Office Operations Training

WACO Training 2025 - Deescalation in WA County Government

De-Escalation in Washington’s County Governments - This two hour webinar course is designed for front-line county government staff who regularly interact with members of the public. It focuses on developing practical de-escalation skills and professional communication techniques tailored to the unique challenges of public service.

A code is required for WACO members/their staff to view this training. Please email memberservices@countyofficials.org to get the code. Slide deck provided with passcode.

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WACO Conference 2025 - Legal Autonomy of Elected Officials

Legal Autonomy of Elected Officials - So you are an elected official, you have the power to run your office as you please, or so you think. In this training you will learn the statutory autonomy of separately elected county officials, as well as some cases where this has been litigated, and some practical advice to navigating the balance of autonomy and working with your commissioners.

WCRP-LogoSponsored by the Washington Counties Risk Pool. Their mission is to provide comprehensive and economical risk coverage, to reduce the frequency and severity of losses, and to decrease costs incurred in the managing and litigation of claims. Learn more: https://www.wcrp.info/

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WACO Conference 2025 - Sheriff Role in Elections

Sheriff Role in Elections - Does the Sheriff have a role to play in elections in Washington State? The answer is a resounding yes. In this training you will learn about the Sheriff’s role in election security, some case studies, and what the best practices are for Sheriff staff when handling election related matters in the State of Washington.

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WACO Conference 2025 - Leveraging AI for Public Communication

Leveraging AI for Public Communication - This panel discussion covers both best practices and cautions for using AI, while also offering helpful tips on how you can use it to improve your communication with the public.

Polimorphic logoSponsored by Polimorphic. Polimorphic’s CRM & Workflows, AI Search & Chat, and VoiceAI solutions empower service-first governments to provide residents with the highest quality communication and engagement.

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WACO Training 2025 - Understanding Risk What Every County Official Should Know

Understanding Risk: What Every County Official Should Know - In this session, WCRP experts walk through the practical side of risk management, focusing on liability and property exposures common in county government. Learn how risk pools support counties, how risk appetite shapes strategy, and what it really means to “manage” risk across departments. This session is an informative, down-to-earth discussion with real examples and takeaways that apply no matter your title, or the size of your county.

WCRP-LogoSponsored by the Washington Counties Risk Pool. Their mission is to provide comprehensive and economical risk coverage, to reduce the frequency and severity of losses, and to decrease costs incurred in the managing and litigation of claims. Learn more: https://www.wcrp.info/

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WACO Training 2025 - Changing Financial Systems

Changing Financial Systems - Counties have various departments that may use a number of different applications. Even though an application isn’t a general ledger it doesn’t make it any less significant. This training is focusing on understanding the risks associated with not updating these important applications, and when converting to a new application tips and things to be aware of from an auditor's point of view as well as some best practices resources. 

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WACO Conference 2024 - Courthouse Security

Courthouse Security - This featured training from the 2024 WACO Annual Conference was presented by Seattle’s Finest Security & Traffic Control and focused on courthouse and office security. Training was led by Raleigh J. Evans, Seattle’s Finest President, and Tom Ovens of Police Training Solutions.

A code is required for WACO members/their staff to view this training. Please email memberservices@countyofficials.org to get the code.

Seattle's Finest LogoSponsored by Seattle's Finest Security & Traffic Control a WA State employer providing security and traffic control to a variety of industries throughout the area. Learn more: https://www.seafinest.com/

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WACO Conference 2024 - Recruiting You WANT to Work Here

Recruiting | Creating a Culture of "You WANT to Work Here" -Create a culture of "You WANT to work here!" Learn from Washington State Department of Transportation’s award winning team on how to market, hire, and retain a workforce no matter where you are located with a culture of belonging.

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WACO Conference 2024 - AI Best Practices

AI Cautions & Best Practices - This presentation covers the basics of what AI is, and is not, provides an overview of AI risks, including risks related to data, privacy, bias and transparency, and explores tools and considerations to identify and address risks.

WCRP-LogoSponsored by the Washington Counties Risk Pool. Their mission is to provide comprehensive and economical risk coverage, to reduce the frequency and severity of losses, and to decrease costs incurred in the managing and litigation of claims. Learn more: https://www.wcrp.info/

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WACO Conference 2024 - Lean Thinking

Under resourced? Unlock your county’s opportunities to grow capacity with Lean thinking - The session explores utilizing Lean methodologies to unleash hidden capacity within your organization.

Department of Enterprise Services - LogoSponsored by the Washington Department of Enterprise Services (DES). DES manages over 200 statewide (master) contracts and Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS), where governments and nonprofits post contract opportunities to some 20,000 vendors. Learn more: https://www.des.wa.gov/

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WACO Training 2024 - Digital Records Training

Digital Records Training - Training led by Washington Secretary of State Records Consultant Rachel Wilson on digital records best practices. Training discusses best practices for the scanning, storage, and archiving of records, with attention given to best ways to index your records.

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Packed Lunch - June 2024 - Procurement for Counties

Procurement for Counties - This session was presented by Brandon Cipolla, Contracts Liaison at the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services. It highlighted and went through the DES Procurement Manual used by state agencies and went through DES created templates and processes that are available.

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Packed Lunch - April 2024 - Digitizing Records Best Practices

Digitizing Records Best Practices - Presented by Rachel Wilson, Records Consultant at the Washington State Archives (SOS), this session is focused on best practices for digitizing records. Rachel previously spent time at MGM helping to coordinate its film collection. At the Washington State Archives, Rachel is combines her passions for organization and service to help Washington’s state & local agencies manage their records.

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WACO Training 2024 - Strategic Planning and Performance Metrics

Strategic Planning: Bridging the Gap Between Goals & Results - This training discusses how you can align performance metrics to your strategic plan, create visibility and transparency for your constituents, and raise overall execution to drive overall performance.

