Mark Ritacco, with national experts, inno- Future-proofing the destabilizes. Rural and urban NACo director of Government Affairs) vators and elected leaders on local economy counties are the battery – the topics of common interest, in- The COVID-19 pandemic supply and demand – of our na- 1:30-2:30 p.m.: LUCC Business Meeting/RAC Business Meeting cluding community health, local sheds light on the digital divide tion’s food system and require 2:30 p.m.: Refreshment break economies, food security and as connectivity disparities limit a strong federal partner to face public safety. The symposium local solutions to addressing the these challenges. This session 2:40-2:45 p.m.: Overview of combined session will focus on four key areas im- public health crisis. Local gov- will explore local perspectives 2:45-3:25 p.m.: Future of vaccine distribution portant to both rural and urban ernments must not only look for and resources to strengthen our county leaders: Vaccine distri- opportunities to leverage tech- food and nutrition system. 3:25-4:05 p.m.: Future-proofing the local economy bution, future-proofing the local nology to address the immediate economy, feeding America and needs of the COVID economy, Future of pre-trial 4:05-4:15 p.m.: Corporate partners break the future of pre-trial justice and but also mitigate future chal- justice and bail reform 4:15-4:45 p.m.: Feeding America bail reform. lenges. This session will exam- Counties invest nearly $93 ine the technological challeng- billion annually in justice and 4:55-5:30 p.m.: Future of pre-trial justice and bail reform: Vaccine distribution es and opportunities related to public safety services, including Reducing county costs and recidivism Counties are the frontline de- primary education, workforce $26 billion in correctional fa- 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Virtual happy hour fense in our nation’s response training, as well as transitioning cilities, and operate 91 percent to the COVID-19 pandemic, economies and telehealth ser- of all local jails. The COVID-19 Register here: naco.org/lucc-rac collectively owning and oper- vices. pandemic has caused urban and LUCC Virtual RAC Symposium DECEMBER 10, 2020 1:00 P.M. to 5:30 P.M. EST

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER www.naco.org/events

NACo’s Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC)/Rural Action Caucus (RAC) Virtual Symposium will bring together county leaders to exchange ideas and share solutions in an informative, interactive virtual event. Hear the latest federal policy news from Washington, D.C., and connect with national experts, innovators and elected leaders on topics of common interest, including community health, local economies, food security and public safety. COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES NOVEMBER 23, 2020 9 Moore: Regional approaches are necessary for county prosperity

by Charlie Ban counties to educate our elect- SPOTLIGHT ON senior writer ed officials in D.C., to advocate REGIONALISM for issues and positions that are BRIDGING THE URBAN At 2:45 a.m. on a recent No- RURAL DIVIDE. important to all counties of all vember morning, two semi-trac- sizes. tor-trailer trucks collided on the I just can’t imagine being an Brent Spence Bridge, which con- need to interact with both ele- elected official in either a large nects Hamilton County, Ohio ments of our counties. urban metro area or in a small and Kenton County, Ky. over the An issue like broadband ac- rural county and not participat- Ohio River. Emergency crews cess is a way for us to not only ing in NACo. I can’t fathom the from nearby Boone County, Ky. lead to better outcomes for our awesome, amazing amount of responded to the resulting fire, residents but also develop on a information, the amazing num- which involved diesel fuel and foundation of common ground ber of assets NACo brings to other hazardous materials. between urban and rural areas. each of us and not taking advan- Though the bridge, which tage of that opportunity. carries two interstate highways, NACo President Gary Moore, Boone County, Ky. judge/executive Advocating for relief Boone County can’t afford to does not touch Boone Coun- We have to look beyond our have a full-time lobbyist in D.C., ty, there was no question that it be a challenge, because what the but you can drive about 20 miles own definitions of urban and there’s no way we could build would be part of the emergency governors’ orders or recommen- and still be in Boone County and rural. When it comes to direct the relationships with staff both response. dations are on travel, on busi- you’re in an agricultural, very ru- COVID