Essentials of County Government
- Asheville, NCFebruary 19 - 20, 2025
Due to Hurricane Helene, we postponed our Western Carolina offering, originally scheduled for December 12-13, 2024, to February 19-20, 2025.
Newly-elected County Commissioners
Congratulations on your successful election as a county commissioner! The UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners have partnered to offer you a course on the essentials of county government. In this course, we will introduce newly-elected commissioners to the essential functions of county government and the governing board's role. In short, we are here to help you successfully transition from campaigning to governing.
This year, we are offering two learning experiences:
· Free information pre-session; no advance registration required
· Essentials of County Government; course registration required
New this year, pre-session:
From Campaigning to Governing: What a Newly-Elected Commissioner Needs to Know in the First 30 Days
We are pleased to invite all newly-elected county commissioners (and any seasoned commissioners who wish to join) to a free, informative one-hour Zoom webinar.
This session will provide valuable insights and practical guidance on transitioning from the campaign trail to effective governance. Join us as experienced professionals share best practices, key responsibilities, and critical resources that will empower you to hit the ground running in your new role. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with fellow commissioners and gain the tools you need for a successful start.
Date: December 5, 2024
Time: 8:30am-9:30am
Location: Online via Zoom
How to Join: Anytime up until the meeting, provide your name and email to this Zoom form, and a link to the Zoom meeting will be emailed to you.
Essentials of County Government course: What to expect
In-person: The program will run approx. 8:30am-4:30pm on Thursday-Friday
Who should attend the course: We encourage your newly elected officials to attend with their county manager and or county attorney. Counties with strong clerk relationships would also benefit from attending together.
County Government: Roles and Responsibilities. Watch a lively mock board meeting to learn the dos and don’ts of working as a board and transacting business in the public spotlight. Through interactive activities, participants also learn about the roles and responsibilities of the board and individual board members and explore the board’s relationship to professional staff. Participants can build essential communication and relationship-building skills to help you interact more effectively within county government and with the legislature, your constituents, and the media.
Finances, Budgets, and Fiduciary Duty. What are the top-ten financial management principles every county commissioner should know? What are county funding requirements? What should you expect from your first budget process? How does a board carry out its fiduciary duties? Participants can engage in small group discussions and learn how to approach and respond to common financial issues.
Ethics, Conflicts of Interest, and Open Government. Finally, the course will focus on essential limitations on board members and their legal and ethical responsibilities. Commissioners will explore public records and open meetings requirements and learn practical techniques to operate effectively in an open government environment. They will also participate in the statutorily required two-hour ethics training.
LELA Level: Local elected officials become members of the Local Elected Leaders Academy upon completion of Essentials of County/Municipal Government. This is a 101 Level course in the Local Elected Leaders Academy. Elected officials who attend this class will earn 12 credits towards the Practitioner recognition certificate.
- Asheville, NCFebruary 19 - 20, 2025Embassy Suites Asheville Downtown
192 Haywood St
Asheville, NC 28801View Cancellation PolicyCourse participants who cancel their registration on or before February 11, 2025 will receive a full refund. No refund will be made for cancellations on or after February 12, 2025, but you will receive a transferrable credit to be used within 12 months. Click here to view the School’s full cancellation and refund policy.View Hotel InformationEmbassy Suites by Hilton - Asheville Downtown
192 Haywood St, Asheville, NC 28801Group member reservations can be made by callingFront Desk Reservations: 1-(828) 407-0422 and referencing SRP Code: 920- OR -Online Reservation can be made with this link:Reservation Deadline: 02.04.2025$350.00Registration and payment for this course grants access for a single attendee. In order to register a group of attendees, please register each person individually. If you have questions, please contact our registration office at registration@sog.unc.edu or 919.966.4414.