NACO_E-News_Header

May 2, 2014                                                                  www.nacone.org  I  NACO E-Line Archive 

Upcoming Events

Assessors Spring Workshop 

May 22-23, 2014
Lincoln, Cornhusker Hotel 

 

Nebraska Association of County Engineers, Highway Superintendents, and Surveyors Summer Meeting

June 10-12, 2014

North Platte, Quality Inn & Suites Convention Center

 

Clerks, Election Commissioners, Register of Deeds Workshop

June 11-13, 2014

Kearney, Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center

 

Clerks of District Court Workshop

June 18-19, 2014

Fairbury, Main Street Center

 

Treasurers Workshop

June 17-19, 2014

Lincoln, Holiday Inn Downtown 

 

 

To view all upcoming events, click here.

 

MIPS_Logo_Colored

 

  

 

    

       

 

 

AssocMembersAssociate and Sustaining Members

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.

 

EducationFoundationEducation Foundation Memorial Program

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.

In This Issue

Register Now for Clerks, Election Commissioners, Register of Deeds Workshop    

Twelve Receive NACO Scholarships 

Budget Workshop Cancelled for 2014  

MIPS Bytes 

Real Property Value Percentage Change  

U.S. Communities Announces the Awards of Two Re-Solicitations for Equipment Rental and Elevator and Escalator Maintenance and Services   

Order NACO's 2014 Directory of County Officials Now  

County Government Day PowerPoint 

2013 County Board Handbook and Revisions  

News From NACo 

NACo Web-Based Education 

News Across the State 

County Classifieds 

Legal Calendar 

Associate & Sustaining Members 

NACO Education Foundation Memorial Program 

 

Clerks_WorkshopRegister Now for Clerks, Election Commissioners, Register of Deeds Workshop                             
Advance registrations will is now on-line at NACO's website for the County Clerks, Election Commissioners and Registers of Deeds Workshop scheduled for June 11-13, 2014, in Kearney at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center.

  

Officers of the Clerks, Election Commissioners and Registers of Deeds Association met in April to establish agendas for their respective organizations. A tentative agenda for the workshop can be found by clicking here. This agenda is tentative because confirmation from all speakers has not been received.

 

Guest rooms may be reserved by contacting the Holiday Inn at (308) 237-5971. Room rates are $86.95 single/double. When making reservations, inform hotel staff that you are attending the NACO workshop to receive the contracted rate.

 

To register, click here.

scholarshipsTwelve Receive NACO Scholarships

Twelve children of county officials and employees have been selected to receive $1,000 NACO scholarships to assist with college expenses for the 2014-15 school year.  In order to be eligible, students must graduate this spring from a Nebraska high school and attend a post-high school educational institution within the state of Nebraska.


 Photos and profiles of award recipients are featured here. 

Budget_WorkshopNACO Budget Workshop Cancelled for 2014
NACO's Budget Workshop,normally held every two years, and listed on the NACO 2014 Courthouse Calendar for May 8, 2014 has been cancelled due to lack of attendance.  Records show that attendance for the last two workshops has gradually declined, therefore a decision to sponsor this workshop every four years, as opposed to every two years was made recently.  Please make a note on your calendar.
MIPS_BYTESMIPS Bytes                           

Performing Computer Backups

When using computers, one of the most often overlooked practices is performing data backups.  If the computer you use stops working tomorrow, how long would it take to get it back into working order with all programs and files?  This is where a good computer backup system comes into effect.  If, for some reason your computer stops working, or data gets corrupted in some way, a computer backup will allow you to either restore all or part of the missing data.  Without computer backups, data recovery can be very time consuming, expensive, and at times impossible.

 

There are many ways to ensure your data is backed up in a way that makes it usable in the case of a failure.  Depending on the situation, a full system backup image is the most encompassing method of computer backup.  This means if your computer fails, a full system image could be restored and your computer would be back to its state of the last backup with all data and programs being recovered.  However, this requires the most time and amount of hard drive space for backups.  Third party software, like ShadowProtect or Acronis, offers this type of computer backup.  Another method is purely data backup.  This makes sure that the files your programs use are getting backed up.  In the event of a failure, the computer would have to be rebuilt to operate again, and your files restored.  Programs and software would have to be re-installed afterward.  Solutions like Clickfree perform backups in this fashion.

 

Whatever method of data backup is being used, it is recommended that the backups be stored on an external storage device and ideally taken off-site from the computers being backed up.  This ensures that if something were to physically happen to the computers, such as a fire or tornado, the data backups are intact.  If this is not possible, data backups should at least be stored in a safe and secure location.  Your local IT professionals can provide further information regarding computer backup procedures and suggestions.                           

