Save the Dates For:
NACO 11 th Annual Legislative Conference
October 13th
Holthus Convention Center,
York
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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| Last Chance to Register for the NACO Legislative Conference! |
The 11th Annual NACO Legislative Conference is still open for registration. The morning and afternoon speakers have been confirmed to be in attendance and the event is scheduled to be held at the Holthus Conference Center in York, Nebraska on October 13th from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Pre-registration closes this Friday afternoon at 5:00 p.m!
If you are still interested in attending, the registration fee has increased to $65.
Call or email LeRoy Janssen at NACO to reserve your seat since registration will go offline at 5 p.m. today.
Two State Senators are slated to speak to the group during the day. Senator Curt Friesen from York will review the 2016 legislative session and preview the 2017 session in the morning and Senator Mark Kolterman from Wahoo will deliver his perspective on health care cost and retirement issues. Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Heavican and State Court Adlministrator Corey Steel will finish the morning discussing the relationship of Nebraska's court system and how it impacts county government. NACo Program Manager, Katy Rowings will also be in attendance to speak on using county dollars wisely in corrections and pretrial services in re-entry initiatives.
The agenda can be viewed on the NACO
webpage or by clicking
here.
For those traveling to the event and are in need of an overnight stay, the Hampton Inn in York has guaranteed a single room rate of $80.00 per night. At least two weeks prior to the conference is needed to process direct billing to the counties if interested.
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Annual Conference Registration Is Open
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Registration is now open for the annual NACO conference that will be held at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney.
The conference dates are December 14th through 16th. Wednesday, December 14th is the opening session at 2 p.m. and the final day concludes with a Friday, December 16th breakfast and business meeting following through to a sack luncheon dismissal.
Registration may be accomplished by accomplished by clicking here. The general activities agenda can be accessed by clicking here.
County Official of the Year Nominations Are Being Sought
Do you know of an elected or appointed county official who you feel serves as the embodiment of a true dedicated public official? If so, nominate that individual for the annual County Official of the Year Award. The Nebraska Association of County Officials will present its highest honor to one county official at the conclusion of the December 16th business meeting.
The County Official of the Year Award was created as a means of honoring one individual each year for his or her leadership abilities, high standard of public service and outstanding contributions made to the medium of county government and that person's community.
The official nomination form can be found on NACO's
website or by clicking
here.
To nominate someone you know, print the form, complete it and return it to the NACO office by November 30th, along with any supplemental materials you feel would provide additional insight into why this person is deserving of the award. Supporting material may include testimonial letters from peers or other printed matter that highlight his or her record of service. Each of the 2016 nominees will be introduced and recognized during the conference. The announcement will be made as to who has been chosen by a special selection committee following the NACO Business Meeting on Friday, December 16. The 2016 recipient will join an elite list of county officials who have previously received this award and will receive a handsomely engraved plaque befitting of this prestigious honor.
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Lancaster County To Offer Free Training For Government
Financial Employees
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The Lancaster County Treasurer's Office is holding a free one day training seminar for governmental financial employees on Tuesday, October 18th starting at 8:30 a.m. located at the NET building on UNL East Campus. All county government financial employees are invited to attend, but only the first 75 responses will be offered invitations.
The agenda can be reviewed
here. If you are interested in attending, email or contact Banking Director, Jennifer Durow to RSVP at
[email protected] or call 402-441-7446.
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2017 Community-based Juvenile Services Aid & Enhancement Programs
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The Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice is pleased to announce the availability of the 2017 Community-based Juvenile Services Aid [CB] Program and 2017 Community-based Juvenile Services Aid Enhancement [EB] Program. The Request for Application [RFA] outlines general guidelines, eligibility, funding requirements, and application instructions for both grant programs.
The Community-based Juvenile Services Aid Program will fund up to $6.3 million. The Request For Application (RFA) can be viewed by clicking here. Please read the RFA thoroughly to ensure all requirements are met in the application. Required allotment and match calculations are located on pages 18 - 20 of the RFA.
Pre-recorded webinars are available this year regarding grant writing training for a variety of sections in the 2017 CB and EB applications! Utilize the training included in these webinars to assist in preparing the grant application and to better understand the expectations from the Nebraska Crime Commission and Grant Review Subcommittees. The webinars can be accessed by clicking here.
