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1999-2000 NACo Annual Report

C. Vernon GrayPresidentCouncil MemberHoward County3430 Courthouse DriveEllicott City, MD 21043410/313-2001410/313-3297 (fax)[email protected]

Betty Lou WardImmediate PastPresidentCommissionerWake County919/856-6160919/870-4001 (fax)[email protected]

Kenneth A.MayfieldSecond Vice PresidentCommissionerDallas County4403 W. IllinoisDallas, TX 75211214/339-8381214/337-9558 (fax)[email protected]

Javier M. GonzalesFirst Vice PresidentCommissionerSanta Fe County102 Grant Ave.Santa Fe, NM 87504505/986-6353505/995-2740 (fax)[email protected]

Jane HaguePresident-ElectCouncil MemberKing County516 Third Ave.Seattle, WA206/296-1011206/296-0389 (fax)[email protected]

NACO Executive Committee

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Presidential Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Legislative Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

County Services Department . . . . . . .11

Public Affairs Department . . . . . . . . .15

Information Technology . . . . . . . . . . .18

Public/Private Partnerships . . . . . . . .21

Finance & Administration . . . . . . . . .25

NACo Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

1999-2000 NACo Annual Report1

Table of Contents

Introduction

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he sun is rising on a newmillennium. As we look tothe future, we realize thatmany challenges lay ahead.

The digital age is upon us, offeringa fast-paced world full of informa-tion and opportunity.

While traveling acrossthe country as yourPresident and meetingwith county officials innearly every state, Ihave learned manythings. What stands outthe most is that theideas and innovationssurfacing now will helpus overcome any obsta-

cles that we may meet in the yearsto come. And innovation will allowus to seize the opportunities thatabound.

During my term, I wanted to helpcounties begin to capture theseopportunities. But I also wanted tobe sure that we did not leave any-one behind.

One of my top priorities asPresident of NACo was economicdevelopment. The booming econ-omy has provided a boost for manycounties, but not everyone is shar-ing in the wealth. This year, I want-ed counties whose economic devel-

opment programs have succeededto share their knowledge.

As part of this initiative, NACo heldfour forums in different parts of thecountry to discuss what works andwhat doesn’t work. A best practicesguide produced from the forumswill give all counties valuable infor-mation about boosting theireconomies.

Technology plays a huge role in ourlives today, and it will have an evenbigger role in the future. To identifywhat NACo needs to do to helpcounties use technology effective-ly, we held an InformationTechnology Summit in Cook Countyin November.

The summit gathered together morethan 50 county officials in order tobegin developing ElectronicGovernance policy for the 21st cen-tury. Recommendations from thesummit focused on identifying bestpractices, encouraging innovation,facilitating partnerships and provid-ing leadership to close the "digitaldivide."

Healthy families also are one ofmy priorities. Recently, NACoreceived a $300,000 grant from theFreddie Mac Foundation for its

Seize the opportunit ies

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research foundation. The funds willbe used to establish and enhanceHealthy Families America programsin at least 200 counties across thenation.

Child abuse and neglect lead toother social problems, such ashomelessness, juvenile delinquency,teen pregnancy, drug abuse, lowacademic achievement, and mentalhealth problems. Each year, an esti-mated three million children arereported abused or neglected in theUnited States. The annual cost oftreating child maltreatment is esti-mated to be at least $9 billion.

This grant will help us to bringeffective methods of preventingchild abuse and improving familyhealth to counties around thenation. One thousand county offi-cials are expected to receive trainingthrough the program. At least 10state associations of counties willpartner with Healthy FamiliesAmerica and Prevent Child AbuseAmerica state chapters in order todevelop statewide campaignsagainst child abuse.

I also encouraged a focus on thearts during my term. I was pleased

to present to King County (Wash.)NACo’s Arts & Culture Award at theLegislative Conference. The artseffort will culminate with an artscompetition among high school stu-dents in Mecklenburg County, NorthCarolina. Winners of the arts com-petition will be presented withawards during the AnnualConference.

I feel that we have made consider-able progress on legislative issuesand have done much to improveour services to counties. This reportoffers a summary of NACo’s manyactivities and accomplishments thisyear. I think that you might be sur-prised at the number of ways thatthe association helps counties. Youmay even find a program that yourcounty can use.

This has been an exciting year forme—one that I will always remem-ber. Thank you for giving me theopportunity to serve as President ofthe National Association of Counties.

C. Vernon GrayPresident

Introduction


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Introduction

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uccess has marked NACo’spast 12 months in a num-ber of areas, which are out-lined in this report. We are

approaching the important mile-stone of 2,000 members—a goalthat we have never reached andthat some thought we would neverachieve.

Today, we are lessthan 40 members awayfrom that goal. We willpush to reach thatmark well before theend of the year, and Iam confident that wewill get there.

On legislative issues,we had a number of

successes. AIR21—the airport legis-lation—was signed into law andprovides for $40 billion in fundingfor airport improvements over thenext three years. On a most signifi-cant issue to counties—collection oftaxes for Internet sales—NACo wasable to stress the importance ofservices provided by this revenueand Capitol Hill’s need to be fair toMain Street and brick and mortarbusinesses.

Throughout this effort, NACo hasworked to prevent increasing themoratorium on Internet taxes and

to prohibit an outright ban onInternet sales taxes. But theseissues are certainly not dead, andNACo will continue to fight, as itwill on other preemption bills—the"takings" legislation and theReligious Liberty Protection Act.

