County Commission | The Magazine April 2020 | Page 22

FROM THE COVER
to have at least one staff member
participating in CROAA, if for no
other reason than to keep a close
eye on legislation affecting county
revenues. Participation can also equip
county staff members to more actively
and knowledgeably supervise those
responsible for collecting on the
county’s behalf, whether the state or a
private contractor.
The group’s dues are a modest
$10 a year, and membership
has expanded to include county
administrators and license inspectors.
Additional information is available
at AlabamaCounties.org/affiliates/
CROAA.
“Especially during the legislative
sessions, CROAA members are
monitoring the various revenue bills
that are drafted to evaluate the long-
term effects of those proposals and
take action when needed,” said Betty
Peterson, one of the group’s founding
members who recently retired from
Madison County.
With CROAA’s legislative
advocacy since 1997, every county
has benefitted financially from the
group’s work, whether or not the
county is represented in the group’s
membership.
The group’s legislative impact was
evident soon after CROAA’s inception
when two significant bills became
law in 1998. The first regulated
private tax auditing firms, and the
second — known as the Local Tax
Simplification Act — made numerous
improvements. It changed the state’s
frequency of tax disbursements to
local jurisdictions to a biweekly
schedule, and it reduced the state’s
fee for local tax administration to a
maximum of 2 percent.
More recently, the group
helped advocate for the Simplified
Sellers Use Tax program. “Alabama
earned well-deserved national
attention for this innovative way to
collect revenue from online sales,”
Henderson said. “These are dollars
that counties wouldn’t receive
otherwise — and they’re being used
to enhance public services.”
CROAA members have also been
an essential part of defensive wins
for counties. In 2003, their advocacy
helped block Alabama from joining
a national sales tax streamlining
agreement that would have cost
counties millions of dollars.
An education program, now
part of the County Government
Education Institute, was established
early in CROAA’s history. Graduates
earn the Certified County Revenue
Officer (CCRO) designation.
“License inspection and sales tax
collection have always been closely
linked, so tweaking the education
program to provide license content
was a seamless transition,” said
CROAA President Terisa Lang of
Madison County. n
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22 | APRIL 2020