Supreme Court Justice Scalia explains judicial philosophy with … · 2019. 12. 21. · in a Common...

“The wisdom to know and the courage to defend the

public interest”

National Association of Counties • Washington, D.C. www.naco.org • www.countynews.org

Vol. 38 No. 2 • January 30, 2006

Quik Takes

■ See METH on page 2

Inside this issue ...

■ See SCALIA on page 4

BY DAN MILLER

STAFF WRITER

Attracting attention from media outlets including The New York Times, NBC Nightly News and USA Today, NACo announced the release of two new surveys showing that metham-phetamine abuse continues to ravage America’s communities.

NACo President Bill Hansell and Executive Director Larry Naake pre-sented the surveys, which focused on emergency room visits and treatment for meth addicts, to the media at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18.

“There is no question that meth

BY CHARLES TAYLOR

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s philosophy of the U.S. Constitution is simple: the text “means what it meant” when it was adopted by the people more than 200 years ago.

“We are now in this evolving Con-stitution mode,” said the justice, “a

New NACo meth surveys bring widespread media attention

abuse is having a devastating effect on America’s communities,” Hansell said. “We are releasing these surveys to raise awareness about the com-plexity and destructive nature of this drug. We also believe that the results of these surveys provide further evi-dence of the need for action by the administration and Congress.”

The fi rst survey, entitled “The Ef-fect of Meth Abuse on Hospital Emer-gency Rooms,” revealed that there are more meth-related emergency room visits in county facilities than for any other drug. Based on 200 responses from emergency room offi cials in 39 states, the survey also fi nds that these

Constitution that morphs to suit the society it governs.” An engaging ora-tor, Scalia spoke with passion and doses of humor about his “originalist” view of constitutional interpretation and other judicial issues. He was keynote speaker Jan. 12 at the win-ter meeting of the National Council

and county governments is that several key reforms are close to being enacted by Congress” as part of the budget reconciliation process. Those reforms include addressing overpayments to pharmacies for prescriptions, changes in reimburse-ment policy for generic drugs, and providing states the drug price data they need to make good choices on reimbursement for all drugs.

“These changes will lead to sav-ings shared by states and ultimately counties where you have a pass-through,” he added.

Congress is also working to

visits have increased substantially over the past fi ve years.

The second survey, “The Chal-lenge of Treating Meth Abuse,” showed that funding for treatment programs isn’t keeping up with the number of people who need them. The study reports that 63 percent of the offi cials polled said they do not have a suffi cient capacity in their county programs to treat meth ad-dicts, and 57 percent of these of-fi cials cited a lack of funding.

Hansell and Naake were joined at the press conference by Jeri Reese,

Grassley updates NCCAE on Medicaid and meth

New York, N.Y. $79,872Santa Clara County, Calif. $70,334Goochland County, Va. $68,831North Slope Borough, Ark. $68,637Eureka County, Nev. $67,223

Supreme Court Justice Scalia explains judicial philosophy with NCCAE

■ See GRASSLEY on page 3

Photo by Dan Miller

NACo President Bill Hansell speaks to a reporter after the press conference where he unveiled meth surveys focusing on emergency rooms and treatment. The conference was held at the National Press Club Jan. 18.

BY CHARLES TAYLOR

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Medicaid and meth were the focus-es of Sen. Charles Grassley’s update during a Jan. 12 morning session of NCCAE’s winter meeting in Wash-ington. His bottom line: Congress is making progress on both fronts.

A member of the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees, the four-term Iowa Republican spent nearly an hour with state association presidents and executives, before heading to the Capitol for the Judiciary Committee hearings on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.

Regarding Medicaid, Grassley said, “The good news for state

Source: 2004 Bureau of Labor Statistics: Total Covered Employment and Wages

Average Annual Wages Average Annual Wages

NACo’s 2006 Legislative Conference kicks into high gear with new speakers. See page 2.

County News profi les Esquire magazine’s “Citizen of the Year,” Harris County, Texas Judge Robert Eckels. See page 5.

2 County News, January 30, 2006

BY MARK LAVIGNE

NYSAC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Twelve New York counties are working in partnership with the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) and the state’s Department of Health on a demonstration program de-signed to fi nd ineffi ciencies and irregularities with the Medicaid system, New York state’s largest taxpayer-funded program next to education.

Through this agreement, coun-ties are able to use Verify NY, a cutting-edge, data mining soft-ware program from IBM, to drill into Medicaid provider billing information to identify potential waste, fraud and abuse in one of the largest Medicaid programs in the nation. The software looks at the types and numbers of proce-dures provided to recipients, and the dollar amounts that health care providers are billing Medicaid for those procedures.

The demonstration program was born out of the state’s Medicaid Reform Act of 2005, which was historic Medicaid-restructuring legislation enacted as part of New York’s state budget. The reform act enabled counties to come up with ideas that could make the program more effi cient.

NYSAC worked with IBM Corp. last summer to develop Verify NY as a way to look at county-spe-cifi c provider data. The program caught the interest of several New York state counties that have been paying a large share of the state’s Medicaid program.

Cutting-edge program shines light on Medicaid data“Until this demonstration pro-

gram was approved by the State Department of Health, counties could only review recipient eligi-bility in the Medicaid program,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario. The 12 par-ticipating counties include Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Rockland, Or-ange, Dutchess, Broome, Albany, Rensselaer, Monroe, Erie and Chautauqua.

Rockland County reveals signifi cant number of suspect claims

Rockland County is the fi rst county in the demonstration pro-gram to examine its Medicaid provider data with Verify NY. The county held a news conference in early January to announce its ini-tial fi ndings and to call for further investigation into a significant

number of questionable Medicaid provider claims.

A preliminary 21-month claim analysis by the Verify NY program revealed that of $3.2 million in billing by internists and specialists who serve Medicaid recipients in Rockland, nearly $900,000 could be considered questionable. Of the more than 200,000 claims by 420 Medicaid providers, 42 per-cent submitted bills that exceed normal levels.

An analysis of pharmacies that provide prescriptions to Rockland County Medicaid recipients re-vealed even higher numbers. Of $67 million in pharmacy Medicaid billing, more than $12 million was identifi ed for further investigation. The identities of the physicians and pharmacies involved could not be revealed because of a potential investigation.

“We are concerned that such a large percentage of Medicaid bill-ing has come in above the norm,” County Executive C. Scott Vander-hoef said. “These fi gures, while preliminary, show us that further investigation is warranted. We do not want our taxpayers to continue to bear the brunt of out-of-control expenses and possible abuse of the Medicaid system.”

Rockland entered into a contract with the NYSAC last year as part of the pilot program. Rockland has also entered into a memo of understanding with the state Med-icaid Inspector General and the state Department of Health to act as lead agency in the investigation of questionable Medicaid billing practices.

Rockland County analyzed pharmacies by the number of pre-scriptions per patient, the cost of

the drugs provided and the demo-graphic of the populations served. Research criteria for physicians included per-visit charges, the type and cost of services provided and the number of patients seen in a day. Providers and pharmacies reviewed by Verify NY are not necessarily located in Rockland, but serve Medicaid recipients who live in the county.

More than 41,000 Rockland residents received $384 million in Medicaid services, with $71 million of that total paid by county taxpay-ers in 2005. An average of $2 mil-lion in Medicaid overpayments by individual recipients is recovered each year by Rockland County Department of Social Services.

(If you would like more informa-tion about VerifyNY, you can con-tact NYSAC at 518/465-1473.)

Liberal Democratic strategist Bob Beckel and conservative columnist Cal Thomas, who write a popular USA Today column on fi nding com-mon ground in the most contentious of issues, will bring their insights to NACo’s Legislative Conference in a Common Ground presentation, March 6.

Beckel is a Democratic strategist and Fox News Channel contributor. He managed Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign and has broad experience in the workings of Wash-

Legislative conference speaker line-up develops

ington — from the White House to Capitol Hill and through dozens of election campaigns.

Thomas is a 35-year veteran of broadcast and print journalism. His columns appear in nearly 600 news-papers nationwide, and his weekly television show “After Hours with Cal Thomas” airs on Fox News Channel.

The engaging duo challenge the common perception that there is no putting America back together again.

If your tastes, however, run more toward making fun of com-mon perceptions, then you’re in for a treat with The Capitol Steps, Washington’s premiere political and social satire revue. For more than a decade, The Capitol Steps have been churning out such hit numbers as “Osama Come Out Tomorrow” or “Sam Alito,” sung to the tune of Mona Lisa, as they sing their way across stage. They are slated to ap-pear at the conference’s luncheon, March 7.

The Opening General Session, March 5, will feature an address by Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.). Smith serves on fi ve major Senate

In addition to presenting the studies, Hansell outlined NACo’s requests from Congress and the ad-ministration in order to help combat the nation’s meth crisis.

Hansell requested Congress pass the Combat Meth Epidemic Act, which would place restrictions on of pseudoephedrine and place new regulations on the importation of bulk pseudoephedrine. In addi-tion, Hansell asked for additional funding for uncompensated care, law enforcement and treatment programs.

NACo released two surveys pertaining to meth in July of 2005. The surveys, which focused on law enforcement and child welfare, garnered widespread media atten-tion, including reports on CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune.

director of emergency services for the Greene County, Iowa, Medical Center, and Pat Fleming, substance abuse director for Salt Lake County, Utah.

Reese related her own experi-ences dealing with meth addicts, commenting on the severity of their behavior while under the infl uence of the drug.

“Meth is different because of the violence [users] can portray,” she said.

Fleming’s remarks focused on treatment for meth addicts. He emphasized that treatment is possible.

“Substance abuse treatment works,” Fleming said. “We can treat meth, we have to treat meth. I’ve seen it work.”

NACo reports gain attention ■ METH from page 1

committees: Commerce, Science and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; Rules; Indian Affairs, and the powerful Finance Committee. He also serves on the Special Committee on Aging.

In addition, he is a member of the Senate Western Water and

Rural Health caucuses as well as the High Tech Task Force. Smith is also co-chairman of the Sen-ate Task Force on Medicare and Prescription Drugs and has been selected by leadership three times to be a deputy whip, a position that he currently holds.

USA Today’s Bob Beckel and Cal Thomas will speak at NACo’s Annual Con-ference and Exposition.

County News, January 30, 2006 3

Bill HansellNACo President

using Internet protocol has changed the way we talk on the phone, receive television and video services, and how we entertain ourselves. We have more access to information in our homes than ever before. But there are clouds on the horizon.

