NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES n WASHINGTON, D.C. VOL. 45, NO. 7 n April 8, 2013 Texas prosecutors’ deaths leave officials, public shaken BY CHARLIE BAN employees have been showing up STAFF WRITER for work. I cannot brag about them enough.” Following the second shooting The U.S. Marshals Service has death of a Kaufman County, Texas evaluated the safety of the court- prosecutor in two months, elected house, which contains the court officials in the county east of Dallas are shaken and left appreciating the See SHOOTINGS page 2 normalcy of their jobs. District Attorney Mike McLel- land and his wife Cynthia were West Virginia found shot to death outside of their home March 30. This followed sheriff killed the still-unsolved Jan. 31 shoot- ing death of Assistant Prosecutor in his car Mark Hasse, in broad daylight as he walked to the county courthouse. County law-enforcement Gov. Rick Perry (R) will make officials are also being targeted an appointment to fill the district in West Virginia, where Mingo attorney’s seat, which is held in County Sheriff Eugene Crum the interim by McLelland’s top was shot in the head April 3 prosecutor Brandi Fernandez. She while eating lunch in his car. will hold the job for 21 days. Crum took office in January after serving as chief magistrate “We’re still in a process of trying Photo courtesy of Kittias County, Wash. for Mingo County, resigning to believe that it happened,” said Kittias County, Wash. Commissioner Mark McClain presents an award for the 2012 coloring contest for to run for sheriff, a general County Judge Bruce Wood. “We grades K-5 held each year during National County Government Month. See page 6 to read more about hope that the memorial service election he won unopposed how counties are celebrating this year. (April 4) will help people start the after winning the Democratic healing process. We know closure primary by 8 percentage points. will be a long way off.” “He was a lifelong law Meanwhile, Wood said “Our man,” said Commission Presi- Counties look at options INSIDE dent John Hubbard. “His life’s passion was to be sheriff of CountyNews Mingo County. He was the for keeping air traffic Features See CRUM page 2 controllers working “NACo extends its sym- BY CHARLIE BAN ment of Transportation programs pathies to Mingo and STAFF WRITER has left much of its $637 million Kaufman counties for their share of the across-the-board tragic losses. Keeping the Two days before contract air cuts to fall on the FAA — ap- community safe is a bed- traffic control tower workers were proximately 60 percent, according rock county government set to be furloughed because of to FAA Administrator Michael sequestration budget cuts, the Huerta. The FAA makes up 20 The sequester means costs for Build service. Brutal attacks America Bonds projects g Page 5 on those who serve and Federal Aviation Administration percent of the overall DOT budget. In Senate test vote, Internet sales preserve the safety of their delayed the closure of 149 towers, The lower flight volume landed including at more than 84 county- the affected airports on the clo- tax measure gets significant communities remind us support g Page 2 all of the debt we owe to owned airports. sure list, which has already been those who freely choose to The reprieve, now until June reduced. U.S. Supreme Court says no permits needed for run-off from logging keep us safe.” 15, was prompted by several legal “I like to think having a control challenges to the closure deci- tower makes life safer,” said Peter roads g Page 8 — NACo Executive Director sions, including one by Cuyahoga Camp, Snohomish County, Wash. Youth Promise Act reintroduced in Matt Chase County, Ohio. House g Page 9 Exemptions for various Depart- See AIR TRAFFIC page 8 2 April 8, 2013 CountyNews • Marketplace Fairness Act could soon become reality BY MICHAEL BELARMINO March 23 is non-binding, but 75 state. The court ruled, and affirmed ASSOCIATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR Senators voting in favor of the Counties encouraged to thank senators in a subsequent decision, that states amendment indicates that the who supported the amendment could not require remote sellers to In a significant, pending legislation, the Market- collect sales taxes without a physi- although symbolic, place Fairness Act of 2013 (S. 336), cal presence in the state. NACo thanks Sens. Durbin and Enzi for their leadership and CONTENT victory for main street would likely pass if brought to the The two cases, however, were support on this issue, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Roy businesses, and state Senate floor. There is an identical during an age when retail was a Blunt (R-Mo.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and local governments, the Senate bill with bipartisan support in the much different industry than today. and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) for speaking out for the Market- has overwhelmingly supported an House (H. R. 684), but it has yet The Internet has evolved into one place Fairness Act during the budget resolution debate, and the amendment on the Marketplace to see any action. of the primary marketplaces for 20 additional co-sponsors who have championed the legislation Fairness Act filed to the FY14 Sen- NACo has long supported the today’s shoppers, facilitating bil- in the Senate. These lawmakers have pushed tirelessly for this ate Budget Resolution. Marketplace Fairness Act, along lions in sales every year, and the important legislation. The amendment, led by Sens. with other state and local govern- software used by retailers today to Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Mike Enzi ment groups and a wide array of quickly calculate anything from (R-Wyo.), would give state and businesses that includes Amazon and retailers on an equal footing in National Bellas Hess v. Illinois De- shipping costs to estimated delivery local governments the authority and Best Buy. The bill would not with their online counterparts. partment of Revenue. In Bellas Hess, dates is far beyond what was in use to enforce already existing sales create a new tax, but rather a If the legislation is enacted into the court was essentially asked to during the two court cases. and use tax laws on remote or more efficient way of collecting law, it would cap efforts that span decide whether a state could require Even though much work still online sales. the sales tax already owed to state several decades to overturn two a mail-order company that had no needs to be done, the vote on the The budget resolution, adopted and local governments, and would U.S. Supreme Court decisions. The physical presence in the state to col- amendment is significant and revi- in the early morning hours of finally put local business owners first dates back to the 1967 decision lect taxes on sales it made within the talizes efforts to pass the legislation this year. Counties can build on this momentum by asking their members of Congress who have yet U.S. Marshals inspect Kaufman County courthouse to express support for the legisla- tion, to do so by cosponsoring the SHOOTINGS from page 1 mendations as to safety concerns letting the world know — the a NACo past president, said even Senate or the House bill. in county facilities. Those concerns British Broadcasting Corporation on the other side of the bustling facilities and county administrative are now amplified, Wood said. is among the outlets carrying the metropolis, county employees *To see how your Senator voted, access offices. Kaufman County has received story — that what happened is were feeling the impact. this article online at www.naco.org/ The sheriff’s office’s public infor- the good wishes of its neighbors not normal for the rural county “Everyone’s awareness is a countynews. mation officer had not responded and many of the 254 counties in of more than 100,000. little more on edge, it’s brought to inquiries from County News by Texas. “We want people to feel like us back to reality that these things press time, but Wood said the lat- “Everybody’s trying to help; our county is still a great county, happen,” he said. “Prosecutors est he knew was that no physical we’re trying to do the best we can as we have great citizens and unfor- deal with dangerous folks day in evidence has linked the McLelland county officials and employees to tunately we also have some people and day out. President | Chris Rodgers and Hasse cases. work through it,” he said. “People who are out to harm others.” “I hope they know we’re all Publisher | Matthew Chase Public Affairs Director | Tom Goodman “But in my opinion it’s more mourn in different ways, and the To the west, in Tarrant County, thinking about them and we’re Executive Editor | Beverly Anne Schlotterbeck than a coincidence,” he said. big challenge will be finding the the courthouse closed on April 2 available to do whatever it is Senior Staff Writer | Charles Taylor Though he is a high-profile way to normalize what happened. in memoriam to the McLellands, they need us to do,” he added. Staff Writer | Charlie Ban Graphic Artist | Jack Hernandez public official in Kaufman County, We’ll never go back to the way just as it had earlier for Hasse. “Whatever they need, we’re will- Editorial Assistant | Christopher Johnson Wood does not feel unsafe and things were before, but we also County Judge Glen Whitley, ing to help.” acknowledges that the adminis- want to never forget Mike, Cynthia ADVERTisinG STAFF Job Market/Classifieds representative trative work he does is a far cry and Mark.