President's Message - Pre-Convention
Issue 2003
Survey Results Useful In Determining
Future Focus
It is always nice to get feedback
on your performance, especially when it is positive.
Last summer when I assumed
the office of President of our Association, we announced
the need to conduct a survey to gauge your opinion of
the services you receive from the Association and to determine
where we need to focus our energy during the coming years.
A similar survey was conducted five years ago and has
served as a valuable tool for the staff and board of directors.
The survey was distributed
during our district meetings last year and more than 280
of you responded with your opinions, suggestions and insights.
The results were - not surprisingly - very positive. But
the survey did more than simply cause us to be proud of
our Association. It has given us a blueprint for future
activities of the Association.
Ninety-eight percent of you
rated the overall performance of the Association as either
"excellent" or "good". The Association's
involvement in representing Alabama counties on the federal
level was the activity that you rated as needing the most
improvement.
Such a high level of satisfaction
is the result of hard work on behalf of the Association's
leadership - its Board of Directors, Legislative Committee,
Steering Committees, Affiliate Organizations and staff.
It is also a reflection of an increased level of involvement
in the Association from almost every county in the state.
Earlier this year our County
Day at the Legislature gained the attention of almost
every legislator as we filled Montgomery with county officials
interested in the Association's legislative program. It
certainly is not easy to fit a two-day legislative event
into one's schedule, but I was VERY proud of the attendance
at this event. The legislators noticed your attendance
and our legislative successes are evidence of your hard
work.
Another example of increased
involvement was the success the Association achieved in
making legislative changes to the tax package proposed
by Gov. Bob Riley. Very few groups were successful in
making changes to the legislation during the special session
this spring. I am especially proud of the changes that
we made by working together and by coming to Montgomery
on short notice.
During the convention in August,
we have scheduled a session to discuss the survey results
and to listen to your suggestions regarding how to respond
to the results. But there are a few other results that
are worth publishing even before the convention.
The survey asked you to identify
the areas in which the Association's services should be
enhanced. The five areas identified the most were:
--Increasing the counties' role in economic development
--Increasing the participation in ACCA activities
--Assisting counties with problems on the local level
--Working to create more unity among counties and
--Educating the membership on the role of the ACCA.
Later in the survey, we asked the respondents
to identify the Five Most Potential Threats to county
government in Alabama. It was not a shock to anyone that
most of the responses centered around funding issues.
The following were identified as the most pressing issues
facing counties in Alabama:
- --Unfunded mandates
- --Funding for jails
- --County general fund and road and bridge
activities
- --Eeconomic development and
- --Home rule.
We also asked you, as a membership, to
identify the Most Important New Activities for the ACCA.
The top six activities identified as the most important
were:
--Improving commissioners' skills in communicating with
Legislators
--Working to include funding for county projects in the
federal budget
--Building a better informational exchange among counties
--Provide hands-on assistance with grant applications
--Arrange for the Association staff to visit counties
to consult on local problems
--Raise the public's awareness of the role of county government
The six issues listed above should provide
the basis for the new leadership of our Association to
look toward programs for the coming years. I look forward
to being a part of our board and to working to respond
to these issues in the future. I am also proud of your
participation this year and of your efforts to make this
Association an even stronger voice for Alabama counties.
|