Real_Property_ValueReal Property Value Percentage Change                           
The Nebraska Department of Revenue, Property Assessment Division has processed the 2014 Real Property Abstract of Assessment filed by the 93 Nebraska county assessors.  To view a press release issued by the Department of Revenue regarding value percentage change for 2013-2014, click here.
US_Communities_Press_ReleaseU.S. Communities Announces the Awards of Two Re-Solicitations for Equipment Rental and Elevator and Escalator Maintenance and Services                             
Hertz Equipment Rental and KONE competed against several nationally-recognized suppliers and were awarded new contracts with additional features and benefits.  If you haven't used these contracts in the past, view the new contract documents to start using today or register for a complimentary webinar to learn more.

To learn more, click here.
NACO_DirectoryOrder NACO's 2014 Directory of County Officials Now
NACO's 2014 Directory of County Officials is a valuable resource that not only gives you names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and e-mail addresses of every county official in the state, but includes a listing of county board meeting days, NACO districts, county seats, NACO officers and directors, affiliate officers and NACO staff.  County clerks for each county will receive one complimentary copy of the directory intended for use by all offices in their courthouse.  For additional copies, click here for the order form.
CountygovernementdaycdCounty Government Day PowerPoint
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.
County_Board_Handbook_20122013 County Board  Handbook and Revisions
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.
News_From_NACoNews From NACo
2014 NACo Annual Conference and Exposition Registration is now OPEN! 
Register today for NACo's Annual conference and exposition taking place July 11-14, 2014 in Orleans Parish/New Orleans, Louisiana.  NACo's Annual Conference and Exposition is THE conference to attend for county officials and county staff nationwide.

To read more, click here.
To register, click here.

New "Waters of the United States" Definition Released
On April 21, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) jointly released a new proposed rule - Definition of Waters of the U.S. Under the Clean Water Act - that would amend the definition of "waters of the U.S. and potentially expand the range of waters that fall under federal jurisdiction.  The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register, is open for public comment for 90 days, until July 21, 2014.

Counties are strongly encouraged to submit written comments on potential impacts of the proposed regulation to the Federal Register.

To read more, click here.

Cybersecurity Symposium Stresses Employee Training
One day after word of the "Heartbleed" bug hit the news, county elected officials and information technology personnel gathered in Douglas County, Neb. to discuss cybersecurity and the role counties play in safeguarding data.
 
The second National Cyber Symposium is a legacy of one of NACo Past President Chris Rodgers' initiatives, and catered to elected officials and information technology professionals with two separate programming tracks.

The message for elected officials: Regardless of how much equipment and software a county purchases, several presenters said, cybersecurity defense is only as good as personnel are well-trained.

To read more, click here.

Registration Extended for NACo's Juvenile Justice Forum, May 7-9
Join NACo in Cook County, Ill., May 7-9, as county leaders and experts from across the country discuss juvenile justice reforms that make the system more fair and effective, examples of where these reforms are working, and how the MacArthur Foundation's Models for Change Initiative can help your county improve public safety.
 
To register, click here.
NACo_Web_Based_EducationNACo Web-Based Education

Sustainable Waste Management Strategies for Counties

Thursday, May 15, 2014, 2-3:15 p.m. EST

New approaches to waste management can enable counties to reap significant environmental and financial benefits. For example, landfill diversion programs can increase county recycling rates and extend the life of existing landfills. Naturally occurring methane at landfills can be captured and used as a source of renewable energy, reducing methane emissions and offering energy savings and new streams of revenue. Fuel efficient fleets can reduce vehicle emissions and save on fuel costs. This webinar will provide participants the tools and strategies needed to incorporate sustainable strategies into their counties waste management practices.

 

To register for this webinar, click here.

 

Collaborating with County Partners to Create an Employee Wellness Program
Thursday, June 12, 2014, 2-315 p.m. EST
Counties are developing and implementing various types of employee wellness programs. Are there opportunities for collaboration within your county for creating employee wellness programs that can improve the well-being of your employees while potentially reducing health care costs? This webinar will discuss some innovative approaches some counties are using to improve employee health.  
 
To register for this webinar, click here.
 
To view NACo's entire web-based education listing, click here.
News_Across_the_StateNews Across the State

GIS Mapping System Brings Ease to Surveyors, Researchers 

Kearney Hub, 4/20/2014

Grand Island Independent, 5/1/2014

Grand Island Independent, 5/1/2014
Nebraska Association of County Officials
625 South 14th Street Suite 200 | Lincoln, NE 68508 | 402-434-5660