County Conversations

ARPA Planning with Chemung County Executive Chris Moss

In this episode we’re talking about Chemung County’s allocation proposal for American Rescue Plan Act funding, recently released by County Executive Chris Moss. Chemung County was given over $16 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan, and the County Executive released a spending plan proposal using data collected from a survey for county residents.

County Executive Chris Moss joins NYSAC Legislative Director Ryan Gregoire to  discuss the survey and details on the funding allocation and what it will mean for the county.

Saving Summer: One County’s Collaborative Approach to Revitalizing Tourism

When COVID-19 arrived in New York State in March of 2020, it upended nearly every aspect of normal life. Events were canceled, businesses closed or dramatically scaled back, and people - heeding the advice of public health experts - began to stay home. While necessary to stay safe and slow the spread of the virus, these changes in consumer behavior presented major challenges to regional economies that depended on tourism. 

In today’s episode, you’ll hear how one county in upstate New York addressed this challenge. We're talking about the Warren County Hospitality Communications Group, which is a virtual meeting space for county supervisors and business leaders to work collaboratively on keeping the tourism industry open for business amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

NYSAC’s Multimedia Specialist Kate Pierce is joined by Warren County Administrator Ryan Moore, Warren County Director of Public Affairs Don Lehman, and Mark Behan, President of Behan Communications and Chair of the Hospitality Communications Group.

You can read more about the group in the article Warren County Group Organizes to Save Summer from NYSAC’s summer magazine.

Tick Safety and Prevention

In this summer episode we are talking about ticks – what they are, how to prevent bites, and the role of local health departments in providing information and resources on preventing tick-borne illnesses like lyme disease.

Joining NYSAC’s Multimedia Specialist Kate Pierce for the conversation is Dr. Scott Campbell, Chief of the Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory at the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.

Highlights from the NACo Conference

Today’s episode features a conversation on key takeaways and resources for New York county officials from the recent National Association of Counties Annual Conference.

NYSAC’s Deputy Director Mark LaVigne is joined by Stephen Acquario, NYSAC’s Executive Director, and Dave Lucas, NYSAC’s Director or Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs. They discuss presentations and meetings that provided solutions and best practices on a range of issues from COVID Recovery and ARPA funding, to cyber security and broadband – all focused for local government leaders across the country.

Reimagining Mental Health Care After the Pandemic

Today’s conversation focuses on mental health services and how they have changed throughout the pandemic.

NYSAC’s Multimedia Specialist Kate Pierce is joined by Teisha Cook, Director of the Mental Health Department in Madison County. The county has recently launched a Mental Health Task Force amid an increase in crisis calls, which is discussed in the episode.  

NYSID: Serving Counties, Making a Difference

We’re happy to be joined by our partners from the New York State Industries for the Disabled for this episode to talk about how counties can meet procurement needs and create meaningful employment for individuals with disabilities.

Jennifer Lawrence and Katie Tucci of NYSID join NYSAC’s Deputy Director Mark LaVigne to discuss the affordable products and services NYSID offers and the positive impact of a workforce that includes empowered individuals with disabilities.

Rescuing 9-1-1 Funding

Today’s conversation focuses on how county 9-1-1 operations are currently funded, the diversion of surcharge fees at the state level, and what it means to run a 9-1-1 dispatch operation. Joining NYSAC’s Legislative Director Ryan Gregoire for the conversation is Steve Sharpe, Director of Emergency Communications for Genesee County. 

NYSAC thanks our sponsor, PERMA.

Economic Impact: County Leadership & the COVID Pandemic Part III

This episode is the third in a series NYSAC has produced that chronicles the county response to COVID-19.

Seven county executives from Onondaga, Dutchess, Rockland, Chemung, Rensselaer, Broome, and Orange Counties share stories of the economic impact of the pandemic on New York’s counties and how County Executives worked to manage the economic disaster in their communities and lead the local recovery. 

Marc Molinaro, Dutchess County Executive and President of the New York State County Executives’ Association provides an introduction for the episode.

For more information on Our Darkest Hours: New York County Leadership & the COVID Pandemic, visit NYSAC’s website.

Previous Episodes - Part I: The Early Days | Part II: Into Action

NYSAC thanks our sponsor for this episode, Three+One Advisors

Legislative Session Wrap-Up

Today’s episode features a conversation on the final weeks of the state legislative session. You'll hear from Dave Lucas, Ryan Gregoire, and Patrick Cummings from NYSAC's Legislative team to discuss the outcome for top county priorities during this session, along with other key concerns on the horizon.  

NYSAC will release a report on bills the legislature passed that details the impact of this legislative session on New York's counties, which will be available at nysac.org/advocacy.  

NYSAC thanks our sponsor, MEGA. 

The Right to an Attorney: The County Role in Indigent Legal Services

All counties in New York are required by the state to provide and pay for the criminal defense counsel for those that cannot afford this service themselves. This episode features a conversation about providing indigent legal defense services at the county level, and the office that monitors, studies, and makes efforts to improve the quality of services provided under Article 18-B of county law.

Joining NYSAC’s Counsel Patrick Cummings are Bill Leahy and Patricia Warth from NYS Office of Indigent Legal Services. After serving as Director of ILS for ten years, Bill is retiring, and Patricia will be taking on the position.

 

NYSAC thanks our sponsor, Nationwide Retirement Solutions.