Equitable Governance: 2022 NACo DEI County Convening, Strategies for Governing with Equity
The National Association of Counties hosted a full-day diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) county convening before NACo’s 2022 Annual Conference to discuss the importance of equity in governance and how to strategically align efforts at the county level. The convening brought together over 50 participants from over 20 counties who sent a team comprised of a DEI practitioner, county administrator and elected official. Throughout the convening, attendees discussed the unique challenges and opportunities they see in their distinct roles and explored how to advance the principles of DEI by considering community data differently. Equitable Governance: 2022 NACo DEI County Convening, Key County Roles, Opportunities and Strategies for Governing with Equity lays out key takeaways from the convening.
County News
County News Spotlight: DEI Strategies
Counties regroup after FEMA’s resiliency grant program resumes
As FEMA resumes and restructures its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program, counties are reassessing projects that were put in limbo during its cancellation and creating new hazard mitigation gameplans ahead of its upcoming funding cycle.
Behind the scenes in Orleans Parish: Same great tours, two time slots
From flood protection and public safety to pest control and water infrastructure, mobile tours at NACo's Annual Conference in Orleans Paris, La. offer a firsthand look at local government in action — and plenty of inspiration to bring back home to your county.
The Promise and Peril Arrive on the Front Lines
NACo CEO Matt Chase writes: "Counties did not ask to be on the front lines of the AI era. But we are. The power demands, the water use, the land battles, the tax base, the workforce changes, the pressure for public services — all of it lands on us first."
Salute to county leaders: Calvin Ball
Calvin Ball’s appointment to the Howard County, Md. Council in 2006 launched a county government leadership career that will have lasted more than 20 years when he leaves office after two terms as the county’s first African American executive.
FEMA at a crossroads: What county officials need to know about reform efforts
Two overlapping disaster recovery efforts are now unfolding in Washington: a sweeping executive-branch review of FEMA and a bipartisan legislative push to reform the agency through Congress. County officials should understand both tracks, what they could mean for local governments and where each stands today.
Reimbursement policy prolongs disaster recovery for counties
Counties that suffer major damage during natural disasters would benefit dramatically from a FEMA Act proposal to do away with reimbursement and instead offer counties recovery grants up front.