On alternating weeks, NACo's Resource Roundup highlights opportunities, reports, upcoming events and other tools, and the County Countdown provides a review of key policy items for county leaders.

Estimated read time: 3.5 min.

Join us in celebrating county innovation with the 2025 NACo Achievement Awards

Share your county's innovative programs by participating in NACo’s 2025 Achievement Awards.

• Why apply: Achievement Award winners earn recognition that can include local media coverage, features in County News or other NACo publications and a spotlight at the 2025 Annual Conference.
• Application deadline: The deadline to apply is Monday, March 31.
• Learn more and share your county's innovative program. Our team is here to answer any questions at awards@naco.org. 

New this year – no application fee for select counties

Counties with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents will have no application fee.

Tune in to NACo's 'First 100 Days' membership series

Check out video highlights from the NACo Legislative Conference

Did you miss NACo's 2025 NACo Legislative Conference, or want to re-live some of this year's most impactful moments? Watch video highlights including everything from session recaps to general session speakers and member testimonials.

• Videos include full recordings – as well as speaker highlights – from the Monday and Tuesday general sessions, and recaps from the Federal Agency Expo, Intergovernmental Disaster Reform Task Force hill briefing, Large Urban County Caucus and Rural Action Caucus meetings, National Center for Public Lands Counties Forum, policy steering committee meetings and more.
• Explore the full video library here.
• Dive deep: For more on the conference, read our County News conference coverage.

Student scholarship opportunity offered by NACo and Nationwide

For the 25th year, the NACo Deferred Compensation Program is offering $2,500 college scholarships for four high school seniors.

• Eligibility: This opportunity will be offered to children and grandchildren of current county employees with a funded 457(b) plan in the NACo Deferred Compensation Program.
• How to apply: Visit nrsforu.com/scholarship to learn more about requirements and to apply. The application deadline is April 30.

Explore all 15 of NACo’s Opioid Solutions Strategy Briefs

Advised by national experts and leading researchers, NACo has summarized evidence-based practices and county success stories for 15 impactful ways to invest opioid settlement funds.

• Explore the briefs: The briefs are organized into key strategies, improving access to care across systems and improving access to care for specific communities. Click here to find the best fit solution for your county.
• New cohort announced: NACo has just announced a new cohort for the Opioid Solutions Leadership Network, made up of state associations of counties. Learn more here.

NACo Public Promise PBM Coalition is saving counties 15-30% on prescription drug costs

Mecklenburg County, N.C., and Kern County, Calif., have recently joined the NACo Public Promise Pharmacy Benefit Management Coalition (PBM) Coalition, expecting to save 15-30% on annual prescription drug costs. 

• Benefits: By participating, counties can access competitive pricing and transparent pharmacy benefit management to drive down costs for their workforce.
• About the coalition: The NACo Public Promise PBM Coalition negotiates prescription pricing by leveraging the purchasing power of 3.6 million county employees, landing strong multi-year pricing guarantees.
• Learn more: Join an informational webinar on March 24.

Explore county innovations in youth justice

Over the past year, NACo hosted events and launched a peer learning network to support counties in implementing innovative youth justice strategies.

• County impact: These efforts provided insights and promising practices to improve outcomes for young people involved in the youth justice system.
• New resource: A new publication, Primer: County Innovation in Youth Justice, outlines the county role in the youth justice system and highlights effective approaches that can be applied across youth justice service areas.