Thursday saw the MACo Summer Conference hit its full stride, with attendees visiting a wide range of educational sessions, and the main exhibit halls open for business. With nearly 250 exhibit booths on hand, county officials had many opportunities to discuss cost-savings and partnership opportunities with service vendors, state agencies, and others. 

Officials from the National Association of Counties and their program partner CVS/Caremark took to the “Center Stage” area of the Exhibit Hall to discuss the NACo prescription drug program, an offering that has saved citizens millions of dollars across the country, and has gained wide use in Maryland already. NACo is also soon unveiling a new addition to its citizen service lineup, a dental discount plan, following a similar model. 

Friday morning kicks off with a breakfast meeting of county elected officials, with a “round table” style discussion of recent employee and personnel decisions, as many counties faced difficult decisions due to the budget environment. Soon afterward, the first two general sessions of the conference will feature “How the Chesapeake Bay Defines Us, And How We Define It,” and “Marketing Maryland’s Strengths.”