Subject: Recommendations on 27 Local County Constitutional Amendments for the November 2 election.

Alabama Voters to vote on Nov 2 on Local Constitutional Amendments, effecting the listed counties below.

This recommendation is split into 3 parts:

I. A Yes, or No Recommendation on each local amendment.

II. Reasons for Recommendations.

III. A listing of the short version of the amendments that will appear on the ballot.

A detailed listing of these amendments can be found at http://www.sos.state.al.us/election/2004/localamendments.htm

I. Recommendations on the below county amendments:

Recommendation

1. Barbour County 1 NO

2. Blount County 1 NO

3. Clark County 1 NO

4. Conecuh County 1 YES

5. Conecuh County 1 NO

6. Dallas County 1 NO

7. Etowah County 1 NO

8. Hale County 1 NO

9. Hale County 2 NO

10. Limestone County 1 YES

11. Limestone County 2 NO

12. Limestone County 3 NO

13. Limestone County 4 NO

14. Macon County 1 NO

15. Madison County 1 NO

16. Mobile County 1 NO

17. Mobile County 2 NO

18. Mobile County 3 NO

19. Monroe County 1 NO

20. Pickens County 1 NO

21. Pickens County 2 YES

22. Shelby County 1 NO Recommendation

23. Shelby County 2 YES

24. St. Clair County 1 NO

25. Tuscaloosa County 1 NO

26. Walker County 1 NO

27. Walker County 1 NO

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II. Reasons for Recommendations:

Why Vote NO on most of the amendments. Most of the amendments increase the scope of government, and thus more regulation in the lives of individuals.

Home Rule. A concept that sounds good on the surface, but greatly increases the amount of government regulation in our lives. Also gives the power of governments to levy more fees on the people. See No. 13. (Limestone County)

Provide a retirement program, thus more for the taxpayers to fund in the years to come. Numbers 2, 3, 8, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 25, 27 (Blount, Clark, Hale, Limestone, Madison, Mobile, Monroe, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker)

Our forefathers believed that government should not be a participant in the free enterprise system. To put funding in the hands of government officials for construction projects creates problems. This often results in them paying for building projects that directly benefit a very few individuals, usually a lot of money is spent on a construction project to serve as a political pay off. For example, a county government paid for a construction of a water line to the hunting lodge of State Senator Roger Bedford. On another occasion a road was built to benefit some property owned by an Alabama State Senator. Lest we forget Senator Ray Campbell of Decatur, whose "jobs creation center" paid out large salaries to some staff, but never got anything done. It was closed due to corruption. See Numbers No.5, No.7, No. 18, 26. (Conecuh, Etowah, Mobile, Walker)

Should a special tax zone be set up to benefit a few? See Amendments 6, 14, 17 (Dallas, Macon, Mobile)

Numbers 9, 11, (Hale, Limestone), raises taxes.

St. Clair, Amendment 24. Vote No, it sounds like the revenue will be distributed to other projects.

Walker County Amendment 26. Gives the government too much power in regulating our lives, especially in land use and in the power of eminent domain.

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III.

| Return to 2004 Election Information Menu |

"Shall the following Amendments be adopted to the Constitution of Alabama?"

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS WHICH APPLY TO ONLY ONE COUNTY

Click the Act number to review the complete text of the bill that proposes the amendment.

Barbour County

1. Relating to Barbour County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to authorize Barbour County and any municipality located therein to perform certain actions for the purpose of economic and industrial development. (Proposed by Act 2003-122)

Yes

Blount County

2. Relating to Blount County, proposing an amendment to Amendment No. 718 to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to allow a sheriff of Blount County to be included within the phase-out of the supernumerary program and to be allowed to participate in the State Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2004-231)

Yes

Clarke County

3. Relating to Clarke County, proposing an amendment to Amendment No. 631 to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to allow a sheriff of Clarke County to be included within the phase-out of the supernumerary program and to be allowed to participate in the State Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2004-393)

Yes

Conecuh County

Proposed Local Amendment No. 1

4. Relating to Conecuh County, proposing an amendment to Amendment 634 to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to delete the authority to use the

additional fees on civil and criminal cases for construction and operation of the existing county courthouse. (Proposed by Act 2003-75)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 2

5. Relating to Conecuh County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to authorize an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to authorize the establishment of the Conecuh County Reservoir Management Area Authority for the development of Murder Creek in Conecuh County (Proposed by Act 2004-392)