The new technology has provided an opportunity for telephone com-panies to roll out video services as a competitor to cable. In the “old” days, local governments were gen-erally responsible for negotiating with cable companies over video franchise agreements, which would set the terms and conditions for the company to operate in the jurisdiction and access public rights of way. The telephone companies see the rewrite of our telecommunications laws as an opportunity to get “a national fran-chise” managed by the FCC rather than local government.

While congressional proponents of this approach attempt to protect local franchise fees, they pre-empt many of the other important local terms and conditions. With the proposed proprietary networks of the telephone companies, concerns have also been raised about “net-work neutrality” or the ability for all content providers to have equal access to these new networks. NACo policy supports equal services being treated equally.

Another shot across the bow for

Rewrite of the Telecommunications Act

In my Jan. 16 column, I briefl y covered NACo’s 2006 legisla-tive priorities. Over the next few months I will take each priority and go into a bit more detail. I hope that will give you more informa-tion and a better understanding of the issues facing us.

The first priority to be covered is the rewrite of the Telecommu-nications Act of 1996. It is a huge issue for counties and an even larger one for cities.

Congress will begin consider-ation of a bill to rewrite the Tele-communications Act of 1996 and its underlying statutes. In 1996, the public’s understanding of the Internet was almost non-existent — the World Wide Web was too new for most Americans to have even heard of. Congress paid vir-tually no attention to it as it rewrote the law, focusing more on things like long-distance telephone ser-vice competition.

As we all know, the Internet has exploded, and all the things we thought we knew back in 1996 are being proven obsolete. “Convergence” of technologies

local governments are efforts to prohibit local governments from providing broadband accessibility to the community, be it via wire line or wireless. The private sector is concerned that local govern-ments have an unfair advantage in the marketplace if they become providers of broadband service. Local governments respond that the only reason they’re pursuing deployment is because the private sector has been slow to respond to pleas for broadband service. NACo opposes an outright ban of counties’ deploying broadband service for their communities. NACo policy, however, cautions against using their economic ca-pacity to unfairly compete with private sector providers.

There are many other issues to be faced during this very conten-tious debate and they are highly technical and complicated. The short duration of the Second Ses-sion of the 109th Congress — be-cause it is an election year — may slow the pace of this legislation, but NACo and its members need to be prepared to protect local authorities to the fullest extent possible.

If you have any questions or want more information, contact Jeff Arnold at NACo, 202/942-4286 or [email protected].

limit the ability of middle-class and wealthy seniors to work with estate planners to hide assets in order to qualify for Medicaid. “Medicaid was meant to help people who couldn’t pay for their own care in nursing homes,” the senator said. “We tightened that up so that those shenanigans could not go on cheating the taxpayers when people can afford to take care of themselves.

“When we began this process, we wanted to fi nd savings that not only would save the federal taxpayers dol-lars, but the states as well, and we did that,” he continued.

On methamphetamines, Grass-ley noted that his state and 35 oth-ers have laws restricting sales of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in meth production, which can be purchased over-the-counter in many states. “Last year, Iowa passed a strong law to take pseudoephedrine off the shelves,” said Grassley, who chairs the Senate’s International Narcotics Control Caucus. “The states with tough laws have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of meth lab incidents, and that frees up law enforcement offi cers for other things.”

Congressional efforts to pass a national anti-meth law got rolled into reauthorization of the Patriot Act, which stalled near the end of 2005.

“Hopefully when the Senate gets done with Alito, we’re going to take that up and get that passed,” he said. “We’ll have a national

anti-meth policy; it won’t be quite as good as what Iowa and Oklahoma have, but we fought hard to make sure there wasn’t any preemption of local laws.”

Grassley points out reforms on over-the-counter drug sales■ GRASSLEY from page 1

Visitors to NACo’s 2006 confer-ence, to be held in Cook County, Ill., this August, should be prepared for a spectacular experience, whether they’re after great shopping, dining, museums, cultural events, music or sports.

Chicago is famous for its cu-linary creations — everything from comfort food to four-star cuisines. Choose from world famous Chicago-style pizza and barbeque, Greektown’s traditional fare, Devon Avenue’s vast array of Indian and South Asian restaurants or Chinatown’s offerings of dim sum, noodles and more. Japanese, Mexican, authentic Italian, Cajun, French, African, Polish, soul food, Irish pub food — whatever suits your fancy, Chicago’s got it.

Attractions abound for NACo 2006 conference visitorsFrom the conference hotel on

Michigan Avenue, visitors are only a stone’s throw from the Mu-seum Campus — home to three of Chicago’s most treasured museums: The Field Museum of Natural His-tory, The Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium.

The Field Museum has more than 15 million artifacts and dis-plays, from Sue the Tyrannosaurus Rex to the new special exhibition, “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” — featuring more than 100 dazzling Egyptian treasures from the tombs of King Tut and his royal relatives, many of which have never traveled outside Egypt.

The Adler Planetarium offers a great spot for stargazing, as well as three fl oors of exhibits

on astronomy, space exploration, telescopes and navigation.

The Shedd hosts the world’s largest aquarium — with species that range from beluga whales and dolphins to North America’s most diverse shark display.

Or travel outside the Museum Campus to the South Side’s Mu-seum of Science and Industry — a showcase of the fascinating story behind how things work, and why. Exhibits range from a trip 600 feet underground into a real coal mine to an interactive onboard experi-ence in the newly restored U-505, the only German submarine in the U.S.

The museum opportunities don’t end there, either. Other renowned museums include the Art Institute

of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Looking for a quiet place to pull up with a good book? Chicago’s Harold Washington Library, named for Chicago’s fi rst African -American mayor, has nearly 2 mil-lion books that, placed end to end, would stretch some 70 miles.

Chicago’s landmark Navy Pier sits on Lake Michigan just north of downtown. Tourists are drawn to its renowned children’s museum, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, a stained-glass museum, 150-foot-high Ferris wheel and the Skyline Stage outdoor performance pavilion. You can even take a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Chicago from Navy Pier.

Skyscrapers were born in this city, so be sure to visit the Sears Tower skydeck, with a breathtaking view

from the tallest building in North America. Downtown walking tours showcase some of Chicago’s most famous architecture and outdoor sculptures, including master works by Picasso, Marc Chagall, Louis Sullivan and Miro.

There’s more, of course. Two major league baseball teams — in-cluding the winners of the 2005 World Series, the Chicago White Sox. Spectacular golf courses, two world-class zoos, vast public gardens — and Chicago’s renowned night life, with more than 140 professional theaters, hundreds of clubs offering live blues, jazz, country, rock and reggae, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in summer residence at Highland Park’s Ravinia Festival.

To learn more about the region’s many offerings, go to www.choosechicago.com.

Visit the Coun ty News link, scroll down to the Ad ver tis ing link and click on Ad Rates to

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Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) spoke to NCCAE members Jan. 12.


Sherri McNamara

Deputy Executive AdministratorOutagamie, Wis.

Vice ChairNACo Telecommunications and Technology Steering Committee

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Scalia: Constitution’s meaning doesn’t change■ SCALIA from page 1

CORRECTIONWe had a rough time with the Commissioner Will

Branning’s Profi le in Service in the Jan. 16 County News. Branning is a commissioner from Dakota County, Minn. His county title was omitted, his state was incorrectly identifi ed, and the wrong picture was published. We apologize for the errors.

Number of years active in NACo: 20

Years in Public Service: 25

Occupation: Social worker fi rst, now, county administrator

Education: B.S. in social work, master’s in administrative science

The hardest thing I’ve ever done: Bury my father

Three people (living or dead) I’d invite to dinner: My father, Brett Favre and Bart Starr

A dream I have is to: Cruise the Rhine and Danube rivers in Europe.

You’d be surprised to learn that I: Want to go back to school for a Ph.D. after I retire — there is still so much to learn.

The most adventurous thing I’ve ever done is: Cruise in a houseboat on the Mississippi River.

My favorite way to relax is: Read and knit.

I’m most proud of: My children and their accomplishments.

Every morning I read: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper.

My favorite meal is: Beef pot roast with vegetables and apple pie.

My pet peeve is: People who complain instead solving problems.

My motto is: Bloom where you are planted.

The last book I read was: Dan Brown’s books: The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons and Deception Point.

My favorite movie is: The Way We Were.

My favorite music is: Willie Nelson.

My favorite president is: John Kennedy.

of County Association Executives (NCCAE) in Washington.

“To have someone of the cali-ber of Supreme Court Justice Scalia was the epitome for me,” said Ce-leste Carpiano, NCCAE fi rst vice president and executive director of the New Jersey Association of Counties.

“People could like or dislike someone because of their conser-vative views or their liberal views. I think that this man expressed the importance of his position and his views in a way that was not partisan. And I think in our capacity it’s so important to hear those views.”

Originalists believe that the Constitution’s meaning does not change over time or to suit the cur-rent political or social climate, but that it should be interpreted the way the framers intended. In contrast, modernists look at the document in terms of what meaning it would have if written today, applying it to situations the framers could not have foreseen.

“Some people somehow think that the evolving Constitution gives us fl exibility,” Scalia said. “It doesn’t give us fl exibility; it gives us what a Constitution always gives, which is rigidity.

“The right to abortion, — to tell you the truth, the Constitution says nothing about it. If you want it, convince your fellow citizens it’s a good idea and pass a law,” he said. “The same with a right to suicide or anything else. That’s fl exibility,” Alternatively, the Constitution can be amended, a process that he ad-mitted is a diffi cult one that can be blocked by as little as 2 percent of the U.S. population.

“But once you read these rights into or out of the Constitution; that’s it,” he continued. “It has to be the same way from coast to coast, now and forever. Or until the Supreme Court changes its mind.”

Scalia said the notion of a Consti-tution that evolves is a relative new one in the nation’s history. Until 40 years ago, no one — save for “will-

BY DAN MILLER

STAFF WRITER

Veterans from multiple American wars are helping to register hundreds of young voters in Pinellas County, Fla.

Approximately 750 high school students have been registered or pre-registered to vote through the Vote in Honor of a Vet program, a statewide program that the county adopted. Other counties that run their own versions of the program include Hernando, Nassau and Okaloosa counties.

Through the program, veterans share personal profi les and war stories in an attempt to convey the sacrifi ces Americans have made to defend personal rights, like the right to vote. During the 2005 fall semester, elections staff presented the curriculum, which includes speeches from the veterans, at six local high schools and additional schools will be added this spring.

“As they connect with these

individual veterans, and learn how these brave people have sacrifi ced so much to preserve their freedoms, they begin to realize the true value of the right and privilege to vote,” said Deborah Clark, supervisor of elections for Pinellas County.

