County Solutions and Idea Marketplace

2013 County Solutions and Idea Marketplace The Annual Conference of the National Association of Counties TARRANT COUNTY Saturday, July 20 1:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Educational Session Block I Leadership Saturday Leadership in Uncertain Times: Building Organizational Trust As leaders, you are continually tasked with taking on new projects or roles and partnering with others to get the best results. In the fast pace of our current world we often get caught up in the day to day, losing sight of how much influence we really have and the unintentional legacy we are leaving in our wake. Regardless of tenure and expertise, there are best practices that ensure results and integrity while positively influencing others to do the same. During the workshop, Monica Scamardo, leadership expert, will share research-based organizational trust best practices and strategies that you can use to maximize organizational results in your county. (Staff Liaison: Amanda Odorimah, 202.942.4225) Beyond Civility: Communication for Effective Governance Governing in an increasingly polarized society challenges the most skilled communicators and the thickest skinned among us. Our words, tones, and attitudes have effects. We can change the way people hear and respond to us by making careful choices with our language and communication style. Making thoughtful communication choices appropriate to a specific purpose or situation is a skill that can be learned and always improved upon, and will be a focus of this workshop. Join Stuart Brody, founder of Integrity Intensive, to learn new methods for being heard, understood, and respected in any environment. Personal Protection for County Elected Officials Personal safety is on the minds of everyone in public service. Recent violence against public officials, workplace violence, worries about the family... all clash with your sense of duty to serve and to be accessible to constituents and other employees. Attend this workshop to learn important tips and techniques that are available to help you maintain that balance. Christopher Hagon, former Scotland Yard Superintendent, and Phil Rosenberg, The HR Doctor, will help you understand the fundamentals of protecting very important people like you and your family. (Staff Liaison: Deborah Stoutamire, 202.942.4202) LEAN County Government This session is a practical 101 demonstration of LEAN efficiency training designed for county government. You will learn the basics of LEAN and how it s developing in rural and urban counties across the state of Minnesota. The workshop will feature real life examples of county departments conducting LEAN Kaizen events that resulted in saving over 50% in processing time. County officials have been put in the position to cut county budgets continually over the last few years and LEAN can assist you in finding additional savings without cutting staff or budgets. LEAN is not about laying off staff but rather using techniques such as identifying wastes and office efficiencies to assist staff in streamlining operations. (Association of Minnesota Counties Liaisons: Laurie Klupacs and Toni Smith, 651.789.4335) Modernizing Health Plans There is a significant amount of talk around the topic of health care and its related costs. Yet, trying to manage the costs of a counties health benefits plan can seem daunting or impossible. How can county leaders begin to change the conversation and find ways to make real, sustainable change? It begins with being able to identify the root of the cost drivers, evaluate needs, develop a strategy and define a course for implementing customized solutions. To start county leaders on the right path, the panel will lay out answers to the 10 GOVERNING Summit questions referenced above, which can help them begin to control costs and offer better benefits to their employees. (Tarrant County, TX Liaison: Natalie Plunk, 817.884.1041) July 19 22 Fort Worth Convention Center Fort Worth/Tarrant County, Texas

