Prison Reform Report Almost Ready
ACCA staff and officers continue meetings with those drafting the much-anticipated prison reform legislation to be introduced in the 2015 session. Counties and sheriffs continue to be concerned that the recommendations will rely too heavily on the county jail as a conduit for reducing the state’s overcrowding problems. County officials are encouraged to keep their local legislators informed about the financial challenges of operating the county jail on today’s limited revenue.
Tax Officials
Today ACCA Executive Director Sonny Brasfield will speak to the opening general session of the Alabama Association of Tax Administrators Annual Conference. Previewing the 2015 session, Sonny will also outline the plans for a closer working relationship between the two associations during the coming months.
Secure Rural Schools Update
New estimates for Secure Rural Schools payments this year have been released, and counties should receive payment within the next month. These payments are based on a seven-year rolling average, and these funds are not subject to Title II or III under the law. Counties that have excess Title III dollars from previous years are advised not to return those funds to the U.S. Forest Service at this time, and advocates are continuing to press Congress for full reauthorization.
More Coffee, Please
Reports from the first Coffee @ the Courthouse events of 2015 have been very positive, and county leaders and legislators will gather in five more courthouses this week to discuss priorities for the upcoming session. Many thanks to the host counties this week – Elmore, Franklin, Madison, Tuscaloosa and Etowah – and to all county officials and employees who are investing in their relationships with their state senators and representatives.
NACo Breakfast Deadline Nears
If you are headed to Washington, D.C., for the NACo Legislative Conference in a couple weeks, you won’t want to miss ACCA’s Alabama Congressional Breakfast on Feb. 24. All members of the state’s U.S. House and Senate delegations are invited, and House members are always looking for the county leaders from their districts. The last day to register is Feb. 17.
Hot 5 is a weekly newsletter from the Association of County Commissions of Alabama