National Counties Meeting Starts Today in Anaheim : 5,000 Officials to Discuss Common Concerns

In Louisiana they are run by parish jurists, in New Jersey by freeholders and, in Orange County, by supervisors.

County governments are not like those of cities or states, which share similar duties. Throughout the country, counties have a variety of names, structures and responsibilities that reflect the nation’s plurality.

But starting today in Anaheim, about 5,000 county leaders from across the nation will meet to discuss their common concerns, including jail overcrowding, hazardous waste disposal, AIDS, suburban growth and transportation.

“It certainly provides an opportunity for people who have common interests to get together and find out how they can best achieve those interests,” said Orange County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley.

This is the annual convention of the National Assn. of Counties, a professional and lobbying organization representing the nation’s 3,106 county governments. Every year its members meet to discuss technicalities and theories of local government.

At the end of the convention, they adopt a platform that the organization uses as a guide to lobby the federal government.

The two U.S. presidential candidates--George Bush and Michael Dukakis--have been invited to speak at the convention. But NACo officials said Thursday that the candidates are likely to skip the conference and send representatives instead.

Barring a surprise appearance by the political candidates, there aren’t any headline-grabbing issues expected to come out of the conference. These workshops are designed for the experts, not the public.

County parks and recreation officials, for example, will discuss ways to incorporate flood plains and open space into their park system master plans.

And the taxation and finance steering committee will debate the federal value-added tax being considered in Congress and whether it might infringe on the sovereignty of local governments. They will also discuss the pros and cons of tax-exempt bonds and their impact on the local economy.

“There’s a lot of very detailed and thorough and expert analysis that goes on,” said Bradley L. Jacobs, Orange County’s assessor and a vice chairman of NACo’s finance committee. “These are the kind of matters that are illuminated, sometimes exhaustively illuminated, at NACo conventions.”

Seven years ago, the Orange County Board of Supervisors decided to host the 1988 NACo convention. As Supervisor Riley said, it is an opportunity to “showcase your own community.”

With sponsorship, however, came financial obligations that have caused some controversy. As the supervisors debated a lean budget, they reluctantly voted to spend about $45,000 of taxpayers’ money on the convention.

And the county was criticized by Shirley Grindle, a longtime watchdog, for tapping developers and local businesses to donate at least another $100,000. Thursday, the county fund-raisers were short of their goal, but they said they were confident that the money would be found and that the conference was not in jeopardy.

Supervisors and county officials bristled at the criticism, saying they were seeking private donations for the convention so they could avoid using taxpayer money for the event. They noted that the 5,000 conventioneers--many with their families--are expected to generate about $5 million for the local economy.

But it won’t all be master plans and no play for the county officials. Convention participants are scheduled to spend a day at Disneyland, and pleasure trips are planned to the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach, Angels baseball games and Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Then there are business trips to tour the county’s public works facilities, parks and other operations.