Sunday, July 21 8:00 a.m. 8:50 a.m. Educational Session Block II Fostering Safer Communities Through Integrated Partnerships In an era where fiscal restraints challenge funding of even the essential operations of a sheriff s office, the Ramsey County Sheriff s Office (RCSO) has networked with other government agencies to improve the efficient delivery of service to their constituents. RCSO has partnered with their County Board and other law enforcement agencies in the county to clearly define their mission and purpose. As a result, they have been able to create regional partnerships which streamline the delivery of services to their constituents and improve public safety. Tracking Engagement: Social Media Analytics Remaining engaged with your social networks and content marketing is great for managing online reputation and keeping your audience interested and informed. But how can you track your impact and improve your messaging strategy? Join this workshop to learn about social media analytics and how you can employ them to track and hone your outreach efforts. For this workshop, we ll focus on tracking analytics for Twitter and Facebook. (Staff Liaison: Matthew Fellows, 202.942.4205) Improving Citizens Lives by Delivering Smarter Social Programs Learn from the examples of leaders like you, who are leveraging data and information across organizational boundaries to deliver Smarter Social Programs that improve citizens lives. See successful examples from counties who have invested in transforming their social and health programs to raise the productivity of their workforce and to improve the sustainable outcomes for the most vulnerable members of society. What Happens if Your Employees Can t Afford to Retire? It has been reported that only 14% of Americans feel they would have enough money to live comfortably in retirement. Due to this shortfall, it is expected that many will need county-provided social services during their retirement years. Shrinking county budgets cannot support a significant increase in social services. This session is designed to help you, as county officials, understand the complexities and intricacies of both the retirement shortfall problem and how it will impact county budgets. It will also offer solutions, which if started now, can help reduce the number of county employees unprepared for retirement. (Staff Liaison: Mary Bell, 202.942.4242) Shared Services: Circuit Engineering Districts The state statutes allow Oklahoma counties to come together as a cooperative and provide efficiencies that are not available to an individual county. The Circuit Engineering Districts provide services to counties that will improve the quality of the transportation system and be cost effective. Some of the services include sign shop, design, construction inspection, safety bridge inspection, project management and planning, lab testing, training, and construction crew. (Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma Liaison: Randy Johnson, 405.229.7632) Beyond Civility: Follow Up Discussion Join Stuart Brody, founder of Integrity Intensive, for a follow up session where you can ask additional questions related to civil communication for effective governanace. Sunday, July 21 9:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. Educational Session Block III Preventing Community Violence Interact with leaders from the law enforcement, education and mental health sectors, and with each other, to discuss recent action on Capitol Hill aimed at reducing community violence. Share your own aspirations and achievements as well as the challenges you are confronting while working to improve school and community safety. (Staff Liaison: Paul Beddoe, 202.942.4234) Cyber for Counties: Training the Worksource As we increasingly rely on the internet and complex networks to help counties deliver services, the importance of having an adequately trained and equipped workforce becomes more important every day. Attend this workshop to hear the latest developments on the NACo IT Workforce Development White Paper and learn about tools and best practices that you can implement to train your staff and protect your county against a cyber attack. Counties in the Global Economy: Tools of the Trade Looking to grow your local economy with foreign trade? Need help demystifying EB-5 and FTZ? Learn how these federal incentive programs, along with a new Sister Cities economic development toolkit, can add to your county s toolbox for attracting foreign investment to your community and increasing exports from local businesses. EB-5 is an immigration program that provides foreign investors a visa to reside in the U.S. The Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) program offers special, duty free handling of exportable goods. (Staff Liaison: TBA) MORE INFO: 202.942.4292 or e-mail nacomeetings@naco.org.

