Jul 30, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Covenant Global
Email is the heartbeat of county operations. Whether coordinating with vendors, issuing permits, or managing sensitive records, it’s how work gets done. But many public agencies don’t realize that their email domain—if not properly configured—can leave the door wide open to impersonation, spoofing, or even unnoticed data exposure.
That’s why Covenant Global created the “What’s Your Security Score?” scan: a free, low-lift checkup designed specifically for Oregon counties. It’s not a sales pitch. It’s a practical tool for busy teams who know cybersecurity matters but don’t always have the staff or time to dig into the details.
Why Domain Security and Dark Web Scans Matter
When your email domain records—SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX—are incomplete or outdated, it becomes easier for outsiders to impersonate your agency or send emails that appear trustworthy. These records are your front line of defense, and misconfigurations often go unnoticed until something goes wrong.
Similarly, a dark web scan checks to see if any credentials tied to your agency’s email domain have been exposed online. This often includes passwords from old accounts or previously used logins—small oversights that could create big risks later.
What You’ll Receive (At No Cost)
Your Security Score includes:
- A domain health scan reviewing key email security records
- A dark web credential check tied to your public domain
- A plain-English report outlining risks or misconfigurations
- A prioritized action plan for your IT team or provider
And for counties using Microsoft 365, we’ll let you know if you qualify for additional cybersecurity support through Microsoft’s 20/20 Initiative.
Why This Matters for Counties
In our early work with local governments:
- 75% had missing or outdated email security records, leaving them vulnerable to spoofing or impersonation
- Over 60% had credentials exposed on the dark web, often from old accounts or password reuse
This isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about giving your team the insight and support to make smart, proactive decisions.
It’s Not About Fear—It’s About Visibility
After working with SLG clients, we’ve found that most email domains have room for improvement—but many agencies simply aren’t aware of the gaps. The Security Score gives you the visibility to fix what’s fixable and the confidence to move forward.
It’s fast, free, and built to support the work you’re already doing.
If you’d like to take the first step, we’d be honored to walk with you.
Email us at tellmemore@covenant.global
Let’s keep Oregon counties secure, connected, and confident—together.
Jul 30, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Nationwide
For most participants of Nationwide’s Supplemental Retirement Plans, diversifying investments is important because it can help reduce the potential of overall market losses in your retirement account. If you are unsure about how to manage your asset allocation or prefer not to manage it yourself, selecting a target date fund (TDF) from the Plan’s menu of investment options could be the ideal solution.
A TDF is a mutual fund that is managed to adjust its asset allocation to become more conservative as you approach retirement — your target date. In the early years, the fund invests more heavily in growth-oriented assets such as stocks. As the target date nears, the fund gradually shifts toward more conservative investments such as bonds and cash equivalents.
Benefits of using a target date fund
- Professional management: TDF portfolio managers adjust the fund’s investments based on market conditions and its target date, helping to optimize returns and manage risk
- Diversification within a single fund: The fund manager invests to spread risk across various asset classes, which can enhance the stability and performance of your investments over time
- Automatic asset rebalancing: You don’t have to worry about making adjustments yourself as you get closer to retirement
- Convenience: Simply choose a fund with a target date closest to your expected retirement year, and the fund takes care of the rest
Things to consider about TDFs
- Retirement assets held outside of the Plan might affect your overall asset allocation and diversification, the risks you’ve assumed and the fees you’re paying
- TDF glide paths can vary widely, even among those with the same target date
- Investing in a TDF doesn’t necessarily safeguard against losses or guarantee that you’ll have enough income for retirement
For assistance in understanding how to use a TDF as an investment strategy, log in to your Nationwide Retirement Plan account at nrsforu.com to:
- Contact your Retirement Specialist
- Select a TDF or otherwise manage your investments
Jul 30, 2025 | AOC News, NACo
In July, the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) participated in the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference and Exposition in the City and County of Philadelphia, Pa. This gathering of county leaders drew over 3,400 attendees, and offered resources to help address key issues, including mental health, housing affordability, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, disaster preparedness, effective governance and operations, federal public lands management, workforce and economic development, and civic engagement. The Oregon delegation included more than 25 Oregon county leaders from across the state. AOC Executive Director Gina Nikkel emphasized the significance of Oregon’s engagement at the conference.
“Attending NACo’s conference allowed us to make our voices heard, gain direct insight into federal changes impacting our communities, and collaborate with government leaders from across the nation to find solutions to shared challenges,” Nikkel said.
The conference included four all-day learning forums themed around pressing county issues like local economies, the county workforce, and revenues and fiscal health. Several Oregon commissioners served as panelists, sharing their expertise on regional concerns. Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell addressed disaster preparedness; Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang offered insights on wildfire resilience; and Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader spoke on affordable housing and childcare.
Oregon also played a part in NACo’s 90th anniversary celebration. Twenty-five years of past NACo presidents gathered to reflect on NACo’s unique role in serving communities, including two former county commissioners from Oregon – former State Senator Bill Hansell (Umatilla County) and Randy Franke (Marion County).
AOC President and Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer summed up the conference experience, saying it offered plenty of takeaways and great connections. “Oregon showed up, shared some wisdom, and brought home some great ideas to put into action.”
Click here to watch video highlights from the conference, including the past presidents’ presentation.
Contributed by: Erin Good | Communications Coordinator
Jul 29, 2025 | AOC News
During the 2024 Annual Conference, the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) President John Shafer (Umatilla County) announced his 2025 presidential initiative to focus on behavioral health. Shafer’s presidential initiative kicked off in January with a series of monthly challenges.
