Vol. 31  No. 12        DECEMBER  2002

 

         HIGHLIGHTS—INSIDE THIS ISSUE

 

      2003  HOLIDAYS AND MILEAGE RATE......................... 2  

 

 LOSS CONTROL CONFERENCE...... 3

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING............. 5

 

 GAMBLING MACHINE FEES.... 8

 

       ONLINE COUNTY NAME REGISTRATION.... 9

 

                 NOMINATIONS FOR VOLUNTEERISM. 10

 

 

LEADERSHIP RETREAT

FEATURES STRATEGIC PLANNING

MACo Board of Directors, affiliated county elected officials, MACo committee chairs and subsidiary organizations met November 20-21 to plan for MACo’s future.  MSU’s Local Government Center (Jane Jelinski, Judy Mathre and Cathy Conover) provided facilitation.

            The group progressed through five productive steps:

            1)  Identifying MACo’s important values

            2)  Writing a new vision statement

            3)  Listing MACo’s weaknesses, external threats, Strengths, and opportunities

            4)  Planning actions to use strengths to develop opportunities

            5)  Setting goals and action plans. 

MACo’s Vision Statement

MACo enhances the public service mission of counties by promoting integrity and providing proactive leadership while acknowledging and respecting Montana’s diversity.

  MACo’s Goals

1.       To educate and develop relationships with legislators, state officials and local elected officials regarding county structure, budgeting and operations

2.       To provide education on self-determination techniques such as charter government and  functional consolidation, and facilitating agreements

3.       To educate the public using press releases distributed to local media to market county government

4.       To promote effective tax reform including consideration of general sales tax.

SUGGESTED ACTION STEPS

FOR MACo GOALS

GOAL ONE:  To educate and develop relationships with legislators, state officials and local elected officials regarding county structure, budgeting and operations

 

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

●    During district meetings, prepare a packet or presentation for commissioners and

            for legislators

·         MACo provides a reception for legislators and provides a brief packet of information 

·         Provide a hotline to MACo during legislative       session that legislators can use to ask

            questions about pending bills

·         Invite some legislators to attend new county officials orientation

·         More commissioners should be present every day at the legislative sessions

·         Commissioners attending the legislature wear a button stating

             “Ask me about county government”

·         MACO Policy Statement modified and provided to legislators

·         Provide a follow-up to the session including a report card on how each legislator voted

·         Expand the box lunch

·         Lobbying starts at home, before the session

·         Conference calls with legislators

 

 

GOAL TWO:  To provide education on self-determination techniques such as charter government and functional consolidation, and facilitating agreements

 

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

·         Provide a major workshop on the voter review process, and the implications of charter       government, and functional consolidation and regionalizing services

·         Conduct a survey of existing interlocal agreements and models of alternative arrange-      ments; an article in the MACo newsletter about the resources available

·         Develop a certification and continuing education credit program for commissioners

            (An education committee was appointed.)

 

 

GOAL THREE:  To better educate the public using press releases distributed to local media to market county government

 

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

·         Ask NACo for training on how to effectively utilize the media

●    Develop the message with focus on what counties are accomplishing, so people             can see what counties are actively doing

·         Pursue opinion/editorial features in newspapers, both issue-oriented and opinion-            oriented

·         Provide a workshop to coach participants on what is important to write

·         MACo to send out news releases about meetings and what was done / discussed

●    MACo send news releases to individual counties to release to their local press

·         Create a media committee to advise MACo       staff to develop the media concept

            (A media committee was appointed.)

 

 

GOAL FOUR:  To promote effective tax reform including consideration of general sales tax

 

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

·         MACo prepares and disseminates an opinion/editorial piece about counties’ support of       broad-based tax restructuring 

·         Educate public about tax bills - pie charts, other demonstrations to indicate property       tax distributions

·         MACo work with legislator Jim Peterson on comprehensive sales tax bill

 

            During discussion on legislative process, the group recommended that the Board of Directors send a letter indicating their concern about presenting a united voice to the legislature and how to resolve the problem of individual counties opposing legislation being supported by the Association.

            Commissioners have a commitment to their electors to represent their county’s interests, even when they conflict with the Association.  Counties not seriously affected by a proposal should abstain from comment, but they might have a responsibility to speak out against a MACo position if it has a significantly negative affect on their counties.  Those counties should give MACo advance notice that they will take an opposing position. 