New requirements in this grant process include;
- Section III: Program Summary - Narrative: page 10 of the RFA,
- Section IV: Budget Breakdown - Travel Expenses: page 14 of the RFA, and
- Section VIII: Electronic Submission: page 17 of the RFA.
Cynthia Kennedy, Chief of the Community-based Juvenile Services Aid Division at the Nebraska Crime Commission will be available for questions regarding the application via conference call on the following dates;
- Thursday, October 20, 2016: 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. CDT,
- Monday, December 5, 2016: 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. CST,
- Thursday, December 8, 2016: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. CST, and by
- Dialing: 888.820.1398, Code 7339691#.
If you are the Project Director or Project Coordinator listed on the grant application for the Community-based Juvenile Services Aid Program, you are welcome to join us for the Grant Administration Overview session on Friday, October 14, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. at the 2016 Community Aid & Juvenile Justice Conference located at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel on 333 South 13th Street. This session will cover topics related to the administrative functions of the Community-based Juvenile Services Aid Grant. We will discuss the newly released 2017 application and grant submission expectations. This session will also include technical assistance as desired by the participants. New and emerging topics are always welcome for discussion!
If you are interested in attending this free conference, please register at the following website:
Registration
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NACO is in receipt of a formal letter stating the pre-application period for counties and municipalities wishing to apply for grants from the Nebraska Internet Enhancement Fund (NIEF) that opened September 1.
The NIEF, established in 2001 by the Nebraska Legislature, uses a share of the proceeds from public entities that lease dark fiber optics to fund grants for projects to install infrastructure to deliver broadband or other advanced telecommunications products throughout the state. The grants focus on areas of the state that are unserved or underserved by such services. The standard amount awarded to successful grant applicants is $50,000.
The letter in its entirety can be viewed by clicking here.
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Nebraska's Response to Opioid Use
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The Dr. Stanley M. and Dorothy Truhlsen Campus Events Center
University of Nebraska Medical Center
619 S 42nd Street
Omaha, NE
Friday, October 14, 2016 | 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, our nation is in the midst of an unprecedented opioid epidemic. In 2014, more people died from drug overdoses than in any other year with majority of those overdose deaths involving an opioid. Data from the Centers for Disease Control show that since 1999, the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids (prescription opioid pain relievers and heroin) nearly quadrupled, and over 165,000 people have died from prescription opioid overdoses. The Nebraska Attorney General, in collaboration with UNMC and the U.S. Attorney's office are developing a unified approach between the law enforcement and medical communities operating in Nebraska regarding the prevention and treatment of both prescription and illicit opioid abuse in our state. At the conclusion of this conference, our goal is to answer two questions:
- How do we reduce the incidence of prescription opioid abuse and expand treatment for those addicted?
- How do those in law enforcement and healthcare cooperatively design and execute programs to reduce and appropriately treat opioid addictions?
Registration and Conference Information Download Agenda
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| Legislature Schedules Interim Study Hearings |
Although the 2017 legislative session won't begin until January, senators and staff are working on new legislation during the interim. Resolutions proposing interim studies are offered during the session to examine new ideas for legislation and to dig deeper into issues raised by previously-introduced bills. Public hearings are held on some of the priority issues selected by each legislative committee, including the topics that are of interest to counties. County officials are encouraged to attend the hearings and provide testimony. Unlike hearings during the legislative session, testifiers do not need to take a position in support or opposition to the issue, but are simply asked to provide input. Many of the hearings will be live-streamed by Nebraska Educational Television and can be accessed through the Legislature's website.
October 11
General Affairs Committee
State Capitol, Room 1510, 1:00 p.m.
LR567 (Pansing Brooks) Interim study to examine and review the sale of alcohol in Whiteclay and the need for additional funding for law enforcement
Interim Study Details
October 12
Department of Correctional Services Special investigative Committee (LR34)
State Capitol, Room 1113, 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
LR34 Hearing on behavioral/mental health and segregation in Corrections
Open to the public, invited testimony only
October 13
Health and Human Services Committee
State Capitol, Room 1510, 1:00 p.m.
