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County Comment is published monthly as the official newsletter of the Kansas Association of Counties. Questions or comments are welcome and may be forwarded to Kimberly Qualls, Education and Communications Director.Kansas Association of Counties Bruce Chladny, KAC Executive Director715 SW 10th Avenue Crystal Malchose, KAC President Topeka, KS 66612 Layout design by Becky Arensdorf COUNTY COMMENT%u2022%u0009 Mike Stieben, Leavenworth County Commissioner%u2022%u0009 Shawn Tasset, Ford County Commissioner%u2022%u0009 Erin Winn, Johnson County Governmental Relations CoordinatorDuring the event, attendees had the opportunity to engage in second-to-none policy learning sessions and discussions, interact with officials of the new Administration and meet with members of Congress. If you%u2019d like to see a more comprehensive recap, view the 2025 NACo Legislative Conference webpage here.One of the sessions I attended that gave me the most hope for the future growth of the NACo organization, was an exploratory meeting to add a midsize county caucus. NACo already caters to the large urban counties through LUC and the smaller, more rural counties through RAC. But to quote one of the attendees (quote included in NACo%u2019s County Newsarticle here) at the meeting who took a line right out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, likening a potential new county caucus catering to the needs of midsize counties as %u201cjust right.%u201d The article goes on to say: This midsized county commissioner was one of many county officials who packed a room at the Legislative Conference at the inaugural meeting of the Midsize County Caucus Exploratory Committee. The meeting brought together county leaders to discuss the distinct challenges and opportunities facing midsize counties across the nation. The session focused on establishing key priorities and objectives to guide the caucus%u2019s efforts in advocating for the unique needs of midsize communities.%u201cI think a programming track dealing with our midsized counties is going to be welcome,%u201d said Boone County, Ky. Judge/Executive Gary Moore, chair of the exploratory committee.%u201cI think there is a place for this conversation, for midsize counties straddling both rural and urban,%u201d said Guilford County, N.C. Commissioner Carly Cooke, vice-chair. %u201cI think it%u2019s time, and I%u2019m very appreciative of not just NACo but my colleagues,%u201d said Berks County, Pa. Commissioner Christian Leinbach, vice-chair.County officials took turns at the meeting describing their counties that are hybrid mixes of urban, rural and suburban. Loudoun County, Va. Board Chair-at-Large Phyllis Randall noted that while her county has 440,000 residents, %u201ctwo-thirds of our county by landmass is rural. But another part of my county is very, very techheavy. Sixty-five percent of the world%u2019s Internet traffic travels through Loudoun County.%u201d Randall noted that if the new caucus becomes a reality, she%u2019d like to zero in on growth, housing, broadband, workforce development and economic development.%u201dOther priorities that were identified included air quality, tourism, climate change, homelessness, energy issues, sharp population growth or declines, and more.COUNTY COMMENT %u2022 March 2025 2continuedA common thread that seemed to stitch many of the counties represented in the room together are the challenges of being a %u201cbridge%u201d county...