relief allocations from in the elected offices of D.C. and That’s because the members ness closures, on how to manage ral part, of Boone County. the CARES Act, that difference the administrative offices in our of the eight-county Cincinnati the pandemic are very different It’s common in Western states can be as little as a single person. nation’s capital. region know if they don’t work from one state to the next. to have large, spacious counties Counties with populations of The value that NACo brings to together, they won’t go any- If some of our residents travel with a densely populated urban 500,000 or more received direct all of us, no matter what size we where. west, it’s one set of rules; if they area, but you also find that in aid funding from the U.S. Trea- are, is amazing. For at least a month while the travel north, it’s a different set. It places that surprise you. When sury. Counties with populations The experiences that we share bridge is closed in both direc- does create challenges, but we Commissioner Melissa McKin- of 499,999 and down did not. with each other may be success- tions, Boone County is about to still come together as a regional ley chaired the Agricultural Af- If you were in a state where the es or they may be failures that see a lot of the traffic that would entity — eight counties in three fairs Committee, I was surprised governor suballocated based on we can share with one another otherwise be crossing the river, states, to deal with transporta- because I always envisioned population, maybe you did OK, and learn from one another, no taking I-275 to Indiana and Ohio. tion planning and other issues. Palm Beach County, Fla. as tour- but in some states, the governor matter what size of county we NACo President Gary Moore With the fire on the Brent ism, coastal cities and areas and did not suballocate a cent. In come from. has served for 20 years as Boone Spence Bridge, we have emer- had no idea. other states, governors suballo- County’s judge/executive and gency management responders Her district is mostly agricul- cated but at a different percent- said the situation emphasizes from at least four of those coun- tural and dramatically different age. the importance of regionalism in ties, if not more. Everyone con- from what most people think One of the things we have to county government. tributes to make this a successful of when they hear “Palm Beach focus on at NACo and in our ad- “From this detour alone, we’ll recovery. County.” vocacy is making sure all coun- finally! see eight different counties af- The OKI Board consists of We’re living in interesting ties are included when we think fected, seven of them with rural about 120 members, and there times, and particularly in deal- about future relief packages, NACo swag components,” he said. are city, county and township ing with the pandemic, in one of whether it’s COVID or whatever is now “We have to work together on officials from other states and the things we found is while the the next issue might be. available issues, no matter what size our some non-elected citizens on pandemic impacted large urban online! county or whether we’re rural or the Board. areas sooner, it’s now reached its Utilizing NACo as a urban.” During my 21-year stint with way to rural and to lower-popu- unifying force naco.org/store Moore discussed a few as- OKI, what always impresses me lated counties across the coun- What other organization, pects of regionalism with County is that the majority of things we try. what other entity is there where News and how counties can help do get unanimous votes in favor. It amazes me how often an is- small population rural counties bridge the urban-rural divide That kind of collaboration and sue does find its way to straddle come together with large urban and come out stronger. Here are cooperation between towns and both urban and rural. counties with populations in the excerpts from the interview: large cities, smaller counties and Another issue where that is millions? NACo is where that very large counties has just been happening right now, caused by happens and because of how Regionalism at home amazing. the pandemic, is the demand for we’re structured, everyone has Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana broadband access. a voice. Council of Governments (OKI) Urban-rural divide I announced the Broadband I’ve learned so much and I’ve is our tri-state regional planning We have to remember that Task Force to look at this issue, gained much more than I’ve in- organization. many times within a county, but we find that it’s not just in re- vested through my involvement When we come together as