Sonny Brasfield
Alabama county commissions plan mental health push in 2024 legislative session
AUBURN – The Association of County Commissions of Alabama plans to make a push on mental health issues in the 2024 session of the Alabama Legislature. The organization, holding its annual meeting in Auburn this week, plans to support expansion of residential treatment facilities; improved training for corrections officers on mental health crises; additional funding […]
The Fee Trap: With pistol permit revenue falling, sheriffs and counties turn to other charges
Few people renewing their vehicle registration fees in Talladega County on Aug. 31 knew the cost had gone up. There’s a new $2 fee on car tags in the county, thanks to a law that passed the Legislature this spring. It won’t fund a new program. It will offset the local sheriff’s financial losses from […]
Lawrence County’s request for road money sparks discussion about Alabama incentives
A northern Alabama county seeking money for a road project faced tough questions Monday from a state board that oversees funding. The Alabama Industrial Access Road & Bridge Corporation committee agreed to pay almost the entire cost of a $1.66 million project in Lawrence County that provides First Solar, a company based in Arizona, with […]
Alabama sheriffs say end of concealed carry permit requirements cost them funding
When the Alabama Legislature debated a measure to abolish concealed carry permits in 2022, sheriffs around the state said doing so would take away a valuable enforcement tool and deny them income. Six months after the law took effect, several sheriffs say a grant program that was included with the program isn’t enough to make […]