County Commission | The Magazine February 2017 | Page 5

your county employees have also downloaded it, and are using it to stay engaged with all the wonderful things happening within Alabama’s county governments. County Days There is power in numbers. As in past years, county leaders will have six opportunities to join their colleagues across the state for a day of advocacy at the Statehouse. Schedule a 10-minute meeting with your local legislators a week or so before your scheduled County Day. The Association Staff I sincerely believe that our Association staff is the very best in the state. Make sure staff members are aware of the grassroots efforts occurring in your county and how your local legislators are responding to county issues. They are at the Statehouse every day of the session counting votes. We need to be counting votes right along with them. So as we track the actions of the Legislature for the next 15 weeks, I want to issue a two-part challenge to my colleagues across the state. First, I want to urge county leaders to utilize each of the four resources highlighted above between now and the end of the legislative session. I also want to challenge the Association membership to not only use these tools, but to step outside of your comfort zones with how you communicate – both internally and externally. For many of us, the idea of downloading a phone application or having a town hall meeting on Facebook is beyond foreign. But in 2017, this is where we find ourselves. With each passing year, the communication media will change and the battles county leaders face will continue to increase. As the state’s purse strings grow tighter, undoubtedly county governments will be called upon to defend the services and resources that make our communities so special to us. However, we can overcome these obstacles if we stay focused on our purpose, and our purpose is clear: to advocate for stronger county governments to better serve the citizens of Alabama. And we must be diligent, because as Sir Winston Churchill also said, “It is wonderful what great strides can be made when there is resolute purpose behind them.” n The attorneys and staff of Webb & Eley, P. C. support and appreciate all of the county commissioners and their staff. P.O. Box 240909, Montgomery, AL 36124 [phone] Website: www.webbeley.com E-mail: [email protected] COUNTY COMMISSION | 5