            District chairs should convene a meeting of the counties they represent to discuss the issue.

 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

DECEMBER

December 3-5       Joint JPA/JPIA Trustees Retreat; Miles City

December 5-6         County Attorneys Association; Billings

December 9          MACo Board meeting; Helena’ 4:00 pm

December 9-11     Elected Officials Conference; Colonial Hotel

December 16        JPIA Bond Working Group; MACo

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 6                58th LEGISLATIVE SESSION BEGINS

January 14-16       Loss Control Conference; MACo

January 29-30         BOS Joint Workforce Council; Helena

February 5-7           County Superintendents of Schools; Helena

February 18            State Drought Council

February 19-21     Midwinter / DES Conference; Colonial Hotel

February 28            NACo Legislative Conference; Washington DC

March 28-30            National Forest Counties and Schools Coalition

April                         GASB Training--Management & Analysis

April 7-10                County Road Supervisors; Fairmont

April 28                    Tentative Legislative Session end

April 28-May 2         County Magistrates Association; Lewistown

May 5-23                MACo District meetings/ Growth Counties

May 28-31               NACo WIR Conference; Reno

July 10-16                NACo Annual Conference; Milwaukee

 

2003 HOLIDAYS

January 1, Wednesday.. .. New Year’s Day

January 20, Monday......... Martin Luther King, Jr.

February 17, Monday......... ... Presidents Day

May 26, Monday......... ...... Memorial Day

July 4, Friday . Independence Day

September 1, Monday......... ... Labor Day

October 13, Monday......... ..... Columbus Day

November 11, Tuesday.. Veterans Day

November 27, Thursday. Thanksgiving Day

December 25, Thursday. .... Christmas Day

 

2003 MILEAGE RATE

2003 mileage rate for Montana local government is 36˘ per mile for the first 1,000 miles of travel.  This rate is a DECREASE from 36.5˘ last year.  The 2003 rate goes into effect on January 1, 2003.  The rate for mileage over 1,000 miles is three cents less (33˘) per mile.   (2-18-503 MCA)

 

 

 

 

 

Holiday

greetings

and

BEST WISHES!

                       

From mACo STAFF

 

 

SAFETY RAY SEZ

   Ray Barnicoat

  MACo Risk Manager

Some big changes will be occurring in the annual MACo Loss Control Conference. This year the Loss Control Conference will not be part of the MACo Mid-Winter Meeting / Governor’s DES Conference.  The problem has been that the Loss Control Conference schedule was in conflict with the DES schedule. A number of DES Coordinators are also Safety Officers and they were unable to attend the loss control sessions. Conference surveys also indicated there was just too much going on in that full week.

            The Loss Control Conference will be held in Helena, starting Tuesday, January 14, at 1:00 pm and ending at noon on Thursday, January 16. The conference will be held at the MACo Conference Room.  A block of motel rooms has been reserved at the Fairfield Inn until January 2, 2003. You should make your reservation early in order to insure the state rate of $35.00 plus tax. When reserving your room be sure to request the MACo room block.

The program will address critical liability and safety issues. Tuesday afternoon,  January 14th, will be a repeat session of the October Jail Training. This is a make-up session for those who were unable to attend and for the newly elected commissioners and sheriffs.  On Wednesday, the 15th, the morning session will cover law enforcement risk management issues; the annual awards will be presented during the luncheon; and the afternoon session will address road department risk management issues. We are working with the Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and Montana Association of County Road Supervisors to identify topics and speakers.  Thursday morning, the 16th, will cover safety-related sessions.  Both the JPA and JPIA Boards of Trustees will attend to discuss issues of your choice.   We will end by noon.

By holding the conference at the MACo building and getting state-rate motel rooms, we have been able to keep costs to a minimum. The registration fee will be $35.00, which will include the Wednesday lunch and hand out materials.

Just think --- all of this for under a $100.00!

 

 

JAIL TRAINING PROGRAM

 

During the month of October, MACo Risk Manager Ray Barnicoat and Assistant Risk Manager Emelia McEwen presented three-hour jail training. They presented in 10 locations through- out the state to 140 participants representing 38 counties. The participants included commissioners, sheriffs, jail administrators, county attorneys, JP’s and a district judge.

