Lawmakers in Montgomery this week, on spring break next week
The 2025 Regular Legislative Session will pick back up tomorrow — but only temporarily, as state lawmakers will pause again next week for their annual spring break. County leaders are encouraged to monitor their inbox this week for the regularly scheduled Goat Hill Prep and Goat Hill Glance emails and for any possible Goat Hill Alerts, which will only be sent should immediate action be necessary. County leaders are also reminded they can always access regular legislative updates and resources by referring to the “2025 Legislative Session” tab of the online community.
Secretary of State releases update on certified electronic poll books
This past Thursday, Alabama’s Secretary of State issued the latest list of electronic poll books certified for use in local government-administered elections. The list provides details on acceptable electronic poll book vendors, as well as on acceptable hardware and software. You can view the Secretary of State’s advisory letter and list of certified electronic poll books here. Counties are encouraged to share this information with their Probate Judge and any others at the county level who play a critical role in elections administration.
ACCA launches new bimonthly communication piece, titled “Let’s Talk About…”
This past week, the Association launched a new communications piece — titled “Let’s Talk About…” — to more succinctly and consistently update the Alabama County Family on the latest county government issues. The first installment of this new endeavor was delivered to county email inboxes on Thursday and featured information and insights regarding threats to the Simplified Sellers Use Tax program, achievements in Alabama transportation infrastructure, registration and hotel accommodations for ACCA’s 97th Convention, and construction progress on the new Alabama Statehouse. The new piece will be released every other month moving forward and will continually deliver news through various written, verbal and visual forms of communication — and all of the information will be housed on the County Family’s private online community. County leaders with an online community account who did not receive the March 2025 installment of “Let’s Talk About…” are encouraged to check their email’s spam folder and to follow up with their IT department/contractor to ensure “staff@alabamacounties.org” has been whitelisted. County leaders with no online community account are encouraged to click here to begin the process of setting up their account. For additional questions, please feel free to contact ACCA’s Director of Communication and Engagement, Abby Fitzpatrick.
Final 2025 Regional Meeting for Administrators taking place this Friday
Friday will bring this year’s final of six Regional Meetings of the Association of County Administrators of Alabama (ACAA) as County Administrators and Administrative Staff from North/Northwest Alabama gather in Colbert County to discuss administrative issues and enjoy lunch together. Details for next year’s ACAA Regional Meetings have not yet been set, but County Administrators are encouraged to go ahead and reserve time on their calendars for the next round of meetings in the late winter/early spring of 2026.
Corrections Officers to participate in March 19-20 jail training
This week, Corrections Officers from across the state will gather in Prattville to receive specialized training made available through the ACCA Self-Insurance Funds’ Safety Incentive Discount Program (SIDP). Scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, the course will focus on emerging trends in jail liability and will be the second of five courses offered to Corrections Officers for the 2024-2025 SIDP training schedule. To view this year’s complete SIDP training schedule for Corrections Officers, click here.