Monroe County Commission Chairman Greg Tapley was appointed to a one-year term as a Vice Chairman of the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Agriculture & Rural Affairs Steering Committee for 2023-24.
Tapley’s appointment was made at NACo’s annual conference in Austin, TX from July 21-24, where he was selected by the NACo Executive Committee for the prestigious honor. Tapley’s one-year term will begin on Aug. 1, 2023.
According to the NACo website, the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Steering Committee is “responsible for all matters pertaining to USDA agriculture, rural development programs, rural renewable energy development, research and extension, food safety, and conservation programs.”
In 2022, the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Steering Committee established a Policy Platform focused on Rural Development, Rural Infrastructure, Agriculture, Food Safety, and the Methamphetamine & Opioid/Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic. Among the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee’s top achievements in 2022-23 was the submission of a letter to Congressional leadership urging the inclusion of key county priorities in the 2023 Farm Bill including: adopting grants-based funding structures, providing at least $1 billion dollars in mandatory funding, maintaining or increasing funding levels for Farm Bill conservation programs, and reauthorizing programs supporting rural broadband deployment, among other priority requests.
In 2022-23, the NACo Agriculture and Rural Affairs Steering Committee had 132 total members, including one chairperson and four vice chairpersons. Tapley was one of six members of last year’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Steering Committee from Georgia.
As for the upcoming 2023-24 year, Tapley was one of 21 Georgia commissioners selected over the weekend to serve as a chair or vice chair of a NACo committee or subcommittee.
Tapley said of the appointment: “Being selected as a Vice-Chairman is an honor, and I appreciate the leadership of NACo valuing my input. This committee directly influences national legislation impacting rural America, and being able to influence national policy affects us locally.”
The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Steering Committee is one of 10 NACo Policy Steering Committees. Other NACo Policy Steering Committees include: Community, Economic and Workforce Development; Environment, Energy and Land Use; Finance, Pensions and Intergovernmental Affairs; Health; Human Services and Education; Justice and Public Safety; Public Lands; Telecommunications and Technology; and Transportation.
Tapley has served as Monroe County Commission Chairman since January 2017.
