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Nebraska Association of County Officials
1335 H Street Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: (402) 434-5660
Fax: (402) 434-5673
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Earl McNutt, Red Willow County Commissioner was elected President of NACO during the 123rd annual conference in Kearney this week. McNutt has been a Red Willow County Commissioner since 1999. County Officials also elected Deb Schorr, Lancaster County Commissioner as 1st Vice-President, Theresa Puls, Phelps County Commissioner as 2nd Vice-President and M. Timothy Nolting, Kimball County Commissioner as Secretary-Treasurer. McNutt will assume the duties of President from William Tielke, Holt County Commissioner who will serve on the NACO Executive Board as Past President. Pictured from left to right are William Tielke, Earl McNutt, Deb Schorr, Theresa Puls and Tim Nolting.
Anyone attending the 123rd annual conference is being asked for their input regarding the conference. By logging into
naco-events.com
and
clicking on the "surveys" icon you can leave your impressions of the sessions that you attended and the conference in general. If you know someone who has given you their opinion of the conference in any way, encourage them to log their compliments and their concerns.
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County Official of the Year Named
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Brown County Clerk, Travis Hobbs was honored by the Nebraska Association of County Officials as the County Official of the Year during the 123rd Annual Conference Awards Ceremony this week in Kearney. Hobbs has served as the Brown County Clerk, Register of Deeds, Election Commissioner, and Clerk of District Court in her elected capacity since 2015. Hobbs is pictured receiving her award from 2017 NACO President, William Tielke.
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NACO's Legislative Bill Review Day
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NACO's Legislative Committee will meet on January 26 to review and take positions on 2018 legislation. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the NACO office at 1335 H Street in Lincoln.
After brief introductory remarks, affiliate groups will meet for discussion of bills pertinent to their membership. After the groups have met, the NACO Legislative Committee will reconvene as a whole to review and take positions on the entire list of bills. All county officials are encouraged to attend or discuss areas of concern with their NACO Board representative prior to the meeting.
Because lunch will be provided, please notify the NACO office at (402)434-5660 or
leslie@nacone.org
if you plan to attend. Because the Legislature is in session, parking around the Capitol may be limited. Public parking is not available behind the NACO office or in the MIPS lot. A parking garage is available at The Cornhusker, A Marriott Hotel at 12th and L Streets.
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January County Board Responsibilities
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County boards must hold a meeting and select a chairperson in January and set county officials’ salaries by January 15, 2018.
To read more of the responsibility outlined in Nebraska statute for county boards, click
here
.
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2018 NACO Scholarships Available
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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 another 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, 2018. To access the application from this article, click
here
.
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Legislative Outreach Opportunity
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Since the legislative session begins on January 3, it's a great time to reconnect with returning legislators. All county officials are encouraged to meet with their senators to share legislative priorities and establish relationships for the new year. When senators are at home in their districts on weekends and recess days, it's a perfect opportunity to offer tours of county facilities to explain county functions and services.
Ideas for hands-on learning could include:
* A trip around the county to view roads and bridges in need of repair.
* A tour of your county's jail to discuss health care costs, mental health issues, and space issues.
* A discussion of unfunded mandates, including a tour of your courthouse to point out space provided to Probation, Health and Human Services, and other state agencies.
* A discussion about county levies, valuations, and county fees.
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Safe Driver Training Available
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Mark Segerstrom, Road Safety Project Manager of the Nebraska Safety Council is offering a free one hour evidence-based PowerPoint presentation covering issues like seat belt and cell phone usage and distracted and defensive driving, pre-trip inspection, roundabouts, and seasonal winter driving. His intent is to remind employees of the dangers on the road and encourage them to be mindful of their driving environment. The more employees that attend the better although due to limited funds, he does need to stay on the eastern side of the state.
If you are interested, he is also available to meet with and talk to administrators about the implementation of a safe driver program or updating a current program. He can provide or share tool kits, policies and pledges from national organizations like NHTSA, FMCSA, DOT, OSHA and the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS).
To view his introduction and informative flyers, please click
here
.
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2020 Census Local Update of Census Addresses Operation
(LUCA)
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Recently, county board chairs received an invitation from the U.S. Census Bureau to participate in the 2020 Census Local Update of Census Addresses Operation (LUCA), as mandated by the Census Address List Improvement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-430).
