Laying the groundwork

Hard work in 2005-06 helps brighten future of our Association, counties

Because our conference was pushed back to September this year, I have enjoyed one of the longest tenures of any NCACC President – a full 13 months! Even so, the time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday that I was in Mecklenburg County getting sworn in as president.

To say this past year has been eventful would be an understatement. To say it has been enjoyable would also be an understatement. Despite the thousands of miles that I’ve put in my car, driving back and forth to Raleigh and seemingly all points east and west in this great state, it was all worth the effort.

I firmly believe that this Association has made major strides forward over the past few years. Our strategic planning initiative helped crystallize the future vision of this organization, and Executive Director David F. Thompson has hit the ground running with a plan to realize this vision.

The fruits of those changes were evident in the General Assembly this past spring and summer. Even though we did not achieve our ultimate goal of complete Medicaid relief, we have set the ball in motion. The Legislature created a study commission to not only look at Medicaid, but also to examine the entire state-county fiscal relationship. And the membership of this commission will include several county officials, including commissioners and staff.

County officials around the state actively participated in the legislative process this year, helping us achieve a one-year cap on Medicaid costs and turn back several legislative efforts that would have been costly to counties.

And our upcoming Annual Conference will feature several sessions and workshops designed around themes that were revealed during the strategic planning process. We’ll have a series of workshops that will feature state officials and legislators discussing areas like health and human services, education and tax and finance.

There will be other workshops on topics like regionalizing governmental services, new ways to inform the public about county government, and the North Carolina Education Lottery.

If you haven’t made plans to attend this year’s event in Forsyth County on Sept. 7-10, please make sure you do so. This Association needs all of its members to be informed and engaged about the issues that are facing counties today, and the Annual Conference is an excellent opportunity to interact with your peers and learn about these problems.

We saw what can happen this past legislative session when we all get involved, and we can’t afford to let this momentum fade. We need to be ever vigilant in our efforts.