MACo Annual Conference Overview
Author: Debi Randolph, Broadwater County Commissioner District 1
MACo Annual Conference Overview
From time to time, you may have seen that the Broadwater County Commissioners are attending a MACo Conference. This past week, I attended the 113th Annual Conference of the Montana Association of Counties (MACo) in Billings. Every county in Montana is a member of MACo and there are meetings throughout the year. There is usually a trade show during the conferences with a large variety of businesses. While MACo does have some staff in Helena, it is run by the members, and the Board of Directors are Commissioners from all areas of Montana. Commissioners can be as involved in MACo as they want to be.
I am often asked what happens at a MACo conference. For one, speakers from across Montana, as well as from across the nation, attend these events. In the most recent conference, we heard from experts on topics including ARPA grants, mental health, fire mitigation, and energy, among others.
As Commissioners, we are assigned to committees based on our location and interests. Personally, I am on the Public Lands, Resolutions and Legislative, and Community Economic Development/Labor Committees. During these sessions, we break out into our committees and discuss topics related to each subject matter. I have found these sessions to be very educational, as there are viewpoints expressed from both the more urban and the more rural counties. It has been interesting to learn about some of the challenges faced by counties with a larger population. I consider us very blessed that Broadwater County doesn’t share some of their issues. However, there is a sense that we are all Montanans first and foremost and we all share similar issues like land use, public safety, and employment concerns.
Representative Rosendale and Senator Tester spoke via Zoom on the first day and Governor Gianforte spoke at one of the luncheons. Many of their staff attended all the sessions and were very accessible throughout the day. These folks offer great insights. However, I found the other County Commissioners to provide the most value, as I have learned so much from Commissioners from Missoula County to Treasure County.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Annual Conference are the resolutions. A few weeks ago, the Resolution Committee, of which I am a member, met to discuss and vote on a few presented resolutions. Then, at the conference, the appropriate committees review those resolutions and have the opportunity to propose amendments to them. Finally, all MACo members vote on each resolution. These resolutions come from the district meeting across the state that MACo holds in the summer. The resolutions are a fine example of grassroots action. MACo uses the resolutions to help educate our legislators once the session opens in Helena this winter. We will all now watch and see the results once the legislative session kicks off.
The next conference is in February. I look forward to attending and making sure the needs of Broadwater County get the attention we deserve.
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