President's Message
- Convention Issue 2006
Rhone tasks members with safety of Alabama's roads
Following is the speech delivered by ACCA President Rhondel Rhone, elected during the 78th Annual Convention in August.
“It is very difficult for me to put into words the emotions that I have at this podium tonight. I could tell you that I am excited and honored, and that your confidence is very humbling. However, that would not really do justice to the emotions I feel now that I have been elected as president of the Association of Count y Commissions of Alabama . Only those who have had the privilege of standing behind this podium can understand my emotions.
“This Association is so important – to my county, to your county, to our state – that my service as president is one of the most impo rtant years of my life. I realize that this year will pass quickly. Before I know it, my year will be over. Tonight, the job that lies ahead is one that I approach with some apprehension, but with the confidence that each of you will stand with me to ensur e our success together over the next 12 months.
“Last year at this time, my friend from St. Clair County outlined his plans for the coming year. He laid down a challenge for us, asking that we go back home and get to work on the issue of self-governance. He expressed the importance of placing that issue on the ballot and of working to secure the support of voters in our home counties. Tonight, I am honored to recognize the commissioners from five counties – commissioners who had the political courage to pl ace the issue on the ballot and had earned the public’s trust so strongly that the voters approved the self-governance powers. It is important for us to note that five counties placed the self-governance issue on the ballot this past June and the voters sa id ‘yes’ in all five counties.
“Would the county commissioners who are here from Mobile , Dallas , Autauga, Marshall , and Jackson Counties stand for a minute. These commissioners placed this issue on the ballot in June and were successful in convincing the voters to approve the application of the self-governance powers in their counties. I applaud your hard work, courage and vision.
“For years, many people in government in our state have cried long and loud about the distrust that people have for county gov ernment. They have said that the ‘people’ do not want County Commissioners to have more authority. Well, there’s no question that the positive votes in each these five counties should put that talk to rest…forever.
“I know that other counties have already scheduled local votes in November. To the commissioners in those counties, we wish you good luck in the referendums, and we look forward to recognizing you at our Legislative Conference in December.
“As I said, President Batemon delivered a great speech last year at this time. I know you remember the speech fondly, as I do. But, if you remember his speech, you also remember that it was long…very long. I want you all to know that I have a few words to say tonight, but I won’t go as long as Stanley . And, I promise that even though I won’t talk as long as President Batemon, I will work just as hard during my tenure as president.
“As I said, I will be brief in my remarks about the coming year. I’ve heard thousands of sermons in my life, I guess. Long ones. Sh ort ones. Loud ones. Soft and thoughtful ones. But, the one I remember best was perhaps also the shortest. It was a sermon based on the verses in Proverbs that call on us as Christians to work as the ants. Yes, as the ants.
“As I recall, one of the verses says that the ants are a great example of hard work and leadership. The writer of Proverbs says, the colony of worker ants, ‘which having no guide, overseer or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest.’
“I remember th at sermon and hold its truth near to my heart tonight as we begin our year together. For we are – in many ways – like the ants in Proverbs. Certainly we have ‘no guide, overseer or ruler,’ yet we have banded together, helped each other, and worked so well together over the last years that our record is impressive. We have improved the way we deliver services, we have contributed significantly to the attraction of new industry and jobs, and we have refocused the way we respond to the needs of the community. And, we’ve made all of these improvements...together.
“Because we have worked so hard at providing ‘meat in the summer and gathering food in the harvest,’ it is not necessary for me to stand before you tonight with a plan to rescue us from disaster or to start a new venture that will somehow make county government something new. No, we have labored so well – like a colony of worker ants – that my plan as your president is to continue the forward progress that has been started by others and to lay the groun dwork for something major that we will accomplish together.
“Three…my number in Clarke County is three.
“Stanley, your number in St. Clair County is four. For Jerold, the number for Conecuh County is also four. In Morgan County the number is eight; in M obile the number is 24 and in Etowah County the number is six. Together, the number for all 67 counties in Alabama is 331.
“The numbers I’ve mentioned are a somber reminder that we have work to do at the county level. For those digits that I called out to night represent the number of persons who lost their lives in traffic accidents on county roads in 2005. That’s right, 331 persons were killed in traffic accidents on county-maintained roads last year. Three-hundred-and-thirty-one.
