History in the Making…
NC Association of County Commissioners Conference
Prepares for First Ever Visit to Cumberland County

Cumberland County hospitality will soon be over-pouring as the county welcomes the NC Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) Conference August 8 - 12, 2001. In the event's 94 year history, this is its first trip to Cumberland County and local officials want to make sure it's not its last.

The conference is expected to attract approximately 700 county commissioners, staff and family members. The economic impact of the 4-day conference is expected to be as much as a half million dollars.

This year's theme, "Thinking Creatively in Challenging Times," indicates that Cumberland is not alone in dealing with difficult budget situations. Commissioners and county staff will have the opportunity to sit in on various workshops and round table discussions to include topics like Discovering Hands-on Leadership Concepts and The Community College and County Government Partnership.

The host county will be highlighted in at least three segments of the conference. The first of which will be a tour of county facilities scheduled for Thursday, August 9th to include the Department of Social Services Building and the soon to be completed Detention Center.

On Friday, August 10th, the association will pay tribute to former Cumberland County Commissioner Thomas B. Bacote in a special video presentation honoring his life and work on the local, state and national level. Before his death in June 2001, Mr. Bacote played an instrumental role in bringing the conference to Cumberland County.

During the Ketner Productivity Award Presentation on Saturday, August 11th, Cumberland County Communicare, Inc. will be one of 10 recipients from across the state to receive $1,000 for its cost saving and productivity efforts.

In addition to the many workshops and special presentations planned, there are some fun activities on tap as well for conference participants and their families. A golf tournament will take place at Cypress Lakes on Thursday, a trip to the Airborne Special Operations Museum on Friday and a fashion show for spouses on Saturday.

A tremendous amount of hard work has gone into efforts to make this year's conference one of the most successful ever. The Commissioners Office, along with other designated county staff, has worked with the Association to train more than 80 volunteers. And the county has raised over $50,000 locally for conference related expenses.

The mission is simple…Get'em here, wow 'em with what we got and get 'em to want to come back again. It worked for getting the City of Fayetteville on regular rotation for the NC League of Municipalities annual conference. We're confident it's going to work for convincing the NCACC to bring its conference back to Cumberland County again and again.

After all, our town seat is an All America City. LET'S SHOW 'EM WHAT WE GOT!