there are urban and rural di- mote rural parts of counties, but with NACo. OKI, we have three different vides, it’s not just from one coun- many times we’ll have islands of The issues important to small DOTs, three different governors, ty to the next. In Boone County, the unserved or underserved ar- rural counties are just as im- three different legislatures. we have the Cincinnati Interna- eas within urban areas. It’s going pactful to their constituents as The COVID-19 pandemic has tional Airport, we have devel- to be important as our task force the other end of the spectrum. really highlighted how that can oped areas around the airport, goes to work that we definitely At NACo, we utilize the voice of 10 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS Pitch for Amazon HQ2 leads to a regional brand by Victor Hoskins like? Already, we’ve bridge this economic to market the region to talent in and Stephanie Landrum launched a website crisis. The Northern New York, San Francisco, Seattle SPOTLIGHT ON highlighting the re- Virginia Economic and elsewhere. More than just REGIONALISM BRIDGING THE URBAN A hallmark of economic de- gion’s collective assets, Development Alliance a job board, this platform tells RURAL DIVIDE. velopment in the Washington, embarked on market- has worked to help the Northern Virginia story: It’s D.C. area typically has been ing missions together, businesses region- a fantastic place for high-val- opment collective among D.C., competition between localities shared information wide take advantage ue living and a top location to Maryland and Virginia. This can and states, not collaboration. and data, and commis- of federal, state and further careers. The pandemic, be achieved if our colleagues Landrum As we plan for post-pandem- sioned a research pro- local grant and loan however, made it obvious that from the District and suburban ic recovery, it’s time for that to gram that surveyed our programs. More than we needed to pivot the website Maryland band together at un- change for good. To maximize mutual target markets 20,000 Northern Vir- to connect laid-off or furloughed precedented levels to collabo- its economic competitiveness to discover their per- ginia businesses were residents, especially in the ser- rate and communicate. We must globally, the region must expand ceptions of Northern approved for federal vice industries, with businesses identify and play to each of our collaboration locally. Virginia. programs, and more doing surge hiring, especially many and different strengths. This month marks the first an- When we estab- than 8,000 businesses in the grocery, distribution and We all agree that a win for one niversary of a coalition created lished the alliance last are on track to partici- warehousing industries. is a win for all when it comes to to support regional prosperity: fall, we had no idea that pate in local grant and We launched a series of virtu- economic recovery and long- the Northern Virginia Econom- the year ahead would Hoskins loan programs. al career fairs designed to reach term regional prosperity. We ic Development Alliance, made be dominated by the storm that The alliance launched a new graduates searching for learned that with the Amazon up of 10 jurisdictions working is the coronavirus pandemic, or 12-session webinar series called jobs, highly trained tech workers pursuit. While HQ2 will physi- across borders on business re- that our organization would be “Beyond COVID-19: NOVA and the recently unemployed. cally be in Arlington, its value in cruitment and marketing efforts. crucial for weathering it. Our ap- Business Resiliency Webinars.” These virtual fairs fostered terms of job creation, innovation The joint pitch by four Northern proach to regional collaboration These presentations have pro- more than 1,000 conversations and trail of businesses to follow Virginia jurisdictions that ulti- went from nice to necessary al- vided access to the latest and between job seekers and our will be felt throughout the re- mately won the Amazon HQ2 most overnight. best possible information from region’s hiring companies, in- gion, and it will make this entire bid in 2018 gave rise to the first We know that “resiliency” experts on issues such as gov- cluding Microsoft, Amazon Web region more competitive eco- NoVa regional brand (along with for our business community ernment financing, staffing, Services and Hewlett-Packard nomically. concrete proof of collaboration’s needs to be more than a buzz- technology readiness, new busi- Enterprise. That is critical, because we ar- regional success), followed by word. It requires a nimble plan ness and revenue models, and To achieve our ultimate eco- en’t just competing with other the Northern Virginia Econom- and achievable goals, so we customer retention. nomic goals, the Northern Vir- American metro areas for jobs, ic Development Alliance agree- have been focused on connect- Alliance partners had been ginia Economic Development talent and innovation. We are ment.Standards Connect Half Page Ad_9.5x6.5.qxping businesses 1/13/20 4:21with PM resources Page 1 working on a new website, Alliance is the first step on a path What does regionalism look and information they need to workinnorthernvirginia.com, toward a true economic devel- See REGION page 11