“Look around this room tonight, we have about 300 people here, and consider that enough people to fill this banquet hall were killed in accidents on county roads last year. That should be enough motivation for us and the leaders of our state to address the crisis that exists on our rural roads in Alabama . We can no longer pat ourselves on the back and smile because we did something eight or 10 or 20 years ago. This problem exists today, and it cries out for a solution...today.
“About eight years ago, our new president raised the issue of safety on our county bridges. After a great deal of work, the Alabama legislature was convinced to fund our county bridge replacement program. We just completed that program, and I want to congratulate everyone here for their hard work on that pr ogram. All counties utilized their full allocation of funds in that program, and we have replaced worn-out and aging bridges all over this state, right on time. I’m so proud of the hard work of everyone who was involved in that overdue program. But, the condition of our county transportation system needs more attention.
“It is time that we begin to focus public attention on the condition of our county roads. Counties receive a portion of the state’s gasoline tax that is used to maintain these roads, but th at revenue source has not been increased for more than a decade. During that time, the cost of resurfacing roads has more than doubled. We also receive $500,000 in federal funds each year that can be used to help with maintenance costs on some of our paved roads. But, that allocation, which is received from the State Department of Transportation, has not increased in more than a decade, even though our personnel costs have soared and the price of gasoline we put in our county vehicles has tripled.
“Most of our paved roads in rural Alabama were established as part of ‘Big Jim’ Folsom’s farm-to-market road program more than 50 years ago. Many of those roads have been resurfaced and maintained with state gasoline tax dollars and with federal funds. However, a large group of those roads do not qualify for federal funding. Without any increase in revenue for more than a decade, counties simply have not been able to address the maintenance needs of these roads. Unless we join together and take the lead on this iss ue, more people will lose their lives.
“We cannot simply close these roads. Families live on these roads. Farmers grow crops on these roads. Products are transported on these roads. School children travel the roads every day. No, closing the roads is simp ly not an option. The only responsible step we can take is to move forward with the resolve necessary to establish a funding program to address the safety issues that exist on our rural roads.
“Considering the political climate we live in today, it will not be easy to achieve success on this effort. But, we’ve taken on this kind of challenge before, and we have succeeded…together. It will take all of us working in unison. The first step will be to raise the public’s awareness of the tragedies that occur o n our county roads. That effort begins tonight and will continue during the coming year – it is important that state legislators, the governor and the general public join us in our crusade to save lives on Alabama ’s rural roads.
“In the coming year we als o need to focus some attention on a revision of the state laws that direct our operations each day. Many of those code sections have not been revised in more than 50 years. Tonight I am asking the Legislative Committee of the Association of County Administ rators of Alabama to begin work on this project immediately so that we can be ready by the 2007 Session. It is, after all, time that we step into the 21st Century.
“We’ve heard that when the legislature is called into session next year there will be some who will push to reduce revenue for our 9-1-1 programs. Tonight, we pledge to stand together to ensure that every citizen in this state has the ability to make a call for assistance without worry of whether or not someone will answer. We cannot — and will not — allow our 9-1-1 programs to be crippled.
“And tonight, as we near the one-year anniversary of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, we pledge our efforts to learn from this tragedy and the effects of Ivan – we will work harder to improve our local e mergency management agencies and this Association will continue the commitment it has made to work with local and state officials on this project.
“Next week we will appoint our new steering committees to get ready for the 2007 Legislative Session and a f our-year term of the newly-elected legislature. It is important that we continue to work together, that we make legislative success a priority, and that we stand against any efforts to reverse the gains that we have made.
“We must continue to take positio ns, which are often unpopular, but which are in the best interests of our state. In the 2006 Legislative Session, we stood with a very small group that opposed the constitutional amendment limiting eminent domain powers – not because it was popular, but be cause it was in the best interest of our state’s future. We’ll stand firm again this year, on that issue and on many others that are important to the lives of the people who elected us all to work in their best interests.
“It would be easy to rest on our accomplishments, but I trust that you will not fall into that trap. We have made great gains together, but there are many groups waiting for us to fall asleep so that they can take advantage of our inattention. We cannot sleep, even for one moment.
“In t he second passage about ants, the writer of Proverbs says: ‘Go to the ant…consider her ways and be wise.’ That is great advice, ‘Consider her ways and be wise.’
“During the next year we will consider the ways of the ants, and we will work with all our str ength – with no guide, overseer or ruler – to improve county government. Our only guide will be the help we get from each other. I will depend on you. And, you can depend on me.”
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