The MACo Joint Powers Insurance Authority Trustees requested the training. They recognize that commissioners have a number of roles and responsibilities mandated to them and that commissioners receive no training related to jail operations and inspections. 

The hope is to reduce the liability exposure through training and provide the tools to assist commissioners in meeting their duties. The participants thought the training was good and they feel better equipped to do their parts in managing their jails.                

 

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

September 22, 2002

Selections from Meeting Minutes

 

            Resolutions:  President Harmon moved for Board Resolution 2002-2, that fines, fees, and forfeitures received by Courts of Limited Jurisdiction be deposited directly with the County Treasurer.  Board representative for the Magistrates Association, Gary Olsen, asked if there had been any input from the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction.  He stated this would create significant problems in those counties where there is a satellite court outside the courthouse.  He asked for further review to determine if there are problems.  Board member Stang stated that she could not see it working in her county and moved to table the proposal. The motion to table was seconded and adopted.

            District Meeting Minutes:  Based on a request from Districts 1, 2 and 3, a motion was seconded that MACo provide secretarial service for minute-taking at each of the district meetings.  Discussion included:  in most counties the District Chair and the host county are able to provide a secretary; often the recorder does not know everyone;  it is a reasonable estimate of $100.00 per day to clerically staff district meetings.  The question was called and the motion failed.

            MDOT/MACo GPS-GIS Project Report:  As of Friday, September 20th, 28,000 miles of the estimated 48,500 had been driven and data collected.  Beaverhead County is 95% complete with Missoula a close second at 80%.  The project appears to be going well.  At Midwinter Conference, there will be a session on how to use the data.

            Other Business

            1.  Board endorsement of a voluntary life and AD&D products:  This basic product has been before the Board previously with no action being taken. The matter is to be referred to the new Board for possible action at the next meeting.

            2.  The NACo goal for 100% membership:  With 100% membership in the National Association, we would be entitled to an additional member on the NACo Board.  We would realize future savings on dues and registration.  NACo runs on a calendar year and anyone joining now would get the benefit of membership through 2003. No Board action was taken, but a suggestion was made to create an "adopt a county program" for NACo involvement.

            3.  Reporting of school levies for retirement and transportation:  Numerous errors appear to have been reported on the collection reports submitted to the State.  This is being reviewed and may lead to adjustments in some of the entitlement block grant payments.

 

 

OATHS OF OFFICE

            All newly elected officials are to be sworn in on the last business day of the year (Tuesday, December 31) and take office at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1. 

 

7-4-2105 MCA  Term of Office

(1)   …  A county commissioner takes office as of 12:01 a.m. on January 1 succeeding the date of the election at which the county commissioner was elected.

(2)   A county commissioner elected to take office shall take the oath of office on the last business day of December following the commissioner’s election…

 

7-4-2203 MCA  County Offices

(1)   There may be elected or appointed the following county officers,…

            (a)  one county attorney

            (b)  one clerk of the district court

            (c)  one county clerk

            (d)  one sheriff

            (e)  one treasurer

            (f)   one auditor, if authorized by 7-6-2401

            (g)  one county superintendent of schools 

(h)  one county surveyor

            (I)  one assessor

            (j)  one coroner

            (k)  one public administrator; and

            (l)  at least one justice of the peace…

7-4-2209 MCA Every officer mentioned may administer and certify oaths.

 

7-4-2205 MCA  Term of office — oath

(3)   Each officer who is mentioned in this part and who

      is elected to office shall:

            (a) take the oath of office on the last business day of December following the election; and

            (b)  take office at 12:01 a.m. on January 1...

 

2-16-211  Oaths — form —  before whom — when

(1)   Members of the legislature and all officers, executive, ministerial or judicial, must, before they enter upon the duties of their respective offices, take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation: 

      “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Montana, and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity (so help me God).”

(1)   No other oath, declaration or test must be required as a qualification for any office or public trust.

(2)   Except when otherwise provided, the oath may be taken before any officer authorized to administer oaths.

