All 67 counties in Alabama are currently members of the National Association of Counties (NACo). NACo is a Washington D.C. based organization that represents county governments throughout the country. Its primary function is to represent the interest of counties before the United States Congress and the various federal bureaus and agencies. The organization also provides a host of other services to counties.

Every now and then we hear some county official state that he or she does not understand what benefits his or her county receives from membership in NACo. That statement is somewhat understandable because the typical county official tends to focus on state-related issues and ignore matters in Washington D.C.

NACo was involved during 2000 in a number of legislative issues important to county government in Alabama. Some of those issues were: funding for the Payments In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILT), Community Development Block Grant (CDPG), and law enforcement programs. NACo played an important role in defeating efforts to extend the moratorium on the taxation of internet sales. These are just some of the issues NACo worked on for the benefit of Alabama's counties. The investment Alabama counties make in NACo is very beneficial.

Alabama county officials and employees have historically served in important leadership roles within NACo. In addition to having had two Alabamians serve as its president, hundreds of individuals from the state have, through the years, severed on the organization's numerous steering committees. Steering committees are comprised of individuals from throughout the country and meet periodically to help develop policy, which guides the organization as it addresses numerous issues at the national level. The current NACo President, Commissioner Jane Hague from King County, Wash., recently announced her steering committee appointments. The following list indicates the Alabama county officials and employees that were appointed and the committee on which they serve. We congratulate each person and thank them for their willingness to serve.

National Association of Counties Alabama Steering Committee Members

Hon. Larry Bennich
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Chairman, Morgan County

Mr. James E. Carter
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Chief of Staff/Enforcement Officer, Greene County

Mr. John P. Dendy
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
County Administrator, Lee County

Mr. James Graves
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
County Administrator, Cullman County

Hon. Tommy Raby, Jr.
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Commissioner, Limestone County

Hon. Larry W. White
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Chairman, Escambia County

Hon. Fred Armstead
Community and Economic Development
Commissioner, Marengo County

Hon. T. Joe Faust, Sr.
Community and Economic Development
Chairman, Baldwin County

Hon. Johnny L. Flowers
Community and Economic Development
Chairman, Perry County

Hon. Mike Gillespie
Community and Economic Development
Chairman, Madison County

Ms. Pam Gilmore
Community and Economic Development
County Administrator, Marshall County

Hon. Frank Burt, Jr.
Environment, Energy, and Land Use
Commissioner, Baldwin County

Hon. Robert W. Downing
Environment, Energy, and Land Use
Commissioner, Calhoun County Commission

Hon. Bill Latimer
Environment, Energy, and Land Use
Commissioner, Limestone County

Hon. David Seibert
Environment, Energy, and Land Use
Commissioner, Limestone County

Hon. James A. Dunn
Health
Commissioner, Calhoun County

Hon. Jeff Germany
Health
Commissioner, Jefferson County

Hon. Thomas Coley, Jr.
Human Services and Education
Commissioner, Tallapoosa County

Mr. Hank James
Justice and Public Safety
Director, Emergency Management Dallas County

Ms. Betty T. King
Justice and Public Safety County
Administrator, Coosa County

Hon. Stanley Menefee
Justice and Public Safety
Chairman, Limestone County

Hon. Allen Purdue
Justice and Public Safety
Commissioner, Baldwin County

Hon. Darryl D. Perryman
Justice and Public Safety
Commissioner, Wilcox County

Ms. Willa C. Dockery
Labor and Employment
County Administrator, Morgan County

Hon. Randall LouAllen
Public Lands
Commissioner, Lawrence County

Hon. Don Armstrong
Taxation and Finance
Commissioner, Shelby County

Ms. Myra B. Demarco
Taxation and Finance
County Clerk, Shelby County

Hon. Gary White
Taxation and Finance
President, Jefferson County

Mr. Glen McCord
Telecommunications and Technology
County Engineer, Wilcox County

Hon. Prince Preyer
Telecommunications and Technology
Commissioner, Madison County

Hon. Gerlad Barksdale
Transportation
Commissioner, Limestone County

Mr. Jack Green
Transportation
County Administrator, Blount County

Mr. E. Wayne Sullivan
Transportation Director/County
Engineer, Jefferson County