In support of NACo’s grassrootsnetwork, we have made a signifi-cant shift in emphasis to our actioncaucuses—the Large Urban CountyCaucus and the Rural ActionCaucus. Associate LegislativeDirectors have been assigned toboth of the caucuses and alreadyhave begun enhancing both groups’capacity to influence Congress andsupport NACo’s legislative agenda.

NACo also has worked to raise thevisibility of counties with the busi-ness community. Joining with theU.S. Conference of Mayors, NACoreleased the Metro EconomiesReport on Wall Street in Januaryand in Chicago in May.

The Counties Serve America(CSA) program, and, specifically,the program’s Acts of Caring Awardswere a huge success this year. InApril, 15 counties were recognizedfor their outstanding volunteer pro-grams at an awards ceremony onCapitol Hill. The selected countiesreceived special praise from 15

We have had a great year

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members of Congress who attendedthe ceremony.

NACo continues its efforts toincrease research and educationassistance to county officials. NACoseeks to give county officials ideasand information that will help solvethe problems that they face. Ourconferences, which provide excel-lent networking opportunities, con-tinue to grow. More county officialsattend the conferences each year,and we continually add new ele-ments to keep conference eventsinteresting and informative.

Simply put, we have had a greatyear. It is interesting to think that, ayear ago, there was worldwide con-cern that when the clock turned to12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, that life as weknow it, so dependent on comput-ers and computer chips, wouldchange dramatically. But the Y2K

bug caused virtually no problemsfor counties or others, showing thatpreparation often makes all the dif-ference.

NACo also sees the value of prepa-ration. We have developed a strate-gic plan that will guide the associa-tion into the future. This plan willposition NACo to compete and suc-ceed in years to come, as we con-tinue to provide and improve ourservices to counties.

There are challenges ahead. I amconfident that we will be preparedto meet them, and, by workingtogether, we will overcome them.

Larry E. NaakeExecutive Director

Introduction


Presidential Initiatives

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ne of NACo President C.Vernon Gray’s top prioritieswas his EconomicDevelopment Initiative.

The thrust of the initiative was tofocus on successful county pro-grams and to share their experi-ences with those that are struggling.Three regional hearings were heldto discuss economic development

issues and present case studies ofsuccessful programs.

The hearings were conducted inHarrison County (Biloxi),Mississippi; Clark County (LasVegas), Nevada; and Fayette County(Peachtree City), Georgia.

The first hearing focused on the"Unique Economic DevelopmentChallenges for Rural Governments."The hearing included a case studyof Mobile County, Alabama, inwhich a public/private coalition was

created to address the area’s eco-nomic development.

The second hearing emphasized"Financing Economic Developmentand Revitalizing StressedCommunities and WorkforceDevelopment." A case study ofHennepin County, Minnesota,showed how the city and county

and private sector all came togetherin order to save a deterioratingdowntown community and preventseveral big corporations from relo-cating out of the area.

The final hearing addressed "TheImportance of Strategic Planningand Technology to EconomicDevelopment." The case studyinvolved a city and county that hadworked together to become themost "wired community" in Georgia.

The final phase of the initiative

Economic development initiativeshares success stories

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involves the production of a hand-book for counties to use in order toplan for economic development.The guide will open with a self-assessment tool as well as sugges-tions for conducting an inventory of

a county’s readiness for economicdevelopment. It also will includespecific chapters on financing readi-ness, rural challenges, technologychallenges, workforce developmentand strategic planning.



Summit identifies how NACo can helpcounties use technology effectively

xploring counties’ informa-tion technology use nowand in the future wasanother Presidential

Initiative. On November 12 and 13,1999, more than 50 county officialsgathered in Cook County, Illinois tobegin developing policy regardingElectronic Governance in the 21stcentury.

The summit identified a number ofrecommendations that NACo shouldpursue to help counties use technol-ogy effectively. Among its recom-mendations, the group advisedNACo to:• Establish a clearinghouse for bestpractices and a technical database,as well as encourage peer-to-peertechnical assistance.• Lobby on key legislative issuesrelated to technology—and, specifi-cally, work with other levels of gov-ernment to achieve equity between"Main Street" and "e-merchants" forthe collection of sales/use tax. • Advise and encourage counties to

strategically position themselves forinnovation in technology and gover-nance.• Facilitate public-private partner-ships with regards to technology.• Act as a policy leader in breakingdown the "digital divide."

The group arrived at these recom-mendations after hearing expertsspeak on electronic governance andmeeting in small work groups relat-ed to specific technology issues.

The group also was briefed on aNACo survey that showed thatcounties with a population greaterthan 250,000 are the most likely tohave computer access, email andInternet access for the majority oftheir employees.

In contrast, county governmentswith the smallest populations arethe least likely to have Intranet sys-tems. They also have the lowestpercentage of county web pages,according to the survey. The

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smallest counties, especially thosebelow 50,000population,are those leastlikely to pro-vide interac-tive servicesfor citizens onthe Internet.

Countiesacross thecountry,regardless ofsize, havemany of the

same concerns and challengesregarding information technology.Keeping up-to-date with technologi-cal advances and the necessarytraining are two challenges that allcounties are facing.

