This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter reports on the end the 43-day federal government shutdown and the enacted funding bill, recaps the National Association of Counties' (NACo) October Great Lakes Regional Forum meeting that discussed growing competition for water resources in the Great Lakes Basin, encourages county officials and staff to attend the February 2026 National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference and provides registration information, links to articles ISACo staff is reading to stay informed, conveys information about upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc., and invites counties to join ISACo.

Federal Government Funding Bill Signed into Law

President Donald Trump has signed into law a funding bill passed by the U.S. House to end the 43-day federal government shutdown. The measure fully funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction projects, and congressional operations through the end of Fiscal Year 2026, while providing short-term funding for all other federal agencies through January 30, 2026. The bill also includes a significant provision concerning hemp. Additional information is available via this link.

NACo Great Lakes Regional Forum - October Meeting Recap

The National Association of Counties' (NACo) Great Lakes Regional Forum convened in October to discuss growing competition for water resources in the Great Lakes Basin. The meeting featured insights from Helena Volzer of the Alliance for the Great Lakes on how data centers, agriculture, and mining are intensifying water demand and what local governments can do to ensure sustainability. The Forum also spotlighted the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative’s new "Fresh Coast Economic Transformation Action Plan," which charts a 10-year vision for sustainable economic growth and freshwater stewardship across the region. Additional information is available via this link.

NACo Legislative Conference Registration Open

The NACo Legislative Conference brings together nearly 2,000 elected and appointed county officials to focus on federal policy issues that impact counties and our residents. The conference will be held in Washington, D.C. from February 21-24, 2026. Registration information is available via this link. 

What We're Reading

How Illinois Made a ‘Transformational' Investment in Transit (Governing)

SNAP Funding Restored Through September 2026 (Smartcitiesdive)

Cook County Public Defender's New Community Legal Hun to Expand Legal Resources for South Siders (The Triibe)

Williamson County Turns Potential Financial Woes from SAFE-T Act to Generating New Revenue (wsiltv.com) 

Learn more about IPRIME

Founded in 2019, the Illinois Public Reserves Investment Management Trust™ (IPRIME™) referred to as “the Fund” is an investment pool for Municipal Treasurers acting on behalf of counties, townships, cities, towns, villages, libraries, park districts, water supply districts, fire protection districts, sanitary districts, housing authorities and other subdivisions of the State of Illinois.

The IPRIME Investment Shares Series is rated AAAm by Standard & Poor’s.

The Investment Shares Series is comprised of money market instruments having a maximum remaining maturity of one year (except U.S. government obligations that may have remaining maturities of up to two years).

The primary objectives of the Investment Shares Series are to offer the highest possible investment yield, protect principal, preserve liquidity and maintain Standard & Poor’s highest local government investment pool rating of AAAm. In addition, the Fund offers access to PMA Financial Network, LLC’s Fixed Income and Deposit Programs. With the experience and expertise of PMA, the Investment Shares Series grants investors access to a powerful investment management team that functions with a high standard of vision, synergy, and quality.

Click on the photo below to learn more about IPRIME!

 

Please contact Member Services and Communications Manager Tiffani Homer at thomer@isacoil.org if you have additional questions.

Upcoming NACo Webinars

NACo has announced the following upcoming webinar opportunities. ISACo is a proud partner with NACo and encourages counties to participate in NACo membership and activities. 

Driving GenAI in County Government: A Collaborative, Outcomes-Focused Approach

(Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CST)

Artificial intelligence—especially generative AI—is no longer a “future trend” for county governments. It’s here, and its impact depends on how it’s implemented. Successful projects don’t start and end with the IT department; they require strong collaboration across communications, customer service, and business units to ensure technology delivers real outcomes for residents.

Hear from Wyandotte County, KS, where a community speaking 31 languages and handling 50,000 calls a year with just three staff members needed a smarter way to serve residents. Learn how the county partnered across departments to design and deploy conversational digital agents that address real service challenges—while safeguarding data, maintaining public trust, and ensuring equitable access.