LR529 (Howard) Interim study to examine the ongoing implementation of the federal Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014 and related state law and policy
Interim Study Details
LR513 (Howard) Interim study to examine workforce issues within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems
Invited testimony only
Interim Study Details
Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
State Capitol, Room 1507, 10:00 a.m.
LR530 (Howard) Interim study to examine the voting processes and procedures available for citizens who are hospitalized or who reside in nursing homes or extended care facilities
Interim Study Details
LR504 (Murante) Interim study to examine the numerous deadlines involved in the election process
Interim Study Details
October 14
Agriculture Committee
State Capitol, Room 1524, 1:45 p.m.
LR498 (Johnson) Interim study to examine the Nebraska Right to Farm Act
Interim Study Details
10:00 a.m.
LR612 (Agriculture Committee) Interim study to examine issues under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Committee. Note: Review Auditor Report for the Nebraska Brand Committee (Open to the public, invited testimony only)
Interim Study Details
Health and Human Services Committee
State Capitol, Room 1510, 9:00 a.m.
Special hearing - Presentation of Alzheimer's State Plan
LR507 (Davis) Interim study to examine the development of a public notification system to broadcast alerts when vulnerable adults go missing
Interim Study Details
October 19
Health and Human Services Committee
State Capitol, Room 1510, 1:00 p.m.
LR514 (Bolz) Interim study to examine the availability of transition services for youth who will leave or have left the juvenile justice system while in an out-of-home placement
Invited testimony only
Interim Study Details
October 21 Legislature's Planning Committee
State Capitol, Room 2012, 1:30 p.m.
Presentation of Planning Committee Policy Briefs - Agricultural land valuation systems in neighboring states
Open to the public, invited testimony only. This hearing will not be live-streamed through the Nebraska Legislature's website.
Business and Labor Committee
State Capitol, Room 2102, 1:30 p.m.
LR533 (Bolz) Interim study to examine promoting career education and training that can lead to job readiness for middle-skill jobs
LR512 (Business and Labor Committee) Interim study to examine the Commission of Industrial Relations
Transportation and Telecommunications Committee
State Capitol, Room 1113, 10:00 a.m.
LR539 (Smith) Interim study to examine whether the One-Call Notification System Act should be updated
Interim Study Details
1:30 p.m.
LR539 (Smith) Interim study to undertake a study of the jurisdiction and structure of the Nebraska Public Service Commission
Interim Study Details
November 3
Election Technology Committee (LR403)
State Capitol, Room 1507, 1:30 p.m.
Study the longevity of the technology used by election commissioners and county clerks to conduct elections as of January 1, 2016 and the feasibility of updating or replacing the technology
November 4
Appropriations and Revenue Committees
State Capitol, Room 1113, 1:30 p.m.
Tax Expenditure Report from the Department of Revenue
November 15
Health and Human Services and Judiciary Committees
State Capitol, Room 1113, 1:00 pm.
LR523 (Howard) Interim study to examine Nebraska law regarding the protection of children who have reached eighteen years of age but have not yet reached the age of majority
Invited testimony only
Interim Study Details
November 16
Appropriations Committee
State Capitol, Room1524, 1:30 p.m.
LR517 (Howard) Interim study to examine the long-term fiscal sustainability of the Nebraska Health Care Cash Fund
Interim Study Details
LR588 (Harr) Interim study to determine best practices in drafting tax legislation and determining the fiscal impact of tax policies
Interim Study Details
November 22
Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee
State Capitol, Room 1525, 9:00 a.m.
LR483 (Kolterman) Interim study to examine the public employees retirement systems administered by the Public Employees Retirement Board
LR571 (Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee) Interim study to examine local political subdivision retirement plans for public employees
December 2 Urban Affairs Committee
State Capitol, Room 1510, 1:30 p.m.
LR490 (Crawford) Interim study to examine the enforcement of state and local building codes
Interim Study Details
NACO makes every effort possible to keep abreast of changing legislation as it may have an effect on county government. The NACO E-line
will also make every effort
to report any interim study hearing notices that become available in future publications.
The Nebraska Legislature has released its Tentative 2017 Legislative Calendar.
At the
beginning of the 2017 session, the newly elected Speaker will publish the permanent session calendar, which may differ from the tentative calendar.