According to Michael Green-man, elections support supervisor, participating veterans cover several wars, including the current confl ict in Iraq. Applications to participate are available on the Internet, but many veterans are solicited by the

county.“It’s one thing to go out

there and tell people to vote. The main question is why,” Greenman said. “This gives them a reason. This gives them a picture and a face. If you’re not going to vote any-ways, why don’t you vote in honor of this person?”

He said that the students, mostly seniors, attend the sessions respectfully, with some students coming up to personally thank the veterans.

(For more information about Pinellas County’s version of the Vote in Honor of a Vet program, call the Supervisor of Elections office at 727/464-8100 or visit www.votepinellas.com.)

Veterans inspire young voters in Pinellas County, Florida

■ See SCALIA on page 5

The program also includes a pre-sentation about citizens’ freedoms and civil rights, voter registration and an explanation of Florida’s closed primary system, voter information cards and voting districts. Students receive lapel pins with the Vote in Honor of a Vet logo as well as aluminum dog tags inscribed “In tribute to my vet’s sacrifi ces, I will keep my promise and vote.”


businesses and others. “My secret is to surround myself with more compe-tent people than me,” he said. “This is a community that has a real can-do spirit.” He also has high praise for county government employees, who he called “some of the most dedicated, hard working people I’ve ever dealt with. They did a yeoman’s job, and they do it every day.”

Eckels, 48, has spent nearly half his life in politics. He was elected to the Texas legislature at the age of 24, where he served for 11 years. He’s now in his third four-year term as county judge, and will seek re-election this year. A native Houstonian, Eckels and his wife, Jet, are the proud parents of a 10-year-old daughter, Kirby Rae.

To understand what makes Eckels run, you need only consider that he views politics as “a noble calling.” It also might be in his DNA: his father,

sometime in the future in Texas,” said Orr, who was a Dallas County commissioner during the time when Eckels’ father was in offi ce in Harris County.

Eckels has thought about running for higher offi ce. “You look at poli-tics and whether to move up the food chain,” he said. He was considering a run for Texas attorney general or lieu-tenant governor, had a possible shake-up occured in Austin, the state capital. If U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson had run for governor, it would have created a domino effect of open seats for statewide offi ces. Earlier, he considered running for Congress. But with his daughter still in grade school, the family wasn’t ready for a possible move to Washington.

That aside, why move on or up, when you already have “the best job in the world?” As presiding offi cer of the Harris County Commissioners Court, elected countywide, he has a constituency of 3.6 million people: larger than the populations of Idaho, Rhode Island, Hawaii and Delaware – combined.

To run for another offi ce — just to

be in offi ce — doesn’t interest him. Still, he hasn’t ruled out the possibility — once his daughter is older.

“There are very few jobs that allow you to accomplish more” than in local government, he said. “This is a place where you can make a big difference, and that’s hard to replicate at another level of government.”

Asked what he’s proudest of, po-litically, he said without hesitation: “institutionalizing a process” in Har-ris County — fostering an attitude of cooperation and collaboration, to put together a team that can provide the required level of service to the public.

“The same model we used in responding to Katrina, we use for everything else in the county,” he said.

On a personal level, his daughter’s winning the third-grade spelling bee and placing second in fourth grade made him beam with pride. He also credits his family for their “tolerance of my work in politics.”

With that kind of support, Eckels is certainly no island. No, call him part of an archipelago of competence.

‘An Island of Competence:’ Harris County, Texas Judge Robert EckelsBY CHARLES TAYLOR

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

When New Orleaneans came knocking, rousted from their homes by a vicious Hurricane Katrina, Har-ris County, Texas, opened its doors – wide.

Judge Robert A. Eckels, the county’s top elected offi cial, oversaw much of the local response. Along with Houston Mayor Bill White and an army of volunteers, Eckels oper-ated the largest evacuation shelter in U.S. history. Harris County housed, fed and clothed more than 175,000 victims.

It was all in a day’s — or in this case, several months’ — work for the judge.

Eckels, a Republican, and White, a Democrat, put aside any partisan differences and “did what needed to be done,” Eckels said recently. Re-calling a line from a grade-school report card, he said he’s always been a guy who “works and plays well with others.”

For his leadership, Eckels was named 2005 Citizen of the Year by Esquire magazine, which called him “an island of competence in the face of catastrophe.” The Dallas Morning News, named Houston, the seat of Harris County, “Texan of the Year” — giving Eckels and White, among others, credit for the area’s unprec-edented effort. Partners for Livable Communities, a Washington-based nonprofi t gave the judge its “Bridge Builders Award” for his collabora-tive efforts during the Katrina and Rita crises.

Eckels is appreciative of the kudos, but he defl ects the lime-light, sharing the credit with Harris County’s citizens, faith community,

Bob Eckels, was a longtime Harris County commissioner, whose best ad-vice to his son was “not to gratuitously make enemies; it’s harder to rebuild a bridge once it’s burned.”

Noble calling or not, in rough and tumble Texas politics, Eckels has been known to shake things up on the commission occasionally or fi ght with other counties. The key to success, however, he said is that “while we will have bickering, it’s not personal.”

Roy Orr, a former NACo presi-dent, has known Eckels since he was a teenager and calls him a “consen-sus-builder.”

“He’s a brilliant guy, he’s got lead-ership ability, got the right motives. He’s the kind of guy that ought to serve as a public servant,” Orr said.

“In all probability, I predict that you’ll see him on a statewide ballot

ful judges” — thought the law of the land evolved, he said. “Once you say it evolves, who decides?”

Speaking during the fi nal week of the Senate confi rmation hear-ings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, Scalia asked, “Why have things changed so much that it’s even diffi cult to get people appointed to the Court of Appeals? The chick-ens have come home to roost.” The fact that Constitutional evolutionists want judges who think like them has led to seemingly endless probing of a nominee’s views on issues.

“That’s why confi rmation hear-ings have become so contentious,” he said. “The most important thing is that this person agree with you on what this new [evolving] Constitu-

tion should be.” They essentially want judges who legislate from the bench, rather than to adjudicate, he suggested.

During a question-and-answer period, Scalia proved that to be a conservative is not to be humor-less. When asked how much of the arguments before the court he listens to, he replied, “About half of them.” Laughter ricocheted throughout the audience.

On whether judges should be appointed or elected:

“If you follow an originalist sys-tem, a merit system works, they have the independence to stand up to the majority. To have that independence, you don’t want to have the next year’s election hanging over your head.” Under an evolving system, he would

favor election, so that judges could be held to account.

On the 2000 presidential election:

“I think we did the right thing…The issue was whether the national election would be decided by the Florida court or by the United States Supreme Court.”

During dinner, NCCAE members also heard from Jim Miklazewski, the NBC News Pentagon correspondent.

A NACo affi liate, NCCAE repre-sents the leaders of 53 state associa-tions of counties or county offi cials across the U.S. Its annual January meeting in Washington, hosted by NACo, also included a legislative briefi ng at the White House and a Congressional presentation on prior-ity legislative issues.

Scalia voices opinions on 2000 election, judges■ SCALIA from page 4

Judge Eckels and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco listen intently

during a briefi ng.

Judge Eckels discusses Harris County’s Katrina response with members of incident command at Reliant Center; Eckels poses with two young Katrina evacuees.


BY KELLY ZONDERWYK

COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSOCIATE

Ten counties received 200 free ra-don kits as part of NACo’s recognition of Radon Awareness Month in Janu-ary. Many of them have signifi cant levels of outreach about the dangers of exposure to radon gas. Here are a few examples:

• Edmunds County, S.D., launched a countywide educational campaign with the assistance of three high school students. These students will distribute the free radon test kits during home visits to low-income families and el-derly home owners. The students will educate these individuals on the health effects of radon exposure and how to properly test their homes. Financial assistance information will also be provided, including the Federal Home Loan Bank program from the South Dakota Northeast Community Action Program.

• Hill County, Mont., as part of the EPA’s Tools for Schools program to help improve indoor air quality of schools, tests for radon throughout county schools.

The county will also begin to test for radon levels in day care centers, farm houses and low-income areas, while informing county residents of the results through local media outlets. Owners of homes and buildings with high levels of radon will be assisted in fi nding a certifi ed contractor to conduct the mitigation efforts.

EPA’s Radon Zone Map depicts the radon risk as-sessment within counties. Zone 1 counties have the highest potential risk for elevated radon levels. A high level of radon is measured as greater than 4 pico curies per liter (pCi/L), a measure of radioactivity. Zone 2 counties have an average level between 2 pCi/L and 4 pCi/L. Zone 3 counties have an average less than 2 pCi/L. For a complete list of counties and their radon zone levels visit: www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html and click on your state.

Even homes that fall in a Zone 3 county can have ex-tremely high levels of radon. Regardless of the county zone designation, your county can assist residents in testing their homes for this silent, invisible, odorless and tasteless gas.

Counties commit to reducing radon gas exposureCounties commit to reducing radon gas exposure

• Hayes County, Neb., is work-ing with the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension Offi ce to not only educate citizens about the dan-gers of radon exposure in their homes, but also train real estate professionals on mitigation and radon-resistant new construction for new homes.

The county began its efforts by

training its own staff on the issue of radon and then raising awareness through local media. The county will be conducting educational workshops and personal consultations with hom-eowners upon their request.

• Pocahontas County, Iowa, also plans to conduct a radon-resistant new construction workshop for local

contractors. Radon test kits and educa-tional materials will be distributed to the public. More than 5,000 individuals will also be able to view a new billboard display about radon as they drive down the local section of Highway 3.

Other counties that earned the free radon test kits are: Archuleta, LaPlata and San Juan counties, Colo.; Stanton

County, Neb.; Butler County, Ohio; Carroll County, Va.; Skamania County, Wash.; and Washington County, Wis.

Contact NACo’s Indoor Air Qual-ity program to learn how to obtain radon test kits and educational out-reach materials at 202/942-4224 or [email protected].

For your

FREE copy, contact Membership Coordinator Emily Landsman at (202) 942-4242 or [email protected] today!

to Countiesto CountiesNational Institute of Governmental PurchasingCorporate Member

Location/HQ: 151 Spring Street, Herndon, VA 20170.

Primary Business: Nonprofi t education, support and advocacy for the public procurement profession.

CEO: Rick Grimm, CPPO CPPB. 703/736-8900, [email protected].

