DeKalb County, Georgia – The National Counties Association (NACo) will hold a series of meetings next week in DeKalb County, the home county of NACo Chairman Larry Johnson, a DeKalb County Commissioner, according to a press release . The events are expected to attract more than 200 county officials from across the country.
The NACo will be holding its annual Grand Urban County Caucus (LUCC) Symposium from December 1-3. It will focus on the pressing issues facing urban counties, those with populations exceeding 500,000. The theme of the symposium is “Urban Counties Thrive,” part of President Johnson’s year-long effort to position counties to emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever.
Mariah Fosie, 9, dances with DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson during a community coat giveaway at the YMCA of East Lake in Atlanta on January 17, 2021. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Some of the topics county leaders will consider include federal assistance for COVID-19 recovery; infant mortality; homelessness; community involvement; and diversity, equity and inclusion.
“After nearly two years on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, we are honored to welcome the county leaders here to DeKalb County,” President Johnson said in the press release. “We are proud to showcase our county and look forward to learning from each other’s successes and challenges while helping all of our counties thrive. “
Cyber Monday Offer: This week, Decaturish will be offering annual subscriptions for $ 30. Our normal price for an annual subscription is $ 60.
Paid supporters get our monthly electronic edition (delivered the first of each month), access to our private communication channels on Slack and Facebook, free tickets to local events and exclusive offers from the companies that support us. Most importantly, you will be paying to support the community news that you enjoy every day. There are two ways to register. To register via PayPal, click here. You can also support us on Venmo: @Decaturish. Note: If you are signing up for Venmo, PLEASE include your preferred email address.
Prior to the symposium, NACo’s Prenatal-to-Three County Leaders Academy will take place, reviewing policies to strengthen services for young children and their families. In addition, the NACo Board of Directors will meet on December 3-4.
As part of the meetings, county leaders will participate in mobile tours highlighting the successes of Metro Atlanta. All sessions, except mobile tours, will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Decatur Downtown / Emory, 130 Clairemont Ave., Decatur, GA 30030.
Members of the media interested in covering the event should contact Paul Guequierre at [email protected] . Click here for the full agenda.
Highlights of the conference include:
Featured General Session Speakers:
Thursday, December 2, 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET
Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Decatur Downtown / Emory
– Hon. Larry Johnson, Commissioner, DeKalb County, Georgia, and NACo President
– Hon. John O’Grady, Commissioner, Franklin County, Ohio and Chair, NACo Large Urban County Caucus
– Hon. Michael L. Thurmond, CEO, DeKalb County, Georgia.
Mobile tours:
– CHRIS 180 (Wednesday, December 1, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET). Supported by DeKalb County and other partners, the Atlanta nonprofit CHRIS 180 provides comprehensive services to children, youth, young adults and families including counseling, skills building, care taking into account trauma, foster homes, adoptions, assistance for those suffering or recovering from drug addiction and safe homes for the homeless.
– New Black Wall Street Market (Wednesday, December 1, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET). With over 100 shops and restaurants, the New Black Wall Street Market is a destination for family recreation, entertainment, retail, delicatessen and fine dining. As an extension of the Allen Entrepreneurial Institute, the New Black Wall Street Market shares its mission: to increase the size and number of minority and women-owned businesses in the United States and around the world.
– The Metro Atlanta Urban Farm (Friday, December 3, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET). Metro Atlanta Urban Farm (MAUF) works to reduce barriers to a healthy lifestyle by promoting agriculture to eliminate food insecurity and providing training in sustainable, high-quality and sustainable agriculture and gardening. Low cost.
Other timely programs include:
Three County Prenatal Leaders Academy (Tuesday, November 30 to Wednesday, December 1). The Prenatal-to-Three County Leaders Academy is a cohort of elected and appointed county leaders pursuing policies to expand and improve services for young children and their families.
The sessions include:
– Federal Relief supporting families with young children from the prenatal period to the age of three:
– Opportunities and challenges during COVID-19
– Fair recovery for post-COVID child care
– Coordination of services for children and families
– Build the public will for investments from the prenatal period to three
Reduce Infant Mortality Rates Through County-Based Strategies (Thursday, Dec. 2, 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. ET). Premature births and low birth weight are common causes of infant mortality in the United States. While there is no definitive approach to preventing these causes, counties can play a major role in reducing infant mortality rates through systemic changes and local strategies. The health, environment and experiences of mothers influence the prenatal development of infants throughout early childhood. This session focuses on strategies that urban counties can deploy to improve outcomes for mothers and infants.
How Local Leaders Can Successfully Invest Fiscal Stimulus Funds (Thursday, Dec. 2, 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. ET). In March, the US bailout law was enacted, which created the $ 350 billion local and state coronavirus tax relief fund. The legislation provided $ 61.5 billion in direct and flexible funding to counties of all sizes. Now that the U.S. Treasury has begun administering the dollars, county leaders are deciding how best to invest these vital dollars responsibly and fairly to ensure the recovery of our residents, communities, and the national economy. This session will examine the eligible uses of stimulus funds and actions that local leaders can take when developing and implementing plans.
Adjustments and Departures: Success, Challenges and Opportunities in County Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DCI) Efforts (Thursday, Dec. 2, 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. ET). The counties considered responses to the social unrest evident throughout 2020 and 2021, as well as the inequalities exposed and
accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several counties have established Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DCI) offices, but many more are still exploring how best to do this. Hear from counties talk about the quick wins and hard truths of DCI’s efforts, and from seasoned leaders on how to move towards more diverse, equitable and inclusive governance.
Opportunities and innovative solutions to prevent homelessness (Thursday, December 2, 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET). Every night, more than 580,000 people in America are homeless, and millions more are at dawn. The pandemic has only exacerbated the crisis of homelessness and housing affordability. Counties invest heavily in housing and community development and play an important role in meeting the needs of homeless people. Hear from national and county experts on key resources and solutions for counties to address homelessness and housing instability.
If you appreciate our work, please become a paying supporter. For as little as $ 3 per month, you can help us keep you up to date with your community. To become a supporter, click here.
Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every day? Subscribe to our free newsletter by clicking here.
Comments are closed.