County Commission | The Magazine August 2018 | Seite 31

NEWS YOU CAN USE
C
Tips for welcoming new
commissioners in November
ommissioners are on the ballot
in 50 counties this year, and a
significant number of department
heads will be answering to new bosses
come November.
Even in the smoothest
transitions, newly-elected
commissioners can encounter a
steep learning curve as they assume
their new responsibilities. For the
orientation process, many veteran
staff leaders create a custom “go-to”
notebook for new commissioners.
Engineer Randy Tindell started
providing an orientation in Coffee
County when the 1996 election cycle
resulted in big turnover on the seven-
member commission.
The county had five newly-
elected commissioners, and Tindell
wanted any hard feelings from
campaign season to stay in the past.
He had been hired by the previous
commission, but “I wanted to make
sure the commission understood
that I worked for them and at their
direction,” he said.
With that motivation, he
put together a day-long briefing
supported by a three-ring
binder titled “What We Do and
Why: Coffee County Highway
Department.”
More than two decades later, the
most recent edition measures about
3 inches thick. “I try to answer every
question they may have,” Tindell
said, noting that he includes attorney
general’s opinions addressing
some of the most frequently asked
questions, such as doing work on
private property.
Over in nearby Henry County,
Engineer Chris Champion has
followed Tindell’s lead. “All the credit
goes to Randy for organizing it real
well, as far as explaining how state
law works, how state law governs the
organization of a road department
and then getting into the funding
aspects of it,” Champion said.
Of course, it takes some time to
pull the information together, and
scheduling a half-day or more of
orientation time with a newly-elected
commissioner can be challenging.
“The first time I did it, the group was
The Association of
County Engineers of Alabama
salutes its 2018 honorees!
ACEA: An Affiliate of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama
Brian Davis Rosenbalm
and Eian Davis
Richard R. Spraggins
Scholarships
MARSHALL COUNTY
John F. Courson Excellence in
County Engineering Award
Mike Shaw
MARION COUNTY
County Engineer of the Year
COUNTY COMMISSION | 31