County Commission | The Magazine December 2018 | Page 36

Departments have gone above and
beyond to provide safe and efficient
travel conditions for the public —
including lowering speed limits on
distressed roads, closing bridges that
are no longer functional and even
reclaiming paved roads to gravel
roads. These temporary measures
are no longer safe or acceptable for
county government.
seemingly simple, is costly and time-
consuming yet necessary to prevent
emergencies. If we receive a heavy
rain and were unable to properly
remove debris in advance, roads
become washed out.
Kimberly Creech Baldwin County
President, County Revenue Officers
Association of Alabama
Gordon Sandlin Cullman County
Bob Franklin Russell County
President, Alabama Association of
Emergency Managers
A
Local roads and bridges
are critical to the safety of
our residents, and we’ve got to take
good care of these infrastructure
lifelines. The maintenance of ditches
and culverts, although commonly
overlooked by the general public and
in jeopardy. A well-funded road
maintenance program in each county
is a necessity for public safety.
President, Alabama Association
of 9-1-1 Districts
A
9-1-1 personnel answer
thousands of calls per day,
and each one usually requires the
response of an emergency agency. As
county roads and bridges deteriorate,
this can contribute to more accidents.
Also, response times to and from
scenes are slowed, which hampers
the effectiveness of medical care,
along with putting first responders
A
All counties in Alabama
must pick and choose which
roads and bridges can be repaired
and maintained. Over the years,
motor fuel funding has decreased
due to the increased fuel efficiency
of new vehicles. Countless roads and
bridges are in desperate need of repair
or replacement, but the funding is
simply insufficient. The constant
battle for County Finance Directors
in Alabama is to determine which
roads and which bridges can receive a
portion of the attention they need.
Workers’ Compensation | Liability | Property
For nearly four decades, the Association of County
Commissions of Alabama’s (ACCA) Self-Funded Insurance
Pools have utilized an outside company to serve the
insurance needs of Alabama’s 67 counties.
Beginning in 2019, counties’ insurance needs will be
served by a new entity, a nonprofit created exclusively
for counties by counties — County Risk Services, Inc.
36 | DECEMBER 2018