Breakout Sessions Part 2

Participants will gain actionable take-aways for handling urgent public-relations and media challenges at the county level. Led by seasoned crisis communications strategist Mark Weaver, the session will cover essential frameworks, messaging protocols, stakeholder coordination and real-world tactics for keeping control during a crisis. Attendees will leave with practical tools and confidence to Manage → Respond → Recover when their organization’s reputation or operations are under pressure.

KACo's Government Affairs team provides a preview of the 2026 legislative session, including the top priority of reshaping the shared responsibility of county jails in Kentucky.

As artificial intelligence becomes an integral part of of life and work, counties need to understand both the opportunities and potential concerns when it comes its use. In this session, Mel Kimmel, COO and Certified AI Partner at Writing.io, will explore best practices for creating AI use policies, avoiding common pitfalls and fostering innovation while protecting data integrity and public trust.

As required by 2025 House Bill 321 for planning commissioners and board of adjustment members, this session will explore housing needs across the state and discuss strategies that local communities can adopt to help alleviate the housing shortage and provide more affordable housing options.