View the PDF version

CountyLines: September 2010
Volume 36, No. 9

A message to build momentum

Increasing awareness of what counties do is one of four goals outlined by 2010-11 President Joe Bryan
Wake County Commissioner Joe Bryan took his seat as the NCACC's 94th president on Aug. 28 during the 103rd Annual Conference in Pitt County and announced an ambitious agenda for the next year that included four goals with an emphasis on building greater awareness of county government in North Carolina.

• Click here for more information.

President Mary Accor presented Outstanding County Commissioner Awards to Lee Kyle Allen of Craven County and Terry Garrison of Vance County. (Photo by Jason King)

Allen, Garrison honored for tireless efforts

911 bill champion Rep. Bryant named 'Friend of the Counties'
With a potential pool of more than 570 candidates, it is difficult to choose a winner for the annual Outstanding County Commissioner Award, which is presented each year during the President's Banquet at the NCACC Annual Conference. For the NCACC officers, who make the selection each year based on nominations from counties and NCACC staff, 2010 was no different. Once again it was extremely difficult to choose one winner – so they picked two.

• Click here for more information.

Association mourns death of Carson Bain, past president

Carson Bain, a former Guilford County commissioner who served as NCACC president from 1959-60, died Aug. 25 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 92.

• Click here for more information.

NCACC, LGFCU reward innovation

County employees associated with 10 programs earn LGFCU Employee Productivity Awards

The NCACC honored employees associated with 10 county programs on Aug. 27 for successful productivity initiatives. Winners of the 2009-10 Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU) Employee Productivity Awards (formerly known as the Ralph Ketner Employee Productivity Awards) each received $1,000 (divided if submitted by a team of employees) and certificates of recognition during the Opening General Session of the Association's Annual Conference in Pitt County.

• Click here for more information.

NCACC, SOG recognize first LELA 'Practitioners'

Four commissioners have been recognized for achieving the first level of accomplishment in the Local Elected Leaders Academy (LELA) – Gary Blevins of Wilkes County, Richard Hayes of Lee County, Brenda Howerton of Durham County and Leon Inman of Stokes County. Each of the four commissioners has reached Practitioner status.

• Click here for more information.

Legislative committee considers impacts of new personnel public records laws

NCACC Intergovernmental Relations Director Rebecca A. Troutman appeared Sept. 2 before the Legislative Ethics Committee to discuss the impacts on counties of changes to the personnel laws contained in H961 (Government Ethics and Campaign Reform Act of 2010), which was passed by the General Assembly in the waning hours of the 2010 short session.

• Click here for more information.

Managing Your Risk
What can voluntarily be done to reduce losses?

Six risk control techniques can help counties increase level of loss predictability, lower costs and keep employees healthy and on the job
The most recent "Managing Your Risk" articles have dealt with methods employed for risk identification, risk analysis and forecasting. The third step in the risk management process is exploring the applicable alternatives for controlling the assumption of risk. In the insurance industry this is commonly called risk, or loss, control.

• Click here for more information.

Pools program to address EMS injuries

Strain and sprain injuries to county emergency medical responders are arguably the main source of workers' compensation losses to North Carolina counties. The NCACC Risk Management Pools – the primary insurer of county governments in North Carolina – has embarked on a program to address this loss issue. This will be a joint effort of the Pools' Risk Control and Wellness functions.

• Click here for more information.

Burke County Human Resources Director Kelley Dickens (second from left), winner of the 2010 Frank Bonner Scholarship, was joined at the NCACC Risk Management Awards Breakfast by (from left to right) Burke County Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Ruth Ann Suttle, Commissioner Steve Smith and Clerk to the Board Doris Smith. (Photo by Jason King)

Burke HR director among Risk Management honorees

The Association's Risk Management Pools recognized five counties for reducing their risk management costs during an awards breakfast held Aug. 28 during the NCACC's 103rd Annual Conference in Pitt County. Roughly 150 county officials attended the breakfast.

• Click here for more information.

Orange's Foushee elected NCABCO president

Edgecombe County Commissioner Viola Harris wrapped up her second two-year term as president of the North Carolina Association of Black County Officials (NCABCO) on Aug. 28 and presented awards to five individuals: Rep. Angela Bryant; Commissioners Mary Accor (Cleveland), Valerie Foushee (Orange) and Fannie Greene (Northampton); and NCACC Executive Director David F. Thompson.

• Click here for more information.

More from this month's CountyLines:
Program aims to prepare low-income students for college
Ducker: Counties can opt out of permit extension law
Briefs and shorts: Watauga County sales tax referendum fails