NACo’s information technology sum-mit concluded with the realizationthat its own end was just a beginningfor counties as they address thesepressing issues. There is much workto be done to prepare county lead-ers, both elected and appointed, tomeet the operational, policy andpractical needs of digital governance.


Initiative launched to assistcounties prevent child abuse

ach year, an estimated threemillion children are reportedabused and neglected in theUnited States. Studies have

proven that child abuse and neglect isdirectly linked to other social prob-lems such as homelessness, juveniledelinquency, teen pregnancy, drugabuse, low academic achievementand mental health problems.

In April, NACo received a grant of$300,000 from the Freddie MacFoundation to help counties combatchild abuse and neglect, as well as

encourage the development of pro-grams that support healthy familypractices. These funds will be used toreplicate Healthy Families Americaprograms in at least 200 countiesnationwide.

In partnership with Prevent ChildAbuse America, NACo will provideinformation and assistance to countyofficials about child abuse prevention.In this way, even more counties willbe able to share in Healthy FamiliesAmerica’s success in addressing theseconcerns.

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he most important effort ofthe Legislative AffairsDepartment has beenNACo’s congressional and

public education campaign concern-ing the collection of sales taxes onInternet commerce. The AdvisoryCouncil onElectronicCommerce spentmuch of the yeardiscussing possi-ble solutions, butwas unable toreach a consen-sus on the specif-ic actions thatCongress shouldtake.

NACo’s legislativeand public affairs staff and outsideconsultants have spent hundreds ofhours explaining to Congress andthe public the importance ofInternet sales taxes, not just today,but far into the future.

While the debate continues,Legislative Affairs has made signifi-cant progress in advancing the mes-sage of counties, which has led tochanges in the public debate. Thismessage of fairness for counties andMain Street bricks-and-mortar busi-

nesses has begun to resonate and isbeginning to have an impact onCapitol Hill.

The Legislative Affairs staff also con-centrates a great deal on the federalfunding streams that impact county

budgets. NACo has been successfulin convincing Congress to increasefunding for some programs, main-tain adequate funding for others,and avoid draconian cuts in allother important federal programs.

The association also has been at theforefront when it comes to the pro-tection and enhancement of fundingfor programs such as: summer youthemployment programs, theCommunity Development BlockGrant, HOME, Payments In Lieu of

Legislative Affairs Department


Internet sales tax issue is a question of fairness

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NACo President C. Vernon Gray spoke at a news conference on Capitol Hillin April at the Rally for Fairness, calling for a level playing field in thedebate over the collection of internet sales tax. Also speaking were otherstate and local officials.


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Taxes, the Social Services BlockGrant, and Temporary Assistanceto Needy Families. This is in addi-tion to funding from other infra-structure programs, such as TEA21,AIR21, and the Conservation andReinvestment Act.

In support of NACo’s grassroots

development, there has been a sig-nificant shift in emphasis upon theassociation’s action caucuses – theLarge Urban County Caucus(LUCC) and the Rural ActionCaucus (RAC). Associate LegislativeDirectors have been assigned toboth of the caucuses and havebegun to enhance both groups’capacity to influence Congress andsupport NACo’s legislative agenda.

This year, RAC worked closelywith members of Congress to

reconstitute the CongressionalRural Caucus, which had beeninactive since 1995. LUCC collabo-rated with the U.S. Conference ofMayors to jointly sponsor theMetro Economies Report, whichdocuments the significant contribu-tions that urban and suburbancounties make to the national

economy.

Over the course of this year, bothcaucuses have held very successfulmeetings in Washington, D.C. withmembers of Congress andAdministration officials. LUCC alsohas hosted a number of successfulregional meetings that helpedbring important urban issues intotheir proper context.

One major new initiative forLegislative Affairs that has already


NACo, the Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) and the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM)took their message to Wall Street in January to emphasize the importance of metro economies.Giving the thumbs up are (left to right) USCM President Brent Coles, LUCC Vice ChairmanRon Sims, NACo President-Elect Jane Hague, LUCC Chairman Wayne Curry, USCM PastPresident Wellington Webb, New York Stock Exchange Chairman Richard Grasso, NACoPresident C. Vernon Gray, USCM Advisory Board Chair Marc Morial, NACo Executive DirectorLarry E. Naake and USCM Executive Director Tom Cochran.

begun to bearfruit is a votingscorecard, whichtracksCongressionalvotes on issuesof importance tocounties. Thisscorecard isintended to holdmembers ofCongressaccountable fortheir votes andprovide county officials with thecritical information they need whenaddressing their local members ofCongress, particularly when thesemembers visit their district or stateoffices.

NACo’s cyber-activism and grass-

roots development is continuallyreinvented as new opportunitiesbecome apparent and enthusiasmfor the programs grows. LegislativeAffairs is in the process of institut-ing a grassroots effort that wouldtarget congressional committeemembers who have the greatestimpact on county programs.


County Services Department


his year, NACo’s ResearchDivision increased its useof surveys to provide dataand information about

county governments and their activ-ities. Often working with outsideconsultants and other departmentswithin the association, the divisioncompleted surveys and reports con-cerning: the activities of the LargeUrban Counties, skill shortages in

urban counties, information technol-ogy, wage and salary levels, publicsafety, county finances, and countyoperations.

In addition to these major surveys,NACo’s researchers prepared andconducted an affiliate services sur-vey, as well as assisted with thedevelopment of surveys on droughtrelief and telecommunications.

