Obama Calls for More for Infrastructure, Jobs, Energy
NACo is quoted in this Governing magazine article about Tuesday's State of the Union address.

“We’re excited [about] the president’s focus on infrastructure. We understand it’s going to be tough climb, but it’s essential to getting our economy restarted,” said Matthew Chase, executive director of the National Association of Counties.

Local Government Organizations Commend EPA’s Memorandum Concerning Financial Capability for Clean Water Act Requirements
NACo, National League of Cities and U.S. Conference of Mayors released a joint press statement regarding EPA's announcement that the agency will work with local governments to clarify how the financial capability of a community will be considered when developing schedules for municipal projects necessary to meet Clean Water Act (CWA) obligations.

NACo President Chris Rodgers said that NACo applauds EPA’s acknowledgement that the input of county and city leaders is critical to achieving the shared goals of the Clean Water Act.

"A reasonable balance between the costs to taxpayers and ratepayers and compliance with CWA regulations must be considered as we work to protect and improve water quality in communities across the country.”

With revenues still uncertain Natrona County prepares for worst case
Leah Todd of the Star-Tribune in Wyoming quotes NACo in an article about federal funding uncertainty regarding the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program (PILT). 

PILT is funding is compensation for counties with tax‐exempt federal land within their boundaries. NACo supports full funding of the PILT program, to the authorized levels of P.L.103‐379 and beyond.

For more information about PILT, contact: Ryan Yates 202.942.4207 or ryates@naco.org.

NACo coming to Columbus, Ohio in '17
Exciting news from the Fall Board of Directors meeting last weekend as selections were made for the 2016-18 annual conferences. Los Angeles County/Long Beach, Calif. in '16, Franklin County/Columbus, Ohio in '17 and Davidson County/Nashville, Tenn. in '18.

Rural Action Caucus Sets 2013 Priorities
Agri-Pulse reports on NACo's Rural Action Caucus setting the group's priorities for 2013 which are designed to help improve the lives of Americans living in rural communities.

In Georgia, Contender Seeks To Cut Job She's Trying to Win
Interesting article in today's WSJ on the little known "sole commissioner" form of county government. This article is even more interestng because it quotes NACo!

Will County board member named to NACo cyber security task force
Welcome press coverage in the Chicago Tribune on President Rodgers' Cyber Security Initiative. Read more about his initiatives here.