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TO LEARN MORE, VISIT WEBSTORE.ANSI.ORG COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES NOVEMBER 23, 2020 11 My pet peeve is: When people commit to a task and then do not WORD GILES COUNTY, Va. PROFILES IN follow through. SEARCH Created by: Charlie Ban My motto is: Only worry about SERVICE what you have control over, leave the rest to God. S D S B J S H O C W E R E E N W A C R F BOB WILCOX My favorite movie is: Any J D Q O E T I Q K T T K E E N R S O N D James Bond movie. It’s what I X X O H F V F N N W O B I V X M D R B R NACo Board Member grew up watching. E M A Y F Y I B K R Q E I H I L R N O U Executive Director of the South Dakota Association of County My favorite music is: ‘70s M L A N E F T S B I P Q S H R R C E J K Commissioners (SDACC) music, Fleetwood Mac in par- E L X W R K H M G T N M F G O V W R D N Wilcox ticular. P G G J S R E D W B G G Q C N V I E Y D Number of years involved My favorite U.S. president: L D G R O P Z I Q G S E D A C S A C N L in NACo: 14 The most adventurous thing Ronald Reagan. The Reagan O J S L N E D M R D K I V D I C P Y Q E Years in public service: 16 I’ve ever done: Participate in Revolution aimed to strengthen V E R Z E R Q G A A P E A R I S B U R G years as a county commission- an eight-hour blizzard rescue of the American people and reduce R X W H A S Q P L B L H N A R R O W S J er, 14 years as an executive a neighbor family stranded in their reliance on the government. V N R P C Z T N D I O H D Y U O X N B U director the snow, pre-cell phone, so our We need that optimism and H R E B O W I O M K P Z Q F F O I J Z J status was unknown during the Occupation: Executive growth today. Z R M T U A L E N X C D S J E D S R S S entire event. director of SDACC and owner/ My counties are NACo P X T Q T X S E L I G T C K O T L L F V operator of Wilcox Grass Creek I’m most proud of: The fact members because: They V A U N Q T X E F W B O A V C U A U C A Ranch that our office represents both see the valuable benefits of L L U S O N A M K G P X G X O O Q J T N the county commissioners and NACo. Currently, 100 percent of H O D N P W W L M W D I G R S S V Y A O Education: BA in Criminal the county officials. South Dakota’s 66 counties are M E E N Z F D G E V W I H M F U T X O Z Justice My favorite meal: T-bone members. The hardest thing I’ve P D U U Q V R S U G D E S I I P X Y K Y steak with three fried shrimp on ever done: Travel a cancer the side, grilled potatoes and journey with my son for three CASCADES: A 66-foot waterfall that MOUNTAINLAKE: One of two freshwa- anything chocolate for dessert. draws 150,000 visitors a year. ter natural lakes in Virginia. years. CORNER: “Dirty Dancing,” filmed in NARROWS: A town in the county Three people (living or Giles County, demonstrated Baby’s re- named for the narrowing New River sistance to being put in one of these. that flows through it. dead) I’d invite to dinner: My favorite way DRAPER: Mary Draper Ingles escaped NEWRIVER: The river stretches 37 Colin Powell — he demonstrat- to relax is: from captivity by the Shawnee and miles throughout the county. ed such strong knowledge of returned home to Giles County from OUTDOORS: Fishing, boating, hunting the military and government Sit in front of Kentucky. and hiking attract many visitors to when he spoke at the NACo a crackling fire. EGGLESTON: The county’s first perma- Giles County. conference; Tom Brady — for nent settlement, established in 1745. PEARISBURG: The county seat is his work ethic and strong sense GILES: William Branch Giles served named after George Pearis, who of team play, and former South in public office for 40 years in the donated a 50-acre tract for the town Virginia General Assembly and U.S. to grow around the county courthouse. Dakota Gov. Bill Janklow — for House of Representatives. PEMBROKE: A town known as the his no-nonsense approach to HIKE: The Appalachian Trail winds “Gateway to the Cascades” and a getting things done. through the county. starting point for trips on the New Snow River. A dream I have is to: JEFFERSON: Giles County contains ski again with my now-adult 92.4 square miles of the Jefferson SINKING: The centennial Sinking National Forest. Creek covered bridge draws visitors to daughter. LIMESTONE: The county’s limestone the town of Newport. You’d be surprised to base is home to many caves and learn: Much of our cattle han- caverns. dling is done on horseback. Branding a region

