At the beginning of September, we had the chance to join state association leaders, the NACo team, and partner organizations in Chicago for the 2026 Federal-State Policy Exchange. Three days of conversation across multiple state association teams left me with two takeaways I keep coming back to: how far the federal-state-county relationship has evolved to get here, and how much the way we tell our story matters going forward.

One of the most valuable parts of the exchange for me was simply slowing down to look at the bigger picture. Counties occupy a distinct place in our system of government: political subdivisions of the state, created by state legislatures to carry out core public services on their behalf. That relationship has shifted with every generation, shaped by changing populations, new technology, and new fiscal realities.

A session on the future of federalism captured this well as the framework we're operating under today looks different from even ten or fifteen years ago, and it will keep evolving. It's a story of adaptation which is the same story that has always been true of local government.

The second takeaway was about communication. NACo's "We Are Counties" campaign session reminded everyone in the room that good research alone doesn't move people, a good story does. State association leaders shared graphics, videos and primers: pairing solid data with a human, relatable narrative about how counties serve people and shape their quality of life.

If there's one thing I'll carry from this year's exchange, it's a sense of shared purpose. We are learning from each other, state by state, about how to honor where we've come from while building for what comes next and doing it with a story that delivers far beyond the courthouse. Grateful to have been part of the conversation, and looking forward to working with the NACO team to create resources to help tell the Nebraska counties story.