Staying on Point: It s the Message Your county governing body is faced with an issue that will be controversial no matter what decision you make. In this interactive workshop, learn how to identify and develop key talking points for an issue and how you can disseminate the information. Participate in a mock news conference to put what you ve learned into practice. Members of the National Associaition of County Information Officers will play the role of hard-hitting, investigative journalists. (Staff Liaison: Jim Philipps, 202.942.4220) Supreme Court Review: What s In It For Counties? As a local elected official, the issue of federalism is important to you. In the most recent term, the U.S. Supreme Court has taken under review, and decided a number of cases which challenged the delicate balance of federalism and preemptive authority head on. Local governments have increasingly turned to the court system to preserve local authority and to ensure judicial deference to policy determinations made by local governing bodies. In this session, attendees will get an update on cases that directly impact counties that are pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, and those already decided by the Court involving challenges to local government taxing authority, Medicaid reimbursement and voting provisions. (Staff Liaison: Deseree Gardner, 202.942.4204) Sunday, July 21 10:45 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Educational Session Block IV Addressing Community Needs through the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Join experts from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin to learn more about the Rankings models and measures; tools, guidance and resources available through the County Health Roadmaps; and how to use the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps to ignite action in your community. You ll also hear how counties have utilized the Rankings information to provide tools and resources that can help your county become a healthier place to live. (Staff Liaison: Katie Bess, 202.942.4215) To Build or Not to Build... A New Jail Across the country, county governments are struggling with decisions about managing jail populations. County officials often need to determine whether to build a new jail and/or implement alternatives to incarceration. The process can be difficult, time intensive and politically challenging. This workshop will discuss local systems assessments as well as planning, management and cost considerations to determine the need and scope of building a new jail in your county. (Staff Liaison: Maeghan Gilmore, 202.942.4261) Cyber for Counties Guidebook: Tools for Elected Officials In conjunction with the County Solutions and Ideas Marketplace, NACo has released its first Cyber for Counties Guidebook. The guidebook features interviews with subject matter experts, an overview of the cyber security policy landscape and tools that counties can implement. Attend this workshop to take your training and engagement to the next level and learn about tangible programs, policies, and procedures to help your county protect its critical infrastructure. Essential Steps for Building Community Resilience Resilience is the ability of a neighborhood, community or region to mitigate, absorb, respond to and successfully recover from a natural disaster, economic downturn or other adverse event. Is your county resilient? Learn about key resources that can help your county visualize and measure local resilience and engage the community in taking pro-active steps to improve its preparedness and resilience. NACo will also share information about cooperative purchasing that can make procurement of essential supplies easy and cost-effective in the fast-paced disaster response setting. (Staff Liaisons: Jim Sawyer, 202.661.8868; Amanda Odorimah, 202.942.4225; and David Keen 202.942.4206)) How Community Development Programs Impact Local Public/Private Sectors Learn about an Investment-Based Efficiency Model for HUD s Federal Block Grant Programs that takes a fresh look at the current performance measurement methodology and proposes a new paradigm to measure each dollar as a critical investment in the cities, counties, and states where these dollars are spent. This model may equip elected officials, housing and community development practitioners, and other stakeholders with a more tangible analysis of how HUD s programs truly impact their community. (Staff Liaison: Daria Daniel, 202.942.4212) Implementation of Toward Zero Deaths: Reducing Highway Fatalities Toward Zero Deaths is a commitment to a proactive, comprehensive, multidisciplinary and aggressive approach to reducing highway fatalities. This workshop will introduce you to tools that can reduce fatalities and serious injuries and provide access to federal funds. You ll find out how to implement the program specifically for counties, learn the steps for implementation and hear some strategies based on best practices. The session speakers will also provide sources of data and analysis, and development of Local Safety Improvement Plans. (National Association of County Engineers Liaison: Brian Roberts, 202.393.5041)

