[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 47 (Friday, April 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S3599]]
              NATIONAL COUNTY GOVERNMENT WEEK, APRIL 19-25

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, I rise today to salute the work of 
the 3,072 county governments nationwide, and in particular, the work of 
the 87 counties in my home state of Minnesota. Counties are often an 
invisible, but extremely important part of our intergovernmental 
system. County officials in my home state have also taken leadership 
roles in their national organization, namely Commissioner Randy 
Johnson, who chairs the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and 
serves as the President of the National Association of Counties (NACo), 
and his colleague, Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who 
chairs NACo's Large Urban County Caucus which represents the interests 
of the nation's 100 largest counties.
  Counties can trace their roots to the English shire of a thousand 
years ago. Serving a dual function, the shire acted as the 
administrative arm of the national government as well as the citizen's 
local government. The structural form of the shire was adopted along 
the eastern seaboard of North America by the colonists and adapted to 
suit the diverse economic and geographic needs of each of the 
colonists.
  Traditionally, counties performed state-mandated duties which 
included assessment of property, record keeping such as property and 
vital statistics, maintenance of rural roads, and administration of 
election and judicial functions. Today, counties are moving rapidly 
into other areas, undertaking programs relating to consumer protection, 
economic development, employment training, planning and zoning, and 
water quality, to name just a few.
  This week, counties across the country are celebrating National 
County Government Week. This celebration is an annual event for 
counties. First held in 1991, the goal of National County Government 
Week is to raise public awareness and understanding about the roles and 
responsibilities of the nation's counties.
  There have been activities at the national, state and local levels 
this week. More than 1,000 counties annually participate in National 
County Government Week by holding a variety of programs and events. 
These include tours of county facilities, presentations in schools, 
meetings with business and community leaders, recognition programs for 
volunteers, briefings on environmental projects, and adoption of 
proclamations.
  There is a theme each year for National County Government Week. This 
year, the theme has been ``Creating Sustainable Communities.'' Counties 
are being encouraged during National County Government Week to make 
their communities more livable by engaging their citizens in a process 
that promotes job growth and environmental stewardship.
  I know that NACo has encouraged counties this week to hold a town 
meeting or launch a series of community-wide dialogues to solicit 
citizen participation to identify the community's most pressing issues 
and to establish a comprehensive vision for the future.
  NACo has also suggested that counties develop a public participation 
strategy to identify and solve local problems that bring local 
government officials, business leaders, and community representatives 
together.
  Counties have brought their citizens closer to their government by 
getting them to come to county facilities to learn about county 
services--or by going where the people are. Some counties this week 
held an open house at the county courthouse and administration 
building. They created displays by county departments showing what each 
department does. Employees were on hand to describe the services they 
provide and their responsibilities.
  Some counties focused on their county's history as well. Local 
historical societies and libraries put together presentations or 
displays to inform citizens about the county's history.
  Mr. President, I am pleased to rise today to support the efforts of 
our county governments throughout the country, and in particular, my 
home state of Minnesota. National County Government Week has been 
successful in attempting to raise public awareness of the good work of 
our nation's county governments and how they help improve the lives of 
their residents.

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