Why we joined NACo/What we can do for counties: The National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) is a national, mem-ber-based non-profi t organization providing support to professionals in the public sector purchasing profession and their procurement organizations.

NIGP’s member-centric programs include educational series that sup-port members’ certifi cation goals, professional networking, research, an online resource library, technical assistance and professional con-sulting services.

With constituencies throughout the United States, Canada and around the world, NIGP is dedicated to enhancing the value and recognition of the procurement profession and the procurement professional.

20062006 Membership Guide Membership Guide


Now Accepting Applications for FY 2006 Grants!Deadline: March 10, 2006

NACo’s Five Star Restoration Program has grant funds available for community-based wetlands restoration.

For more information on the Five Star Restoration Challenge Grant Program, how to apply, and examples of past Five Star projects, visit www.naco.org/techassistance under “water quality,” or contact Erik

Johnston at 202/942-4246 or [email protected].

Five Star Grant Funding Increases with New Corporate Sponsor

$200,000 in additional funding is available for FY06 projects located in Georgia, Alabama, the Florida Panhandle (west of the Apalachicola River) and southeast Mississippi (23 counties, from Meridian to the coast,

with the west boundary running from Pearl River County to Union County).

The new funding is courtesy of the Southern Company and its operating

companies, Georgia Power, Savannah Electric, Alabama Power,

Gulf Power and Mississippi Power.

BY KELLY ZONDERWYK

COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSOCIATE

Each year, NACo provides small grants to counties and coalitions ad-dressing NACo’s fi ve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) priority areas: radon, mold, environmental tobacco smoke and children, indoor asthma triggers and air quality in schools. This year, 12 new counties will receive $5,000 each and 10 previous county recipi-ents will receive $2,000 each.

This year, two of the new coun-ties will focus on the following projects:

Carroll County, Va. Carroll County has developed

an active campaign to educate the public about the health risks of radon and environmental tobacco smoke. A county coalition will coordinate the dissemination of information and materials, including 250 free radon test kits, to the highest-risk

2006 IAQ Model County and Coalition Grantees

$5,000 Recipients• Bureau County Health Department, Ill. (ETS and Children, Mold

and Radon)• St. Louis County Health Department, Mo. (Radon)• Shiawassee County Health Department, Mich. (Mold)• Monroe County Health Department, Mich. (Radon)• Washoe County District Health Department, Nev. (Radon)• The Central New York Coalition for Healthy Indoor Air, N.Y. (Radon,

Indoor Asthma Triggers and Mold)• The Regional Air Pollution Control Agency, Ohio — Montgomery

and Miami counties (Radon)• Licking County Health Department, Ohio (ETS and Children, and

Radon)• Multnomah County Health Department, Ore. (ETS and Children)• Carroll County, Va. (Radon)• Clark County Health Department, Wash. (Radon)• Barron County Department of Health and Human Services, Wis.

(ETS and Children) $2,000 Recipients• Boulder County Public Health, Colo. (IAQ in Schools)• DeKalb County Board of Health, Ga. (Radon, ETS and Children and

Mold)• Pocahontas County Environmental Health, Iowa (ETS and Chil-

dren)• Jackson County Tobacco Reduction Coalition, Mich. (ETS and

Children)• Rice County Public Health, Minn. (ETS and Children)• Carver County Offi ce of Environmental Services, Minn. (Radon)• Wake County Environmental Services Department, N.C. (Indoor

Asthma Triggers)• East Central District Health Department, Neb.— Boone, Colfax,

Nance and Platte counties (Radon and IAQ in Schools)• Seneca County General Health District, Ohio (Radon and IAQ in

Schools)• Juneau County Health Department, Wis. (ETS and Children, and

Indoor Asthma Triggers)

households, public buildings and private workplaces. The coalition will also follow-up with the parties that received free kits and form a mitigation plan for any homes test-ing at a dangerous level.

Carroll County will also begin an education plan in which at least 2,000 young people will receive in-school instruction on indoor air quality issues. The county also plans on conducting an active me-dia campaign that reaches out to all of its citizens about the risks posed by radon and environmental tobacco smoke.

Shiawassee County, Mich., Health Department

The Shiawassee County Health Department will address mold and air quality in schools by using grant funds to inspect all 46 school build-ings in the county, conduct mold complaint investigations in private

homes or apartments, and provide a public outreach and education campaign.

A computer database will be created to track all the inspections, and by doing outreach at a number of community events throughout the year, the Health Department plans on educating approximately 8,000 to 10,000 individuals in the county about mold and air quality in schools.

(For more information on the NACo IAQ Program, please contact Kelly Zonderwyk at 202/942-4224 or [email protected].)

NACo 2006 IAQ model county grant recipients announced

Washington County, Tenn.

The symbols in the forefront of the Wash-ington County, Tenn., seal stand for education, medicine, agriculture and industry — the factors that make Washington County a thriving and successful county.

Also printed on the seal is “the great seal of Washington County, Tennessee” and “Tennessee’s fi rst county, established 1777,” represent-ing the county’s history.

The seal was established by Washington County’s legislative body and passed unanimously at the April 1996 commission meeting. Since that time, the county has made lapel pins with the seal on them, and printed the seal on offi cial county stationery.

(If you would like your county’s seal featured, please contact Allison Mall at [email protected] or 202/942-4256.)


DeKalb County is breaking ground on a new 75-unit support-ive living facility this spring. This public-private partnership will serve primarily low-income seniors. This experimental program is provided un-der a waiver by the Federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The $9.5-million project will be constructed on the county’s Health Facilities Campus which also features a 190-bed skilled care rehabilitation and nursing facility and Public Health Department.

Floyd County, Va.

County News asked…County News asked…

What’s Ahead for Your County in 2006?What’s Ahead for Your County in 2006?

■ See 2006 on page 9

CLARENCE BROWN

Sole Commissioner

downtown. This building project will be located on the site of the old vacant county courthouse, consolidate administrative and public functions of the county, and add a mixed-use development component.

Bernalillo County has also taken the lead in New Mexico in providing services to alcohol- and drug-addicted county residents at its recently opened Metropolitan Assessment and Treat-ment Services (MATS) facility.

Among other initiatives, the county is currently constructing a 48-bed transitional housing facility for individuals who successfully complete a rehab program. Fund-ing for the project comes from the county’s share of the state liquor excise tax.

Charles City County, Va.

Cass County, N.D. DeKalb County, Ill. Dakota County, Minn.(Ed. Note: This is the second in a series of reports from NACo member counties on their plans for 2006. If you would like to let County News know your plans, e-mail [email protected].)

Bartow County, Ga.

Bartow County will be working on several transportation, water and sewer projects funded by a special-purpose, local option sales tax. The projects include the construction of four new fi re stations, a new county road maintenance facility, a new li-brary, a public safety training facil-ity, two new youth activities centers, restoration work on the 1902 historic courthouse and a storm-warning system.

The county will also continue to implement a local government-sponsored clean air initiative and a storm water program. In addition, it continues to develop and refi ne its Geographic Information System.

Bernalillo County, N.M.

THADDEUS LUCERO

County Manager

Bernalillo County has begun a master plan and market analysis for new county administrative offi ces in Albuquerque’s revitalized

ANGELIA YANCEY

County Administrator

VDoT is initiating the fi rst seg-ment of the Capital to Capital Trail to be constructed in Charles City Coun-ty. The trail will link many historic, cultural and scenic sites along Route 5 and provide essential non-motor-ized transportation accommodations for communities between Richmond and Williamsburg. Area residents will be able to use the trail as an alternate facility as the trail connects educa-tion centers, neighborhoods and local recreation facilities.

In addition to the Capital Trail, a visitor’s center will be added to the county, which will serve as a con-venience station for scenic by-way riders, drivers and visitors to obtain information on driving tours, historic markers and other sights to visit in Charles City County.

Charles City County is currently working to establish the fi rst regional library in the county. Members of the Charles City-New Kent County Friends of the Library Foundation are working to apply for available grant funds and raise additional funding for construction costs.

BONNIE JOHNSON

County Coordinator

Cass County is leading the way with several cities and a neighbor-ing county in Minnesota to establish and maintain a multi-jurisdictional, horizontal, radio interoperability project. The county has applied for, and received, both grant funds and homeland security dollars of more than $7 million to build the interoper-able system. It will be going “live” in 2006.

Franklin County, Wash.

(PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE)FRED BOWEN


This past year, Franklin County’s planning and building department saw a steady pace for growth and development within the unincorpo-rated portions of the county. This is due in large part to the recent growth in the Tri-Cities and the continued relatively low interest rates. The county processed approximately 23 subdivisions of various sizes throughout the county, from agri-culturally related divisions of land to rural and urban subdivisions.

For 2006, maintenance of the county’s road system continues to be a number one priority for Franklin County — paving gravel roads, replacing aging structures, and continuing to expand the “all-weather” arterial network.

Franklin County Solid Waste will continue a number of highly successful programs, including solid waste/recycling education, household hazardous education and disposal, recycling drop box facilities, used motor oil collection facilities and the Probation Litter Work Crew.

In addition, the Franklin County Courthouse’s renovation will be completed Feb. 6.

GEORGE NESTER


BRANDT RICHARDSON


Floyd County is celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2006 with the signature event being the fi rst-ever Floyd County Homecoming and Harvest Festival. The celebration will include a traditional county fair as well as the “Taste of Floyd,” a slow-food event. This is part of the county’s effort to celebrate and promote traditional and specialty agriculture. Come see the renowned arts, music, natural beauty and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

For information on visiting, see www.fl oydcova.org/visitors.

Some of the upcoming projects for Dakota County include:

• construction of a facility for a new countywide joint emergency dispatch system and public safety 800-MHz radio communications system

• redesigning and reorganizing the county government Web site and searching for more county gov-ernment e-government transaction applications

• continuing the planning and design work for a Bus Rapid Tran-sit system to relieve congestion on a main transportation and commuting county/state highway

• continuing construction on a $10-million expansion at the county jail and planning for a new county library facility

• completing a study on alterna-tives to detention for juveniles and implementation of a mental health court

• modifying election equipment to meet state and federal HAVA re-quirements, and

• continuing the countywide comprehensive approach to dealing with meth addicts: public health, pub-lic safety and prosecution, environ-mental management, social services and treatment for offenders.

Genesee County, N.Y.

(PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE)JAY GSELL

County Manager

Genesee County will be trying to survive New York State’s Medicaid “CAP” and the fi rst year of a three-year state plan to slow and control the 15-percent to 30-percent annual growth in this health care plan for the indigent. Also on tap is the planned bidding and start of construction of

RAY BOCKMAN



a new $5-million Law Enforcement/E911 Center for the sheriff. Lastly, the county will continue efforts to grow its private sector business and employment base.