While LUCA is a voluntary program, your county is strongly encouraged to consider registering by the deadline of
December 15, 2017
to participate
.
To take a look at the reasons your county should register, click
here
.
Jason Dean from the Census Bureau will be conducting a Local Update of Census Addresses training in Lincoln, Nebraska January 12, 2018. This is a "how to" workshop covering pre-LUCA preparation (Geocoder/Address Count List/User List), LUCA Review (paper/digital/GUPS), LUCA submissions (mail/change file/SWIM) and the LUCA feedback phase. Click
here
to view the training flyer.
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Minimum Salary Recommendations Available
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2019-2022 Minimum Salary Recommendations Report and Supplemental Information is Now Available
After completing its work, the 2017 Salary Committee forwarded its recommendations for 2019-2022 county elected officials’ salaries to the NACO Board. Following approval of the report by the NACO Board, NACO President William Tielke presented an overview of the report and its contents at the October Legislative Conference at Wildcat Hills. The next day copies of the report and supplemental information was electronically forward to each county board chair and each county clerk. The supplemental information includes: 2017 and anticipated 2018 salaries of all elected officials, deputies, appointed officials, jail administrators and benefit information.
If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the referenced 2019 – 2022 Minimum Salary Recommendations report and supplemental information, please contact Elaine Menzel at
elaine@nacone.org
.
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2018 Office of Violence Prevention Grants
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The Nebraska Crime Commission has announced the availability of a
2018 Office of Violence prevention Grant [OVP].
The Application Instructions outline general guidelines, eligibility, and funding requirements. This information can also be found on the Crime Commission
website
.
COMPETITIVE FUNDS AVAILABLE: APPROXIMATELY $350,000.00
Attached you will find the
Application Kit Instructions
and the
Application
. You are encouraged to participate and distribute and post this announcement. Please contact Chris Harris, Director of the Office of Violence Prevention at the Nebraska Crime Commission, 301 Centennial Mall South, Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-4946 by
email
or call at 402-471-3813 (office) or 402-416-4129 (cell) or fax at 402-471-2837 with any questions.
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Sherlock To Begin New Duties
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Hall County Roads Superintendent Casey Sherlock is resigning from his current position to become the Nebraska State Surveyor. He will begin his new position January 2 in Lincoln. (Grand Island Independent; Zach Mayhew)
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To read the entire Grand Island Independent article by Austin Koeller, click
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.
The NACO Directory is also still 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
larrydix@nacone.org
.
The CD order form is available
here
.
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2017 County Board Handbook and Revisions
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Newly Revised -- 2017 County Board Handbook and Related Revisions are Now Available
The cost for a current handbook, including legislative information from the 2017 session, is $80.00/book plus $18.00 shipping and handling per book. The 2017 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
.
The 2017 County Board Handbooks and Supplements will be available for pickup at the annual conference in December.
You can save the shipping charges mentioned above if you fill out the form and email it to
Deb Eberly
.
If you are interested in purchasing a complete handbook or a supplement please contact
Deb Eberly
or call her at (402) 434-5660 ext. 232.
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I
n Case You Missed It: NACo Counties Futures Lab Released Major Reports on Top County Issues
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County Roles and Opportunities in Advancing Safety and Justice Through Collaboration
Jan. 25, 2018
1:00 pm – 2:15 pm CDT
(202) 942-4279
Counties are uniquely positioned to lead efforts to advance safety and justice, as they run 91 percent of all jails with nearly 11 million people admitted every year. Join NACo for a three-part webinar series that will focus on key areas of local criminal justice systems that most affect counties and offer strategies counties can employ to address these issues, make their justice systems work more effectively and efficiently, and ultimately lead to safer and healthier communities. This webinar will highlight ways counties can develop and enhance collaboration and improve information sharing within the justice system, with other systems and between community-based service providers to enhance public safety and improve individual and community outcomes.
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January 26, 2018
NACO's Legislative Review Day
NACO Office
1335 H Street
Lincoln, NE
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February 13, 2018
Institute of Excellence
Advanced Institute
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Student Union
Ponderosa Room
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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Thank you for keeping up to date on the latest NACO News,
Sincerely,
Nebraska Association of County Officials
1335 H Street Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: (402) 434-5660
Fax: (402) 434-5673
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