County News / Public Safety and Corrections / Summer Conference
Counties, Tune Your Scanners to the Volunteer Fire Channel

Panelists at MACo's Summer Conference urged increased communication and partnership between state and county governments and volunteer fire departments. Participants in MACo's Summer Conference Session, Sound the Siren: Maryland's Volunteer Fire Service Needs Help all shared their interest and longtime support for Maryland's volunteer fire companies. Many also shared personal stories that made attendees realize the profound changes that have taken place over the past half-century throughout the US. Sam Goldwater, Strategic Planning Chief of…

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August 20, 2019
County Budgets / County Government and Structure / Public Safety and Corrections / Summer Conference
County Support for the ‘Firehouse Family’

A session at MACo's Summer Conference explores the best methods for county governments to recruit and retain volunteers for fire companies which have seen dwindling numbers in recent years. Carroll County Commissioner Steve Wantz, Maryland State Firemen's Association Executive Director Kate Tomanelli, and Queen Anne's County Fire & EMS Commission representative Tracey Johnston served as panelists in the MACo Summer Conference Session, Stoke the Fire: Volunteer Recruitment and Retention. Delegate Mike McKay of the House…

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August 18, 2019
County News / Employee Benefits and Relations / Health and Human Services / Public Safety and Corrections / Summer Conference
If You Are Not Hiring an Apprentice, You May Be Missing Out

A MACo Summer Conference session shares the workforce resource that apprenticeship programs hold for county employers. At MACo's Summer Conference, representatives of the Department of Labor, an employee union, and a local workforce development board provide insight into apprenticeship programs related to county employment. James Rzepkowski, Assistant Secretary of Workforce Development and Adult Learning at the Maryland Department of Labor shared the department's aim of addressing challenges of public sector and government side of apprenticeships…

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August 16, 2019
County News / Summer Conference
The Sun Shines Inside the Convention Center at #MACoCon

Welcoming keynote Simon Bailey, the author of Shift Your Brilliance: Harness the Power of You, speaks with attendees at Maryland Association of Counties annual summer conference. Simon Bailey, MACo's keynote speaker for the 2019 Summer Conference, is a Breakthrough Strategist whose life's purpose is to teach 1 billion+ people how to be fearless and create their futures. He equips companies with the tools necessary to effect cultural transformation resulting in higher employee engagement and platinum customer…

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August 16, 2019
County News / Emergency Management / Public Information and Ethics / Public Safety and Corrections / Summer Conference
Road Flooded, Power Out, No Cell Coverage? Your County Will Reach You.

Attendees at MACo's Summer Conference engage in a tabletop exercise on emergency communications and hear from a county whose been through the real thing. What if, when disaster hits, it hits in a rural area of your county with spotty cell phone coverage and no internet? That was the scenario that attendees of MACo’s Summer Conference session, Reaching Your Residents When Every Moment Counts tackled. Emergency managers, communications professionals, and others worked together in teams of…

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August 15, 2019
County News / Information Technology / Summer Conference
Apps that Improve Service, VR that Teaches, and Tech that Saves Lives

A MACo Summer Conference session gives an overview of the ways technology can expedite and enhance government service, and even save lives. Representatives of State agencies, county governments, and libraries shared some of the ways that they are using technology to support and improve government service. Cal Bowman, Deputy Homeland Security Advisor fo the Maryland Governor's Office of Homeland Security shared perspective on technology and government, including challenges that innovators face, and also the fast-moving…

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August 15, 2019
County News / Emergency Management / Parks and Recreation / Planning and Zoning / Public Information and Ethics / Public Safety and Corrections / Summer Conference / Transportation and Public Works
It’s Not All About Getting High

Drones can do all sorts of things. In the words of one of today’s panelists on the MACo Summer Conference panel, The Underappreciated Upsides of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, a drone program is much like a cannabis business -- it’s not all about getting high. The six panelists from various county government agencies, state government, and the private sector shared many applications for county use, including: Surveying Construction monitoring Media, sharing county news with residents Communications and public…

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August 14, 2019
County News / Public Safety and Corrections / Summer Conference
This Used Car Salesman Speaks DRONE

At MACo’s summer conference panel, Drone Dilemma: Flying Under the Radar, one panelist shares his experiences in law enforcement education on unmanned aircraft systems. Robert Campbell, US Capitol Police is seeking to build a foundation for local law enforcement in the realm of drones. Making some light of his mission, he portrayed himself as a used car salesman, going from one law enforcement agency to another, trying to sell officers on their role in enforcement…

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August 14, 2019
Build New or Maintain? Total Cost of School Facilities Explained
County News / School Construction and Capital Budgets
Build New or Maintain? Total Cost of School Facilities Explained

The Public School Construction Program hosts a webinar on the total cost of facility ownership for school facilities. The operation and maintenance of a facility can make up half of the total costs of a facility (including construction) over a 30 year period. It's something to keep in mind when considering the costs of school construction in Maryland according to the State's Director of Public School Construction, Bob Gorrell. In a recent webinar on the…

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August 9, 2019
County News / Employee Benefits and Relations
Study Finds Shifting to Defined Contribution Pensions Doesn’t Always Save

A recent survey of a few states that have shifted some of their pension plans to defined contribution from defined benefit demonstrates that savings are not guaranteed. About half of Maryland's counties participate in the State's pension system, and all counties contribute to the cost of teacher pensions statewide. As stakeholders in the pension system with a vested interest in its sustainability, counties are interested in the debate between defined benefit and defined contribution systems.…

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August 8, 2019
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