Research increases data collection

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Led by Chair Colleen Landkamer (center upper right), members of NACo’sRural Action Caucus met with Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), co-chair of theCongressional Rural Caucus.



he meetings division hashad a busy and productiveyear. One of its greatestaccomplishments has been

the growth of the annual exposi-tion, part of NACo’s annual confer-ence. The number of exhibitors inthe 2000 trade show has increasedby approximately 20 percent over1999.

This year’s exhibit hall also includes

the addition of a special exhibitarea called "Crossroads: WhereTechnology and Counties Meet."This exhibit showcases a range ofhigh technology, cutting-edge solu-tions that can provide faster, cheap-er and more efficient county servic-es. The addition of this specialexhibit has allowed NACo to reachout to new companies who may nothave exhibited at a NACo show inthe past and may not have been

Conference trade show

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ACo’s Education Divisionachieved much success thisyear. The division, in part-nership with state associa-

tions of counties,produced aLeadershipHandbook forcounty officials.The division alsolaunched theNACo InternetUniversity withan on-line courseon risk manage-ment, created anintroductoryworkshop forthose new toconferencescalled "NACo

Niche," and established multipleAdvanced Leadership Training (ALT)seminars.

The ALT seminars, which werelaunched at NACo’s 2000 LegislativeConference, are expected to becomea cornerstone of the EducationDivision’s programming. The semi-nars are designed as pre-conferencesessions for all NACo conferences.They also will be held in variousregions of the country and, by invi-tation only, in a number of statesand counties. NACo has establishedpartnerships with several organiza-tions for the ALT seminars, includingEnlightened Leadership International(ELI) and Professor John Splaine, aconsultant with C-SPAN.

Leadership Handbook produced

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aware of the value of partneringwith NACo.

These new relationships may proveto be valuable beyond futureexhibitor possibilities. These com-panies may choose to become new

corporate and premier members,conference sponsors, and advertisersfor County News. The growth ofNACo’s exhibit hall promisesincreased revenue that can be putback into improving the associa-tion’s conferences.



cross the nation, approxi-mately 44 millionAmericans do not haveaccess to health care.

These may be working adultswhose employers do not offerhealth care benefits or unemployedindividuals who cannot afford ade-quate health care. Every illness,every accident puts people lackinghealth care coverage on the brinkof a major life crisis, no matter whattheir position or status in life.

Tired of temporary and partial solu-tions, several county governmentshave developed community-basedhealth care programs for the unin-sured. These communities havelaunched their own programs,instead of waiting for the federal orstate government.

NACo, through grant funding fromthe federal Bureau of Primary

Health Care, has initiated a programto assist counties as they explorethe possibility of developing theirown community-based health caresystems for the uninsured. Throughthis initiative, NACo links countiesthat are interested in providing suchcare with communities who havesuccessfully achieved this goal.

Models of successful programsinclude: the HillsboroughHealthcare Plan in HillsboroughCounty, Florida; Project Access inBuncombe County, North Carolina;and Project Access in SedgwickCounty, Kansas. Each of theseefforts has proven that when coun-ties partner with their local medicalcommunities, hospitals, publichealth departments, religious institu-tions, and non-profit health careproviders, funds can be redirectedin order to provide quality healthcare to the uninsured.

Campaign promotes 100 percentaccess and zero health disparities

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ACo Board member andSanta Cruz County (Ariz.)Supervisor Ronald R.Morriss served as vice chair

of the National Drought PolicyCommission, which was chargedwith providing advice and recom-

mendations on federal drought policy.

In May, the commission, which wascomprised of federal agencies, stateand local officials and others affect-ed by droughts, delivered its finalreport to Congress and theAdministration. The report includeda policy statement favoring pre-paredness, calling for research into

mitigation, and asking the federalgovernment to better coordinate itsservices with state and local govern-ments.

The commission’s final report alsoincluded assessments of federal,

regional,state andlocaldrought-related pro-grams. Aspart of thiseffort, NACoconducted asample sur-vey of coun-ty membersto gather

informationon the needsand issues

arising from local governmentdrought assistance. More than 75percent of the 177 respondents indi-cated that they rely on federal pro-grams for drought emergency assis-tance. This information, along withscores of public comments address-ing the needs of local government,was included in the commission’sfinal report.

NACo plays lead role in developingnational drought policy

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Ronald R. Morriss (right), chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Santa CruzCounty (Ariz.) and vice chair of the National Drought Policy Board, discussesdrought policy at a meeting with Jim Laver (left), a representative of theDepartment of Commerce, and Brian Schweitzer, a Montana farmer and rancher.


Public Affairs Department


n December 1999, theInaugural Joint CenterSustainable CommunityAwards were presented to

15 projects from around the coun-try. NACo and the U.S. Conferenceof Mayors developed the JointCenter Sustainable CommunityAwards Program to recognize out-standing city/county collaborationson issues such as: balanced andsustainable growth, welfare reform,metropolitan economic strategies,affordable housing, crime preven-tion, and environmental improve-ment.

An extensive evaluation and judgingprocess culminated with an awardsceremony at the White House.Hosted by White HouseIntergovernmental Affairs Director

Mickey Ibarra, the ceremony wasattended by administration officials,representatives from the U.S.Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (HUD), other federalagencies, and over 90 representa-tives from the award winning com-munities themselves.

