NACo’s Annual Conference is the most important gathering of county officials of the year. It offers the best opportunity for leaders in county government to discuss pragmatic solutions to common challenges facing counties and communities.
Delegates adopted dozens of policy resolutions on federal legislation and funding priorities issues affecting county government and communities, which will guide the association’s leaders, members and staff over the next 12 months.
Conference delegates learned about NACo member benefit programs, which save money for counties and their residents. These include the NACo Prescription Discount Card Program, the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance and the Network of Care.
Another highlight of the Annual Conference was special appearances from prominent speakers, such as Bob Woodruff, ABC News Correspondent and Founder of the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation for Traumatic Brain Injury; Ron Sims, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Francisco Sanchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Aron Ralston, mountain climber and inspiration for the film, “127 Hours.”
Resolutions adopted by conference delegates will serve as official NACo national policy positions – The American County Platform – for the next 12 months. It will be available at www.naco.org in late July.
In addition, NACo membership elects its leadership for the next 12 months. NACo officers elected for 2011-12 were: President Lenny Eliason, Commissioner, Athens County, Ohio; First Vice President Chris Rodgers, Douglas County, Neb.; Second Vice President Linda Langston, Supervisor, Linn County, Iowa; and Immediate Past President Glen Whitley, Judge, Tarrant County, Texas.