County Commission | The Magazine January 2020 | Page 6

THE COUNTY LINE
I
Sonny Brasfield
Executive Director
Our recent
accomplishments
should just be
the beginning
Let’s carry
this momentum
forward in 2020
6 | JANUARY 2020
n my more than 30 years of
writing for this magazine, I
don’t think we’ve ever published
a list of accomplishments from
the previous year. But as we turn
the calendar to 2020, it would be
a mistake not to take stock of the
remarkable events of the past
12 months.
The previous December, the day
after our 2018 Legislative Conference
in Montgomery, the Association
moved its headquarters about 60
yards from its home since 1977 to
its new facility at 2 North Jackson
Street. The “new” building has already
been an outstanding resource for the
Association — putting us in more
direct contact with the policymakers
in our state, as well as providing the
membership with new resources.
As we begin 2020, construction
is nearly complete on a new meeting
facility on the building’s second floor.
When you come to Montgomery
during this year’s legislative session,
we’ll have a wonderful place to gather
and lay out our plans for ensuring
success for county government. We
can’t wait to hold training events
and other activities inside the
headquarters.
The shifting of our insurance
programs to self-administration —
after a 35-year relationship with a
company that provided third-party
services — was one of the most
significant accomplishments for this
Association in many, many years.
And to the credit of so many people,
the transition has moved forward
without any negative responses from
the membership.
More than 20 employees now
occupy the former headquarters
building at 100 North Jackson
Street, and they sport the “County
Risk Services” logo on their chests
with pride. Starting a company
from scratch was an adventure (to
say the least), but it was also an
opportunity for the Association’s
staff and leadership to build stronger
relationships and alter the course of
the insurance programs for decades
to come.
As we begin 2020, we are
about ready to unveil a new safety
emphasis that will challenge both
the new company, as well as the
county governments. A more hands-
on approach to claims prevention,
based on claims data and national
resources, will be fully operational
by late spring. This is the next step
in the long-term plan to help protect
counties and those who come in
contact with us.
The public policy
accomplishments of 2019 are many
— and so many people deserve
the credit. But over the past 12
months, we’ve changed the course
of retirement benefits for county
employees, provided our 9-1-1
professionals with the most state-
of-the-art technology to respond
to those in need, removed the jail
feeding crisis from the national news,
put our nation-leading internet sales
tax program in compliance with the
U.S. Supreme Court and cleared the
way for more efficient use of county
rights-of-way.
As we begin 2020, we now face
hurdles with mounting overcrowding
in county jails, a lack of mental health
services statewide and a healthcare
crisis in rural Alabama. If these
issues are to be resolved in 2020, this
Association must pick up the mantle
of leadership. And I believe we are
ready.
The counties’ role in the