Gallia County, Ohio

and one with approximately 1,500 connections. These projects will enhance industrial and economic development and alleviate three areas of concern with the County Health Department about sewer problems.

Gallia County is working with a firm to complete a gas line plan-ning study in hopes of completing a gas line project to serve the Gallia County Industrial Park. This will allow the county to better serve the needs of future economic clients wishing to locate in the county.

The county is also reviewing a study on expanding the Gal-lia-Meigs Regional Airport, and relocation possibilities are being considered.

Garfield County, Colo.

This year, Garfield County will spend approximately $1 mil-lion on studying and evaluating oil and gas operations in the county. The studies include air monitoring and sampling, a hydro-geological study, health risk analysis, a land issues and solutions study, and a socio-economic impact study.

The county has a number of

capital projects in various phases of completion: a human services facility; a child advocacy center to provide kids who have been victims of violence or abuse with a safe, child-friendly place to go; a 60-bed resident community corrections facility; and a joint project with the city of Rifle to build a police/county court facility. The county has also received approval from the FAA for a major upgrade of the runway at the Garfield County Airport.

HAROLD MONTGOMERY

PresidentGallia County Commissioners

■ 2006 from page 8

Airport improvements scheduled for 2006

ED GREEN


In 2006, Gallia County will begin two large sewer projects — one with approximately 628 connections,

Call for Presentations: Deadline Feb. 28

Restoration 2006: Community and

Economic Recovery after a Disaster

Ideas for presentations are being solicited for the fi rst annual Restoration 2006 Conference, sponsored by ICMA in partner-ship with NACo and the National League of Cities.

Deadline for submissions is Feb. 28. The conference will focus on community and economic recov-

ery after a disaster and will take place May 16-17 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in the historic district of New Orleans.

Restoration 2006 will feature general sessions, panel presenta-tions and discussion-oriented roundtables as well as peer-to-peer exchanges focused on various aspects of long-term economic and community recovery.

Additionally, a solutions exhibit hall will feature disaster recov-ery fi rms and organizations with products, services and resources appropriate for community and economic redevelopment.

Education tracks include: Community, Service and Infra-structure Recovery; Economic Development, Business and Job Restoration; Financing and Incentive Approaches; Environmen-tal Concerns; and Collaboration for Restoration.

There is an easy on-line submission form at www.restoration2006.org.


■ Best Practices $10 for non-members

■ Civics Education ■ Community & Economic Development■ Criminal Justice ■ Early Childhood Development■ Environmental Protection■ Health & Wellness■ Human Services■ Rural

■ Special Publications

■ Affordable Housing: Counties in Crisis N/A for non-members■ Alphabet Soup – $5■ Internet Taxation: What Counties Need to Know N/A for non-members■ Media Relations Guide N/A for non-members■ Requirements for General Purpose External Financial Statements N/A for non-members■ The County Leadership Handbook N/A for non-members■ The Right Way to Run a Meeting $7 for non-members

■ Issue Briefs$10 for non-members

■ Arts Programs ■ Continuing Education Requirements For Selected County Offi cials ■ Creating a Place for the Arts ■ Economic Performances

■ Finding a Federal Grant ■ Glossary of Public Finance Terms ■ Indigent Defense ■ Initiative and Referendum: A Direct Voice for County Voters ■ Meeting the Challenge: County Economic Development Solutions ■ Performance Measurement: A Tool for Managing County Governments ■ State Prisoners and County Jails ■ Statements of Mission, Vision, Values and Principles - Do They Matter? ■ Tax Increment Financing: An Alternative Economic Development Financing Technique ■ The Face of Homelessness

■ Surveys

■ 2004 Operations Survey Report $35 for non-members■ 2003 Operations Survey Report $35 for non-members■ County Revenues: A Survey of Authority and Practice $30 for non-members ■ Funding County Services $35 for non-members■ Wage and Salary Survey Search $90 for non-members

!www.naco.org

As a NACo member, you can access dozens of NACo publications for free in the exclusive Members-Only section of NACo's Web site!

Take a look below for some samples…then get clicking!

Go to www.naco.org/membersonly

Free for the Clicking!Free for the Clicking!


FOCUS ON ACHIEVEMENTFOCUS ON ACHIEVEMENT

BY CHARLES TAYLOR

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Police in Macomb County, Mich., call them “frequent fly-ers” — the lost elderly wandering the streets and sidewalks of their communities. Often confused and sometimes hostile, many suffer from

First Responder Dementia Training Helps Wayward EldersAlzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.

Their saviors usually are fi rst re-sponders, who may not be trained to recognize or deal with such illnesses. Enter Karen Bisdorf, Macomb County’s acting director of Senior Citizen Services. One weekend in

2004, she got three calls from her son, a police offi cer, seeking advice on how to help families cope with mentally ailing relatives.

The following Monday, Bisdorf sat down with a colleague and be-gan to sketch an idea for how her agency might help the police deal more appropriately with the lost, disoriented elderly. The eventual result? Macomb’s Reaching Be-yond the Shadows: An Overview of Dementia training program for fi rst responders — a 2005 NACo Achievement Award winner for in-novative County Model Programs.

“Time must have been just right,” Bisdorf said. “We found the police and emergency responders really ready for our training idea. It was a real easy sell.”

This 90-minute class trains po-lice, fi re and emergency personnel about the signs and symptoms of dementia and practical information about safe and effective ways to dif-fuse emergency situations involving a person suffering from dementia. It explores such issues as:

• What is normal aging?• What are cognitive disor-

ders?• How should someone with

such a disorder be approached, and

• How should offi cers act to better protect themselves?

It also teaches fi rst responders about the resources available to families dealing with dementia and aging issues.

Since its inception in April 2004, the program has trained 1,033 law enforcement officials, including those from Shelby Township Po-lice Department; Sterling Heights Police, Fire and EMS; Fraser Police Department, St. Clair Shores Police Department and the Macomb Coun-ty Sheriff’s Department.

Susan Palmer of Warren, Mich., in Macomb County, knows the program’s value fi rst-hand. Her 73-year-old mother, living with her at the time, had wandered off several times. “The fi rst couple of times, the police kept bringing her home,” Palmer recalled recently. The third time, in November 2005, her mother, suffering a form of dementia, wan-dered just a few blocks away. But Palmer was unable to coax her back home. “She had taken off, but she was very agitated, very belligerent, very hostile,” Palmer said.

Again, Palmer called police, but this time “the two offi cers came in and they go, ‘You know what? We

were just trained in this.’ They were so excited because they could use their training.”

With his McComb County train-ing, an offi cer suggested options to Palmer’s family for her mother’s safety. Palmer contacted the coun-ty’s Department of Senior Citizen Services, which followed up with extensive conversations on things the family needed to consider as their mother’s condition changed.

“I slept that night,” Palmer said, remembering her relief. “With their information, their experience with this program, they were just so gra-cious. They were so wonderful and

they were so willing to help me, and they did.”

In neighboring St. Claire Shores (pop. 68,000), also in Macomb, Ofc. Jeff Goode has become a true be-liever. He recommended the training for the department’s 80 offi cers and command staff last spring.

About a week later, he said, a patrol offi cer responded to a traffi c accident scene involving a disori-ented elderly woman. In trying to determine what happened and who was involved, it became clear that the woman was confused.■ Summit County

Informs Residents About Social Services

The Summit County, (Ohio) Services Advisory Board (SSAB) has created a new Web site to inform and engage residents in activities meant to improve the local systems that serve them. The site, located at www.ssabsummit.org, will provide updates on the work of the SSAB and on matters related to health and social needs and services in the community. In addi-tion, the site will include an online calendar and status reports on the SSAB’s Summit 2010: A Quality of Life Project, an effort to improve the county’s health and social services system.

■ Anne Arundel County Launches Online Inspection Request System

The Anne Arundel County, (Md.) Department of Inspec-tions and Permits launched an online inspection request sys-tem, further streamlining the services the department offers.

Permit holders can schedule required inspections during construction by using the system, previously only available by phone. Now compli-mented by the online system, permitees now have another option for requesting inspections for building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and utility permits. To visit the site, go to www.aacounty.org and select “Request Permit Inspection” under the Quick Links box.

■ Task Force Takes on Katrina-related Fraud

On Sept. 8, 2005, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales established the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force to deter, detect and prosecute cases of fraud related to the Hurricane Katrina disas-ter. The task force combats all types of fraud relating to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, with an initial emphasis on charity fraud, identity theft, insurance fraud and procurement and government-benefi t fraud. The task force’s Web site includes fraud-related links, a task force progress report as well as instructions on how to report Katrina-related fraud. Visit the Web site at www.usdoj.gov/katrina/Katrina_Fraud/index.html.

(Web Watch is compiled by Dan Miller, staff writer. If you have an item you would like featured, please send it to him at [email protected].)

■ See FOCUS on page 14

To protect children from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, NACo and the National Organization of Black County

Offi cials are challenging counties to collect the most signed Smoke-Free Home pledge cards.

The cards ask the signer not to smoke, or allow others to smoke, around children. Exposure to secondhand smoke

causes serious health effects in children, including bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections, worsened asthma and even sudden

infant death syndrome.

Participating counties will collect pledges from March 1 through May 31 of 2006, and the winning counties will receive

special recognition.

Counties can sign-up for the challenge anytime until March 31.

For more details contact Justin Carmody at [email protected] or 202.942.4279.

Free for the Clicking!

Announcing the Annual Smoke-Free County

Challenge!Collect Your Pledges Now


NEWS FROM THE NATION'S COUNTIESNEWS FROM THE NATION'S COUNTIES

Word Search

Presidential Counties

Created by Allison Mall

ALABAMA• In order to warn low-fl ying

aircraft, BEAUFORT COUNTY is considering rules requiring cell phone and communications tow-ers be equipped with lights. The structures are considered hazards for low-fl ying aircrafts.

The proposal would require lights on all towers more than 100 feet tall, while federal rules require them on towers taller than 200 feet, according to the Associated Press.

County offi cials claim that re-quiring the lights would make aerial spraying faster and safer, while critics say the lights would be expensive and disturb neighbors.

Approximately 100 towers would need to be lit if the County Council approves the plan.

• In a unanimous decision, CLARKE COUNTY commis-sioners have voted to reverse their decision to purchase $7,000-a-year anti-terrorism insurance.

