AAC F A M I L Y & F R I E N D S
» » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » »
Counties: the bridge connecting state government to the people
he Association of Arkansas Counties stake- holders and staff have dutifully navigated a so-called off year in the legislature so far in 2016. Tis even year has offered not only a fis- cal session, but also two special sessions in which counties were heavily involved in shaping policy and working with legislators on a multitude of issues and challenges. Te first special session paved the way for the policy of
T
Arkansas Works (Arkansas’ version of Medicaid expan- sion). Te second piece of the puzzle — legislative approv- al of the state budget — was realized after frenzied political action surrounding Arkansas Works in the fiscal session. In the end, the Revenue Stabilization Act was passed, Arkansas Works lived, and a bunch of worst-case financial scenarios did not become reality. Te second extraordinary session couched as a highway funding session became a catchall mini regular session by all our accounts. Te legislature approved and debated 14 different topics on the call. Tey passed 13 of them. And to think the 91st General Assembly will convene
before we know it early in 2017. Let us not forget during the last regular session we tracked more than 800 bills. Te AAC board, staff and members consistently aim to educate about counties’ role in state government — and for good reason. It is imperative we share our story with our constituents and legislators. We are where the rubber meets the road in local and state government service de- livery. Our school districts and various other taxing agents depend on our assessments, collections and distribution of funds. Our rural communities are able to function thanks to county roads that connect them and their goods to markets. Te estimated 50,000 miles of county roads and the more than 3,000 bridges help deliver our children to and from school five days a week. Our sheriffs departments across the state help ensure public safety by patrolling our neighborhoods, taking bad guys off the streets and manag- ing jails. By the way, there’s not a bunch of people stand- ing in line to run a jail. It’s tough work, but our counties
We want your news
COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2016
President’s Perspective
do it. Our country is gearing up for a historical general election in November, and counties will be instrumental in executing a fair and efficient election. I could go on and on, but the point is — counties are interwoven into the fabric of our state govern- ment. Tere’s so much to county government that even a seasoned public official like myself learns something everyday. In our effort to better educate our state about counties,
Judy Beth Hutcherson AAC Board President; Clark County Treasurer
we have developed some helpful tools, such as updated policy briefs, one pagers and infographics, including vari- ous data about counties. A recent one pager concerning rural road infrastructure can be found on page 38. More than 1,100 county bridges have been deemed structurally obsolete or deficient. Many of us don’t give the bridges we drive across everyday much thought, but next time you drive to work or church or school, count the secondary road bridges you use on just that one trip. Imagine how your quality of life would be adjusted if some of those bridges failed. We would all certainly give bridges more thought in that scenario. Our aging rural infrastructure is just one county chal- lenge. In many ways, counties are the bridge connecting state government to the people of Arkansas. And many residents don’t give that bridge much thought. We hope to help change that.
Judy Beth Hutcherson Clark County Treasurer / AAC Board President
Judy Beth Hutcherson
Did an aspect of county government “make news” recently in your county? Did any
of your county officials or staff get an award, appointment or pat on the back? Please let us know about it for the next edition of County Lines magazine. You can write up a couple of paragraphs about it, or if something ran in your local paper, call and ask them to forward the story to us. We encourage you or your newspaper to attach a good quality photo, too: e-mail
csmith@arcounties.org.
9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52