NACo President and Joint CenterAdvisory Committee Co-Chair C.Vernon Gray presided over theevent. President Gray was joinedby U.S. Conference of Mayors Vice-President H. Brent Coles in present-ing the awards. HUD AssistantSecretary Bill Apgar also designatedseveral HUD Secretary Award win-ners from amongst the honorees.HUD co-sponsored the awards pro-gram.

Sustainable Community Awards presented

he ongoing effort toachieve "2,000 countymembers by the end of theyear 2000" is on target. At

the beginning of June 1997, NACohad counted a total of 1,727 countymembers and had not grown signifi-cantly in many years. By June of

Membership--Effort AchievesTremendous Results

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1999, NACo membership had grown7.5 percent, standing at 1,854 countymembers.

As of June of 2000, NACo member-ship is at 1,968 and continues toincrease toward the important mile-stone of 2,000. NACo membershiphas never been this high. With eachnew member, NACo sets anotherrecord for membership.

Even though NACo’s retention ratedecreased slightly in 1999-2000 andnow stands at 97.1 percent, the asso-ciation continues to have one of thehighest retention rates in the nation,

when benchmarked against similarassociations. And finally, NACo duesrevenue continues a steady climb,with the membership effort showingsuccess with counties of many differ-ent sizes.

All of these successes have beenattained through the combinedefforts of: the MembershipCommittee, the executive directorsof state associations of counties,countless member county officials,and the NACo membership staff, allof whom have worked tirelessly tointroduce NACo’s benefits to moreand more counties across the nation.


t was kudos for CountyNews this past year as sen-ior writer Kevin Wilcoxand editor Beverly

Schlotterbeck won Awards ofExcellence in the APEX ’99 Awardsfor Publication Excellence contest.Wilcox was honored for featurewriting and Schlotterbeck forrewriting. The APEX ’99 Awards forPublication Excellence is sponsoredby the publishers ofCommunications Concepts, anewsletter for professional commu-nicators.

The spotlight struck County Newsagain as readers across thecountry were directed towww.countynews.org, County

News Online. In its review ofNACo’s Website (which receivedthree out of a possible four stars for

County News staff wins awards

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a "great" rating. Access Internet maga-zine, a nationally syndicated newspa-per supplement, advised readers that"to keep up with the hottest topics,read articles from County News." Thereview appeared on Feb. 6, 2000.

February 2000 was also the month

that County News launched a new serv-ice for its readers – electronic deliv-ery. Readers can now have CountyNews delivered to their computerdesktops in their choice of three for-mats: headlines only, a complete PDFFile, or County News Online’s FrontPage.



ACo’s Acts ofCaring Awardsceremony onApril 13 at the

U.S. Capitol was aresounding success. Fifteencounties received awardsfor their outstanding vol-unteer programs and alsoreceived praise from mem-bers of Congress.

Fifteen members ofCongress—four Senatorsand 11 Representatives—attended the ceremony.The most prestigiousaward for overall excel-lence, the Legacy Award,was presented to Harris County,Texas, for The Children’sAssessment Center, a programdesigned to protect and improve thelives of sexually abused children.

Other counties winning awards in

the national program were:Bernalillo County, N.M.; ClarkCounty, Wash.; Cook County, Ill.;Fairfax County, Va.; HanoverCounty, Va.; Henrico County, Va.;Jackson County, Mo.; MarinCounty, Calif.; Northhampton

Caring Awards recognize outstanding volunteer programs

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Receiving the top overall award for Harris County are CountyJudge Robert Eckels (third from right), Roz Hill, assistant direc-tor of the program and Alan Pinkett (c), board member of theprogram. The award was presented by judging panel co-chairsGreg Lashutka (l) of Nationwide Financial and Harris Woffordof the Corporation for National Services and NACo President C.Vernon Gray. Rep Ken Bentsen (D-Texas) was on hand to con-gratulate the winners.


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County, Pa.; Orange County, Calif.;Salt Lake County, Utah; SkagitCounty, Wash.; Sonoma County,Calif.; and Washington, County,Minn. Fairfax County won twoawards.

NACo President C. Vernon Gray pre-

sented the awards along with thejudging panel’s co-chairs: HarrisWofford, chief executive officer,Corporation for National Service; andGreg Lashutka, senior vice president,corporate relations, NationwideFinancial. Nationwide provided fund-ing in support of the program.


Media coverage risesACo continues to build onits past success in promot-ing positive media coverageof county issues. In 1999,

media coverage increased approxi-mately 40 percent over the previousyear; in 2000 coverage continues tobe outstanding. An average of 35articles a month are published oncounty issues or NACo policy posi-tions.

This growth is the direct result ofsolid strategic planning in conjunc-tion with Legislative Affairs, the

Research Division and other NACodepartments, as well as the use ofscientific surveys to advance NACo’sagenda.

Two issues that have received themost coverage were Internet salestaxes and the release of the MetroEconomies Report. An excellentrelationship has been establishedwith American City & County andGoverning—two publications that nowwelcome NACo story ideas and reg-ularly publish stories about countyissues.

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Information Technology Department

he digital divide is not onlya gap between the rich andpoor, but also a gapbetween government and

the private sector. NACo’s latest sur-vey of information technology usein the nation’s counties was con-

ducted in April 2000. It showed thatonly 41 percent of the countiesreport they are planning to use theweb to perform business in thenear future. Since an Internet yeartoday lasts only three months, thegap between government and the

Digital Divide initiatives pursued

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private sector will continue to growlarger.