 

 

LEGISLATIVE CONTACTS

LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION

            Contact numbers for the 58th Montana Legislature are:

 

   METNET Bulletin Board 800-803-6939

   Legislative Messages            406-444-4800

   FAX

            House of Rep’s.            406-444-4865

                        http://leg.state.mt.us.css/house

            Senate                      406-444-4875

                        http://leg.state.mt.us.css/senate

 

            MACo’s “Legislative Alert” will be in electronic format.  It will be sent to elected officials and interested agencies by email. 

 

 

STATE DROUGHT PROGRAM

            In an effort to improve Montana’s State Drought Program, the Governor’s Drought Advisory Committee seeks your comments and suggestions on the state drought program and services.  Information on the program is found at:

            http://nris.state.mt.us/drought

Comments on the program can be submitted to Jess Aber

            DNRC             Water Resources Division

            PO Box 201601

            Helena, MT    59620

            jaber@state.mt.us     

            406-444-6628

 

 

 

“A committee is a group of people appointed to do an assigned task—which they can do if the committee consists of three people; one of whom is sick and the other is out of town.”                                             Abraham Lincoln

 

 

 

FOR SALE

AT&T Horizon Telephone System for parts 

            This includes 2 operator consoles, approximately 47 telephones, and

                        some manuals. 

Please make an offer by contacting:

            Valley County Commissioners

            vccomm@co.valley.mt.us

                        406-228-6219

            501 Court Square, Box 1

            Glasgow, MT        59230-2405

 

 

MAGNUS MARKUSON PASSES

                Magnus Markuson, 93, former Carter County Commissioner, passed away November 6 in Ekalaka. 

                Markuson served Carter County from 1970 to 1986 and was instrumental in the renovation of Camp Needmore.  He assisted in the maintenance of the facility for over 29 years.  In addition he enjoyed all sports and country music.  He was particularly interested in the news, although not always amused with government proceedings.  

                He is survived by numerous family members including his son,  Milton, who is currently serving as Carter County Commissioner.

 

 

BLM RESOURCE ADVISORY COUNCILS

            Montana BLM has three 5-member resource advisory councils (RAC) for the western, central and eastern parts of the State.  Council members are area citizens picked for their expertise on natural resource issues.  The groups advise BLM on public land issues. 

            The Western Montana RAC gained two new members.  The Central council gained one new member—Francis Jacobs, former Phillips County Commissioner.  One of the four new members on the Eastern Montana RAC is Betty Aye, Powder River County Commissioner.

 

NEW BLM STATE DIRECTORS

      BLM Director Kathleen Clarke recently appointed five new state directors for Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming.  The positions were left vacant by retirements and resignations.  The appointments include three current BLM employees, one former BLM employee and one career natural resource manager from outside the agency.

      For Montana, Martin C. Ott moves from his position as Superintendent of the Zion National Park.  His previous career appointments include the positions of Utah State Coordinator for the National Park Service, Deputy Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources and Superintendent of Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. 

            Mr. Ott will begin his work in Montana at the Billings BLM office in January 2003.  Montana has ten field offices in Montana and one each in North Dakota and South

 

 

FAREWELL TO OUTGOING COUNTY OFFICIALS

MACo recognizes the following elected county officials who are ending their service in county government.  We are grateful for their dedication and we wish them great happiness.

ANACONDA-DEER LODGE          BEAVERHEAD

Commissioner Paul Chirico                                    County Attorney Thomas Scott

      Justice of Peace Kevin Hart                        Sheriff Keith Reeder

BIG HORN                                  BLAINE           

      Co. Attorney Christine Cooke                  Commissioner Victor Miller

      J P Lance Pederson                               Co. Attorney Mark Harshman

BROADWATER                                    CARTER

      Clerk of Court Shari K. Little                      Treasurer Marjorie Justice

 

 

CARBON                                    CASCADE

      Co. Attorney Anthony Kendall                 Commissioner Gayle Morris

      Clerk/Recorder Roger Newman         J P Michael Smartt

      Sheriff Luke Schroder              CHOUTEAU

      Treasurer John Michelcic              Co. Attorney Allin Cheetham

CUSTER                                     DANIELS
Commissioner Dan Connors               Clerk/Recorder Carol Malone