Sunday, July 21 2:45 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Educational Session Block V Health Reform Impacts to County Employees Health Benefits The Affordable Care Act makes a number of important changes to insurance regulations that will be required to take place on January 1, 2014. This session will address the implications for the health benefit plans you offer to your county employees regarding new options and penalties. Additionally, these changes ultimately lead to further questions regarding impacts on county budgets. Find out what your county should know about penalties, exchanges and what to do to prepare. (Staff Liaison: Maeghan Gilmore, 202.942.4261) Smart Partnerships for Providing Cost Effective Indigent Defense In one integrated presentation, the panel will illustrate evidence-based and data-driven justice policies and practices, as well as effective partnerships and collaboration, in pursuit of quality, cost-effective delivery of indigent defense services. Texas is the case study, where $207 million is spent on indigent defense, 88% by counties. While the state has provided insufficient resources, it has modeled a partnership with counties, and supported partnerships between counties, that maximize the benefit of indigent defense expenditures. (Council of State Governments Justice Center Liaison: Carl Reynolds, 512.480.3112) Mobile App Development Strategy The increased demand for mobile apps is increasing exponentially and there is a growing need for new applications to meet the needs of citzens. Attend this workshop to see some great examples of how counties are already using apps and how your county can get started with your very own mobile app development strategy. The Great Divide: The Difference Between Leadership and Management Have you ever heard the term over managed and under led? Most of us have. So, how do you prevent it? In other words, as a county elected official, how do you make sure you spend time both leading and managing? Can you tell the difference between the two? What is the appropriate balance? This session will discuss this topic and introduce strategies to help you LEAD and MANAGE more effectively. (Texas A&M AgriLife Liaison: Chris Boleman, 979.845.1211) Data to Dollars: Energy Tracking Best Practices for Decision Makers Energy accounts for as much as ten percent of a county s annual operating budget. Active tracking and management of energy used by county facilities can identify significant savings tracking alone can save five percent, with resulting projects yielding thousands in savings. This workshop will provide an executivelevel overview of the value of tracking county energy data. It will also introduce 1) systems and staff that make tracking most effective, 2) best practices and common pitfalls in using energy data to inform decisions, and 3) a variety of strategies to leverage energy data in marketing and engagement. (Staff Liaison: Therese Dorau, 202.942.4224) Navigating the Tax Landscape: A Legislative and Regulatory Update This session will highlight the evolving legislative landscape and its effect on the municipal bond market and county government s ability to issue debt. Panelists will also highlight new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) rulemaking that will affect the ways in which county governments interact with their outside finance professionals, rating agencies, and investors. (Staff Liaison: Michael Belarmino, 202.942.4254) Monday, July 22 9:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. Educational Session Block VI Community Health Needs Assessment and Strategies to Improve County Health County officials and local health departments can be actively engaged in coordinating community health needs assessment efforts. The Affordable Care Act requires nonprofit hospitals, which are otherwise tax-exempt, to conduct a CHNA and implementation strategy every three years, to demonstrate they are addressing community health needs and services. Join this workshop to learn about new CHNA guidelines and identify opportunities and partnerships to distribute the health care safety net equally among local stakeholders. (Staff Liaison: Katie Bess, 202.942.4215) Creating an Efficient Justice System through Your County s Courts By applying the knowledge about what works in changing offender behavior during the adjudication phase of the criminal justice process, your county can improve outcomes, reduce costs, and enhance public safety. This workshop will explore ways in which jurisdictions have applied evidence-based practices in their courts, what would need to be done in your county to move toward evidence-based practices, and will share some lessons learned from specialty courts. (Staff Liaison: Meghan Levine, 202.942.4279) Conference updates and on-line registration available at www.naco.org.

Meeting the Dual Challenges of Emergency Response and Patient Security County emergency response agencies across the U.S. are mandated by federal law to achieve a security level that complies with the stringent requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) with top shelf performance and reliability. Medic, the Mecklenburg County EMS Agency, operates the busiest 9-1-1 emergency response Agency in the state of North Carolina. As a joint government agency, Medic has unique challenges in terms of providing service and compliance with control standards that are inherent with network security and data protection. During the session, learn about the steps to uncover risks, the impact on operations, and the importance of a gap analysis. Getting the Most out of NACo and Your State Associations As county commissioners, you are the most effective advocates for your counties, be it at the state or federal level. Figuring out ways to keep up with the issues, and finding time to get involved with NACo or your state association can be a challenge. You can be a successful advocate in the state capital and the nation s capital without leaving your county, and you can help NACo and your state association achieve in their mission of advocating for counties. (Staff Liaison: Tom Goodman, 202.942.4222) Will Immigration Reform Break the Political Divide? Comprehensive immigration reform has quickly become the one issue that has growing consensus on both sides of the political divide and Congress could pass legislation by the August recess. This workshop will give delegates the latest information