The primary weapon in NACo’sfight against the digital divide is thepublic/private partnerships. Thesepartnerships are the key ingredientsthat run through all of the IT initia-

tives. Partners consist primarily ofNACo’s Premier Partners, as well asthe NACo Financial Services Center(FSC), a subsidiary for-profit part-nership of NACo and the DavenportFinancial Group. The following is asummary of IT initiatives designedto attack the digital divide.

NACo is launching anew comprehensiveprogram that will deliv-er electronic govern-ment and governanceservices to local gov-ernments in the UnitedStates. The NACoFinancial ServicesCenter will strategicallypartner with one ormore private sectorfirms to design, devel-op, implement andmarket this program.

A formal Request forProposals will be sub-mitted to prospectiveprivate sector partnersin July 2000, with ananticipated launch dateof January 2001. Thediagram (at right) is agraphic representation of the poten-tial service and business opportuni-ties the FSC has identified.

National Electronic Government Program



The NACo Financial Services Centerauthorized a pilot project withEzgov.com, a NACo PremierMember, in order to test the recep-tivity to and impacts of providingcitizen access to the payment of var-

ious fees, fines, taxes and chargeson-line. Ezgov.com is currentlypiloting ezProperty, their propertytax application, with WhatcomCounty, WA, Burleigh County, NDand Robeson County, NC.

E-Government Pilot

GIS, the systems built to harnessthe power of spatial data for deci-sion-making – have great value forpolicymakers dealing with situa-tions at the local level. GIS is the

primary delivery medium for coun-ty services. NACo promotes thecoordinated use, sharing, and dis-semination of geospatial data on anational basis.

Geographic Information Systems

Intergraph Corporation, a NACoPremier Member, provided GISsoftware, data and training to 2,700county departments at no cost.This program’s goal is to provideGIS Starter Kits to 5,000 countydepartments in over 300 NAComember counties. Intergraph, inconjunction with their business part-ners, is scheduled to complete thisgoal by year-end 2000.Environmental Systems ResearchInstitute, Inc. (ESRI), a NACoPremier Member, will provide 300

grants to NACo member countiesbeginning in July 2000. These grantswill include GIS software, data andtraining. This GIS grant programwill finish by July 2001.Oracle Corporation, a NACoPremier Member, will provide NACowith the Oracle spatially enableddatabase, along with associatedtraining by year-end 2000. TheOracle spatial database serves as adata repository for all GIS vendors,including Intergraph and ESRI.The Federal Geographic Data

Public-Private Partnerships

Committee coordinates the devel-opment of the National SpatialData Infrastructure (NSDI). The

NSDI encompasses policies, stan-dards, and procedures for organiza-tions to cooperatively produce and

Federal Geographic Data Committee



share geographic data. The 17 fed-eral agencies that make up theFGDC are developing the NSDI incooperation with organizationsfrom state, local and tribal govern-ments, the academic community,

and the private sector. NACoactively participates in the FGDC.Discussions are underway to obtaina full-time FGDC Liaison to theNACo Staff.An organization is being formed to

lead a national effort that willenable the effective and equitableflow of geographic informationwithin the public and private sec-tors to enhance the nation’s eco-nomic, environmental and socialprogress. Along with governmentalentities (federal, state, tribal, cityand county) and private sector

companies, NACo has actively par-ticipated in shaping this neworganization. The structure (pur-pose, principles, participants, orga-nizational concept, and constitu-tion) for this national organizationwill be completed by year-end2000.

GeoData Alliance Organized

Public/Private Partnerships

ounties play an importantrole in helping to ensure thefuture security of their citi-zen leaders and workforce

members. In response to theseincreasing needs, NACo is develop-ing a retirement education campaignthat is designed for county officialsand plan administrators who haveoversight and responsibility for retire-ment programs in their counties. Asauthorized by NACo’s DeferredCompensation Advisory Committee,training is being developed and test-

ed during 2000 and will be availablefor broad distribution in 2001.

NACo’s Public/Private PartnershipProgram develops and offers innova-tive products, resources and servicesthat support county government.Businesses participate with countyofficials through distinct venues: theCorporate Member Program,Technology Premier MemberProgram, Deferred CompensationProgram, and the Financial ServicesCenter.

Retirement education campaign set

C



ACo’s CorporateMembership Program pro-vides a forum for bothcounty elected officials and

businesses to exchange informationand collaborate for mutual under-standing and benefit. It is withinthis environment that county offi-cials express the needs and chal-lenges of counties across America.Equally, it also provides corporateAmerica the opportunity to sharetheir expertise and services.

Member corporations represent abroad cross-section of the nation’sbusiness community, from relativelysmall local firms to national andinternational companies. NACo iscommitted to assisting county elect-ed officials and businesses explorenew and innovative ways of work-ing together.

In addition, NACo’s corporate

member program provides a broadrange of opportunities for corpora-tions to reach county officialsthrough events and services pre-sented by NACo. Members arewelcome to attend meetings, work-shops, seminars, receptions andjoint programs with NACo’s countymembers. Corporate membersmeet as an organization duringNACo conferences to exchangeideas, network, and build relation-ships.

Members receive discount registra-tion fees to attend NACo confer-ences and to participate asexhibitors. Members are entitled toreceive NACo resources and publi-cations such as the NACorp Quarterly,County News, Leadership Letter, and theLegislative Bulletin, to name a few.NACo Corporate membership con-sists of 96 members with an annualmembership dues of $1,000.

