NACO Associate and Sustaining Members enable NACO to enhance its continuing education programs for county officials across the state. Visit NACO's complete associate and sustaining membership list here.

A gift to NACO's Education Foundation ensures that the children of county officials and county employees are eligible to apply for scholarships to continue their education at Nebraska's higher learning institutions. Whatever their passion - history, art, music, science, education, sports - the NACO Education Foundation will provide them an opportunity to fund their education beyond the K-12 level. Memorial gifts to NACO's Education Foundation are tax deductible and will be a lasting legacy in honor of your loved one's commitment to educating the children of Nebraska's county officials and employees. For more information about how to make a memorial gift, please contact Larry Dix  / 402-434-5660 ext. 226.

 NACO Legislative Committee to Meet in January                             

NACO's Legislative Committee will meet on Jan. 31 to review and take positions on 2014 legislation. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA) Building (605 S. 14th Street) in Lincoln. The NSEA Building is located directly north of the NACO office. After brief introductory remarks, affiliate groups will meet for discussion of bills pertinent to their membership. After the groups have met, the NACO Legislative Committee will reconvene as a whole to review and take positions on the entire list of bills. All county officials are encouraged to attend or discuss areas of concern with their NACO Board representative prior to the meeting.

 

Because lunch will be provided, please notify the NACO office at (402)434-5660 or leslie@nacone.org if you plan to attend. Because the Legislature is in session, parking around the Capitol may be limited. Public parking is not permitted behind the NSEA Building and no parking is available behind the NACO and MIPS offices. A parking garage is available at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel at 12th and L Streets. 

The 36th annual County Board Workshop sponsored by NACO for all Nebraska county commissioners and supervisors will be held in Kearney on February 5-7, 2014. Commissioners and supervisors planning to attend the workshop are encouraged to begin registering online at NACO's website (www.nacone.org) or by clicking here. Educational sessions covering a variety of topics will be presented on Thursday and Friday. A tentative agenda can be viewed by clicking here. 

The workshop will begin Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. with a review of legislation and an introduction of NACO County Board Committee members. Following a breakfast buffet on Thursday morning, plans for Thursday's agenda include general sessions for all board members from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., followed by break-out sessions in the afternoon. General session will again be the order of the morning on Friday.

The advance registration is the same as last year - $80.00 for those registering no later than January 24.  After January 24, the fee increases to $90.00.  Please note that there is no per-day or per-session fee and that all attendees will be required to wear their name tags to gain entrance to workshop events.  Additional meal tickets may be purchased at the registration desk during the workshop.  Click here to register now.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn at the rate of $85.95/single/

double. If you have not made reservations, you are encouraged to do so by contacting the Holiday Inn at (308)237-5971.

 2014 NACO Scholarship Applications Available                             

Nebraska high school seniors who are the children, stepchildren, or under the legal guardianship of county officials or employees are encouraged to apply for one of twelve $1,000.00 NACO scholarships.  Additional information and the application form can be found under the 'Services' tab on the NACO website.  The scholarship application deadline is March 1, 2014.  To access the application, click here.     

MIPS Bytes                             

Battery Backups, also known as a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), are often overlooked when working with computers or other major electronic devices.  The Battery Backup's primary function is to provide power to electronic devices when your electricity fails.  Secondly, most Battery Backups act as line conditioners by keeping your power free from surges or drops (also known as brown outs).  These surges and drops can cause damage to your electronic devices.

 

Battery Backups come in many sizes and are usually equipped with two sets of outlets.  The first set of outlets are used to provide uninterruptible power to the devices connected to them.  The second set of outlets only act as surge protection.  Battery Backups may also include surge protection for networks and/or phone lines.  Certain models are equipped with LCD screens showing you things like load capacity, battery capacity, and estimated run time.

 

Most interruptions in electricity only last for a few seconds to a few minutes.  The goal is to have a Battery Backup large enough to sustain power to your devices when electricity fails.  If you purchase a small UPS and plug many devices into it, you will have very limited amount of protection (run-time).  On the other hand, if you purchase a large UPS and only have a laptop attached, it may be protected for hours.  Don't overload the Battery Backup (load capacity) and don't attach laser printers to the UPS side of the backup.  In a desktop environment, usually the computer, monitor and any external hard-drives are the only devices attached to the UPS side of the backup.

 

One final note: Don't forget providing a UPS for routers, switches and modems.  Power loss to these devices can cause corruption to databases and other files while in use.

The PowerPoint presentation is available electronically at no charge (sent via e-mail) for use by counties during their annual County Government Day. The PowerPoint provides a comprehensive look at county government functions in the State of Nebraska and can be customized by each county. CD's are also available for $10.00 each to cover processing, shipping and handling. To request the County Government Day PowerPoint electronically, please e-mail your request to larrydix@nacone.org. The CD order form is available here.

The 2013 County Board Handbook and related revisions are available. The cost for a current handbook, including legislative information from the 2013 session, is $80.00/book plus $17.00 shipping and handling per book. The 2013 Supplement to the County Board Handbook is available for $20.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling. The order form is available on the NACO website here. For questions, contact Ashley Vandeloo by clicking here or call her at (402) 434-5660 ext. 223.

Please join NACo for an informative webinar on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and the State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP). FirstNet is an independent authority within the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that is charged with building, operating and maintaining a nationwide, interoperable wireless broadband network for public safety. The network will enable police officers, firefighters, emergency medical service professionals and other first responders to more effectively communicate across agencies and jurisdictions. The new network will also make it possible for police officers to access fingerprint databases from a squad car, for firefighters to download building blueprints while rushing to a fire, and for paramedics to transmit an accident victim's vital signs from an ambulance to an emergency room. 

Thursday, January 16, 2014  2:00-3:15 p.m. EST

  

To register, click here

As counties strive to reduce waste, conserve energy and lower operational costs, purchasing recycled and environmentally-friendly goods, materials and services can greatly contribute to meeting a county's financial and sustainability goals. Join us to discuss how you can help your county develop an environmentally preferred purchasing program, navigate the myriad of product eco-labels and green purchasing guidelines and hear success stories from counties that have established sustainable purchasing and procurement programs.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014   2:00-3:15 p.m. EST

To register, click here.

Counties, regions and communities that can foresee, adapt and leverage changing economic conditions are best positioned to attract and grow new businesses, retain skilled workers and promote a high quality of life. As a result of constrained local budgets and economic uncertainties, counties must think creatively about their local and regional strengths and how to translate those assets into economic growth. To address this, NACo recently released a report, "Strategies to Bolster Economic Resilience: County Leadership in Action," to highlight how counties across the country are pursuing creative and innovative policies, partnerships and initiatives to create healthy, safe, vibrant and economically resilient communities. 

Thursday, January 30, 2014   2:00-3:15 p.m. EST

To register, click here.