On alternating weeks, NACo's Resource Roundup highlights opportunities, reports, upcoming events and other tools. As we close out 2024, this edition showcases some of NACo's top resources of the year.

Estimated read time: 3 min.

2024 election analysis

NACo analyzed the results of the 2024 election, which yielded a victory for President-elect Trump and unified Republican control of Congress. 

• County role in elections: Counties facilitated a nationwide election with over 160 million registered voters. Prior to the election, NACo recognized counties' essential role in administering elections.
• County leaders in Congress: The election saw 69 former county officials elected to serve in the 119th Congress, including two new senators – Senator-elect Angela Alsobrooks from Maryland and Senator-elect Jim Banks from Indiana.
• NACo simultaneously released a primer on county-level election administration, focusing on the scope of responsibilities, variations in local election systems and canvassing procedures, and funding for election costs.

'Bridging Divides' toolkit

County leaders are uniquely positioned to bridge divides and achieve results for our residents. NACo, in partnership with the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, created a practical toolkit designed to help county leaders reduce division and pursue collaborative problem-solving.

• Equipping county leaders: The toolkit provides strategies and tools to bridge divisions within county government, between the levels of government, and between government and the communities we serve.

• NACo President James Gore's presidential spotlight, "We..." showcases the central role of counties as intergovernmental partners, focusing on the pillars of engagement and collaboration, research and innovation, and capacity building.

Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing final report

Since launching in February 2023, NACo’s Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing focused on strengthening our response to the nation’s mental and behavioral health crisis.

• Findings and recommendations: During NACo's Annual Conference, the commission released findings and recommendations.

• Pursuing solutions: Watch a series of videos with commission members, highlighting county leadership in addressing the mental health crisis.

• The Opioid Solutions Center delivered more than 20 new resources and hosted in-person and virtual events of the Opioid Solutions Leadership Network to help counties address behavioral health challenges and maximize impact with opioid settlement dollars. 
  

AI Exploratory Committee county compass

Over the past year, NACo’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Exploratory Committee examined the potential applications and consequences of AI through the lens of county governance, operations, constituent services, innovation, public trust, privacy and security, and workforce productivity.

• Compass for Counties: At the Annual Conference, the committee released a comprehensive toolkit to help counties consider, adopt and regulate the use of generative AI.

• The Marvelous Adventures of Countyland: Earlier this year, NACo released a book built utilizing generative AI, serving the dual purpose of introducing young people to the role of county government and creating a conversation starter for counties around the potential of AI.

• The NACo County Tech Xchange online portal reached new heights in membership, continuing to connect county IT leadership and enable discussion around AI, among other topics. 

Report on disaster resiliency

NACo published a report sharing findings from this year's Intergovernmental Roundtable on Disaster Resilience, the third and final convening in a series organized with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

• The report highlights areas for intergovernmental partners to prioritize in better preparing America's counties for disaster and emergency events.

• NACo recently announced the formation of the Intergovernmental Disaster Reform Task Force, charged with modernizing federal disaster policies, strengthening intergovernmental partnerships and enhancing local disaster mitigation, response and recovery capacities.

County News and the County News Podcast

NACo's flagship publication, County News, published 20 issues this year and launched a new podcast designed to offer a deeper dive into some of the topics covered in the newspaper.

• Explore stories from America's counties and coverage from all of this year's NACo events by visiting County News online.

• Check out the podcast: Click here to learn more, listen to episodes and subscribe on your preferred podcast application.