The Guilford County commissioners usually have a pretty relaxed schedule in summer – as many North Carolinians do – but some of the commissioners will be back at work doing government business later this month.

Beginning on Thursday Aug. 24, county officials from all over North Carolina will gather for a statewide conference to learn the latest in best practices of county government, the ins and outs of spending federal relief dollars, details of new and upcoming state legislation that affects counties, the current situation regarding incoming money from a national collective lawsuit against opioid makers and distributers, and other helpful information.

The annual three-day conference, put on in the state by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC), brings together attendees for an agenda of “educational and training opportunities, engaging keynote speakers, and networking events,” according to the conferences promotional materials.

This year, the event, which will be held in Wake County, is being billed as a way to “unite North Carolina’s county leaders and build on the momentum of the good work done by counties across the state.”

From Thursday, Aug. 24 through Saturday, Aug. 26, the elected county leaders and top county staff will meet in the Raleigh Convention Center.

As of Thursday, Aug. 3, Guilford County hasn’t released the names of the Guilford County commissioners who will attend.

When the National Association of County Officials (NACo) held its 2023 annual national conference in Austin, Texas recently, all but one of Guilford County’s nine commissioners attended.

Some of the many learning seminars, presentations and experiences at the upcoming state conference include “The Road to Student Recovery: Covid Learning and Public Instruction Research and Evaluation Efforts,” “Safeguarding Agriculture and Promoting Sustainable Growth,” “Land Use and Decommissioning,” “How Your County Can Tap into North Carolina’s Hidden Workforce,” and “Understanding Your County Finance Department: Building and Maintaining a Strong Fiscal Foundation.”

The conference also includes a number of social occasions in the ticket price that will be paid by taxpayers across the state. Some of those are:

  • Lunch on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
  • Thursday night’s reception and First Night Celebration dinner
  • Friday afternoon’s reception with “details to be announced”
  • Saturday morning breakfast

In the past, some returning county commissioners have said the social interactions were some of the most valuable events because they got a chance to informally and honestly hear what is and isn’t working in other counties.

About