Pubdate: Tue, 14 Mar 2006
Source: El Dorado Times, The (KS)
Copyright: 2006, The El Dorado Times
Contact:  http://www.eldoradotimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3354
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

COMMISSIONERS RETURN FROM WASHINGTON D.C.

"I learned a lot," Mike Wheeler observed of the half-week he and Dan 
Woydziak spent last week in Washington D.C.

Wheeler and Woydziak are respectively districts 4 and 5 Butler County 
commissioners.

Wheeler represents the east half of El Dorado, while Woydziak, of 
Rose Hill, is commission chairman.

This week commissioners will get back to their regular agenda after 
Wheeler's and Woydziak's attendance at the National Association of 
Counties legislative conference in the nation's capital.

More than 2,000 county officials from across the country attended the 
March 4-8 conference, held to help strengthen the voice of county 
government on Capital Hill.

NACO members met with members of Congress, participated in 
professional workshops and educational seminars designed to help 
their own public service delivery skills and heard special addresses 
from national leaders.

County officials also had the opportunity to network with their 
colleagues from around the country to exchange ideas on how to best 
serve the public.

Wheeler said a session on the nation's growing methamphetamine 
problem was one which made a particular impression on him.

"There was a lot of emphasis on the meth epidemic," he said, "and a 
lot of discussion about what to do about the proliferation of meth."

He said one issue which has arisen with regard to methamphetamine is 
the legislation enacted in the various states to reduce the problem.

In Kansas the Matt Samuels Act, named in honor of the late Greenwood 
County sheriff, has made it more difficult to purchase one of the key 
ingredients used in methamphetamine production.

Now, Wheeler said, tougher laws in states like Kansas have caused the 
methamphetamine problem to surge into other states such as Nebraska.

To date NACO has released four surveys on the impact of 
methamphetamine abuse on counties.

Key findings of NACO's research have shown:

€ Methamphetamine is the top drug threat to county law enforcement officials.

€ Methamphetamine is the drug most responsible for driving people to 
county public hospital emergency rooms.

€ Methamphetamine is responsible for an increase in out-of-home 
placements for children.

€ The need for methamphetamine treatment is growing.

Wheeler said he attended another session focusing on tax collections 
on Internet sales.

Internet sales tax collection is something which is coming, he said, 
adding such issues as where such sales actually occur still need to 
be resolved.

Compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act (which has been 
going by the acronym of HAVA) was another session Wheeler said he joined in on.

Deadline for complying with HAVA has passed, with counties now 
approaching the first primary election season in the wake of that deadline.

Among HAVA issues key federal agency officials brought before the 
NACO conference were current rates of compliance among counties; the 
projected path for enforcement activities by the U.S. Department of 
Justice; and the adoption of new federal funding.

Wheeler said a couple of issues regarding voting also came in for discussion.

One was the problem of finding poll workers.

"They're having a terrible time" trying to find workers in some 
areas, he said, adding it could be that the educational system - 
starting with high school students who are old enough to vote - could 
be tapped into to meet that need and also spur interest among younger 
people in getting into the voting habit and coming to an 
understanding about how important the voting process is.

While it is not yet a particular issue for Butler County, he said, 
the coming need for bi-lingual poll workers was also an issue.

Wheeler said those attending the NACO conference also heard about 
Wheeler said he also picked up some "good information" on enhanced 
sewerage systems at the NACO conference.

"That's something we're dealing with all the time when planning and 
zoning issues arise involving houses to be built when lot splits have 
occurred," Wheeler said.

One key criteria in such situations, he said, is such infrastructure 
as sewerage systems.

Wheeler said officials from Kansas counties also had a chance to meet 
all in one room with the entirety of Kansas' delegation to Congress.

"That was pretty remarkable," he said of that gathering.

Woydziak said the Butler County representatives visited with U.S. 
Rep. Todd Tiahrt's office about possible funding for restoration of 
the historic Butler County Courthouse; a dike improvement project at 
Augusta; and expansion of the portion of Butler Road extending 
between Andover and Rose Hill.

Woydziak said there was also a "very informative" session on homeland 
security as it relates to such natural disasters as Hurricane Katrina 
and how local agencies and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) 
will work together in the wake of natural disasters.

Woydziak said people from counties which went through Katrina talked 
about both the positives and the negatives of that experience.

While the news media often focused on the negatives, he said, it 
turned out there were also a lot of positives which didn't always get 
passed along.

Speaking before NACO's Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, 
former FEMA director James Lee Witt said it is critical for counties 
to have highly effective communication systems in place to meet 
threats, whether natural or man-made.

He pointed to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, saying "better lines of 
communication among local, state and federal officials could have 
saved more lives."

Woydziak said the message of self-sufficiency in the wake of natural 
disasters was stressed during the homeland security session.

It is likely, he said, that after a disaster occurs it will be 72 
hours before any help can be expected to arrive.

That, he said, all comes back to messages which have often been 
stressed here in Butler County, where such disasters as flooding and 
tornados are likely to occur.

A working flashlight and radio (meaning fresh batteries also always 
need to be kept on hand) and a supply of water remain personal 
disaster preparation necessities, he said.

While the mechanisms and planning for disasters always need to be in 
place, Woydziak said, another point stressed at the conference was 
the need for local officials to get to know the representatives from 
the agencies they will be dealing with before a disaster occurs.

He said it's a matter of meeting face-to-face with those people and 
getting to know them on a personal basis, he said, rather than being 
acquainted with them simply as someone at the other end of a telephone call.

"It's important to build those relationships," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman