County Commission | The Magazine February 2017 | Page 29

constitutional and
statutory law. The
preservation of
a constitutional
relationship between
the State of Alabama
and its counties, as
well as a workable
and productive
statutory allocation
of responsibilities
between the state
and the counties
is essential to the
delivery of services.
Therefore, Alabama
counties encourage
the Alabama Legislature to fully
fund state agencies and opposes the
shifting of costs and administrative
responsibility of state functions
to the local level through the state
budget process.
Strategic Goals
In furtherance of this
Foundation Principle, the
Association will actively pursue the
passage of legislation to accomplish
the following strategic goals:
To shift the statutorily-required
publication of legal notices from
a “newspaper” to publication on a
website maintained by the state or by
each individual county.
n
To provide a constitutional
amendment to ensure open debate of
local legislation.
n
Legislative Policy
In addition to its strategic
goals, the Association has adopted
the following legislative policy
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consistent with
this Foundation
Principle:
Opposition
to removing or
impeding local
control of the
county department
of human resources.
g
Opposition
to abolishing
regional planning
commissions.
g
Support
for continued
application of current constitutional
and statutory provisions providing
that elected officials can only be
removed from office through the
process of impeachment.
to independently make decisions
related to county property.
Opposition to shifting the
control of county property to
the overs ight of a legislatively-
established committee or state
agency. Specifically, the Association
strongly opposes the requirement
that movement or renaming of
monuments, buildings or streets be
approved by such a committee.
g
Support for local legislation
providing for (6) year terms of office
for County Commissioner.
g
g
Support for Alabama’s current
structure for enacting or amending
state general or local laws and belief
that no provision allowing for citizen
referendum should be enacted.
g
Belief that individual property
rights must be balanced with
adequate means to protect the health,
safety, and welfare of all citizens.
g
Belief that any additional
restrictions on the use
of constitutional and
statutory procedures for
condemnation of private
property for necessary
governmental purposes will
serve to harm the collective
well-being of all citizens.
g
Mandated
and Unfunded
Legislation
Foundation Principle
Without the authority to
levy taxes or even collect fees
for services, Alabama counties
constantly struggle to provide an
adequate level of services to ensure
health, safety and prosperity of local
citizens. Alabama’s constitution
provides protection from the
enactment of mandated and
unfunded responsibilities onto
county government to ensure
Opposition to restricting
or limiting a county
commission’s authority
g
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