Remarks from ACCA Executive Director Sonny Brasfield
Last week, ACCA’s Assistant General Counsel Lita Waggoner and Public Relations Manager Marty Stokes ably represented Alabama’s 67 counties at the annual meeting of the Council of Southern County Associations. They gathered with their colleagues from 14 other states to share ideas and insights on the common legislative matters confronting counties throughout the Southern region. This is just another example of how our Association is representing our counties’ collective experiences to speak with a more unified and effective voice.
This week’s need-to-know information from ACCA
The Board of Directors kicked off the new Association year with its annual planning seminar this past week. New ACCA President Joe Knight, President-Elect Lee Patterson and Vice President Miles Robinson will provide leadership during the coming year as the Association implements its initiative on recruiting and retaining employees and addresses growing concerns over controversial local legislation.
This past week, ACCA honored two more legislators who were instrumental in the passage of priority bills to improve county revenue and property tax policies. We thank them for their vision in promoting laws that will have a positive impact on all 67 counties.
Monroe County Commissioner Justin Sawyer will represent the Association’s PLAN 2024 members on a panel developing legislative priorities to enhance services to those suffering from mental illness in Alabama. Both the Association leadership and PLAN 2024 have identified this effort as a priority for the coming year. To support this initiative, the 13 PLAN members will liaise with probate judges in their areas to collect data on local mental health needs.
Registration is open for ACCA’s Legislative Conference, set to take place Nov. 29-30 at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. As always, accommodations at the hotel are available at a discounted rate for members of the County Family. Conference registration and hotel booking are both available in one convenient place on the “Events/Education” tab of the ACCA County Family online community. Make your reservations now, as rooms typically book quickly.
The legislative committees of our affiliate groups are meeting throughout September and October to discuss common issues and potential legislative solutions to be considered by the ACCA Legislative Committee and full membership ahead of the 2024 Legislative Session. The legislative committee for 911 Directors will convene on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 10 a.m., and the committee for County Revenue Officers and License Inspectors will meet on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 10:30 a.m. Both meetings will be held at the ACCA headquarters in Montgomery.
Bids submitted to the Alabama County Joint Bid program for debris removal monitoring services will be opened at ACCA headquarters at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 22. The program has solicited bids for services divided by regions throughout the state and will award seven separate contracts—one for each region. More information can be found on the ACCA’s Joint Bid page.
Wednesday, September 20
Golf Bash | Timberline Golf Club, Calera
