Save the Dates For:
Newly Elected County Board Member Orientations
- January 21, 2017
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Holiday Inn Express North Platte
- January 28, 2017
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
NACO Conference Room
1335 H Street
Lincoln
For registration see article in this E-line
NACO Board Legislative Bill Position's Meeting
- January 27, 2017
9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
NACO Office
Nebraska Weed Control Association Annual Conference
- February 13-15, 2017
Kearney
Ramada Inn
ALL UPCOMING EVENTS
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Place your logo here and link it to any website
For details contact:
[email protected]
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| WHO SUPPORTS NACO AND THEIR MISSION?  Associate and Sustaining Members
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NACO Associate and Sustaining Members enable NACO to enhance its continuing education programs for county officials across the state. Visit NACO's complete associate and sustaining membership list
here.
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| Newly Elected Board Member Orientations To Be Held |
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The Objective of NACO
The Nebraska Association of County Officials was organized in 1894 and formally incorporated in 1968. It is composed of 93 member counties and its express objective is to stimulate and contribute to the continuing improvement of county government in Nebraska through the promotion of increased efficiency and economy, the augmentation of a higher standard of public service, and the protection of the common good and general welfare of Nebraska county residents.
To ensure that its objectives are achieved, NACO regularly sponsors continuing education programs such as the January orientations that new county officials may attend, conducts research, publishes educational materials, administers cost saving programs, and represents the interests of Nebraska counties before the state and federal governments, agencies, and courts.
Orientation Times and Locations
To further educate and provide awareness for new and recently appointed (Since September of 2016) county board members, NACO is hosting two orientations in January. The first one will be held in North Platte at the Holiday Inn Express from 1-3 p.m. on January 21. The second one will be held at the NACO office conference room at 1335 H Street in Lincoln from 1-3 p.m. on January 28.
This orientation is not specifically designed for county board members appointed prior to September 1, 2016. Of course, all county board members are welcome to attend other educational offerings of NACO, such as the County Board Workshops, the district meetings, the County Board of Equalization Workshops, the annual conference and other special workshops that are designed for those audiences.
There is no registration fee, but please register to attend so seating and materials supplied can be determined. A free County Board Handbook will be provided for those attending. If you are unable to attend, a County Board Handbook may be requested at a cost to you or your county.
Registration can be completed on the NACO website after creating a NACO registration ID. If you are having difficulties with
registration, call Deb Eberly at the NACO office at 402-454-5660 Ext. 232, or send her an email by clicking here and telling her which session is your preference so she can register you.
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| 2017 Institute of Excellence |
Now's the Time! Register for the 2017 NACO Institute of Excellence
Note: Please call Carroll Welte at 402.374.2954 or Jessica Jones at 402.335.3669, if you registered for the NACO Institute of Excellence using the registration form link contained in the last NACO newsletter. If you haven't registered for the Institute, read on!
Some people love change and adapt easily while others hate change and refuse to accept it altogether. Change is hard to keep up with (e.g. technology); change happens naturally (e.g. aging). Regardless of how much is understood about change, one thing for certain is that change is inevitable. How people cope with change says a lot about them as leaders and managers.
Registration is open for the 2017 NACO Institute of Excellence. Change is brought up in almost every session of the Institute. In March participants hear how people perceive change based on personality preferences and generational differences. How people manage change plays into how they manage conflict, a topic for May. A July presenter will talk about a significant change happening in many counties that most people are completely missing. September's buzz words include influence and innovation-two words that suggest change.
Good leaders embrace change. They look toward the future, recognize trends and manage change in ways that benefit the people they serve. The NACO Institute of Excellence is a year-long, leadership-focused professional development program for county officials. It's an excellent venue for county officials (seasoned or new) to exchange ideas and discuss topics like change.
To learn more about when and where the program is offered go to
www.nacone.org and look under Upcoming Events or call Extension Educators, Carroll Welte (402.374.2954) or Jessica Jones (402.335.3669). Better yet, beat the February 9, 2017 deadline and register today. Go to
www.nacone.org
and click on
Registration under Upcoming Events 2017 NACO Institute of Excellence.
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Scholarship Applications Available for 2017 Graduates
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Nebraska high school seniors who are the children, stepchildren, or under the legal guardianship of county officials or employees are encouraged to apply for one of twelve $1,000.00 NACO scholarships. In addition to the twelve NACO scholarships, a special award, the Ronda Dix Memorial Scholarship, may be awarded to an applicant planning a career in nursing, physical therapy, or other medical field. Additional information and the application form can be found on the front page of the NACO website.