You’ll walk away with:

- Practical strategies for building AI projects around resident-focused outcomes.

- Lessons learned from cross-department collaboration between IT, communications, and customer service.

- Insights on using AI safely in diverse, high-demand service environments.

This is a candid, real-world look at how counties can responsibly adopt AI to improve service delivery—without losing sight of the people behind the technology.

Click on this link to register for this webinar.

Tackling the Child Care Workforce Crisis: A County-Led Solution

(Thursday, November 20, 2025, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CST)

Counties across the nation are facing a childcare workforce crisis that limits affordability and accessibility for families' child care needs and economic growth. In this session, King County, Wash., and its partners will share how they piloted a wage boost program that supports over 800 childcare workers. The Pilot will study staff retention, program stability, worker wellbeing, and what it means to have meaningful public investment in workers serving families across the county. Join NACo to explore practical lessons, cross-sector partnerships, and strategies your county can adapt to strengthen its own childcare workforce.

Click on this link to register for this webinar.

Transforming County Services in the Era of AI: Real-World Uses for Elections and Beyond

(Tuesday, December 2, 2025, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CST)

Join county government leaders as they share practical, battle-tested ways they’ve transformed operations in the age of AI — from consolidating content and replacing legacy file systems to securing mission-critical election workflows.

What you’ll hear: real use cases for content consolidation across field work and beyond
Field-proven workflows: how field workers trigger alerts to project teams, and keep project documentation current across large projects
Operational backbone & security: how counties run standard operating procedure libraries, directive distribution, and secure election operations
Where AI fits: panelists will touch on AI as an enabling topic - when useful and practical - without letting it overshadow operational priorities.

Walk away with actionable stories, implementation tips, and customer examples you can apply in your own county operations.

Click on this link to register for this webinar.

Modernizing County Infrastructure: Empowering Smart, Secure, and Resilient Communities

(Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CST)

Counties are at the forefront of delivering essential services—from public health and safety to transportation and education. Yet many local governments are constrained by outdated digital infrastructure, siloed legacy systems, and growing security risks.

This webinar—designed for county executives, CIOs/CTOs, and operations leaders—explores practical approaches to modernizing networks, integrating cloud and on‑premises platforms, and protecting sensitive citizen data. You’ll discover actionable strategies and real‑world solutions, that enable operational agility, resilience, and compliance.
 
Learn how future‑ready infrastructure can position your county to lead in smart government initiatives and prepare for emerging capabilities like AI, digital twins, and next‑generation applications.

Click on this link to register for this webinar. 

Modern Networks, Smarter Budgets: A County Leader’s Perspective

(Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CST)

Join us for a fireside chat with Orleans County, NY, as they share how their team successfully transitioned from a traditional capital expense (CapEx) model to an operational expense (OpEx) model for network services.

When faced with rising maintenance costs and an expiring carrier contract, the county seized the opportunity to modernize its network and lock in predictable monthly costs. By bundling connectivity services with unified communications, they achieved immediate savings of over $124,000, eliminated recurring charges such as long-distance fees and third-party integration costs, and gained access to operational upgrades like call analytics and auto-attendants.

This shift not only strengthened financial planning through fixed monthly expenses but also freed up IT staff to focus on strategic initiatives.

Key takeaway: Rethinking your budget model can be just as impactful as upgrading your technology — delivering fiscal stability and enhanced services for your community.

Click on this link to register for this webinar. 

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT  

 

Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc. (ACH) is the nation’s largest jail contract management company, managing contracts for health care teams and customized programs in a variety of correctional settings, including county jails, juvenile detention centers, mental health units, work release centers, and drug rehabilitation centers across 22 states. We lead the industry in a higher standard of care for an underserved population.

Click here to learn more about Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc.

Become an ISACo Member! 

Is your county a member of ISACo? If not, why not?