Presentation Slideshow (PDF)

AchieveIt LogoPresented by AchieveIt. AchieveIt is the Integrated Plan Management solution plan leaders turn to when they want to get things done. For real this time. Learn more: www.achieveit.com/

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Packed Lunch - November 2023 - Cyber Security Checkups and SAO CGI

Cyber Checkups & Other Free Resources from SAO's Center for Government Innovation - SAO's Center for Government Innovation provides free resources to help local governments throughout Washington work better. Its tools and services can help you solve problems and improve operations.

Center for Government Innovation Website

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WACO Conference 2023 - Working with Commissioners

Working with Commissioners - Panel of county elected officials and others sharing success stories, scope of reach, and more. This session was from the 65th WACO Annual Conference.

Presentation Slideshow (PFD)

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WACO Conference 2023 - Recruitment and Retention

Recruitment & Retention - Recording from the 65th WACO Annual Conference.

Presentation Slideshow (PDF)

Guardify_Logo_Landscape_Dark copySponsored by Guardify (formerly knowDone Editingn as VidaNyx). Guardify is the leading cloud-based digital video evidence management solution for public good, serving child advocacy organizations, child protective services, prosecuting attorneys, and law enforcement organizations. Guardify for Prosecutors is a digital platform that makes evidence simple, safe, and secure. Learn more: https://guardify.com/

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Prosecutor Recruitment & Retention - WACO Conference 2023

Strengthening Prosecutor Recruitment & Retention - Recording from the 65th WACO Annual Conference.

Presentation Slideshow (PDF)
CLE Submission Form (Complete for Credit)

Guardify_Logo_Landscape_Dark copySponsored by Guardify (formerly known as VidaNyx). Guardify is the leading cloud-based digital video evidence management solution for public good, serving child advocacy organizations, child protective services, prosecuting attorneys, and law enforcement organizations. Guardify for Prosecutors is a digital platform that makes evidence simple, safe, and secure. Learn more: https://guardify.com/

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WACO Conference 2023 - Funding for Staff

Funding for Staff - Recording from the 65th WACO Annual Conference.

Presentation Slideshow (PDF)

Department of Enterprise Services - LogoSponsored by the Washington Department of Enterprise Services (DES). DES manages over 200 statewide (master) contracts and Washington’s Electronic Business Solution (WEBS), where governments and nonprofits post contract opportunities to some 20,000 vendors. Learn more: https://www.des.wa.gov/

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Packed Lunch - August 2023 - Cultivating Community in the Workplace through Wellness

Cultivating Community in the Workplace through Wellness - Packed Lunch session from August, 2023 led by Janéé Cargil, the Wellness Director & Employee Liaison at Washington Counties Insurance Fund (WCIF) 

A discussion about importance of cultivating community in the workplace using facts and statistics. Explore ideas on how to build community through wellness, and get guidance on how you can best support your workforce - as well as additional resources.

Presentation Slideshow (PDF)

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Making the most of the Interim Title Slide

Making the most of the Interim - Packed Lunch session from July, 2023 led by the Washington Association of County Officials Deputy Director, Timothy Grisham. 

While legislative session is often described as a sprint, the legislative process is a marathon that takes ample preparation, training, and work. The best time to vet, discuss, and develop your legislative agenda is during the interim. This Packed Lunch session was a discussion about steps you can be taking during the interim to better position yourself for the next session.

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WACO Conference 2022 - New Expectations in the Workplace

New Expectations in the Workplace - Panel presentation exploring new expectations in the workplace. Part of the education breakout sessions for the 64th Annual Washington Association of County Officials Conference. September 28, 2022.

AWS LogoThis panel was sponsored by Amazon Web Services. AWS Cloud provides an opportunity for governments to modernize infrastructures and improve operational productivity. Learn more: www.aws.amazon.com/government-education/government/

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WACO Conference 2022 - Compensation Studies

Compensation Studies - Panel presentation on Compensation Studies. Part of the education breakout sessions for the 64th Annual Washington Association of County Officials Conference. September 28, 2022.

Panelists: Alexandra Sheeks - Cabot Dow Associates, Principal Associate; Maria Aponte - Thurston County, Human Resources Director; Mark McCauley - Jefferson County, Administrator.

Presentation Slideshow (PDF)

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Packed Lunch - December 2022 - 7 Rules for Managing Risk

7 Rules for Managing Risk - Packed Lunch session from December 14th, 2022 led by the Washington Rural Counties Insurance Program & their partners, Lexipol.

Presentation Slideshow (PDF)

Washington Rural Counties Insurance Program LogoThis training was sponsored by Washington Rural Counties Insurance Program. The Washington Rural Counties Insurance Program (WRCIP) is a property and liability risk pooling program for counties. Learn more: www.wrcip.us

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Packed Lunch - February 2023 - Goal Setting Strategies

Goal Setting Strategies - Packed Lunch Session from February 8th, 2023 led by Department of Enterprise Services Leadership Development Manager, Jessie Cronin.

This training invites you to work through a goal-setting process which will introduce techniques to define your goal, envision the future, and plan for obstacles.

Presentation Slideshow (PDF)
SMART Goals Worksheet (PDF)

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WACO Conference 2020 - Interacting with your County Commissioners

Interacting with your County Commissioners - October 2020 panel discussion on Interacting with your County Commissioners and Advocating for Your Office. The training was part of the 2020 WACO Conference.

Handout

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COOP Planning - Washington State Association of County Auditors 2015 Training

COOP Planning - This video is about testing and planning Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP). The training was held June 10, 2015 at Double Tree, Seatac, WA by the Washington State Association of County Auditors.

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