AAC
COVER STORY History Continued From Page 35 <<<
Above: Former AAC Executive Director and retired Randolph County Treasurer Eddie Jones (right, cen- ter) shakes the hand of former AAC Executive Direc- tor James H. Baker. Former AAC Board President and Craighead County Judge Roy Bearden is pictured at left, and former AAC Board of Directors President Barbara Hersom,both of whom have passed away, sits at right. Right center: Former U.S. Senator from Arkansas and lawyer Blanche Lincoln speaks at an AAC conference.
cohesive group and thinking in terms of solidarity. It also took the Legislature a few years to fully recognize the Association of Arkansas Counties as the agreed upon representative for all of county government statewide. In fact, it took the passage of Amendment 55, landmark legislation that reorganized county government in Arkansas, to change the Association of Arkansas Counties into the organization it is now. Today, AAC represents 1,332 county and district officials and
nine various associations all under one umbrella. After the pas- sage of Amendment 55 in 1974 and the subsequent passage of the enacting legislation, Act 742 of 1977 as amended, county officials were thrust into a new and more complicated system of county government. Quorum courts had new roles and the various constitutional offices were modified to one degree or another. Te old fee system of funding officials was abandoned for the current system of paying every county official a salary. It became imperative that county and district officials have a single source they could go to for information on this new and com- plicated set of laws. Te logical provider of this single source of information was, of course, the Association of Arkansas Coun- ties. Starting with Act 742, which was 102 pages of legislation concerning county government, and continuing to this day, the Association of Arkansas Counties strives to provide county and district officials with a single source of quality information. Like state and federal government, county government has grown more complex with volumes of laws that must be adhered to. AAC has worked diligently to keep up with the changing times of county government.
Te Association not only lobbies effectively for all county and district officials, but they also get the word out on all new leg-
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Left: U.S. Senator John Booz- man speaks at an AAC conference. Above: Former Arkansas Governor and Lt. Governor Jim Guy Tucker speaks at the 1993 AAC annual con- ference. Jim Baker sits to his right.
islation by holding “new legislation seminars.” Te AAC office serves as a hub of information on all aspects of county govern- ment, from the oldest, most obscure legislation to the newest, most technical legislation to come out of the General Assembly and from the federal level in Washington. Even though AAC is seen as a lobbying organization, AAC does much more for the county and district officials of Ar- kansas. Tey hold various seminars and annual conferences, compile and print training manuals, directories, and other educational material. Tey publish a quarterly, national award- winning magazine called County Lines and provide day-to-day consultation for their constituency. AAC also grants academic and financial need scholarships to the children and grandchil- dren of county and district officials and employees. Te Association of Arkansas Counties provides benefit pro- grams for Arkansas counties. In 1985, AAC added a Workers’ Compensation Trust for counties, and they currently provide workers’ compensation coverage for all 75 counties and several other county entities. In 1986, a Risk Management Fund was established. Te Risk Management Fund provides counties with general liability, automobile fleet protection, and a prop- erty insurance program. Te AAC Risk Management Fund currently provides coverage for 54 counties and about 400 fire departments. Risk Management member counties receive the added benefits of Justice Bridge, a video/audio communica- tions system for use in the courts and sheriff’s offices; Guardian RFID, an inmate tracking system; and codification of county ordinances. Te AAC Workers’ Compensation Trust and the Risk Management Fund are completely self-funded and self- administered and in solid financial condition.
COUNTY LINES, SUMMER 2018
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