The policy insured county owned buildings from damages caused by foreign-based terrorists. Citizens in the 27,000-person county felt that the insurance was unnecessary.

“The majority of the people who approached me didn’t think it was worth it,” Commissioner Joe Hunt told the Mobile Register. “I’m sup-posed to represent the people, so that’s why I changed my mind.”

The county’s regular insurance policy covers domestic terrorist at-tacks, according to the Associated Press.

ARIZONAFor the first time, YAVAPAI

COUNTY will sell tax liens using Internet technology. The online auc-tion will begin at 9 a.m. on Feb. 14 at www.yavapaitaxsale.com. Bids also are being accepted currently. Winners will be determined when the auction offi cially closes on Feb. 14.

“We believe the online auction will benefi t Yavapai County. With GIS mapping and aerial photogra-phy, bidders have more information available on each property,” said county Treasurer Ross Jacobs. “We are saving our taxpayers money while providing a better service.”

CALIFORNIAThe SANTA CLARA COUNTY

Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of a $4-million fund that would provide housing and supportive services to the county’s homeless.

ADAMSBUCHANANFILLMOREGARFIELD

GRANTHARRISON

HAYES

JACKSONJEFFERSONJOHNSONLINCOLNMADISONMONROEPIERCE

POLKROOSEVELT

TYLERVANBUREN

WASHINGTONWILSON

The Housing the Homeless Men-tally Ill Fund is meant to address the disabling conditions experienced by many of the county’s homeless.

“If we are going to be able to make a real and lasting impact on the problem of homelessness, we have to address the underlying causes,” Supervisor and Chairman James T. Beall, Jr. told the Bay City News Wire.

The initiative is funded in part by revenue from the Mental Health Services Act. The Mental Health Services Act, passed as Proposition 63 in November 2004, made tax revenues available to counties to improve their public mental health service system.

According to 2004 county esti-mates, about 7,600 people are home-less on any given night in Santa Clara County.

COLORADOWELD COUNTY officials

planned a meeting with local religious leaders to discuss ways churches and government can work together on social services.

According to Simone Stoltz, co-ordinator of the county’s new faith-based community services initiative, the county hopes to build a bridge between government and religious programs.

“Our dream is that individuals could have a place where they could call for help, and families could be stronger,” Stoltz told the Greeley Tribune.

Stoltz said the county wants to refer families to groups that could provide services without pushing people into attending a church. When families call county social services, government workers could tell them about religion-based programs in ad-dition to county programs.

FLORIDALAKE COUNTY hopes to draw

national tournaments and train-ing programs with a new softball complex.

The County Commission agreed to contribute $1 million toward the project with an additional $1 mil-lion if the project receives match-ing funding from the state, Greg Mihalic, the county’s economic development director, told the Or-lando Sentinel.

Offi cials are working with the USA Triathlon National Training Center as well as the Lake-Sumter Community College on the project, which has a price tag of $3 million.

Mihalic said he sees the project as an opportunity to spur sports-related tourism to the county.

INDIANAAn inmate charged with the

murder of a fellow prisoner at a state facility 12 years ago wants MADI-SON COUNTY to pay $60,000 for an operation that would restore his hearing.

Robert Barnett, 53, wants the op-eration so he can understand court proceedings. His attorney said that Barnett needs a cochlear implant because he can’t read lips or speak sign language. He relies on notes for communication.

Barnett stabbed a 28-year-old burglar to death in 1993.

MARYLANDLeaders in WASHINGTON

COUNTY are seeking payback from movie director Ron Maxwell for the money they loaned him to shoot a Civil War fi lm there.

The loan was approved in 2002 and was to be used for a movie entitled The Last Full Measure, the third in a trilogy that includes Gettysburg and Gods and Generals. The Associated Press reports that plans to make the third fi lm are off and fi nancier Ted Turner no longer intends to make the fi lm.

MONTANANATRONA COUNTY has a new

morgue – on wheels. Purchased with U.S. Department

of Homeland Security funds, the mobile morgue trailer is modeled after similar facilities already oper-ating in Cheyenne and in Fremont County

“If we do have some sort of mass fatality incident, it allows the coroner to have extra equipment on hand,” said Lt. Stewart Anderson, the county’s emergency manage-ment coordinator, according to the Billings Gazette. “It could also be used in other types of emergencies, Anderson said, perhaps serving as a portable, miniature hospital.

Deputy Coroner Gary Hazes said the morgue also could be used during a complex investigation requiring intensive work on the scene.

NEVADAThe state has taken control of

WHITE PINE COUNTY’s child support enforcement program from the county because of a local fi scal crisis.

State offi cials said families getting child support services should see little disruption when the state takes over the program in mid-April. There are about 600 child support cases be-ing served by the county.

White Pine declared a severe fi -nancial emergency last year when it

became the fi rst Nevada county ever to hand over budgetary control to the state Taxation Department, the Las Vegas Sun reported. Among Nevada counties that have turned to the state for help in getting payments from deadbeat parents are Storey, Lander and Eureka.

White Pine County (pop. 9,000) is about 240 miles northeast of Las Vegas, near the Utah border.

NEW MEXICOAll counties in the state would be

required to have a paper ballot voting system in place in time for the Novem-ber general election, under legislation proposed by Gov. Bill Richardson (D). Currently, 11 of the state’s 33 counties use such a system.

State lawmakers are considering allocating $11 million to fund the program, reports the Albuquerque Tribune. Election offi cials, and ac-tivists who oppose electronic voting machines, support the measure. The state already has about $9 million in federal money that will help buy ma-chines for its 1,500 polling places.

Richardson said the system pro-vides a paper trail, making it more reliable than the punch card system that threw the 2000 presidential elec-tion into turmoil. And several voters have asked a District Court judge to

block the use of certain electronic vot-ing machines, used by some counties in 2004; they said the machines lost or switched votes.

OHIOTUSCARAWAS COUNTY is

in the running for construction of a $1-billion FutureGen power plant, proposed to be the nation’s fi rst near-zero-pollution, coal-fi red project.

Ohio’s Air Quality Development Authority has approved a grant of up to $480,000 for a consultant to help the state determine the best site or sites for the generating station, accord-ing to the (Dover-New Philadelphia) Times-Reporter.

WorleyParsons, a global engi-neering firm, will decide which county – Stark, Tuscarawas, Ath-ens, Carroll, Clermont, Coshocton, Hamilton or Meigs – is the best site for the plant.

Coshocton and Stark counties ac-tively are supporting the Tuscarawas site, said Heinz Stucki, director of the Tuscarawas County Community Improvement Corp. Carroll County still is pushing two sites of its own.

TENNESSEEPublic service announcements

■ See NEWS FROM on page 13


featuring four recovering meth ad-dicts will begin airing soon across the state as part of Tennessee’s “Meth Destroys” campaign.

Greeley Wells, the SULLIVAN COUNTY district attorney general, is one of the campaign’s organizers. “They’re not actors, they’re real people,” he told the (Bristol) Herald Courier. “I would hope anyone who sees them will take away the extreme danger that the use of methamphet-amine imparts to anyone foolish enough to use it.”

Sullivan County hasn’t seen as many meth cases as rural counties along the Cumberland Plateau, “but it’s just as dangerous here as it is anywhere else,” Wells added.

Last March, Tennessee passed the Meth-Free Tennessee Act, which banned over-the-counter sales of most forms of pseudoephedrine – a key component of meth. Since then, the number of meth labs raided in the state has decreased from nearly 1,600 in 2004 to about 1,200 last year.

VIRGINIAVirginia’s top livestock-produc-

ing counties are attracting the atten-tion of some wily coyotes looking for a quick meal.

The Shenandoah Valley coun-ties of ROCKINGHAM and AUGUSTA rank 1 and 2 in Vir-ginia for the number of cattle and calves. And the area’s heavy farm presence has made it a haven for coyotes that prey on sheep, goats and young cattle.

“Sheep and goats are at a higher risk than cattle, but calves in the fi rst few weeks of their lives are certainly vulnerable,” Chad Fox, supervisor for Virginia’s Western District of the USDA Wildlife Services Program, told the Harrisonburg Daily-News Record. “A lot of cattle farmers in Rockingham County know other farmers who are losing calves.”

USDA’s coyote program helps throughout Virginia. But Fox said that Rockingham and Augusta require uncommon attention from wildlife specialists who seek coyotes.

WEST VIRGINIAWest Virginia counties should

be allowed to decide whether to permit table games, said John Cavacina, head of the state’s Rac-ing Association.

He told commissioners at a re-cent County Commissioners As-sociation meeting that he supports local referenda on the gambling issue. The state legislature killed a bill last year that would have let voters decide.

With table gaming, West Virginia’s revenue from gambling could rise from $375 million per year to $425 million, Cavacini told Charleston’s Daily Mail. Without table games, and with pending competition from neighboring Pennsylvania – which has approved gaming machines – revenue could drop to $265 million.

“Every county will be affected,” said Commissioner Danny Great-house of Hancock County, which is home to a racetrack and gaming

resort. Wayne County Commissioner Rick Wellman opposes table games and does not have a racetrack in his jurisdiction, but he supports the bill. “Give the people the opportunity to vote on it,” he said.

WYOMINGCould Wyoming be getting

its fi rst new county since 1921? Some residents of the FREMONT COUNTY communities of River-ton and Shoshoni wouldn’t mind. Feeling disenfranchised by county government, the two localities are discussing the possibility of seced-ing from Fremont and forming Wind River County, reports USA Today.

Slightly more than half of Fre-mont County’s population lives in cities and towns. However, seces-sion supporters claim county gov-ernment doesn’t share its revenue evenly with municipalities.

Fremont County Commissioner Doug Thompson of Jeffrey City, which would not be in the pro-posed new county, said creating a new county would create more problems than it solves. He said the new county would require a new courthouse and new employees, according to the Casper Star-Tri-bune, and veteran Fremont County employees could lose their senior-ity, perhaps even their jobs.

Wyoming’s last new counties were formed when lawmakers created Teton County from part of Lincoln County, and Sublette County was carved out of Fremont and Lincoln counties.

■ NEWS FROM from page 12

Localities considering secession from countyNACO ON THE MOVENACO ON THE MOVE

■ In the News• The release of NACo’s second round of meth surveys drew na-

tional media attention. Media outlets mentioning the story include The Modesto Bee, Deseret Morning News, Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, Omaha World-Herald, The Salt Lake Tribune, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times and USA Today.

■ NACo Offi cers and County Offi cials• President Bill Hansell traveled to Kent County (Dover), Del.

