Latest news with #NACo
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thurston County Auditor's Office wins five national awards for public service projects
Jun. 20—The Thurston County Auditor's Office won five Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for standout programs that improved election security, expanded access to services and strengthened community trust, according to a county news release. The NACo Achievement Awards recognize innovative and effective county programs that make a difference for residents. "We work every year to improve how we serve our community," Mary Hall, Thurston County auditor, said in the release. "We innovate because it helps us do better. These awards reflect the spirit of our office, always looking for better ways to work." The auditor's office earned awards for the Elections Security Enhancement Program; the Saturday Passport Fairs; Voting Access at Your Library; Public Transit Partnership for Voter Access; and Your Neighbors, Your Elections. Thurston County Elections launched a major security upgrade for its new Voting and Ballot Processing Center, using federal grant funds. The Elections Security Enhancement Program installed ballistic-resistant materials like bulletproof glass, doors and sheetwork to create a secure safe room for election staff. The office also added on-site law enforcement during elections and worked closely with local and federal agencies to assess threats and improve emergency plans. To meet high demand for passport services, the auditor's office held two Saturday Passport Fairs in 2024. These events helped over 70 people apply for passports and took more than 50 passport photos. They were designed for people who couldn't make it during the week and helped reduce weekday wait times. The first fair included staff support from Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland's office and the Seattle Passport Agency. Thurston County Elections partnered with Timberland Regional Library to offer voter assistance at four library branches during the 2024 general election for the Voting Access at Your Library program. Trained library staff helped voters register and print replacement ballots, and election officials handled ballot collection. For the Public Transit Partnership for Voter Access program, Intercity Transit extended bus service to the Voting Center past 8 p.m. on Election Day, improved Americans with Disabilities Act access and updated route maps to highlight voting locations. Elections staff also used Intercity Transit's community vans to move between facilities, saving money and reducing parking issues. To help build trust in elections, Thurston County created a video campaign called "Your Neighbors, Your Elections" featuring real election workers sharing why they care about their jobs. Filmed inside the Ballot Processing and Voting Centers, the short videos show staff pride and commitment to integrity.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbus Councilor Toyia Tucker elected to serve as representative of the ACCG Board of Managers
ATLANTA, Ga. (WRBL) — The Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG), a corporate office in Atlanta, has elected a councilor from Columbus to serve in its board. According to ACCG, Columbus-Muscogee County Councilor Toyia Tucker was elected to serve on its 2025-2026 Board of Managers. Tucker is serving as one of three National Association of Counties (NACo) Board Representatives and is representing all 159 Georgia counties. These counties are members of the NACo organization. 'We are excited to welcome our newly installed Board of Managers, a group of dedicated leaders chosen by their peers to guide our organization,' said Dave Wills, Executive Director. 'Their commitment and expertise will be invaluable as we work together to advance the interests of Georgia counties.' Councilwoman Toyia Tucker is described as a dedicated public servant who represents District 4 on the Columbus, Georgia City Council. She is also a United States Air Force veteran. ACCG says Tucker will help advocate for Georgia counties on federal policy issues and legislation as a NACo Representative. 'It's an honor to represent Georgia's counties on the national stage,' said Tucker. 'I am committed to ensuring that local governments, especially those in underserved and rural communities, have a strong voice in shaping federal policy and accessing the resources they need to thrive.' The corporate office also says Tucker will work alongside other ACCG board members to lead the association and guide policies during the next year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pierce County one of a few selected for national housing program. What will it do?
Pierce County recently announced it is one of a few counties in the nation selected to be a part of a national program to increase housing supply. The county says after the 12-week program it will have 'implementation-ready plans' to create much-needed housing in the region. 'Pierce County is excited to be just one of six counties selected to participate in this national program,' said County Executive Ryan Mello. 'The scale of our housing shortage requires us to do things differently. We're bringing folks together from multiple departments to tackle housing affordability and speed the pace of development, particularly among our high-density transit corridors.' The program is the second national cohort of Counties for Housing Solutions (C4HS), from the National Association of Counties (NACo), designed to increase housing supply in urban counties. Moore said the county will not receive any funding through the program, but would receive consulting services through a third party. The initiative is funded through a grant from the Gates Foundation. NACo launched C4HS to help counties implement recommendations from NACo's 2023 Housing Task Force, convened with the goal of addressing America's housing crisis. According to the county, the goal is implementing strategies to increase housing supply, bring down rents and create a pathway to upward economic mobility for American families. Over a 12-week period, representatives from the Pierce County Council, Human Services and Facilities Management departments will work to develop underutilized, county-owned land for affordable housing. The plan begins with identifying available land and evaluating sites. Next comes community engagement and partnering with potential developers. The process will also include identifying financing to support the planned housing development. Human Services Spokesperson Kari Moore told The News Tribune the program will use a cohort of seven teams selected to work together to increase affordable housing supply and build capacity to assess affordable housing opportunities on publicly owned land. The teams will meet weekly. 'It comes with access to partners at Smart Growth America and offers a technical assistance sprint with a suite of implementation-ready plans to address site selection, zoning, financing, affordability requirements, community engagement and developer procurement,' she said. Smart Growth America is a non-profit coalition of housing advocates. Moore said the program will help facilitate collaborative development of plans the county can use to increase its housing stock, and will provide the best practices and solutions that have proven successful for other counties. 'This will help us build skills to bring more tools to our marketplace on housing solutions that benefit everyone,' she told The News Tribune. Pierce County's Housing Action Strategy estimates the region will need 110,000 new units in Pierce County by 2044 to meet the housing needs of residents. 'To fully meet the housing needs of current and future residents, the county needs to produce, on average, over 2,300 units per year of housing affordable at or below 50% of area median income through the year 2044,' the county's Housing Action Strategy published in 2022 found. 'Over half of these units are needed for households at 30% of AMI or below.' According to Pierce County, the region's area median income is around $98,200 per household.
