Life , liberty and the pursuit of local decision-making
President ’ s PERSPECTIVE
Hon . Bill Stricklend President
What if we had our own
Independence Day ?
Life , liberty and the pursuit of local decision-making
4 | COUNTY COMMISSION
Independence Day is right around the corner and , very soon , our friends and neighbors will stock up on fireworks , light the grill and celebrate the many freedoms we enjoy each day . But at the same time , we all know freedom comes with a price tag . It really is impossible to list the millions of Americans , from all walks of life , who have made countless sacrifices in the name of liberty . And their efforts , I imagine , were fueled by many desires , including the dream of actually controlling their own destiny . When you think about it , our history has been defined by organizations and individuals who have been willing to walk through fire for the chance to make their own decisions and to solve problems on their own . One could easily argue that every war , every movement and every personal journey goes back to the fundamental human desire to exercise free will .
While the magnitude may not be quite as large , the same is true for us . The decisions we make as county leaders will set a course for the residents of our county – and our state – for years to come . And , I would like to believe , that each of us decided to seek election to the county commission because we believe , like our Founding Fathers , that the destinies of our own communities should be decided at the local level .
For more than a century , the power to make local decisions – the decisions that really impact the day-to-day lives of Alabamians – has largely rested in the halls of the state Legislature . What would happen if county leaders truly adopted the belief that local decisions are best made at the local level – where citizens have the best opportunity for input ? And what if this Association , and its 67 members , marched forward with that singular goal in mind ?
We already know what we can achieve when county leaders speak in One Voice . The examples of our successes are many and have gained statewide , and even national , attention .
Look at Alabama ’ s overwhelming support of the Amendment 4 initiative on the 2016 ballot . Counties now have the authority to make management and administrative decisions related to county personnel programs , community programs related to public properties , public transportation and safety promotion on public roadways , operation of county offices , and emergency assistance programs . Over one million Alabama voters said “ YES ” to county control – which speaks volumes about how much citizens trust their county leaders and their ability to make local decisions .
Before Amendment 4 , there was the Alabama Limited Self-Governance Act – the 2005 law that allows local voters to authorize their county commissions to exercise certain health and safety powers . In the 21 counties where limited self-governance is effective today , county commissions can respond to citizen concerns and abate certain nuisances – like noise , unsanitary sewage , overgrown weeds , and junkyards – in unincorporated areas . If voters aren ’ t happy , the law provides a way to repeal these health and safety powers at the local level .
Even 20 years ago , the very idea of county leaders having such authority would have gotten you laughed out of the Statehouse . Now , counties are using these authorities for the betterment of their communities . County governments have clearly made great strides towards controlling