From REGION page 10 ON THE MOVE competing against the mega re- NACo STAFF rectors, at their Fall Board Meeting: gions of the world, such as Lon- • Associate Program Director Defeating Racism through Diversity, don, Shanghai and Mumbai. To Rashida Brown was reelected Equity, and Inclusion Nov. 9 – 10. do that, we need a bigger team. as a Washington, D.C. Advisory • Program Manager Jack Mor- Armed with a proof of concept Neighborhood commissioner. gan played host Nov. 10 to the De- in Northern Virginia, we have She was elected to represent her partment of Defense Readiness and an opportunity to win for this re- neighborhood on issues relat- Environmental Protection Integra- Brown Morgan gion like never before. ed to sanitation, economic and tion program webinar “Supporting business development, housing, National Defense and Strengthen- Hoskins is president and CEO of zoning, transportation and public ing Local Communities: County and Fairfax County Economic De- safety. Military Partnerships.” velopment Authority. Landrum • Program Manger Kirsty Fon- • Chief Technology OfficerRita is president and CEO of the taine discussed diversity, equity Reynolds participated on a panel Alexandria Economic Devel- and inclusion in a presentation to Nov. 10 on “Cyber Infrastructure Un- opment Partnership. This col- the National Association of County der Fire,” held by Nextgov and Route umn was first published in The Behavioral Health Department Di- Fifty. Fontaine Reynolds Washington Post. 12 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS

2021 NACo ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS CELEBRATING 51 YEARS OF INNOVATION

SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: NOTIFICATIONS OF March 31, 2021 at ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: 11:59 p.m. EDT Week of April 26, 2021 HOW TO APPLY Does your county have an innovative program that improves county government and enhances services for county residents? Apply for the 2021 Achievement Awards! There are 18 categories ranging from information technology, health, criminal justice, human services and many more.

To begin your application visit: www.naco.org/achievementawards

QUESTIONS? Contact [email protected] COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES NOVEMBER 23, 2020 13 BRIGHTIDEAS ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. Florida County’s Training Educates All Employees on Mental Health Issues

PROBLEM: training, including law en- come to grips with this is more County employees working on forcement,” Wegener said. important than ever.” the frontlines need to know The training is now held For more information about how to respond to individuals through virtual sessions be- the Mental Health First Aid experiencing mental health cause of the COVID-19 pan- training, visit https://www. issues. demic, which Wegener said mentalhealthfirstaid.org. has shed light on mental illness SOLUTION: and proved the importance of Alachua County’s Collabora- Provide training to educate all learning about mental health. tive Strategy to Build Aware- county employees on how to “We now find ourselves in ness of Mental Health Issues identify mental health issues at the a time where it is more useful and Provide a Practical Re- first stages of crisis. than ever and probably more sponse is the recipient of a needed to take steps to under- Best in Category 2020 NACo stand mental health,” he said. Achievement Award in the Per- by Rachel Looker mission required the Mental National Council on Behavior- “Having employees of coun- sonnel Management, Employ- staff writer Health First Aid training for al Health at the end of the ses- ties be able to understand and ment and Training category. all county employees in 2016. sion. It’s known as “CPR for the Wegener said it is listed as a re- Specialized staff from two mind.” quirement on each employee’s Alachua County-based chari- In Alachua County, Fla., performance evaluation. table behavioral health agen- BEHIND county officials implemented a The county launched its cies who completed a two-day THE SAGINAW COUNTY, Mich. new type of training that equips training initiative in three certification program served as SEAL public sector em- phases. The