COMMISSIONERS BRING IDEAS HOME FROM D.C. CONFERENCE

Lane, Stone, Sexton Report On Homeland Security, Other Issues

Three county commissioners are back from a conference in Washington,
hoping to use information they collected from a series of seminars
and workshops to bring new ideas and programs to Union.

The event, which ran March 11-15, was sponsored by the National
Association of Counties (NACo). The organization provides training to
county leaders and represents local governments in Washington.

Commissioners Chairman Roger Lane and commissioners Richard Stone and
Hughie Sexton attended. Commissioners Stony Rushing and Kevin Pressley didn't.

The conference drew about 2,000 county officials from throughout the
United States, according to the organization's news release. The trip
is expected to cost taxpayers more than $4,100 for the three
commissioners, according to hotel, airline and registration
projections. Commissioners also will be reimbursed for other travel
expenses and meals.

The Observer spoke to the commissioners about the conference and what
they learned.

Roger Lane

Lane said he attended a series of classes and meetings, including
sessions on homeland security, transportation and "how we can keep
kids from getting hooked on methamphetamine."Additionally, he said,
Congress is in discussions about finding fair ways to tax online
sales, including Internet auctions.

"We're talking billions of dollars all over the country -- North
Carolina would be in the hundreds of millions....There are several
bills in Congress right now, but they're being held until they have a
formula about how to disburse the money to all the states."

Lane said he's going to meet with Union Homeland Security Director
Pat Beekman in the upcoming weeks to talk about disaster
preparedness, a move he said was based on information he obtained
during the trip.

"There was a good presentation from the team who went through it (in
New Orleans). ...They knew it was coming, so people should have been
better prepared, at least with water. Until the state declares a
national emergency, FEMA is just sitting in the wings."

Lane said he'll talk to Beekman about how to get the word out if
there is an emergency and tips residents should know, such as filling
bathtubs with extra water.

"I just hope we never have to do it," he said.

Richard Stone

Stone said he attended seven training courses; the "most dynamic" was
on methamphetamines and its effects on children. He said he has a
disk full of advertisements that he brought back, and plans to see if
the county can implement an advertising campaign against the drug.

"The people talking on the tapes were children who have been victims
of methamphetamine, and children talk to children better than adults
talk to children," Stone said. "I want to get a message back to our
children that says: 'Don't even try it. Not even once.' And I stress
that -- 'not even once.' There are graphic pictures of what happens
when they take that stuff...and it's highly addictive."

He also said he brought back information about transportation and how
it affects endangered species, which he'll talk about during an
upcoming commissioners meeting.

Hughie Sexton

Sexton said he attended seminars on transportation, as well as
methamphetamine, homeland security and illegal immigration.

He said he, too, wants the commissioners to find ways to fight
methamphetamine abuse in the county, possibly by working with school
officials to get information out about the drug.

"I had no idea of the pervasiveness of the...problem -- there's no
neighborhood, no community that's safe," he said. "It's more
addictive than marijuana, cocaine and heroin. All it takes is use one
time, whether for recreation or whatever. These are the trap doors
that our young people are faced with."

Sexton added that Union officials also were able to help other county
commissioners across the country by providing them information about
Union's efforts to approve an adequate public facilities ordinance.

The ordinance, which ties residential development approval to the
amount of available classroom space, could be brought before
commissioners for approval in the upcoming months.

"A lot of counties are having the kind of growth we're experiencing
and they were very interested in what we are doing," he said.