NACO representative urges counties to press for revenue replacements and outlines federal funding, broadband and salary supports

John, identified at the meeting as Hall County’s representative to the National Association of Counties (NACO), spoke to the Board about county funding pressures, recent legislative activity and resources available to counties.

John told the board that counties received direct ARPA allocations and that Hall County’s $11,917,000 in ARPA funding allowed investments that would otherwise be difficult at the local level. He urged continued outreach to state senators following the recent consideration of LB1067 on inheritance tax, saying county officials’ contacts had helped defeat that measure during a filibuster. “If counties are not going to be made whole, we’re not interested,” he said, describing NACO’s work with a bipartisan group of senators to explore locally sourced, sustainable revenue replacements.

He described several practical supports for counties: a statewide salary survey for county employees that NACO will release at the County Budget Workshop on June 12; a cybersecurity cooperative developed with NERMA and vendors to standardize baseline protections and offer tiered pricing so smaller counties are not overcharged; and assistance challenging FCC/BEAD broadband coverage maps where commercial providers’ reported speeds do not reflect on-the-ground availability.

John also previewed a new NACO office in Ogallala that will house several NACO functions and said the association is pursuing membership in the Western Interstate Region to address issues such as payments-in-lieu-of-taxes and wildfire management.

Board members pressed John on several details. A commissioner asked whether counties could increase fees to cover the actual cost of services such as serving legal papers; John noted statutes set many local fees and that the legislature must change them. On local-option sales tax, John said Dakota County had previously used that option and explained how a countywide local option tax would apply only to areas not already covered by city sales taxes. On salary survey findings, John said inflation and private-sector wage pressure — such as fast-food pay rates — are increasing recruitment and retention problems for county governments.

Why it matters: John framed the presentation as an effort to equip county officials with tools and data to argue for revenue replacement and to help manage rising costs, staffing shortages and infrastructure needs. NACO’s resources — workshops, grant navigation and cooperative procurement — were presented as practical levers for Hall County as it considers budgeting, courthouse planning and service delivery.

What’s next: The salary study will be released at the June 12 budget workshop; board members were asked to keep engaging state senators on revenue and unfunded-mandate issues.