,Jan. 18 –19 for the Delaware Association of Counties Annual Meet-ing, where he moderated a session on meth.

■ NACo Staff• Kevin Neimond, GIS specialist, participated in the Leadership

Roundtable on the Geospatial Industry Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C. The session was hosted by the Geospatial Information and Technology Association, Association of American Geographers and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. It is the second in a two-part series to address current trends in the industry and the evolving needs in education and workforce development.

• Martin Harris, Center for Sustainable Communities director, and Jared Lang, center assistant, attended the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference Jan. 26–28 in Denver County, Colo. In addition to attending various sessions on community design, healthy community development and growth management, Harris moderated a session on county-led efforts to increase housing and home ownership op-portunities through regulatory reform.

• Bert Jarreau, chief information offi cer, attended and participated in the Microsoft U.S. Public Sector CIO Summit Jan. 25–26 in King County (Redmond), Wash.

■ Up and Coming• Andrew Goldschmidt, director of membership and marketing,

will exhibit on behalf of NACo membership recruitment and reten-tion at the West Virginia Association of Counties Annual Meeting in Kanawha County (Charleston), Feb. 5–7.

(On the Move is compiled by Dan Miller, staff writer, and Allison Mall, editorial assistant.)

FINANCIAL SERVICES NEWSFINANCIAL SERVICES NEWS

Containing Criminal Justice CostsCounties throughout the country

are experiencing rising costs as it re-lates to the criminal justice system — costs that, if left unchecked, could result in budgetary shortfalls. Many of these costs cannot be prevented, but through a new program bid nationally by Dallas County, Texas, they can be contained.

The NACo Financial Services Center’s cost containment program allows counties to proactively control the costs of inmate health care and indigent defense.

Correctional Risk Services offers two methods for counties to contain inmate health care costs. Through the Inmate Medical Insurance program, an insurance policy is designed to limit a county’s liability for paying

an inmate’s inpatient and outpatient hospital costs. The plan can be cus-tomized to be affordable, fl exible and tailored to a county’s needs.

This insurance policy stops the spikes in offsite inmate medical costs that may be caused by large inmate medical claims and protects against the expenses of catastrophic claims for inmate medical costs. It is constructed as a stop-loss policy and provides the opportunity for counties to set their own self-insurance levels while providing reinsurance above those levels.

Correctional Risk Services also helps counties manage inmate offsite medical claims by monitoring the ne-cessity of medical treatment, auditing medical charges to assure services

were actually performed and review-ing medical charges to determine if they were priced correctly.

CRS also professionally manages claims, including processing hospital and related physician charges, audit-ing the bills in order to eliminate duplication of submitted claims and processing checks. CRS also provides detailed claims records and analysis to assist in better budget forecasting.

Indigent defense evaluationMany counties pay a signifi cant

amount of money to provide court-appointed attorneys for defendants who claim to be indigent, but, in fact, have the resources to pay for their legal defense. The indigent screening program offered by the D-MED Corp.

provides accurate, objective and consistent application of a county’s business rules when evaluating a defendant’s eligibility to receive a court-appointed attorney. Counties can realize immediate and ongoing savings by using an automated means to qualify each defendant for the at-torney appointment program, while ensuring compliance with the Fair Defense Act.

As data is entered into a county’s computer system, D-MED’s system automatically captures and stores the data in preparation for sending an inquiry to a major credit reporting agency. As each defendant reaches the stage when eligibility for a court-appointed attorney is determined, D-MED’s system accurately calculates the defendant’s debt-to-income ratio and fi nancial position relative to the

Federal Poverty Guidelines. Using this information, the system then pro-vides an immediate determination of each defendant’s eligibility based on the business rules established for the court-appointed attorney program.

The publicly solicited contract by Dallas County makes it easy for counties to use this program, because most counties in the United States have the ability to piggyback on a publicly solicited contract by a lead public agency.

For more information about the Cost Containment/Cost Re-covery Program, please contact Jim Sawyer at 202/661-8868 or [email protected].

(This issue’s Financial Services News was written by Jim Sawyer, director of management services.)


DHS reports that as of July 2005, the RKB had approximately 12,000 registered users. In March 2005, the Web site experienced an average of 700 users per day, with each user spending an average of 12 minutes on the site during their visit. To date, the system has updated information on over 3,500 emergency responder products.

(This issue’s Research News column was written by Christina Crayton, research associate.)

RESEARCH NEWSRESEARCH NEWS

First responders in the nation’s counties can turn to a comprehensive Internet site with questions about their equipment and training needs.

The Department of Homeland (DHS) and the National Memo-rial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MPIT) have designed the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) as a single source for in-tegrated information on available equipment, equipment certifi cation and standards, equipment training, cost resources and reviews from other equipment users.

The RKB provides emergency fi rst responders, purchasing agents and local planners with an integrated, valuable online source of informa-tion on products, standards, certifi ca-tions, grants and other equipment-related information.

The RKB includes the follow-ing content areas: 1. products, 2. standardized equipment list, 3. au-thorized equipment list, 4. terrorism response objectives, 5. standards, 6. certifi cations, 7. operational suitabil-ity testing, 8. grants, 9. training and 10. reference material.

RKB includes interactive ver-sions of the InterAgency Board’s Standardized Equipment List and the Authorized Equipment List from the Offi ce for Domestic Pre-paredness.

Users who register with the ser-vice can access the search engine at www.rkb.mipt.org. Once logged in

(as a registered user or guest), you can start by searching the entire site or any of the content areas. Upon reaching a specifi c item, users can navigate the Web site by clicking on the appropriate “knowledge links.” For example, the knowledge links on a particular respirator might include a link to a certifi cation record for that respirator, applicable standard(s), a related product such as a fi t tester, or an ERT Program Operational Test and Evaluation Report.

Registered fi rst responders who sign up on the Web site also have

the ability to contact other fi rst re-sponders who have had experience using the products listed under the knowledge links and can add their own experiences to share. The RKB contains information on thousands of products and adds new information daily as manufacturers, testers, train-ers and standards organizations sub-mit new content. There is no charge to any organization for participating in the RKB.

RKB was most recently used as the vehicle for the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance

RKB — A Resource County Offi cials Can Benefi t From!Program (CEDAP) sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS offered small fi rst-responder agencies grants to purchase an incident commander’s radio interface –— a portable device that lets fi rst responders talk using incompatible radio equipment. Agencies inquiring about the program were directed to RKB’s Web site as the offi cial site for the program’s application and general information. In the first round of applications, 50 counties from 23 states received grant awards under this program.

commentator once phrased it. The future is a mystery to be shaped and carefully unwrapped by our own commitments and the way we live our lives. That leaves only what exists at the moment. The here and now is perhaps the most exciting time of all, if we apply our energies creatively and joyfully. Could that be why it is known as the present?

No matter how old you are as you read this article, know that you can take a lesson from the poet William Ernest Henley: be the master of your own fate and the captain of your own soul, at work and at home.

All the best,

Phil RosenbergThe HR Doctorwww.hrdr.net

THE H.R. DOCTOR IS INTHE H.R. DOCTOR IS IN

presidential assassination and an escalating war. High drama mixed with spiritual renewal and personal maturing; it was an exciting time full of hopes, dreams and eager anticipation.

Well, the HR Doctor is about to have a birthday which will take him again into the decade of the ’60s, this time on a more personal aging level. It is birthday party time and you are all invited!

On Feb. 11, the family will have a 90th birthday party! This author will turn 60 and the beautiful HR Daughter and County Administra-tive Manager Elyse will be 30. It will again be a time for joy, optimism and fun. It will set out a boundary marker, challenging me personally to reinforce personal goals and ex-pand or stretch them to reach that glorious three-way intersection

where opportunity meets anticipa-tion and challenge.

Our party will have music, fun and friends. We are asking that guests not bring personal gifts (on the perhaps incorrect assumption that they would anyway!) but, instead bring checks made out to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We want our birthday to be a legacy, to bring smiles to the faces of seriously ill children. Phrased another way, a time of personal joy and celebration is enriched when it is designed to encompass others and bring smiles to the faces of others.

Come celebrate with us by “… returning to those thrilling days of yesteryear…” when a vision of the world that emphasized the “could be” instead of the “is” seemed to be everywhere. That past version of the Sixties is history, as one unknown

Birthday Th oughts

families and work with the situation at hand, and really be the savior in this situation — to give this person the help that they really needed.”

Goode later made sure that his department’s emergency communi-cations dispatchers were trained too. “I thought that if we can teach our dispatchers what are some signs and symptoms of mental illness — and to better understand the aging popula-tion — that would also be a bonus, because they have to get information in a short period of time and have to be correct when they get it.”

He felt the training could help dispatchers cut through the some-times-rambling conversations they

encounter on 911 calls from disori-ented people. “If we could get the information as quickly as possible, that may end up saving a life,” Goode said.

Added Susan Palmer, the Warren woman whose mother was helped by the program, even profession-als who should be knowledgeable of geriatric issues, “don’t have a clue.”

“I hope the training goes further – to the nursing homes, to the hospi-tals, even doctors; they don’t know how to work with these people,” she said. “If they’re trained in this, they’ll be much more likely to un-derstand what’s going on.”

Headline Update: Every two weeks, we’ll e-mail a short synopsis of the top stories in

County News. Pick your news, click the link and read the story.

Web Site Update: Every two weeks, we’ll e-mail the main page from

www.countynews.org. If you don’t always remember to visit the Web site, why not let us bring the Web site to you?

PDF Delivery:Every two weeks, we’ll send you the entire County News, every page, every picture, in a convenient PDF fi le. Save each issue on disk and

read them when you fi nd time.

To sign up for any of these services, go to www.countynews.org/Online_Form.cfm, fi ll out the form and answer a few questions.

There is no charge for this service.

Visit us at www.countynews.orgONLINE

Get the News on Your Desktop!

The Sixties was the decade when the HR Doctor’s life path was mold-ed. This “sculpting” included com-mitments to public service, learning, growing as an individual, having fun and being fundamentally optimistic about the world.

In fact, the essential societywide optimism of the 1960s may be the greatest feature of that wonderful time. It was a time of the setting of grand visions by articulate guides such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John. F. Kennedy. It was a time of triumphs, such as a lunar land-ing, and the horrifi c tragedies of a

“He right away referred back to his training and realized that this woman may be mentally ill, and it turned out she was,” Goode said of the responding offi cer.

“You know, law enforcement typ-ically doesn’t know how to handle these situations,” added Goode, the department’s training offi cer. “We know how to fi ght crime but we’re not that good at social work and mental illness.”

