Zylawy named Montana Association of Counties president

The Montana Association of County Commissioners was formed in January 1909 for the purposes of providing advocacy on behalf of its members at the State Legislature. In 1973 the Association was reorganized as the Montana Association of Counties to allow for the creation of a permanent office and authorized the hiring of an Executive Director and appropriate staff.

More changes and upgrades followed by bringing many contracted services in-house for cost effectiveness and a cohesiveness of collaboration. In 1985, a group of Montana counties banded together to create the MACo Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Workers’ Compensation Trust, in response to rapidly increasing costs for workers’ compensation coverage for county employees. In 2005, the MACo Health Care Trust (HCT) was created to provide group health benefits to member counties and special districts. County commissioners have relied on MACo for advice, direction, legal counsel, employee issues and conundrums from left field as a sounding board. MACo’s goals:

• To educate and develop relationships with legislators, state officials and local elected officials regarding county structure, budgeting and operation.

• To provide education on self-determination techniques such as charter government and functional consolidation and facilitating agreements.

• To educate the public using press releases distributed to local media to market county government; and

• To promote effective tax reform including consideration of general sales tax.

Mineral County Commissioner Chairman Roman Zylawy was recently honored and inducted as the new Montana Association of Counties President at the annual conference in Billings, a position he has wanted and prepared for since he was elected as the 2nd Vice President 3years ago.

“The term is just one year,” he explained. “Mainly because it requires me to be the ‘Face’ of all 56 counties in Montana and working for them. Any issues that affect counties at the legislature I will be testifying and helping ensure counties aren't losing any funding or ability to make local decisions.”

Zylawy will also be attending national conferences and wants the residents of Mineral County to know that these expenses are all covered by MACo.

“I think that this type of networking on a larger scale can provide me the opportunity to have the listening ear of people that can make changes for Mineral County. Federal policy for the forests, SRS (Schooling Resource Standards) payments for our schools and roads, the continuation of PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) payments and decisions on wolves and grizzly bears. Eastern Montana has similar issues, only the names are different. Sage grouse and bison plus pipeline cancellations, they are hurting the economies in those counties. All these issues are not totally understood by (Washington) DC in terms of how it impacts those of us who live here. I hope to be a strong voice getting our message out and understood so that our opinions start to matter.”

MACo also assists counties with their issues and provides suggestions, advice and training for receiving federal money along with Human Resource issues, legal counsel and property and health insurance. MACo’s home offices are in Helena.