first the training faculty. ployees with how focused on em- The training covers all types to best respond to ployees direct- of mental illness ranging from he Saginaw County, Mich. seal uses colors and symbols an individual ex- ly hired by the schizophrenia to depression. T to represent the county’s heritage and history. periencing a men- board of county “Mental Health First Aid The color red represents tal health problem. commissioners, saves lives and reduces stigma the blood shed by The county cre- which included by teaching what to say and American patriots. ated a three-year the county’s core do when a person is in crisis training initiative departments. in a way that keeps both you White symbolizes the Blue represents the county’s using the National The secondand them safe,” said Robert indomitable American spirit. skies and waterways. Council on Behav- phase focused Hutchinson, chair of the Ala- Wegener ioral Health’s Men- on employees of chua County Commission. tal Health First Aid training a supplemental set of agencies Wegener noted that the program. known as the Constitutional training gives participants a The training teaches employ- and Judicial officers followed stronger sense about mental ees about a five-step action by the last phase which includ- illness and how it affects indi- plan to respond and identify ed the line staff of seven county viduals. mental health issues among municipalities as well as mem- “It sensitizes people I think citizens. bers of charitable agencies that to a greater degree than they With Florida ranking as the receive county funding for so- may already know or under- 43rd state in providing access cial services. stand,” he said. Petals radiate from the star with symbols to mental health care by Men- “We trained everybody,” We- The training is a cost-effec- that represent the county. tal Health America’s America: gener said. “It didn’t matter if tive way to transmit knowledge The State of Health in America you weren’t at the front desk. about mental illness to staff, The green petal symbolizes report, Stuart Wegener, De- We trained every single county according to Wegener. Saginaw County’s first industry partment of Court Services employee.” Expenses for the county in- involving white pines. A sheaf of wheat in the yellow Criminal Justice liaison, said More than 2,000 staff re- cluded the equipment, training petal depicts how the county the county had a strong inter- ceived training over the three manuals and costs of operations is rich in agriculture. The brown petal includes a est in expanding mental health years of the county’s initiative. including hiring training instruc- gear to represent the county’s activities. Each training included an tors to conduct the program. place in the automotive An Indian on the red petal “We had a huge reason to do eight-hour interactive session The program piqued the in- industry. represents the county’s this and to give frontline em- in groups of no more than 25. terest of the City of Gainesville, history of the Chippewa ployees some tools to identify The curriculum provides in- the county seat of Alachua The fish and water represent Indians and the Sauks who somebody, particularly at the formation on the key strategies County, which held the same the Shiawassee, Tittabawas- inhabited the area. beginning stages of a mental needed to assist someone who training for its 1,100 employ- see and Saginaw rivers health crisis, and then give may be at risk or in the early ees, separate from Alachua throughout the county. them a little action plan for stages of developing a mental County’s initiative. how to respond,” he said. health problem. Participants “Everybody countywide and If you would like your county’s seal featured in “Behind the The Alachua County com- receive a certification from the inclusive of the city has this Seal,” contact Rachel Looker at [email protected]. 14 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NATION

Commissioners celebrate the completion of two safety projects alongside Sen. Burt Jones, Rep. Rick Williams, Georgia College & State University President Steve Dor- man and Baldwin County Schools Superintendent Noris Price. Photo courtesy of Baldwin County GEORGIA ● Commissioners in BALDWIN COUNTY celebrated the completion of two safety projects completed in the county by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The first project added a new traffic signal near the Baldwin High School and the second created a reduced conflict U-turn at the Georgia College & State University campus. Both projects are at intersections with heavy traffic and help to improve the safety of county residents.