As a result of the training, “we were able to refer her to the county services,” he said, “and they were able to step in and work with the

■ FOCUS from page 11

Geriatric training can save lives, county says


JOB MARKET / CLASSIFIEDSJOB MARKET / CLASSIFIEDS

NOTICESNOTICES

• Line Rates: $7 per line, NACo member counties; $10 per line, others.

• Display Classifi ed: $50 per col umn inch, NACo member counties; $70 per column inch, others.

• Billing: In voices will be sent after pub li ca tion.

• Mail advertising copy to: Job Mar ket, County News, 440 First St., N.W., Washington, DC 20001.

• FAX advertising copy to: Job Mar ket, County News, 202/393-2630.

• E-mail advertising copy to: [email protected].

• Be sure to include billing in for ma tion along with copy.

• Estimates given prior to publication are approximations only and do not necessarily refl ect fi nal cost.

For more in for ma tion, contact the Job Market representative at 202/942-4256.

Job Market - Classifi ed Rate Schedule

■ CITY MANAGER — CITY OF NOVI, MICH.

Salary: DOQ.The city of Novi covers 31 square

miles and is located in Oakland County, approximately 25 miles from downtown Detroit. Novi has become southeastern Michigan’s center for business and re-tail and continues to incur high-quality and rapid growth. The city offers a wide variety of quality housing, arguably the best schools in the state and easy access to the region’s major transportation, edu-cational, recreation, cultural and sports events and venues. Novi has a full-service and stable Council/Manager government. Its directly elected mayor and 6-member City Council is the elected policy making body which appoints the City Manager who serves as the chief executive offi cer. There are approximately 279 full-time employees many of whom are repre-sented by unions. The city’s FY04/05 operating budget was $27,113,892. Novi’s fi nancial condition is excellent with excellent reserves and a Double “A” bond rating.

Novi is seeking a forthright, candid and open City Manager with the proven ability to assist the City Council to estab-lish community goals, set clear policy, and provide effective direction, leader-ship and resources to staff to ensure that Council policies are implemented and goals are achieved. The new manager must be an excellent communicator with a team-oriented and collaborative style that encourages creativity and values excellence. Must build and maintain effective working relationships with the mayor and each council member, department heads and employees.

Requirements include at least a bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) in public administration or related fi eld and at least fi ve to eight years as a lo-cal government manager in a complex and changing community comparable to Novi. Experience gained as a full

■ Events• Arts Advocacy Day will take place in Washington, D.C., March 13–14.

The schedule includes legislative training sessions; an awards ceremony; a dance performance; a speech by Pulitzer-Prize winning author and political columnist William Safi re at the JFK Center for the Performing Arts; and the Congressional Arts Breakfast on Capitol Hill. This event is designed to create awareness for key legislative initiatives and for increased federal funding for the arts. Go to www.americansforthearts.org for more informa-tion and to register.

■ Conferences• The National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the Acad-

emy of Correctional Health Professionals presents Updates in Correctional Health Care in Clark County (Las Vegas) April 8–11. Pre-conference seminars include Correctional Nursing Assesment, Risk Management in the Correc-tional Environment, and Rethinking Mental Health Care in Corrections. Visit www.ncchc.org for more information and conference registration.

(If you have an event or publication or conference that you would like to be featured in Notices, please e-mail it to [email protected].)

assistant will be considered. The suc-cessful candidate must clearly possess and apply the superior management and leadership knowledge, skill, ability, com-mitment and energy needed to achieve the Council’s goals. Highly competitive salary and benefi ts negotiable DOQs. Please submit your confi dential resume by Feb. 24 to Robert E. Slavin, Presi-dent, Slavin Management Consultants, 3040 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite B-1, Norcross, GA 30071. 770/449-4656, [email protected], 770/416-0848 (fax). Please visit the city’s Web site at www.ci.novi.mi.us. An equal opportunity recruiter/employer.

■ COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR — AMHERST COUNTY, VA.

Salary: DOQ.The county of Amherst, Va., is ac-

cepting applications for the position of County Administrator. This position serves an elected fi ve-member Board of Supervisors. The essential func-tions of this position involve planning, directing and coordinating the overall operation of Amherst County’s gov-ernment as its Chief Administrative Officer and assisting the Board of Supervisors on operations and gover-nance matters. Duties include budget and fi nance; public safety; community development; economic development; tourism; human resources; purchasing; solid waste management (curbside, ru-ral collection and landfi ll operations); information technology; inspections/codes compliance; juvenile services; parks and recreation; animal control; facilities and grounds maintenance; regional initiatives; adult corrections; grant development and management; and legislative and regulatory affairs. Minimum Qualifi cations: Any combina-tion of education and experience equiva-lent to graduation from an accredited college or university with major course work in public administration, planning

or related fi eld preferably supplemented by a master’s degree and extensive in-creasingly responsible experience in lo-cal government administration. Salary: depending on qualifi cations along with a comprehensive and competitive ben-efi ts package. A complete job descrip-tion and an Amherst County application form are available from the Offi ce of the County Administrator (434/946-9400) or www.countyofamherst.com. Submit a letter of interest, resume, professional references, salary history and a com-pleted Amherst County application to Amherst County Board of Supervisors, P.O. Box 390, 153 Washington Street, Amherst, VA 24521 by Feb. 24. Am-herst County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

■ COUNTY MANAGER — SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLA.

Salary: $125,000 – $175,000, DOQ.

A fi ve-member Seminole County Commission governs a rich mix of 410,000 residents. Excellent commu-nication and people skills are critical, and candidates must have an outstand-ing track record of accomplishments; demonstrated knowledge of modern technology and its practical applica-tion to government operations is also important. Applicants should possess a master’s degree or commensurate expe-rience in business, public administration or a related fi eld, and have fi ve years experience as the manager or assistant in a similarly sized operation. The hiring range is $125,000 to $175,000, DOQ, with excellent benefits. For more information, visit www.cb-asso.com. Contact Colin Baenziger at 561/793-2624. Send resumes electronically only to [email protected] by Feb. 10. Under Florida law, all applications are public. EOE, veterans’ preference per Florida law if applicable.

■ COMMUNITY INFORMATION DIRECTOR — SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLA.

Salary: $60,506 – $111,951REQ. #06/076. Bachelor’s degree

in public relations, mass communica-tions, journalism, marketing, public administration or related fi eld and fi ve (5) years of progressive experience in

public relations, with two (2) years at a management level. Master’s degree and accreditation in public relations (APR) preferred. Knowledge of the theories, practices and principles of public infor-mation and public relations. Knowledge of the government communications arena. This position is responsible for the communications, planning, directing, organizing, coordinating and evaluating the overall activities of the Community Information Department. Apply to Hu-man Resources at 1101 East First Street, Sanford, FL 32771.

Resume may be faxed to 407/665-7939 or e-mailed to [email protected]. Or apply online at www.seminolecountyfl .gov.

Equal Opportunity Employer, M/F/D/V.

■ DIRECTOR OF LONG-TERM CARE SERVICES — ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.H.

Salary: $69,413.76 – $106,995.60, DOQ.

Manages the County Nursing Home, Adult Medical Day Care Center and the Assisted Living Facility in compliance with all federal, state and county poli-cies, rules, regulations and statutes by performing the following duties person-ally or through subordinate supervisors: Develops and recommends an operating budget to the Board of County Commis-sioners and is responsible for its imple-mentation following the appropriations approved by the county legislative del-egation and reports to Commissioners. Develops resident transfer agreements with other health care facilities. Directs the implementation of written policies and procedures for the Nursing Home, AMDC and Assisted Living Facility for approval to the Board of Commission-ers. Manages 10 subordinate supervisors who supervise a total of 425 employees in the Nursing Home, Assisted Living Facility and AMDC. Responsible for the overall direction, coordination and evaluation of these units. Responsibili-ties include interviewing, hiring and training employees; planning, assign-ing and directing work; appraising per-formance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems. B.A. degree from an accredited college or university and

a minimum of fi ve years of related exp. and/or training with demonstrated man-agement skills; or the equivalent combi-nation of education and experience. N.H. Nursing Home Administration License is required. Send resume and letter of intent to Board of Commissioners, Attn: Dir. L.T.C.S. Search, 119 North Road, Brentwood, NH 03833. 603/679-5335. EEO.

■ HIGHWAY ENGINEER — ROBSON FORENSIC, INC.

Salary: DOQ.As a leading forensic investigation

fi rm, Robson Forensic, Inc. has six major practice areas and more than 50 targeted forensic disciplines. Our experts pro-vide testing, reports and testimony in litigation and insurance claims where technical and scientifi c answers are needed to resolve confl ict. We are a dynamic team of over 200 forensic engineers, architects, scientists and fi re investigators practicing in numer-ous offi ces throughout the northeastern and central U.S. The fi rm provides op-portunity for professional and fi nancial growth in an environment that rewards excellence, integrity and success. We currently seek highway engineers for our Lancaster and Pittsburgh, Pa., offi ces, as well as the New York City area. You will investigate, analyze and effectively report (both orally and in writing) on highway/traffi c issues as they relate to forensic casework. You will also be ex-pected to market the highway engineer-ing expertise of the fi rm, as requested, and to provide expert testimony via de-positions and trials as necessary. Prefer Licensed Professional Engineer, with a B.S. in civil engineering (concentration in highway/traffi c engineering a plus). Must have 10-plus years experience in highway engineering including design, construction, operations and main-tenance. Experience should include traffi c control devices, such as traffi c signals, and pedestrian-related facilities, as well as geometrics and cross-sections. Should have basic understanding of hu-man factors and how they relate to the highway environment. Must be: Quickly recognizable as an expert in discipline; able to project persona as being knowl-edgeable in fi eld; able to effectively and concisely communicate expertise, both in writing and orally, to attorney clients and to the “fi nders of fact” (juries and/or judges); comfortable working in the “gray area; able to work independently with minimum of supervision; able to defend opinions, often in an adversarial milieu; able to work under and meet deadlines; able to work comfortably in a fl uid environment; have a good mix of design, construction, maintenance and operations experience, both offi ce and fi eld. To apply, please e-mail your resume to jobs@robsonforensic. EOE, M/F/D/V.

(If you would like information about advertising your job openings in County News and County News Online, please contact Allison Mall at 202/942-4256 or [email protected].)


Sponsored by the

National Association

of Counties to raise

public awareness

about the roles and

responsibilities of

counties.

April 23 – 292006

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