Corporate membership offers forumfor information exchange

N

Deferred Compensation Programexceeds $7 billion in total assets

ACo’s deferred compensa-tion program continues togrow in terms of totalassets, number of partici-

pating jurisdictions and number ofindividual participants. By the firstquarter of 2000, assets exceeded $7billion; the program had more thanN



3,000 participating jurisdictions,including 1,883 counties with morethan 360,000 participants.NACo, in partnership withNationwide Retirement Solutions,Inc., and state associations of coun-

ties, delivers a comprehensivedeferred compensation program tocounty employees. NACo is respon-sible for marketing, oversight, andadministration of the program nation-ally.

he cornerstone programof the Financial ServicesCenter (FSC), whichbegan operation in

January 1995, is the national coop-erative purchasing alliance. Thisprogram provides contracts forvarious commodities at substantialdiscounts and has saved local gov-ernments more than $100 millionin the past three and a half years.

The FSC is a partnership ownedby the NACo Financial ServicesCorporation. Chartered to provideunique financial services to coun-ties, county employees andretirees, the FSC offers cooperativepurchasing, insurance andemployee retirement and savingsservices.

In the cooperative purchasing pro-gram, large counties and cities bidon behalf of all local governments,and the ensuing contracts are

offeredthrough a"piggyback"arrange-ment.Presently,the program offers contracts foroffice supplies, office systems fur-niture, computers and peripherals,and general supplies. Vendorsinclude Office Depot, KIFurniture, Knoll, Inc., Wareforce,Inc., Tangent Computers, EnPointeTechnologies, Inc., IBM, DellComputers, Gateway, Micron PC,COMARK, CompUSA, SoftwareSpectrum and Graybar ElectricCompany.

The employee retirement and sav-ings sector provides countyemployees with defined contribu-tions plans, deferred compensa-tion matching plans, Roth IRAs,college savings plans, and post-employment health plans.

Counties save more than $100 million with cooperative purchasing

T



he NACo TechnologyPremier Member Programis an opportunity for lead-ers in the information tech-

nology industry to feature theirproducts and services to countygovernments across the country.The program creates a partnershipbetween NACo’s members andcompanies and allows those compa-nies to showcase their capabilitiesthat are relevant to county govern-ments, discuss future informationtechnology needs of counties, andprovide information and educationto counties on issues and trends in

the information technology industry. In addition to receiving the benefitsof Corporate Membership,Technology Premier Membersreceive specific product educationdemonstrations, general countytechnology research and education,and interaction with county technol-ogy leaders through the NACo com-mittee structure. Currently, thereare eight Technology PremierMembers. Membership dues are$15,000 for the first year anddecreases by $1,000 each year forfour years, after which the annualfee is $10,000.

Premier members gain access

T

Finance & Administration Department


ver the years, NACo hasbeen able to attract andretain a diverse staff with-out much difficulty. This

has been due primarily to the factthat the association has remainedcompetitive with other employersby providing interesting work, goodbenefits, a great work environmentand competitive salaries.

With the tight labor market, NACofinds itself, like other employers,searching for new ways to attractand retain talented people. To dothis, NACo believes that the associ-ation needs to address and satisfythe needs of the younger genera-tions. In this regard, NACo has initi-ated some activities to improve staffmorale and increase retention ratesat the same time.

For instance, NACo changed itsrecognition and rewards programthis year. In addition to giving

annual merit increases, NACoadded a multi-tiered bonus system.Employees are now being recog-nized at several levels. The awardsare presented at a recognitionluncheon, which is held inFebruary.

Other actions taken by NACo wereto: restructure positions to provideadvancement opportunities for sev-eral staff members, institute atelecommute program, offer a mod-ified four-day work week duringthe summer months, and revise theperformance appraisal system topromote greater job development.All these actions were taken withthe intent of improving NACo’swork environment.

NACo is proud of its employeesand will continue to explore newways to ensure that the associationattracts and retains the bestemployees.

NACo maintains a diverse staff in today s economy

O


26

ince reducing its long-standing deficit in 1996, NACo has achievednet revenue surpluses in each year. In 1999, NACo ended theyear with a $1.3 million surplus–nearly $800,000 higher than bud-geted. This overall surplus was largely due to increased earnings

from investments and royalties. These surpluses continue to developNACo’s reserves and enable us to provide superior legislative, research,and education services to the nation’s counties.

NACo Consolidated Statement of Activities andChange in Net Assets for 1999 (audit by Lang Group Chartered)

S


(1,000,000)

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000



December 31, 1999

Sources of Revenue RevenueNACoS: Royalties & Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7,509,237Membership Dues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,393,265Rental Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,834,874Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,391,415Grants & Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,572,463County Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459,982County News/Pubs/Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303,809Investments/Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620,511

Total Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19,085,556

Expenditures by Program ExpensesNACo Services Corp (NACoS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,520,085Membership Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525,388Rental Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,892,740Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,590,302Grants & Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,411,648County Services Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,749,278County News/Press & PR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,166,112Legislative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,334,310Mgt & Admin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,571,064

Total Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17,760,927

Change in Net Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,324,629Net Assets, beginning of year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,862,650Net Assets, December 31, 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,187,279

NACo Staff

28

ExecutiveManagementLarry Naake Executive Director [email protected] (202)942-4201

