Washington State Association of Counties - WSAC

10/28/2026

Attending County Leaders next month? Show your pride! Download WSAC's "I'm Attending" graphic and share it with your network to let your colleagues and constituents know you're participating in the largest gathering of Washington's county decision-makers in the state! And be sure to tag us!

To get your graphic, simply visit the link, then right-click "Save Image As" to save it right to your device: https://wsac.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026_cl_social_attending.jpg

And if you haven't registered yet, don't wait! Registration closes early next month and won't be offered onsite. Register for County Leaders here before it's too late: https://countyleaders.org/

10/27/2026

How Local Governments Are Responding to Algorithmic Pricing:

Different prices on the same item for different customers? With the rise of algorithmic pricing, retailers are finding ways to tailor prices based on a buyer's past purchases, browsing history, and other data. Local governments are responding, in some cases banning the practice.

Read more:
https://mrsc.org/stay-informed/mrsc-insight/october-2026/algorithmic-pricing

10/26/2026

Washington Election Officials Urge Voters to Return Ballots Early:

Voters in Washington state are starting to receive ballots in the mail, and election officials want them to return them as soon as they can ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. That message comes after the number of ballots rejected because they were received late in the August primary rose compared to 2024. KNKX reporter Freddy Monares explains why this is happening and how to make sure your ballot gets counted.

Read more:

Plus, a new WSU study on AI in the workplace. And why Northwest emergency management officials are happy with the results of a national earthquake-related exercise last week.

10/23/2026

Washington Counties Desperate to Fix Rising Lawsuit Costs:

The shared insurance pool that covers nearly two-thirds of Washington counties ended 2025 without being sure it had enough money to pay the counties’ estimated cost of lawsuits. “Our members are running deficits, cutting into fund balances, making cuts into their vital services,” said Derek Young, director of the Washington State Association of Counties. Counties plan to ask the Legislature for help.

Read more:

The insurance pool that covers most counties ended 2025 without certainty it could afford estimated legal claims, threatening budgets intended for basic services.

10/22/2026

AI has substantially reduced the cost of building, delivering, and customizing software. It has also enabled capabilities that did not exist before, benefiting counties of every size.

In addition to the new benefits of AI, there are new obligations. Models drift. They hallucinate. A system that acts on county business must be governed. This means knowing exactly what the AI is doing, controlling what it is permitted to do, and monitoring it while it runs. Every action must be auditable and traceable, with the record available when counsel, a resident, an auditor, or a reporter asks for it.

Join WSAC and our Platinum Partner, Autessa, for an upcoming webinar, "The Generational Shift in Software: Why Counties Should Pay Less and Get More in the Era of AI" on Wednesday, October 28th, to learn:

▪️ What counties can do now that was out of reach three years ago
▪️ Why per-seat pricing, multi-year implementations, and change orders for routine adjustments no longer reflect delivery costs
▪️ What must be in place before an AI system acts on county business
▪️ What to ask for in your next solicitation, usable with any vendor

Learn more and register here:

The Generational Shift in Software: Why Counties Should Pay Less and Get More in the Era of AI What this is about AI has substantially reduced the cost to build, deliver, and customize software. It has also enabled capabilities that did not exist before, all to the benefit of counties of every size....

10/21/2026

The countdown is on! WSAC's 2026 County Leaders Conference is less than a month away, and time is running out to secure your hotel room at the discounted conference rate.

Rooms are still available at Hotel Murano, conveniently located right next door to the conference venue. Book before October 24th to secure discounted lodging and parking.

Join county leaders, elected officials, department heads, and professionals from across Washington for three days of networking, professional development, collaborative learning, and fresh ideas to strengthen county government.

Register for the conference and secure your room block discount today: https://countyleaders.org/

10/20/2026

Last Call: Join WSAC and our Endorsed NACo Edge Partner, ClearGov, for this Wednesday's Lunch and Learn to hear from industry experts on where budgeting and reporting are evolving, how other public agencies are approaching clarity and efficiency in their own cycles, and where technology is taking on the routine work.

Key Takeaways:
▪️ Learn which parts of the budget and reporting cycle most often cause delays and rework, and how peer agencies are closing those gaps.
▪️ Understand what a more connected approach to planning, budgeting, and reporting looks like in practice.
▪️ See how other agencies are communicating financial decisions in ways that build trust with residents and elected officials.
▪️ Explore how modernized budgeting and reporting tools help preserve institutional knowledge as staff retire or transition.

➡️ Learn more and register here:

The Evolution of Budgeting & Reporting: Meeting Washington Counties' Call for Clarity and Efficiency Across Washington, budget teams are caught between two forces. Externally, shifting federal funding, flat revenues, and workforce turnover are raising the bar for what a finance process needs to del...

10/16/2026

The County Connection | Keeping the Lights On: Washington’s Energy Future and the Transmission Challenge

What will it take to keep Washington powered over the next 20 years? In this episode, Paul Jewell sits down with Kurt Beckett, Chair of the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC), to explore the growing challenges facing the state’s electric grid, from aging transmission infrastructure and wildfire risks to rising demand driven by electrification, AI, and data centers. They unpack why new transmission lines take decades to plan and build, what “resource adequacy” really means, and why energy planning is quickly becoming a local government issue. It’s a thoughtful, forward-looking conversation about the infrastructure, policies, and partnerships needed to keep the lights on in Washington’s future.

What will it take to keep Washington powered over the next 20 years?

10/15/2026

Across Washington, budget teams are caught between two forces. Externally, shifting federal funding, flat revenues, and workforce turnover are raising the bar for what a finance process needs to deliver. Internally, those pressures are compounding a process that wasn't built to keep up with the community's evolving needs.

Join WSAC and our Endorsed NACo Edge Partner, ClearGov, for our next Lunch and Learn on Wednesday, October 21st, to learn where budgeting and reporting are evolving, how other public agencies are approaching clarity and efficiency in their own cycles, and where technology is taking on the routine work.

Learn more and register here: https://members.wsac.org/events/view/2026-cleargov-lunch-learn

10/12/2026

Last Call: Join WSAC and our endorsed partner, SentinelOne, for a free Lunch & Learn on Tuesday, October 13, at 12 pm PT to learn about governing AI in county government!

In this live WSAC webinar, Prompt Security, a SentinelOne company, will explore how counties can adopt AI with the right guardrails in place. From understanding where employees are already using public AI tools, to protecting county data and county-built AI applications from misuse and exposure, county leaders need a clear picture of the risk and a practical way to manage it.

Attendees will learn:
- Where Washington AI policy is heading and how it intersects with the records, privacy and public safety obligations counties already carry
- Practical approaches to managing AI risk and maintaining trust as counties integrate AI into critical workflows
- How leading county governments are balancing innovation with governance, and what it takes to build a resilient foundation for AI

Register here:

Governing AI in County Government: Visibility, Policy, and Protection Washington's state AI Task Force wrapped up its work this summer, and the Legislature has already begun turning its recommendations into law. For counties, this shifts AI from an IT topic to a governance one. In this live WSAC web...