      Clerk/Recrdr Beth Ann Milligan           Treasurer Esther Kramer

DAWSON                                    FALLON

      Commissioner Kathy Alley                      Commissioner William Duffield

      J P Walter McKeen                            Clerk/Recorder Mary Lee Dietz

      Public Admin. Rita Edwards               Coroner Jon Stevenson   

FERGUS                                     FLATHEAD

      Commissioner Joe Spika                    Auditor Anita Hoye

GALLATIN                                              Commissioner Dale Williams

      Auditor Joyce Schmidt                            Co. Attorney Thomas Esch

      School Sup’t Jill Richards               Clerk/Recorder Sue Haverfield

GARFIELD                                  GLACIER

Clrk/Rcrdr Leslie Guesanburu                     Commissioner Allan Lowry

      Sheriff Charles Phipps                              School Sup’t. Darryl Omsberg

GOLDEN VALLEY                          GRANITE

      Commissioner Edgar Lewis                    Commissioner Scotty Morrison

HILL                                                         Co. Attorney Allen Bradshaw

      J P Carol Chagnon              JUDITH BASIN

      Auditor Mary Ann Trumpour              Commissioner Henry Vaskey

JEFFERSON                                       Sheriff John Shilling

      Commissioner Sam Samson                Treasurer LaDene Raihl

      County Attorney Val Wilson            LAKE

      School Sup’t. Garry Pace                     J P Sharon Richardson

      Sheriff Jim Quinlan

      Treasurer Susan Miller

LEWIS and CLARK                            LIBERTY

        Commissioner Karolin Loendorf         Commissioner Loyd Boyer

     School Sup’t Warren Morehouse          School Sup’t Kyrstyna Cole

      Sheriff Sam McCormack                    Treasurer Rose Campbell

LINCOLN                                    MADISON

      J P Marlene Herreid                             Sheriff Lee Edmisten

McCONE                                     MUSSELSHELL

      Public Admin. Gina Hove                     Commissioner Kelly Gebhardt

      Sheriff Paula Peterson                          J P Robert Mihalovich

      Treasurer Janet McCabe               Sheriff George Eppers

MISSOULA                                 PARK

      Sheriff Doug Chase                               Commissioner Dan Gutebier

      Auditor Susan Reed                                 Public Administrator Jim Burke

                                                                  School Sup’t. Mary Sarver

     

PETROLEUM                           PHILLIPS

      J P Lois Poulton                                   School Sup’t. Gary Baden

PONDERA                                  POWELL

      Commissioner Bill Rappold               Commissioner Kay Beck

POWDER RIVER                              RAVALLI

      Commissioner Don McDowell             Commissioner Jack Atthowe

      Public Admin. Don Heidel                   Sheriff Perry Johnson

      Sheriff Ken Rogge                              Treasurer Mary Kay Browning

RICHLAND                                 STILLWATER

      Clerk/Recorder Elmina Cook                     Commissioner Larry Gee

     School Sup’t Richard Riedmann            Co. Attorney Robert Eddleman

ROOSEVELT                                        Clerk/Recorder Janet Parkins

      Commissioner Dean Harmon          ROSEBUD

      County Attorney Ralph Patch                    Coroner Bob Beals

TETON                                        TREASURE

      Clerk/Recorder Stella Plachetka       Commissioner Char Mackley

TOOLE                                        WIBAUX

      Public Admin. Corrine Merhar                  Commissioner Sam Scammon

      Sheriff Vernon Anderson             Clerk/Recorder Marlene Blome

VALLEY                                      YELLOWSTONE

      Commissioner Marlene Erickson         Commissioner Ziggy Ziegler

      Public Admin. Glen Meier                    Treasurer Cindy Sellers

      Sheriff Richard Wessler                Auditor Susan Lupo

 

 

