Goals teams spring forward with educational opportunities

County commissioners around the state will soon be reaping the rewards from the Association’s strategic visioning process.

Last October, the Board of Directors identified five main goals from the four-year process. NCACC Executive Director David F. Thompson split the staff into five working groups, each charged with devising strategies to achieve one of the goals.

The team whose mission is to help educate the public and media about county government has been busy preparing for National County Government Week, set for April 23-29. This team is also making plans for a county government booth at the State Fair in October.

Several teams have been actively involved in preparing for the upcoming district meetings in April. During each district meeting, Association staff will provide tips and education for commissioners to help them become more engaged in the lobbying efforts. All the state legislators have been invited to attend the district meetings, so commissioners will have a chance to become part of the grassroots network right away.

This team is also working to provide a tour of the General Assembly to county officials as part of the activities around County Assembly Day, which will be held May 17 in Wake County.

The team working on developing a true partnership with the state has been busy making plans for workshops and seminars at the 99th Annual Conference, and the team charged with improving commissioner education and board development has been hard at work developing a mentoring program for new commissioners that will be in place for the November elections.

The team charged with improving intergovernmental relations held a special session Jan. 13 in conjunction with the N.C. Metropolitan Coalition to examine the underfunded court system and its impact on counties (see article in February CountyLines, or online at www.ncacc.org/urbanissuesforum_0206.html). This team is also looking at other ways to develop partnerships and relationships with cities, school boards and state agencies.