Executive Director's
Report- Convention Issue 2004
Only Two
Counties Forfeit Federal Funds
The
State of Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) annually allocated $500,000
in Federal transportation funds to each county. This $33.5 million is made available
to counties to be used on eligible road and bridge projects.
Prior
to 1999, there were no ALDOT written rules and regulations governing the use of
the funds and no clear indications as to the time frames within which they must
be used or obligated. Upon the urging of the Board of Directors of the Association
of County Commissions of Alabama and the Association of County Engineers of Alabama,
in April of that year ALDOT adopted Procedures for Distribution of Federal
Aid Funds to Counties. The procedures were adopted so that county commission
members and county engineers would be aware of when Federal Transportation funds
would be made available and the time frame within which the funds must be expended
or obligated in order that they not be forfeited.
Included
in the procedures is a provision that ALDOT inform the Association of all counties
that forfeited the allotted Federal funds. The ACCA Board of Directors instructed
the Association to publish the names of any such counties and the amounts forfeited.
It is a pleasure
to report that only two counties forfeited funds in 2004. This was a considerable
improvement over 2003, during which eight counties lost Federal funds. The names
of the two counties along with amounts forfeited are provided below. Baldwin
$390,600
Cherokee $92,164 A
complete set of the procedures may be obtained from the ACCA office or the Bureau
of County Transportation at ALDOT.
Houston
County Scores High Again
Houston County, for the fourth straight
year, graded the highest of any county in the state on the Maintenance Inspection
of county roads. In a letter dated June 8, 2004, Mr. Frank Courson, County Transportation
Engineer, and Mr. Joseph Harris, Bridge Inspection Management Systems Engineer,
said that "The 94 average achieved by your County this year is the highest
ever achieved in the State of Alabama."
The
Maintenance Inspections are conducted annually and apply to county roads that
were constructed using Federal or State funds. The inspections place high emphasis
on safety for the traveling public.
Congratulations
to Houston County. Moody's
Aa1 Credit Award Places Shelby County Among Nation's Best
Moody's
Investor Service has awarded Shelby County an Issuer Credit Rating of Aa1 - one
of 38 national counties with such a high rating. This is the most significant
financial achievement in the history of Shelby County.
In
performing its analysis, Moody's analyzed how Shelby County compared to other
public entities in Alabama and similar counties throughout the Southeast. The
conclusion was that when comparing the county operations, and specifically the
budget management practices, of Shelby County to other similar counties, Shelby
County's creditworthiness ranks among the best.
The
rating is the culmination of hard work from the County Commission and its employees.
Shelby County faced some significant financial challenges in years past and as
a result had to establish some conservative policies to meet those challenges.
It was not always easy and the Commission took some heat over its decisions. But
this rating validates the steps taken and the controls and procedures that were
put in place.
Congratulations
to Shelby County.
| 