ARIZONA DELAWARE IOWA MICHIGAN MINNESOTA Attorney’s offices in MAR- NEW CASTLE COUNTY Ex- DUBUQUE COUNTY law CASS COUNTY partnered A program in RAMSEY ICOPA, PIMA and YAVAPAI ecutive Matt Meyer proposed enforcement switched to a with the Van Buren/Cass Dis- COUNTY is assisting land- counties are dismissing all a $5 million investment in digital radio system to in- trict Health Department to lords who are experiencing pending charges for mari- COVID-19 testing lab capa- crease radio coverage in the provide up to $1,000 in health losses because of the corona- juana-related offenses after bilities at Delaware State Uni- county. EMS workers, fire services for local veterans. virus pandemic. Through the voters legalized recreation- versity. The lab will establish and law enforcement will Honorably discharged federally funded al marijuana in the state. a diagnostic facility for short- now be able to communicate veterans and their spous- Ramsey County The proposition passed with term, inexpensive COVID-19 on the same network, which es residing in Cass Coun- Investment and 60 percent of the vote and testing with plans to later be increases the county’s cov- ty are eligible for the Support Efforts decriminalizes most recre- adapted for conducting oth- erage to 96 percent from 86 services which include program, the ational use of marijuana. The er diagnostic testing. It will percent, KCRG reported. Su- dental care, immuni- Landlord Assis- new legislation also allows begin processing COVID-19 pervisors approved a $10.3 zations and vision and tance Program al- for the expungement of mar- tests next month and plans to million levy bond to pay for hearing examinations, lows landlords to ijuana convictions, CNN re- reduce the turnaround times the additional towers need- ABC57 reported. ported. for results. The proposal uses ed. CARES Act funds. CALIFORNIA MARYLAND Officials inORANGE COUN- GEORGIA ● In an effort to examine TY are using CARES Act funds ● GWINNETT COUNTY is public safety, MONTGOM- to roll out $2 million in men- using CARES Act funds to pre- ERY COUNTY is asking resi- tal health initiatives. Help Is vent evictions for as many as dents to complete a survey to MARYLAND Here, Stigma Free OC and Be 400 families who have been receive feedback on the ar- ● PRINCE GEORGE’S a Friend for Life are publici- impacted by the pandem- ea’s police department. The COUNTY is launching a ty efforts that aim to connect ic. Through the Project Reset county has partnered with micro transit rideshare individuals experiencing a program, funds will be used Effective Law Enforcement service. The county De- mental health crisis with nec- to help families whose land- for All, Inc. to create a task partment of Public Works and essary resources, Voice of OC lords have already filed for force and conduct an audit Transportation launched Prince reported. The three programs evictions, The Atlanta Jour- of the county police depart- George’s Link where riders can use a smartphone app to will use billboards, print and nal-Constitution said. The ment, WTOP News reported. schedule micro transit trips at $2 per trip, according to Fox 5 broadcast advertisements and first phase of the program will The survey is part of County DC. A neighborhood-friendly bus will pick up and drop off websites to help solve mental cover up to six months of past- Executive Marc Elrich’s Re- riders who are required to socially distance and wear masks. health issues brought on by due rent and make payments imagining Public Safety ini- the pandemic. directly to landlords. tiative. COUNTY NEWS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES NOVEMBER 23, 2020 15

apply for one-time assistance will be equipped with stop- usual circumstances, including grants of up to $20,000 if ten- arm cameras to catch and if a witness is expected to be- ants have not made rent pay- ticket motorists who illegally come unavailable or if a defen- ments because of COVID-19, pass stopped buses. So far, 48 dant had an issue of needing a the Pioneer Press reported. school districts have opted into speedy trial, The Toledo Blade the program. The first ticket reported. MISSOURI costs $250 and goes up by $25 ● Voters in CLAY COUNTY for every subsequent incident, OREGON approved local constitution with the county splitting pro- MULTNOMAH COUN- amendments that change the ceeds with its equipment ven- TY voters approved a ballot county’s form of government. dor. Suffolk County is the first measure that will offer free Five positions including the county in the state to use the pre-kindergarten to anyone county clerk, collector, recorder technology. who needs it, likely starting of deeds, public administrator in 2022. It will be funded by a