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The Courthouse Journal is the official weekly newsletter of the Washington Association of County Officials. The Courthouse Journal Blog is a collection of publications relevant to WACO members, their staff, and others. *This blog is not updated on a schedule.

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Oct 15

Recap: The 62nd Annual Washington Association of County Officials Conference

Posted on October 15, 2020 at 1:32 PM by Melanie Terry

The 62nd WACO Annual Conference was held entirely via Zoom, noetheless the Conference was still just as impactful as the in-person conferences that came before it, engaging members with legislation, communication, and education. 


Attendees could feel the sense of community, even virtually through their computers as the 2020 Conference theme was “We’re All in This Together”.  

WACO was honored to be joined by members, partners, and educational speakers during the four-day conference. The conference began on Monday October 4th, with affiliate business meetings hosted and supported by WACO staff. Affiliate meetings and training continued into Tuesday morning and afternoon until the President’s Reception (sponsored by WRCIP) and Awards Ceremony.  

WACO staff and members were delighted to honor out-going President Jerry Pettit in a camping themed virtual President’s Reception. Fellow auditors worked together to create a fun video commemorating Past-President's Pettit love for camping, while having a bit of fun.  

Following the President’s Reception was the Awards Ceremony. The following were honored during the Ceremony:  

  • President’s Award:  Douglas County Auditor Thad Duvall 

  • Legislative Committee Award: Thurston County Assessor Steve Drew 

  • Legislator Award: Representative Tina Orwall 

  • Education Committee Award: Douglas County Clerk Tristen Worthen 

  • Executive Director Award – Pierce County Assessor / Treasurer Mike Lonergan 

  • Affiliate Award: Washington State Association of County Clerks  

 

Wednesday morning marked the beginning of the Opening Ceremony (sponsored by Tyler Technolgies) and Business Meeting. WACO Presented the 2021 Legislative Priorities, the Board of Trustees Slate, and the 2023 Conference Location options for the membership's consideration and vote.  

Following the Business Meeting, attendees were able to join two concurrent education sessions. Members had the option of attending two of the following breakout educational sessions: 

  • Lessons Learned Thus Far: COVID19 (sponsored by Archive Social) 

  • Elected County Official Ethics  

 

Thursday began with a joint Implicit Bias training with the Clerks and Prosecuting Attorneys, presented by the Honorable Judge Lori Smith and the Honorable Judge Veronica Galván. Following the joint training the Clerks held their own Module Collections Training with Joshua Minnis of the Administrative Office of the Courts.  


The Closing Ceremony (sponsored by WCIF) and final business meeting parked successful passage of the 2021 Legislative Priorities, The Officer and Board of Trustees Slate and established The Delta Hotel Everett as the 2023 conference location.  

The final event of the conference was the 2020 Auction which raised over $1,000 for the Washington Counties Scholarship fund. A special thank you to everyone who donated to the fund and who donated auction items.  


The WACO team was honored to a present the 62nd Annual Conference in a virtual option and hopes that each member and partner felt connected to the WACO Family for the duration of the conference.  

 

For more conference information – 2020 conference page.