GAMBLING MACHINE LICENSE FEES

First Quarter of Fiscal Year

     COUNTY

   AMOUNT

 PERMIT

NUMBER

 ANACONDA-DEER LODGE

$ 30,500

305

BEAVERHEAD

$ 5,800

58

BIG HORN

$ 1,900

19

BLAINE

$ 1,000

10

BROADWATER

$ 3,900

39

BUTTE-SILVER BOW

$ 109,000

1096

CARBON

$ 8,600

86

CARTER

$ 200

2

CASCADE

$ 30,400

314

CHOUTEAU

$ 1,800

18

CUSTER

$ 2,800

28

DANIELS

$ 400

4

DAWSON

$ 3,600

36

FALLON

$ 200

2

FERGUS

$ 3,100

31

FLATHEAD

$ 53,900

539

GALLATIN

$ 15,300

153

GARFIELD

$ 300

3

GLACIER

0

0

GOLDEN VALLEY

$ 500

5

GRANITE

$ 2,500

25

HILL

$ 10,000

10

JEFFERSON

$ 8,000

80

JUDITH BASIN

$ 1,700

17

LAKE

$ 10,700

107

LEWIS and CLARK

$ 25,200

252

LIBERTY

$ 300

3

LINCOLN

$ 17,700

177

MADISON

$ 5,300

53

McCONE

$ 500

5

MEAGHER

$ 1,300

16

MINERAL

$ 14,800

148

MISSOULA

$ 45,400

454

MUSSELSHELL

$ 900

9

PARK

$ 11,000

110

PETROLEUM

0

0

PHILLIPS

$ 1,100

11

PONDERA

$ 3,500

35

POWDER RIVER

0

0

POWELL

$ 4,100

41

PRAIRIE

$ 100

1

RAVALLI

$ 17,000

170

RICHLAND

$ 2,100

21

ROOSEVELT

$ 3,000

30

ROSEBUD

$ 7,200

72

SANDERS

$ 9,000

90

SHERIDAN

$ 1,800

18

STILLWATER

$ 6,700

67

SWEET GRASS

$ 3,700

37

TETON

$ 2,000

20

TOOLE

$ 1,500

15

TREASURE

0

0

VALLEY

$ 5,500

55

WHEATLAND

$ 3,100

31

WIBAUX

0

0

YELLOWSTONE

$ 24,700

247

 

 

DO YOU NEED TO

REGISTER YOUR “.US” ONLINE ADDRESS?

After a nationwide effort to alert local government entities about the new online address registration process, here are some facts:

 

1.      You do not need to register your online address which has the following configuration : 

            co.countyname.state.us

            (co.custer.mt.us)

The State of Montana-Department of Administration, Information Technology Services has been the agency assisting local governments in developing these names.  These are legacy “.us” domain names and they will continue indefinitely.  They will never be available to the public.

 

2.      You do need to reserve or register any other variation for your “.us” county name, if you want to use an additional

..... address.

            glaciercounty.us

            glaciercountymt.us

            countyofglacier.us

These variations are not legacy domain names and must be registered or reserved before January 20.  After that, the names will be available to the public.  Variations which use endings other than “.us” are available from other carriers.

 

3.  There is a difference between permanently reserving a name AND registering a name forever, so that only you can use it.

           

NeuStar, the private company in charge of registering the “.us” domain names, developed a list of 55,000 names that federal, state, and local governments would likely want. These names were locked in to prevent cybersquatters from reserving those names and trying to resell them or from linking them to inappropriate material.  An alphabetized list of “.us” names, organized by state, which are available to reserve or register can be viewed at

www.neustar.us/reserved/state/ .  By reserving or registering the various names, a county can protect its sites.

 

JANUARY 30 DEADLINE

Government officials have until January 30, 2003, to purchase these names for use in promoting government services, economic development, or tourism, etc. Officials do not have to buy the names if they do not want them.  If counties do not have an immediate use for the name, the pricing structure allows Permanently reserving the name.  After January 30, those county names which are not reserved or registered will be open to the public to purchase.

 

PRICES

* Lifetime registration: $395.00

* Five-year registration: $180.00

* Three-year registration: $168.00

* Permanent reservation: $152.00

            Of these, a lifetime registration represents your best value, as it eliminates the hassles of renewals and reduces your per-year costs significantly.

            A permanent domain name reservation enables you to reserve your .US address for use at a later date. Please note, however, that after permanently reserving a name, your department will be required to pay full fee for a lifetime registration ($395.00) when you decide to activate the name. This fee will not be prorated.

 

HOW TO REGISTER OR RESERVE A NAME

At www.neustar.us/reserved/state  a comprehensive list of reserved names is available. Select your desired names, print out and complete the registration form and mail it back to the NeuStar address listed on the form. Registration forms must be received by

January 30, 2003.