The scholarship application deadline is March 1, 2017. To access the application from this article, click
here.
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Crime Commission Grant Funding Available
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The Nebraska Crime Commission has announced the availability of the
2017 Office of Violence prevention Grant [OVP]
.
The Application Instructions outline general guidelines, eligibility, and funding requirements.
The Request For Application and the OVP Application are available by clicking on the highlighted titles. The application deadline is Wednesday, February 15, 2017, no later than 5:00 p.m.
Competitive Funds Available: $350,000.00
The Nebraska Crime Commission has also posted the application for the
County Justice Reinvestment Grant. Included with the application are instructions and the statute/rules and regulations governing the grant program.
The application is due by Wednesday, February 15, 2017, no later than 5:00 p.m.
This information
can also be found on the Nebraska Crime Commission website.
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| Digital Storage Issues |
Dakota County Officials Find Digital Storage Not The Best
Article provided by The Sioux City Journal - Nick Hytrek
December 17, 2016
DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) - Go into any government office nowadays and chances are you're filling out forms on a computer. That is, if you're even going into the office. Many departments enable applicants to file forms electronically via home computers or smartphones.
If you do fill out government documents by hand, it's likely the information will be entered into a computer and saved on a server.
In our digital society, we assume all those important records can be called up later with a couple keystrokes.
But for some government records meant to be kept forever, digital storage isn't necessarily the best method, or at least not the preferred one.
As Dakota County officials found out recently, microfilm, those rolls that many of us have scrolled through while trying to find old newspaper articles at the library, are still very much current technology.
The Sioux City Journal (
dated December 6, 2016) reports in September, Dakota County was notified by the Nebraska State Archives that it needed to replace 202 rolls of aging 35-millimeter film stored in Lincoln. Those rolls contained images of Dakota County's mortgage documents and land deeds dating back to the 1850's. The cellulose acetate film holding those documents was in the beginning process of breaking down and emitting a vinegar smell.
Nebraska state statutes require that those records be kept forever, so the film had to be duplicated. The Dakota County Board of Commissioners voted to pay $13,130 to do so.
"It seems a little archaic," said Joan Spencer, Dakota County Clerk, Election Commissioner and Register of Deeds.
Especially when you consider that since 1998, Dakota county's record-keeping has been computerized. All those records in the register of deeds office are now entered via computer and saved there. At the end of each business day, records are saved to several servers, including one in Lincoln.
"I suppose they're thinking someday this (computer network) could crash. You can still view on the old (film) system," said Cherie Conley, deputy Dakota County clerk.
Bob Fountaine, the division manager at Multicounty Information and Programming Services Inc., also known as MIPS Inc., which archives records for the majority of Nebraska's 93 counties, posed a simple question when asked why film is preferred over digital storage. When is the last time you saw a floppy disk?
A film reader doesn't become obsolete. Computer technology often does.
"If you go back 20, 40 years, you can't read it," Fountaine said of some electronic archiving. "Unfortunately, digitized images are not achievable."
With new film technology, records should last much longer. Gayla Koerting, state archivist and curator of government records at the Nebraska State Historical Society, said the cellulose acetate film that many counties' records were saved on has been obsolete since the late 1970s. Since the 1980s, those records are archived on a film containing polyester, which has a much longer lifespan.
"Film is still the standard. It lasts for 500 years," Koerting said.
In a vault in the Dakota County Register of Deeds office are big, heavy books containing all those records the county must keep. They date back to the 1850s, before Nebraska was even a state. Handwritten in flowing penmanship, the oldest records refer to the Nebraska Territory.
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Exhibit Featuring 93 Photos, One For Each County
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One of the first public events celebrating Nebraska's 150th anniversary of statehood next year will be the premiere reception for a photo exhibit that will tour the state.
The opening exhibit of 93 photographs, one from each county, selected as winners in a competition sponsored by the Hildegard Center for the Arts in Lincoln was held Jan. 6 at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St. The display will continue in its Lincoln location through March 25th.
After its Lincoln run, the exhibition moves to stops in Seward, North Platte, Norfolk, Alliance and Omaha during the remainder of 2017. Nebraska achieved statehood March 1, 1867.
The Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission is proud to lend its support to the photo exhibit, known as "Bridges: Sharing Our Past to Enrich the Future,'' said Regan Anson, executive director.
"The Bridges project presents a unique opportunity for photographers of every skill to capture and showcase the beauty of every corner of our remarkable state," she said.
To look at the entire article and its links, click here. The article is courtesy of The World Herald Bureau / By David Hendee.
The Hildegard Center Exhibit Photos can be viewed by clicking
here.
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The Seward County Independent carried this photo and an accompanying article. Click here to view this January 11th posting.
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Legal Line
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Editor's Note: Legal Line is a feature that will periodically appear in NACO E-Line. This edition has been prepared by Beth Ferrell of the NACO legal staff. Legal Line is not intended to serve as legal advice. Rather, it is published to alert readers to court decisions and legal or advisory matters important to county government. For a specific opinion on how the information contained in this article or that which will be discussed in future issues relates to your county, consult your county attorney or personal counsel.
Are County Officials and Employees Considered Lobbyists?
As county officials and employees testify at legislative committee hearings and contact senators, NACO staff members are sometimes asked whether that is considered being a lobbyist. By definition, lobbying is "the practice of promoting or opposing for another person. . . the introduction or enactment of legislation or resolutions". Neb.Rev.Stat.
§49-1433. Under the Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act (§§49-1401 to 49-14, 141), lobbyists must register with the Clerk of the Legislature and file periodic reports of activity and expenditures.
The Act sets out laws regarding lobbying, campaign practices, and conflicts of interest. It specifically excludes from the definition of lobbyist, "[A] public official or employee of a branch of state government, except the University of Nebraska, or an elected official of a political subdivision who is acting in the course or scope of his or her office or employment".
§49-1434(3)(a).
In addition, the Act exempts, "[A]n employee of a political subdivision whose regular employment duties do not ordinarily include lobbying activities as long as such employee is not additionally compensated for such lobbying activities, other than his or her regular salary, and is not reimbursed for any lobbying expenditures except his or her travel, lodging, and meal expenses and the meal expenses for members of the Legislature."
§49-1434(3)(f).
Writing letters and furnishing written information to individual members of the Legislature or its committees is not considered lobbying under
§49-1434.
The Accountability and Disclosure Commission has prepared a lobbying guidelines
brochure that summarizes the registration and reporting requirements.
More information can be found on the Commission's website by clicking
here.
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2017-2018 Directory of County Officials
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NACO's 2017-2018 Directory of County Officials is a valuable resource that not only gives you names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and e-mail addresses of every county official in the state, but includes a listing of county board meeting days, NACO districts, county seats, NACO officers and directors, affiliate officers and NACO staff. In January, county clerks for each county will receive one complimentary printed copy of the directory intended for use by all offices in their courthouse.
The NACO Directory will also still be available in electronic format by selecting the
"Directory of County Officials" icon on the NACO
webpage. The electronic version is updated on a regular basis and contains the changes that occur between printings of the hard copies.
A printed directory is available for $19.00 if non-taxable and $20.00 if taxable.
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County Government Day PowerPoint
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The PowerPoint presentation is available electronically at no charge (sent via e-mail) for use by counties during their annual County Government Day. The PowerPoint provides a comprehensive look at county government functions in the State of Nebraska and can be customized by each county. CD's are also available for $10.00 each to cover processing, shipping and handling. To request the County Government Day PowerPoint electronically, please e-mail your request to
[email protected]
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The CD order form is available
here.
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2016 County Board Handbook and Revision
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The 2016 County Board Handbook and related revisions are now available.
The cost for a current handbook, including legislative information from the 2016 session, is $80.00/book plus $18.00 shipping and handling per book. The 2016 Supplement to the County Board Handbook is available for $25.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling. The order form is available on the NACO website or by clicking here. If you are interested in purchasing a complete handbook or a supplement please contact
Deb Eberly by email
or call her at (402) 434-5660 ext. 232.
All newly elected and recently appointed (since September of 2016) board members who are attending the January sessions in North Platte and Lincoln (listed above) and have pre-registered will receive a free county board handbook at the sessions.
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| NACo Webinars |
Newly Elected Official Webinar
Jan. 18, 2017
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm CST
Contact:
(202) 942-4221
Designed specifically for newly elected officials, this webinar will give you an overview of legislative, leadership and solutions that will be valuable to you from day one. Hear from fellow officials about their perceptions with plenty of time for Q & A.
REGISTER
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