UTAH and treasurer that are elected new tax that will range from 1.5 As winter weather forces people indoors during the pandem- every four years will now be percent to 3 percent for house- ic, SALT LAKE COUNTY is trying to encourage careful behav- hired by the county adminis- holds that make over $200,000, ior by sharing the stories of people impacted by COVID-19. trator, according to FOX4. The representing 6 percent of filers Videos, billboards and bus ads will bear messages about peo- changes also expand the county in Multnomah County. ple grieving or facing chronic illness after catching the virus. board from three members to OHIO “We see people in our state and county right now who still seven. Other changes include ● If you go to any of the TEXAS deny the difficult situation we’re in,” said Mayor Jenny Wilson. term limits for commissioners, CUYAHOGA COUNTY Pub- ● HARRIS COUNTY com- “It’s only sharing the truth, whether it’s a spreadsheet or per- campaign contribution limits lic Library’s 29 branches, you missioners allocated more sonal story, that’s going to help us move the needle right now.” and the creation of a citizen won’t have to go find the dic- than $2 million to fund an im- review commission to propose tionary to learn the defini- migration legal services pro- constitutional amendments. tion of a face covering. Face gram, offering representation shields, bandanas or gaiters to people facing deportation. to 169 people on 669 square Judge Whitley said, according will no longer be enough to en- Commissioners also approved miles. to the local Fox affiliate. “If we ter — a tight-fitting face mask $500,000 to support immigrants had the ability to give a couple is now mandatory for anyone who are victims of a crime and ● NACo Past President Glen of citations, it’ll be the cities over the age of 2. The library therefore eligible to obtain Whitley is asking Gov. Greg and it could be the sheriff’s will have face masks available legal status by cooperating Abbott (R) for the authority department. But I think if folks for any customer who enters with law enforcement, Hous- to penalize people who do felt like we’re serious about this the building without one. ton Public Media reported. not follow mask mandates in they’d say OK we’re going to TARRANT COUNTY, where he wear a mask.” ● LUCAS COUNTY’s admin- ● With three positive tests is the county judge. “I just can- istrative judge suspended jury Nov. 17, LOVING COUNTY not stress how important it is VIRGINIA trials through the end of the was the last of 3,069 counties to wear a mask. The elections A directory created by the year in response to the rising to record COVID-19 cases, are over. Quit making it a polit- FAIRFAX COUNTY Depart- threat of the coronavirus. Ex- Texas Monthly reported. The ical issue. Let’s get on the same ment of Planning and Devel- NEVADA ceptions will be made in un- least populous county is home team and let’s beat this thing,” opment’s Community Revital- NYE COUNTY is developing ization Section is connecting an ordinance regulating the local small production man- operation of hot air balloons ufacturers to networking in the county. Balloons ap- groups, marketing opportuni- proaching too close to homes ties and potential customers. It and landing on private prop- features dozens of small man- erty have troubled residents, ufacturers making a variety of pets and livestock. Current products in the county includ- Federal Aviation Administra- ing custom furniture, baked tion laws regarding balloons goods and jewelry. have been unevenly enforced, The Pahrump Valley Times re- WASHINGTON ported. This year’s presidential elec- tion weeded out 19 counties NEW YORK that had voted with the presi- More than 6,000 school dential winner since 1980, and buses in SUFFOLK COUNTY left CLALLAM COUNTY as the only county with a perfect re- cord in that time, according to the Kitsap Sun. MISSOURI ● COLE COUNTY held a bicentennial celebration for its 200th birthday on Nov. 16. County News From Across the Nation officials dedicated a marker outside the courthouse to celebrate the anniversary. The marker is compiled by Charlie Ban and has three sides that display the state Capitol dome, a map of Missouri and a map of Cole County. Rachel Looker. Does your coun- Officials also presented a version of the American flag with 24-stars to mark Missouri becoming ty have news we should know the 24th state, KOMU 8 reported. The flag will fly outside the courthouse through 2021.Photo by Sara about? Contact us at cban@ Moyers, KOMU 8 naco.org and rlooker@naco. org. 16 NOVEMBER 23, 2020 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of COUNTIES COUNTY NEWS

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