on the legislative process, details of the legislation and what it all means to counties. (Staff Liaison: Marilina Sanz, 202.942.4260) The Value of Professional County Management Join the National Association of County Administrators for an examination of the benefits that a professional county manager brings to the successful day to day administration of county government. Employing a professional manager or administrator frees you, as elected officials, from the administration of daily operations and gives you time to focus on the policy issues that will guide the future of the community. Professional county management empowers elected officials to provide leadership, (Staff Liaison: David Keen, 202.942.4206) Getting Infratructure Built: Using Public-Private Partnerships Less local revenue, less state funding, and less federal funding often make it challenging to build needed infrastructure. Publicprivate partnerships, in some cases, provide another model to finance such projects. North Texas, the fourth largest urban area in the nation, which includes a number of metro counties, leveraged its funding through toll-roads and projected managed lane revenue, thus allowing the region to continue with new construction despite funding shortages. During the workshop, find out how they were able to put the project together and how you county can do the same. (Staff Liaisons: Robert Fogel, 202.942.4270 and Michael Belarmino, 202.942.4254) Monday, July 22 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Educational Session Block VII Keeping Your Wellness Plan Alive! Work place wellness programs are becoming more important than ever with the societal and work demands of today s work force. While most employers understand the importance of a wellness program, maintaining and growing their program can become daunting. Join us to take a look at ways to keep your program growing, improving, and alive! (Tarrant County, TX Liaison: Amber Norris, 817.212.7036) FirstNet s Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network: How Counties can Prepare, Evaluate and Participate FirstNet s Nationwide Public Safety Broadband network program is underway. Every county needs to prepare, evaluate and determine the best way to participate in the network development plans in their area. The State driven process is game changing and complex. This workshop will provide an overview of the latest FirstNet plans and provide county centric recommendations for next best steps in the planning process. Robert LeGrande, Founder of The Digital Decision, LLC, has significant experience in public safety broadband communications and will moderate this very timely and informative panel. (Staff Liaison: Yejin Jang, 202.942.4239) Finding the Work-Life Balance Public service feels like it can be a full time job, but for many elected officials it isn t their only pressing responsibility. Many elected officials struggle to find a balance between their elected office, their professional ambitions, and maintain a family/ personal life. In this session, learn from fellow elected officials about best practices for striking a work/life balance as an elected office. (Young Elected Officials Network Liaison: Ryan Hurst, 202.467.2361) Market and Economic Review & Outlook JP Morgan, in partnership with Nationwide, will present their 2Q 2013 Guide to the Markets. This session will answer common questions about the financial markets and the current economic environment. Trends on employment, housing, job growth, and market activity at national and state levels will be discussed. (Staff Liaison: Lisa Cole, 202.942.4270)

Dollars Working Harder: Maximize Environmental Benefits with Existing Spending In budget-constrained times, environmental and energy investments are hard to sell, while funding for operations and maintenance supplies are more easily protected. By considering your county s environmental priorities (such as protecting waterways or reducing energy costs) when selecting supplies, each dollar contributes to multiple goals - adding value! This workshop will discuss strategies to evaluate and compare benefits of products, summarize common types of purchasing policies, present best practices and common pitfalls, and share several example policy tools. (Staff Liaison: Therese Dorau, 202.942.4224) Navigating the End of Flood Insurance Subsidies The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW12) mandates a transition to full-risk insurance rates. A panel will discuss the broad-reaching issues and programmed actions that can be undertaken to tactically inform activities in the context of property values, land use alternatives, structural and non-structural risk mitigation measures, and funding support opportunities. Leveraging high quality assessments and transparent communication helps communities and families better prepare for and adapt to these changes. (Staff Liaison: Amanda Odorimah, 202.942.4225) Educational Forum Sunday, July 21 9:00am 12:00pm Solutions for Shale Impacted Counties Forum Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a process used by the natural gas industry to extract natural gas. While the process has garnered environmental concerns over water and air pollution, fracturing also has the potential to create jobs, boost local economies, and provide energy security for years to come. Can environmental concerns be balanced with energy needs? Where are the risks and the opportunities for counties? Come learn more about federal and state actions, environmental concerns, industry efforts and county experiences. (Staff Liaison: Therese Dorau, 202942.4224) TARRANT COUNTY Broaden Your Interaction Be active with NACo social media on Facebook and Twitter. Download the conference app and stay on top of your workshops and meetings on your mobile or tablet.