Executive Director's Report - Fall Issue
2002
State History is Made in Houston
County
In 1980 the Alabama
Legislature passed Act 80-427 (codified at Code of
Alabama 1975, §40-17-221 et seq.) which levied a statewide
excise tax on gasoline and lubricating oil of 4 cents
per gallon. The law provides that the proceeds of the
tax are to be divided between the state and local governments.
Forty-five percent is allocated to the State Department
of Transportation and 55 percent is allocated to counties
and municipalities. There are formulas in the law that
allocate the local government portion among counties and
municipalities.
The law also provides how the
revenue distributed to counties is to be used by counties.
It specifically provides that the use by counties "shall
be for resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation of
the county paved roads and bridges or bridge replacement
on the county road system." The law further provides that
"Such funds shall not be used for new construction unless
90 percent of the county's paved road system has achieved
a grade of 85 percent based on the State of Alabama Department
of Transportation's annual maintenance report of county
roads and bridges."
Until recently, no county's
paved roads had received such a grade and therefore no
county has been eligible to use the proceeds of the 4-cent
tax for new construction purposes.
We are glad to report that
Houston County is the first county in the state to become
eligible to expend its 4-cent money for new construction.
The county was informed this past September by the State
Department of Transportation that all the county's paved
roads were recently inspected and received an overall
grade of 91.
This is truly a remarkable
accomplishment. The members of the Houston County Commission
and the employees of the county's road and bridge department
should be very proud and it is a pleasure to congratulate
them for their hard work and dedication.
Alabamians Serving on
NACo Steering Committees
Each year shortly after the
annual conference of the National Association of Counties
(NACo), the organization's president appoints county officials
and employees from throughout the country to serve on
numerous steering committees. The committees meet to discuss
issues and develop policy for the national group. Alabama
has historically been well represented on NACo steering
committees and this year is no exception.
The current NACo President,
Commissioner Ken Mayfield from Dallas, Texas, recently
released his steering committee appointments for the 2002-2003
year.
Below are the names of the
Alabamians appointed and the names of the committees to
which they were appointed. These 29 individuals are to
be commended and thanked for their willingness to serve.
Community
and Economic Development
Hon. Fred Armstead, Marengo County
Hon. Larry Bennich, Morgan County
Hon. Thomas Coley, Jr., Tallapoosa County
Hon. Mike Dean, Mobile County
Ms. Willa Dockery, Morgan County
Hon. Johnny L. Flowers, Perry County
Hon. Mike C. Gillespie, Madison County
Hon. Samuel L. Jones, Mobile County
Justice
and Public Safety
Mr. Alex Dudchock, Shelby County
Mr. Ricky Little, DeKalb County
Hon. Allen Perdue, Baldwin County
Hon. Prince Preyer, Jr., Madison County
Environment,
Energy and Land Use
Hon. Frank Burt, Jr., Baldwin County
Hon. Robert W. Downing, Calhoun County
Hon. Bill Latimer, Limestone County
Health
Hon. James A. Dunn, Calhoun County
Labor
and Employment
Hon. Darryl D. Perryman, Wilcox County
Public
Lands
Hon. Randall LouAllen, Lawrence County
Finance
and Intergovernmental Affairs
Hon. Don Armstrong, Shelby County
Ms. Pam Gilmore, Marshall County
Hon. Gary White, Jefferson County
Hon. Billy Ray Williams, Etowah County
Transportation
Hon. Gerald Barksdale, Limestone County
Mr. E. Wayne Sullivan, Jefferson County
Agriculture
and Rural Affairs
Hon. Robert Harbison, Cullman County
Hon. Ricky Harcrow, DeKalb County
Hon. Freeman Jockisch, Mobile County
Hon. Roger Jones, Madison County
Hon. Larry W. White, Escambia County
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