Heirbrandt
Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt was once again elected Vice President of the Indiana Association of County Commissioners (IACC) East Central District during their annual conference last week. Madison County Commissioner Steffanie Owens stated that “Mark will be a great spokesperson for their district and is dedicated to improving local government.”
As District Vice President, Heirbrandt will represent the elected county commissioners in the East Central district of the state, which includes the following counties: Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Tipton, Union and Wayne. The IACC is represented by six districts in the state. Heirbrandt will serve on the IACC’s board of directors, which determines policies and legislative goals for the Association.
Wayne County Commissioner Ken Paust was elected District President during the meeting as well. The district meeting also included discussion on current issues pertaining to county government in the East Central District.
The elections were held during the IACC’s 2017 Annual Conference, the largest gathering of County Commissioners in the state. The three-day conference included several different workshops and breakout sessions that were designed specifically for county commissioners and support staff.
Jim McClelland, who was appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb to the newly-created position of Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Enforcement for the State of Indiana, was the keynote speaker at this year’s conference. McClelland, who also chairs the Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse, presented the governor’s strategic approach to attacking the state’s drug epidemic and shared the detailed Action Steps that will guide the efforts in this area throughout the Indiana.
Commissioner Heirbrandt and others attended several training workshops concerning such county related topics on “Working Together . . . Achieving More” where they discussed working together in all areas of local government and focused on community mental health center funding, criminal justice reinvestment, needle exchange, workforce development, managing risk, emergency preparedness, county veterans’ service officer and more.
The Indiana Association of County Commissioners is a nonprofit organization established to provide the best education, leadership support and advocacy services for our County Commissioners to strengthen their influence throughout Indiana. The objectives of the Association are to promote cooperation of the county unit with all other units of local government (cities, towns, township, etc.) and with state and federal agencies; and to promote improvement and efficiency in the delivery of county government services. The various functions of the IACC include serving as liaison among counties, state and federal agencies, lobbying the Indiana General Assembly on behalf of County Commissioners, as well as providing technical assistance and training to county commissioners and support staff.