Dottie ByarsState Assoc. [email protected] (202)942-4208

Veronica EpresAdmin. [email protected] (202)942-4258

Karen McRunnel Executive Assistant [email protected] (202)942-4238

County Services Ed [email protected] (202)942-4214

Kandace BeamonEducation [email protected] (202)661-8816

Peggy BeardsleeResearch [email protected] (202)942-4279

Jacqueline ByersDirector of [email protected] (202)942-4285

Sandra ClarkSenior [email protected] (202)942-4277

Patrick CokleyMeetings [email protected](202)942-4228

James CulottaResearch [email protected] (202)661-8801

James DavenportResearch [email protected](202)661-8807

Jane ForsytheDirector,Conferences [email protected](202)942-4288

Abigail FriedmanProject [email protected](202)942-4225

June GarrettResearch [email protected] (202)942-4219

Gary GortenburgProject [email protected] (202)942-4287

Martin HarrisCo-Director, JointCenter [email protected](202)661-8805

Lois KampinskyTelecom. andEducation [email protected] (202)942-4267

Cindy KennySenior [email protected] (202)942-4227

Scott LoganResearch [email protected](202)942-4228

Phyllis PinesAdmin. [email protected](202)942-4276

Sandy MarkwoodDeputy Director;County [email protected] (202)942-4235

Swati [email protected] (202)942-4252

Tim WalkerMeetings [email protected](202) 661-8804

John Lou WittSenior ProgramMngr.-Radon/IndoorAir [email protected](202)942-4261

Pam ZarbatanyResearch Associate-Radon/Indoor [email protected](202)942-4292

Finance andAdministrationKathyann BosakDirector [email protected](202)942-4206

Betty Lou AntonelliSenior [email protected] (202)942-4226

Thomas BusseyGeneral [email protected](202)942-4211

Shannon Houston-SmackAssistant [email protected] (202)942-4268

Renee Jackson

Accounting [email protected](202)942-4244

Deborah KingAccounting [email protected](202)942-4289

Aruna MallStaff [email protected] (202)661-8835

Paula McMillianAccounting [email protected] (202)942-4273

Sharon PlaterOffice [email protected] (202)661-8827

Delano ScottManager [email protected] (202)942-4265

Maria WagnerDirector of [email protected](202)942-4202

Burnestine WardHuman [email protected] (202)942-4232

Ronniette WattsAccounting [email protected](202)942-4283

Phyllis [email protected](202)661-8802

Gail YatesSenior [email protected] (202)393-6226



NACo Staff

InformationTechnologyBert JarreauChief [email protected] (202)942-4248

Stephen Williams-DayTelecom [email protected] (202)942-4266

Pat FernandezLAN [email protected] (202)942-4215

Sabrina GloverDatabase [email protected] (202)661-8803

Paul KeisterIT [email protected] (202)942-4264

Anne PowellDatabase [email protected] (202)942-4245

Sok SonLAN [email protected] (202)942-4229

Betty ThomasAdminstrative [email protected](202)942-4209

Legislative AffairsEdwin [email protected] (202)942-4271

Jeff ArnoldDeputy [email protected] (202)942-4286

Neil BombergAssociate Leg. [email protected]

(202)942-4205

Shawn BullardAssociate Leg. [email protected] (202)942-4212

Eric CilibertiAssociate Leg. [email protected] (202)942-4207

Marshall D. EdwardsLeg. [email protected] (202)942-4236

Aster EsheteSeniorAdministrative [email protected] (202)942-4213

Andrea FisherLeg. [email protected] (202)942-4237

Robert FogelAssociate Leg. [email protected] (202)942-4217

Evelyn GallmonAdministrative [email protected] (202)942-4218

Tom MainwaringU.S. Forest [email protected] (202)942-4234

Bob McCormickNACo [email protected] (202)942-4255

Sally McElroyAssociate Leg. [email protected] (202)942-4230

Donald MurrayAssociate Leg. [email protected] (202)942-4239

Stephanie OsbornAssociate Leg. [email protected] (202)942-4269

Marilina SanzAssociate Leg. [email protected] (202)942-4260

Ralph TaborAssociate Leg. [email protected] (202)942-4254

Dianne TaylorAssociate Leg. [email protected] (202)942-4204

Public AffairsTom GoodmanDirector [email protected](202)942-4222

Liz GalewskiMedia [email protected](202)942-4220

AndrewGoldschmidtDirector,[email protected] (202)942-4221

Phillip PayetteGraphic [email protected] (202)942-4250

Bev SchlotterbeckEditor, County [email protected](202)942-4249

Victoria VickersEditorial [email protected] (202)942-4256

Public/PrivatePartnershipsTom SweetDirector; Corp. Relations [email protected] (202)942-4290

Hirut [email protected] (202)942-4240

Kaye BraatenCounty [email protected] (202)942-4291

Lisa ColeDirector, [email protected] (202)942-4270

Renata LipscombMembership/Marketing [email protected](202)942-4233

Donna SmithDirector of RiskServices [email protected](505)890-5700

Steve SwendimanManagingDirector/CEO [email protected] (202)942-4282

Angie Upton-CaroMarketingCoordinator - [email protected] (202)942-4278

440 First Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20001-2080

(202)393-6226www. naco.org

javier m. gonzalesjavier m. gonzales first vice president commissioner santa fe county 102 grant...

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