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Have a file too big for email? Send it to the cloud for sharing
Do you need to transfer a large file to somebody over the internet, but don't know how to do it? Let's discuss methods that became popular in the past couple years. Large file transfers can be done in a few different ways, so today we will cover one of the easiest, most effective, and most secure methods. No matter what you're trying to send, this technique will help you get the job done.
Compress your files before sending
Do you have a file that's too big to send as an email attachment? Make it smaller! File compression will not only shrink whatever you're trying to send, but it'll make the transfer go faster regardless of which method you're using - be it email, FTP, or cloud storage. Most computers come with file compression utilities built in too, so making a ZIP file only takes a few clicks. Here's how it's done. On a device with windows, find the file you want to compress, right click on it and select "Send to" then choose "Compressed (zipped) folder."
Also, if you're transferring music or video, we suggest using RAR compression instead of ZIP because it uses a better compression algorithm that generally cuts down on data loss and file corruption. We recommend using
7-Zip for this, as the open-source file archivists is one of the best currently available.
Upload it to a Cloud storage service
The best, and most popular, option for transferring large files is to upload them to an online storage service where your desired recipient can download them. Thanks to the rise of cloud computing, there are a lot of these types of services, so we've taken the time to pick out some of the best ones for you. Below you'll find a short list of our current favorites, all of which offer plenty of storage space, security, and sharing features. Again, we won't get into specifics on how to use each program, but will instead provide quick descriptions to help you find a service that suits your needs.
Google Drive
Google Drive offers up to 15GB of free storage and allows you to share large files, such as pictures and video, in just a few clicks. If you have a Gmail account, then you already have Drive to simply use. Upgrading to the paid version of Drive also nets you 100GB of storage for $2 per month, or a full terabyte of storage - that's 1,000GB - for $10.
Dropbox
Dropbox is another great cloud storage option that offers 2GB of free storage space and a variety of sharing options. The basic suite of features is more or less the same as Google Drive, but Dropbox also offers a mobile app for most mobile devices including non-Android and iOS devices, such as the Kindle Fire and Blackberry.
Now that you have the file in the cloud you simply need to find the share options for the file and share the link with the other party. When they click the link it will give them the option to download the file. There are other ways to share large files but this method has become the most popular option today.
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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
l[email protected]
. The CD order form is available
here.
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NACO's 2015 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.
As of January 2016,
NACO will no longer print the hard copy of the directory and send one to each county. The directory has been made a part of the NACO website through a clickable and searchable icon and will be updated as corrections are submitted. The directory on the website is downloadable for a printed copy and it can also be transferred electronically to office computers and devices with memory storage such as smartphones and ipads.
For a copy of the latest 2015 directory, click
here for the order form.
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2015 County Board Handbook and Revision
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The 2015 County Board Handbook and related revisions are now available! The cost for a current handbook, including legislative information from the 2015 session, is $80.00/book plus $18.00 shipping and handling per book. The 2015 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. For questions, contact Elaine Menzel by
email or call her at (402) 434-5660 ext. 225.
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| News From NACo |
Blog
House Passes Bill to Delay Overtime Pay Rule
On Wednesday, September 28, 2016 the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Regulatory Relief for Small Business, Schools and Nonprofits Act (
H.R. 6094) by a vote of 246-177. The bill would delay the
U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) overtime pay regulation that would make 4.2 million Americans newly eligible for overtime pay for six months. The rule nearly doubles the eligibility for overtime pay for professional employees, also referred to as "white collar" employees from $23,660 ($455 per week) to $47,476 ($913 per week). The overtime eligibility rate would also be adjusted every three years. U.S Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations have been pushing for a repeal and/or delay on the rules effective date of December 1, 2016. President Obama has threatened to veto the bill, although the Senate has yet to schedule time for consideration.
Click
here
for the entire article.
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| NACo Webinars |
Leadership Development Series:
Understanding Integrity and Civility
August 24 - 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. CDT
Leadership Development Series: What is Integrity and Civility?
September 28 - 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. CDT
Leadership Development Series: Integrity and Civility as a Practice
October 19 - 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 CDT
Leadership Development Series: The Pitfalls of Decision Making
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