MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:August 4, 2022 NACo CONTACT: Brian Namey, bnamey@naco.org

COUNTY CONTACT: Melissa Cribbins, Commissioner 541-396-7535 mcribbins@co.coos.or.us

County Leaders Pursue Local Solutions to Address Major National Issues

ADAMS COUNTY, COLO. — Melissa Cribbins, Coos County Commissioner, joined nearly 3,000 county leaders and partners July 21-24 in Adams County, Colo. the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference.

“The National Association of Counties meeting is a great opportunity to work on issues that are common to all counties: housing, broadband, opioid addiction, infrastructure investment, energy, and transportation. These are areas where we need to work together to find common solutions, because they don’t end at county lines,” said Cribbins of the recent meeting.

NACo Immediate Past President Larry Johnson highlighted the year’s accomplishments, including significant local investments of American Rescue Plan resources, a new opioid solutions center and the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

County elected and appointed officials discussed strategies to drive recovery in our communities, as well as federal policies and best practice trends on a wide range of key issues. More than three dozen workshops and meetings explored topics including infrastructure, broadband accessibility, housing affordability, cybersecurity and technology, workforce development, economic diversification, early childhood development, behavorial health and justice, disaster preparedness and recovery, and other topics important to counties nationwide.

Commissioner Cribbins participated in several meetings including, serving as the Vice Chair of the Energy, Environment, and Land Use Committee and Vice-Chair of the Rural Action Caucus.

“I was able to listen to other counties talk about their best practices on working with their citizens to find solutions to difficult problems. We have so much in common, and it is important to take advantage of the opportunity to hear from other counties on the solutions that they have identified,” Cribbins stated.

NACo members elected Will County, Ill. Board Member Denise Winfrey president and celebrated the leadership of county officials pursuing innovative solutions to challenges facing our communities.

Notable speakers included U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper; Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; Heather McGhee, best-selling author; and Mick Ebeling, founder and CEO of Not Impossible Labs.

More information about the conference is available here.

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The National Association of Counties (NACo) strengthens America’s counties, including nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Founded in 1935, NACo unites county officials to advocate for county government priorities in federal policymaking; promote exemplary county policies and practices; nurture leadership skills and expand knowledge networks; optimize county and taxpayer resources and cost savings; and enrich the public’s understanding of county government. www.naco.org