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In Legal Terms
- Legislative Conference Issue 2004
County employees join ACCA staff in the trenches
As the ACCA staff wraps up its preparations for the 2005 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature, I thought it appropriate to use my column to thank all of those who provided assistance to us in organizing and drafting the legislation that the ACCA will promote during this upcoming session. As I said repeatedly during the District Meetings (and any other opportunity I am given), the ACCA staff could not be successful in our efforts to promote and protect county issues at the Statehouse without participation and assistance from county officials and employees around the state who are willing to come to Montgomery at a moment's notice or spend their weekends talking to legislators about issues of importance to us. However, the assistance we receive in identifying issues and preparing legislation is just as valuable to us - in fact, in many respects, it is vital, because without the input from commissioners, engineers, administrators, and other county personnel, we often wouldn't know where to begin.
This was brought home to me quite clearly in recent weeks as we worked with leaders from our newest affiliate group - the Alabama Association of 9-1-1 Districts (AAND) - to prepare legislation geared towards amending the law providing for the wireless telephone service charges to increase operating revenues and adjust the distribution of proceeds to ensure that all 9-1-1 Districts receive adequate funding to properly provide services to all citizens using the 9-1-1 system. I have to admit that I knew very little about how this system worked, and knew that I would need a lot of help in trying to put together legislation accomplishing what we wanted. When I asked for help, I was presented with a draft of needed changes in the current law, and a detailed bullet sheet explaining the changes proposed. I was also allowed several opportunities to meet with AAND leaders and discuss in detail the issues we would be confronting. My job was certainly made easier by the diligent efforts of these folks, and I anticipate that as we proceed with this legislation during the session, they will always be a phone call away to help us understand the issues and "tweak" the legislation as necessary. Based upon this experience, it is my belief that this new affiliate group will be a very beneficial addition to the ACCA family.
But the other existing affiliate groups are vitally important to our legislative efforts as well. First of all, members from each of these groups, along with a significant number of county commissioners, sit on the steering committees which develop the ACCA legislative program. Those participants drive to Montgomery to meet and discuss ideas about the legislative needs of Alabama's counties. And they also help us identify the issues we will likely have to tackle during the upcoming session. After providing that invaluable input, the help continues as we begin drafting our bills.
This year, a committee of county engineers worked to develop the ideas for amending the subdivision regulations law to provide for more effective enforcement of that important law. And the county administrators are working to present us with ideas and suggestions on how to proceed with plans to offer legislation aimed at refining the budget-making process at the county level. This legislation could not be written to give counties what they need in this regard if those involved in the budget process were not also involved in drafting the bill to help them. It is a great benefit to those of us working in Montgomery that those in the county are willing to offer their expertise to our efforts to prepare meaningful and effective legislation.
We don't know everything that will face us this year during the legislative session. But we do know that the revenue officers will help us repeatedly in understanding and addressing issues that arise regarding county revenues and the collection of same. And the other affiliates, along with the county commissioners, will be by our side on issues in their area of expertise.
The reliance we place on county officials and the members of our affiliate groups goes way beyond the help we receive in our legislative efforts. For example, the County Joint Bid Program is now in its fifth year. Every summer, a committee of county engineers is formed to review the current bid specifications and the purchasing practices over the past year to determine what items should be placed on the bid list for the coming year. These engineers then develop the bid specifications which are distributed to potential bidders. The ACCA staff takes responsibility for the administrative functions of the joint bid project, and actually conducts the bid opening. But the engineers volunteer their time for this project, then evaluate the bids and determine who the lowest responsible bidders are that meet the bid specifications. This project could not be conducted, and certainly could not be successful, without this assistance.
So, as we get ready to tackle another legislative session - and continue to call on our members to help us do our job -- I just want to say thank you to all of you who contribute your time and expertise to all of the ACCA's projects. Perhaps this column doesn't quite fit its title of "In Legal Terms", but this legal person could not survive without your help, and since I know I will be calling on you soon for more assistance, I wanted to make sure that you all know how much I (and my co-workers) appreciate your dedication to our cause, and your continuing willingness to join us in the trenches.
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