- January: Read this short primer on local mental health governance in Oregon, authored by Malheur County CMHP Director Steve Jensen, and hear a brief presentation by Greater Oregon Behavioral Health (GOBHI) CEO Ann Ford at the AOC Legislative Committee meeting, held on Monday, Jan. 13. (presentation slides)
- February: Whether you know your CMHP director well, or will be meeting them for the first time, your February challenge is to invite them to lunch, say ‘thank you,’ and listen. You’ll be glad you did. Our community mental health program directors are among the most dedicated, hardworking public servants in Oregon and a tremendous resource to the local mental health authority — you! Strong relationships are the bedrock of mental wellbeing and of good governance.
- March: Tour your community mental health program
There is no substitute for being physically present and able to use all five senses. Make some time with your director this month to walk through your local facilities, meet the staff, and learn more about your program’s current strengths and challenges that you can help champion at AOC, the Local Government Advisory Committee, and with our state and federal partners.
- April: Join this year’s County College class virtually on Thursday, April 17, at 4:30 p.m., for a discussion with AOC President and Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer. Shafer will discuss his presidential initiative, including best practices for prioritizing behavioral health to equip counties to exercise their local mental health authority and foster healthy, vibrant, and safe counties across Oregon.
- May: It’s Mental Health Awareness month! Partner with your Community Mental Health Program during the month of May to promote mental health in your county. Engage with your congressional delegation, publish a letter to the editor, or pass a resolution recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month. The National Association of Counties (NACo) provides templates for a press release, letter to your members of Congress, social media post and more in their outreach toolkit.
- June: Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) partner with local mental health authorities to ensure that their communities get the most value from their Medicaid and county services. CCOs are responsible for managing Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members’ medical and behavioral health care by maintaining an adequate care network, providing care management, and paying providers for covered services. This month, schedule lunch with your local CCO director(s) to find out what’s top of mind for them and discuss coordination in the year ahead.
- July: If you want a full picture of what does and does not work in public behavioral health care, talking to people in your community who have been in and out of services is essential. Some of these individuals may also have the talent and training to be part of our life-changing peer workforce. This month, have coffee with a person with lived experience and get an invaluable perspective on what contributes to the well-being of people with mental health or addiction challenges and what gets in the way. If you do not already know a member of your local peer community, reach out to your Community Mental Health Program (CMHP) director for an introduction or attend the next meeting of your local advisory committee.
- August: An important part of your duty as the Local Mental Health Authority includes working with your local public safety coordinating council (LPSCC) to develop your comprehensive local plan for the delivery of mental health services. See below what that coordination should entail, attend your local LPSCC meeting if possible, and check in with a LPSCC member about how it’s going and what they think could use your attention. According to ORS 430.630, when developing a local plan, a local mental health authority shall coordinate services among the criminal and juvenile justice systems, adult and juvenile corrections systems and local mental health programs to ensure that persons with mental illness who come into contact with the justice and corrections systems receive needed care and to ensure continuity of services for adults and juveniles leaving the corrections system. The LPSCC should comprise a police chief, sheriff, district attorney, state court judge, public defender, director of community corrections, county commissioner, juvenile department director, health director, citizen, city councilor or mayor, Oregon state police representative, and Oregon Youth Authority representative. “In developing the part of the local plan … the local mental health authority shall collaborate with the local public safety coordinating council to address the following:
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- Training for all law enforcement officers on ways to recognize and interact with persons with mental illness, for the purpose of diverting them from the criminal and juvenile justice systems;
- Developing voluntary locked facilities for crisis treatment and follow-up as an alternative to custodial arrests;
- Developing a plan for sharing a daily jail and juvenile detention center custody roster and the identity of persons of concern and offering mental health services to those in custody;
- Developing a voluntary diversion program to provide an alternative for persons with mental illness in the criminal and juvenile justice systems;
- Developing mental health services, including housing, for persons with mental illness prior to and upon release from custody.”
- September: Regional coordination adds tremendous value to county governance and services, especially in the area of our behavioral health programs. Your upcoming AOC district meeting is a perfect opportunity to strengthen that regional partnership. Meet up with your district colleagues and Community Mental Health Program directors at your district meeting. Make a plan for a tour of your host county’s program or just for some dedicated time to check-in on regional challenges and solutions over breakfast or coffee.
Jul 1, 2025 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News, Legislative Committee
The 83rd Legislative Assembly adjourned sine die on Friday, June 27, at 11:50 p.m. after five long months that turned chaotic in the final weeks.
The 160-day legislative “long session” was marked by efforts to secure sustainable long-term funding for the statewide transportation system and wildfire response and mitigation, a bipartisan focus on increasing housing development efficiency, and comprehensive compromise legislation on behavioral health service improvements for some of the most vulnerable Oregonians.
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and counties played a key role in all policy discussions. Together, county commissioners, county staff, and the AOC Legislative Affairs Department made significant progress on our policy priorities this session. We communicated a consistent message of solutions-oriented partnership, maintenance of local control, and the importance of considering on-the-ground implementation.
Unfortunately, significant work was left undone ─ the Legislature chose not to fully fund the community corrections cost study, legislative leadership could not find the votes to pass a transportation package, and the assessment and taxation funding modernization conversation was moved to the 2026 short legislative session. AOC will spend this summer and fall recalibrating our message on these key priorities and working with the Legislature in solutions-oriented partnership to ensure progress in the 2026 short session.
A record 3,400+ bills were introduced this session. The AOC Legislative Affairs team lobbied for/against over hundreds of bills and analyzed and submitted fiscal impact statements on nearly 600 bills with a potential impact to county budgets. Details on every bill on which the AOC Legislative Committee took a position will be included in the 2025 Legislative Summary, published in the coming weeks.
Please join the AOC Legislative Committee’s virtual meeting on Monday, July 7, to hear a comprehensive recap of the 2025 legislative session.
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | AOC Legislative Affairs Director
