Legislative session on agenda for judges

Top Left: Lonoke County Judge Doug Irwin explains his views on proposed legislation for the 90th Arkansas General Assembly. . Top Right: Sebastian County Judge David Hudson also shares his thoughts on the County Judges Association’s legislative efforts for the next session.

Above Left: Yell County Judge Mark Thone and Logan County Judge Gus Young talk about opportunities for interns in county emergency management. . Above Middle: Cross County Judge Jack Caubble expresses his thoughts during a business meeting concerning AAC scholarships. . Above Right: Wes Fowler, AAC governmental affairs director, facilitates a business meeting while Michael Lincoln, White County Judge and president of the County Judges Association of Arkansas, looks on.

Left: Mickey Pendergrass, Baxter County Judge, reacts to president Michael Lincoln’s comments about the plans for the summer meeting.

The Association of Arkansas Counties

Working for county officials toward the common goal of effective county government...

www.arcounties.org

Did you know that counties are subdivisions of Arkansas state government?

As such, our county and district elected officials and staffs are like gears in a large and complex engine. AAC’s goal is to keep that engine welloiled and finely-tuned by providing a broad array of:

• Legislative Representation • Education and Training • General Assistance and Research • Publications & Public Information • Protection Options: AAC Risk Management & Worker’s Compensation Programs

AAC serves as the official voice of county government at the state Capitol, and serves as the official spokesperson and liaison of Arkansas counties in dealing with state and federal agencies. The key to the stability and development of county government is in presenting a unified voice to other levels of government. There is much truth in the adage, “There is strength in unity.”

The Association of Arkansas Counties provides training and assistance in solving problems and in developing “best” practices. AAC produces numerous publications to help county officials with both simple and technical questions, so they can get needed answers without having to reinvent the wheel. This information is available through numerous training workshops, helpful brochures and directories, County Lines magazine, and online at the website: www.arcounties.org

Our Mission

The Association of Arkansas Counties supports and promotes the idea that all elected officials must have the opportunity to act together in order to solve mutual problems as a unified group. To further this goal, the Association of Arkansas Counties is committed to providing a single source of cooperative support and information for all counties and county and district officials.

The overall purpose of the Association of Arkansas Counties is to work for the improvement of county government in the state of Arkansas. The Association accomplishes this purpose by providing legislative representation, on-site assistance, general research, training, various publications and conferences to assist county officials in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of their office.

Chris Villines

Executive Director

About NACo – The Voice of America’s Counties

National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the U.S. NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,068 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money.

www.naco.org

Faulkner County braced for tornado after years of disaster

By Charlie Ban

When a tornado tore 42 miles through north-central Arkansas in late April, Faulkner County was ready to respond, thanks to a series of disasters, including another tornado, over the last three years. The tornado was one of an outbreak of seven over four days in the central and southern states that lead to at least 35 deaths.

“We’d been having weekly disaster preparedness meetings for the last year for just this kind of event,” said David Hogue, the county attorney and public information officer. “As much as we complained having those meetings once a week, we were prepared because of that. We’d been ready for months.”

The April 27 tornado’s northwestern path took it through the two sites of recent disasters — Mayflower, where crude oil spilled out of a ruptured pipeline in 2013; and Vilonia, site of another tornado three years and two days before. That twister claimed four lives.

The Mayflower oil spill, shortly into then-recently appointed County Judge Allen Dodson’s tenure, prompted him to prioritize disaster planning.

“We were in that frame of mind,” he said. “We were dealing with the oil spill in our own county and then the Moore, Oklahoma tornadoes happened (killing 24 people in May 2013). That naturally led to thoughts that something like that could happen anywhere” — and it had already in Faulkner County.”

As of May 1, 328 homes in the county were destroyed and President Obama had approved a disaster declaration for the county. The National Weather Service rated the tornado EF4, with winds between 166 and 200 miles per hour, and noted it was the first EF4 tornado of 2014. The 2011 storm was EF2, with winds between 111 and 135 miles per hour.

The response to the 2014 twister has been quick and organized, Hogue said. “It’s been machine-like.”

“(OEM Director) Sheila McGee is wonderful at her job because she’s had these experiences and can put them to use,” Hogue said. “People learn from her quickly. We had our crews clearing the roads that allowed linesmen to come in and restore power, and our search and rescue operations were complete within a day. Those personnel moved onto damage assessment and debris removal.”

After the storm, the county registered more than 12,000 households without electricity, which was down to 4,000 the next day and roughly 1,500 four days after the twister.

“Road crews knew what to do. The county administrator knew what to do; law enforcement knew; the IT department knew what to do,” Hogue said. “IT has been especially important because they’ve helped with public information throughout this.

“At this point, we had enough experience in our county administration that instead of catching us off guard, this tornado just felt like ‘challenge number three.’”

Dodson said the county’s expanded exercises handling several potential disasters, including tornadoes and train derailments, has helped the county of 113,237 north of Little Rock prepare more comprehensively.

“The people whose job it is to prepare for disasters, you don’t have to motivate them, they know it’s important,” he said. “It’s the other departments and stakeholders whose lives don’t revolve around these things, that’s who you have to convince.”

Dodson said that was accomplished by letting representatives from other departments and jurisdictions see the approach the office of emergency management brings to the exercises.

“Pull in the other big stakeholders so your attendees see the value of the other disciplines,” he added. “Content drives success, so bring in your city and county representatives, law enforcement, state and federal environmental protection representatives and get everyone on the same page. Go big. Get real, and do it.”

NACo annual conference to be held in July

Registration is open for the National Association of Counties’ 79th Annual Conference and Exposition, to be held July 11-14 in Orleans Parish, (New Orleans) Louisiana.

The opening session speaker will be Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Russel L. Honore, commander of Joint Task Force Katrina and Global Preparedness Authority. Education workshop topics include “Plan for Procurement: Lessons Learned from Disasters,” “Creating Lasting Wealth and Prosperity through Economic Diversification” and “Being Your Own Public Information Officer,” among others.

The annual conference provides county officials with an opportunity to vote on NACo’s policies related to federal legislation and regulation; elect officers; network with colleagues; learn about innovative county programs; find out about issues impacting counties across the country; and view products and services from participating companies and exhibitors.

Go to www.naco.org for more information about the conference. Register online to receive a discount of $25 off the regular registration fee.

Behavioral health parity: What counties should know

By Emmanuelle St. Jean

The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 requires health plans to provide coverage for mental and substance use disorder services on par with medical/surgical benefits for individuals with employer-sponsored health plans with 50 or more employees. In November 2013, the federal government published its final regulations for the law. Why is this important to counties and what does it mean for counties?

Almost 1 in 5 American adults had a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder in 2012, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. About 14.5 percent of American adults received mental health

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