 

 

 

 

ONLINE SALES AND USE TAXES

      Thirty-five states have joined together as the Streamline Sales Tax Implementing States (SSTIS) to complete an inter-state agreement on simplifying sales taxes.  The agreement is a package of 15 sales tax provisions to simplify sales tax administration for multi-state retailers.  Included in the package is a provision that states would require online sales and use tax registration for remote sellers (Internet and mail order). 

      The 35 states are expected to make changes to their sales and use tax laws to bring them into conformity with the terms of the multi-state agreement.  States will be considering legislation in the 2003 legislative sessions.  The interstate agreement will become effective after at least 10 states representing at least 20% of the US population enact the changes. 

      Congress also is expected to consider legislation in 2003 to authorize states to require collection of sales and use taxes by remote sellers.  There is currently a moratorium on such taxes in effect until December 2003. The chances of passing legislation is dependent on how many states enact the provisions of the proposed interstate agreement. 

“States progress on sales tax agreement”

Ralph Tabor, Associate Legislative Director

        NACo County News

                                                                                                                                      Volume 34, Number 18 September 3

 

 

“No matter what other nations may say about the United States,

immigration is still the sincerest form of flattery.”

                        Good Stuff

                                Ken Dooley, Editor

 

 

NACo INFORMATION

NACo EXTENSION FELLOWSHIP

      Applications for a NACo Extension Fellowship are due January 3, 2002.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture Extension Service pays the salary and benefits for a one-year position with NACo.  NACo provides housing and transportation. 

      Applications must be approved by the State Extension Director and are to be submitted from the State Extension Administrative office to the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) in Washington DC.

      A candidate must have strong oral and writing skills, at least a master’s degree with ten years of progressively responsible work experience, experience in rural or urban development and knowledge and understanding of county government issues.

      Previous Extension fellows have represented   Maryland, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Wyoming, North Carolina, Florida, Kansas, Oregon and Texas. 

      More information is available from the MACo office or from Joe Dunn at 202-942-4207 or jdunn@naco.org. 

 

TOP TEN capital-city populations with

bachelor’s degree or higher:

Madison, Wisconsin            48.2%

Montpelier, Vermont      46.8%

Tallahasee, Florida                  45.0%

Raleigh, North Carolina      44.9%

Austin, Texas       40.4%

Olympia, Washington      40.3%

Helena, Montana              39.8%

Annapolis, Maryland      38.7%

Juneau, Alaska                  36.0%

Columbia, South Carolina      35.7%

 

TOP TEN States for wind energy potential

North Dakota             1,210 kWh

Texas                          1,190 kWh

Kansas                       1,070 kWh

South Dakota            1,030 kWh

Montana                    1,020 kWh

Nebraska                      868 kWh

Wyoming                       747 kWh

Oklahoma                     725 kWh

Minnesota                     657 kWh

Iowa                               551 kWh

 

 

Spirit of volunteerism

honored through

Acts of Caring Awards

            In 2003, NACo will again pay tribute to our nation's volunteers by recognizing outstanding county volunteer programs.  An "act of caring" is a community service provided by a county-sponsored volunteer program that enhances or preserves the quality of life.  It is designed to raise public understanding and awareness about county government.  This is the fourth year that the Acts of Caring Awards have been presented.

            Up to 33 programs will be recognized and deemed examples of outstanding "acts of caring." Based on county size, as many as three programs will be honored in each of 11 categories: Arts & Culture, Civic Education and Public Information, Criminal Justice, Elderly Services, Emergency Management, Environment, Health Services, Libraries, Parks and Recreation, Programs for Children and Youth, and Social Services.  In addition, three special awards will be presented: the Legacy Award for Excellence and Innovation, the Youth Service Award and the Youth Literacy Mentoring Award.

            The Legacy Award is the top award out of all programs entered. It recognizes the program that most fully embodies the spirit of volunteerism by addressing a unique need and sets itself apart by providing unparalleled service in its community.

            The awards will be presented in a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., during National County Government Week in April. The deadline for entries is January 17, 2003.

            To download an application for this year's awards and to learn about past Acts of Caring award winners, visit http://www.naco.org/programs/special/millenn/services/acts.cfm.   For additional information or questions, write Tom Goodman at tgoodman@naco.org or call 202/942-4222.