We’re BACK – Bigger, Better and LIVE-ER!

Posted 7/07/21 (Wed)

It’s official: the NDACo Annual Conference will be held, live and in person, October 3-5 at the Bismarck Event Center. Registration for attendees and exhibitors is now open at www.ndaco.org/conference.

One year ago, this issue of ND County News reported that we were still trying to decipher state and federal guidance about how and whether we could gather in person. Not long after we made the decision to cancel the 2020 Annual Conference, North Dakota rocketed to the top of the nation in COVID infection rates, confirming that the tough call was the right one.

If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that when there is a crisis to be handled, North Dakota counties are “At the Heart of It” in every respect. The state’s massive testing effort combined the best efforts of county public health units, sheriffs’ departments, the ND National Guard and others. Counties found innovative ways to continue serving the public despite the challenges of locked courthouses, employees working from home and an election that saw the highest turnout in modern history. And as our state turned the corner, with infection rates plummeting, county public health units were again instrumental in getting information and vaccines out to the public.

That’s why our theme for the 2021 Annual Conference is “At the Heart of It.” We salute every county employee who helped our state get through the most challenging year most of us will ever (hopefully) experience.

Silver Lining

Yes, online “virtual” meetings have worn thin on most people. But the silver lining to the last year is that the technologies necessary to conduct meetings online – which were by no means new – improved, became much easier to use, and showed us that it’s really not that difficult. NDACo conducted a survey of members and, to no one’s surprise, learned that there is a desire for us to provide an online experience for those who cannot attend in person. We are in the process of developing a plan for how much of the conference we can offer. Future issues of ND County News and the County Leader Letter will keep you up to date on those details.

A final word of caution: while North Dakota has achieved a status of almost completely free of COVID infections, we need to be diligent to prevent the spread of the new “variants” of the disease that seem to be more infectious and severe. We strongly encourage all county officials and employees to get vaccinated before attending the annual conference.