Title
Discussion and Possible Approval of Los Alamos County Policy Proposals to the National Association of Counties (NACo)
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve the submission of the policy proposals as agreed upon to the National Association of Counties policy process for consideration.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the policy proposals for submission as requested.
Body
The National Association of Counties (NACo) develops annual policies for which the organization and its members advocate. Policies that are proposed and approved during the NACo Annual Conference remain in place for a full year. The proposed policies included in this item would support the goals of Los Alamos County. If accepted and approved by the membership of NACo, these policies would find additional support through the advocacy staff of NACo and through the nation-wide County membership of NACo.
Attachment A is a renewal of the resolution Los Alamos County has submitted to NACo for the last three years. It is to support a program for investment in infrastructure for communities that host or are adjacent to the host community for Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. This program is often refer to this as the Energy Communities Infrastructure Program (ECIP). It would be submitted to the NACo Environment, Energy, and Land Use Policy Committee and then to the full membership to vote on their inclusion in the officials NACo Policy Resolutions for one year.
Other resolutions may be submitted for Council approval. The topics for these additional resolutions are:
-Fire Mitigation Funding
-Additional support for the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)
-More robust water infrastructure to fight fires under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA)
Alternatives
The Council could choose to allow staff to submit the proposals under consideration to NACo without endorsing the policies.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Planned Item
If approved those representatives of Los Alamos County that are on policy committees for NACo would have to present the policies at the NACo Legislative Conference in July 2026. Those representatives would likely attend the conference regardless of the policy submission and therefore there is no additional fiscal or staff impact.
Attachments
A - NACo Proposal ECIP Renewal