Yes

Dallas County

6. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, authorizing the governing body of the City of Selma in Dallas County to establish an Alabama Foreign Trade Investment Zone as a special tax district for the purpose of importing duty free and quota free articles eligible under the United States General System of Preferences and the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act and would specify that the value of land and improvements on the land within the district would be assessed and taxed for ad valorem tax purposes by county tax officials under a single site valuation system. (Proposed by Act 2004-232)

Yes

Etowah County

7. Relating to Etowah County and the municipalities located therein, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to authorize Etowah County and any municipality located therein to perform certain actions for the purpose of economic and industrial development. (Proposed by Act 2003-408)

Yes

Hale County

Proposed Local Amendment No. 1

8. Relating to Hale County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to phase out the supernumerary system for certain elected public officials and allow them to participate in the Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2003-204)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 2

9. Relating to Hale County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to levy an additional 30 mill ad valorem tax on certain

classes of property; to increase the homestead exemption from $2,000 to $5,000 for tax levies subject to the homestead exemption; and to provide that the increase in the countywide tax shall be distributed by local act. (Proposed by Act 2004-542)

Yes

Limestone County

Proposed Local Amendment No. 1

10. Relating to Limestone County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide for the election of the Limestone County Board of Education by the qualified electors of the county residing outside of the corporate limits of any city with a separate city board of education. (Proposed by Act 2004-45)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 2

11. Relating to Limestone County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide for the equalization of the rate of ad valorem taxation levied for school purposes in the portion of the City of Madison located in Limestone County with the portion of the City of Madison located in Madison County. (Proposed by Act 2004-312)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 3

12. Relating to Limestone County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to phase out the supernumerary system for certain public officials and allow elected or appointed county officials, as defined, to participate in the Employees' Retirement System and to allow the employees of the Town of Ardmore in Limestone County to participate in the Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2004-389)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 4

13. Relating to Limestone County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to grant certain home rule powers, not to include the power to tax or raise revenue, to the Limestone County

Commission. (Proposed by Act 2004-535)

Yes

Macon County

14. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, authorizing the governing body of the City of Tuskegee in Macon County to establish an Alabama Foreign Trade Investment Zone as a special tax district for the purpose of importing duty free and quota free articles eligible under the United States General System of Preferences and the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act and would specify that the value of land and improvements on the land within the district would be assessed and taxed for ad valorem tax purposes by county tax officials under a single site valuation system. (Proposed by Act 2004-394)

Yes

Madison County

15. Relating to Madison County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to phase out the supernumerary system for certain public officials and allow elected or appointed county officials, as defined, to participate in the Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2004-543)

Yes

Mobile County

Proposed Local Amendment No. 1

16. Relating to Mobile County, proposing an amendment to Amendment No. 648 to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to specifically include the sheriff within the group of certain elected officials in Mobile County who may participate in the Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2003-414)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 2

17. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, authorizing the governing body of the City of Prichard to establish an Alabama Foreign Trade Investment Zone as a special tax district for the purpose of importing duty free and quota free articles eligible under the United States General System of Preferences and the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act; would specify that the value of land and improvements on the land within the district would be assessed and taxed for ad valorem tax purposes by county tax officials under a single site valuation system; and would provide further for the contractual powers of nonprofit organizations. (Proposed by Act 2004-98)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 3

18. Relating to Mobile County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to authorize the issuance of bonds to include land and capital improvements and to continue the existing levy of the tax authorized by Amendment 18, as amended. (Proposed by Act 2004-417)

Yes

Monroe County

19. Relating to Monroe County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to phase out the supernumerary system for certain

elected public officials and allow them to participate in the Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2004-240)

Yes

Pickens County

Proposed Local Amendment No. 1

20. Relating to Pickens County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to phase out the supernumerary system for certain elected public officials and allow them to participate in the Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2003-76)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 2

21. Relating to Pickens County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to amend Amendment No. 649 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, authorizing an administrative fee of no more than 3 percent of the special ad valorem for fire protection. (Proposed by Act 2004-241)

Yes

Shelby County

Proposed Local Amendment No. 1

22. Relating to Shelby County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to authorize the Legislature by local law to provide for the enforcement of traffic laws on private roads in private gated communities in the county. (Proposed by Act 2003-121)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 2

23. Relating to Shelby County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to allow the Judge of Probate of Shelby County to exercise equity jurisdiction concurrent with that of the circuit court in cases originally filed in the Probate Court of Shelby County if the Judge of Probate is licensed to practice law in the State of Alabama. (Proposed by Act 2003-123)

Yes

St. Clair County

24. Relating to St. Clair County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to amend Amendment 652, providing further for the distribution of the ad valorem taxes called for fire protection. (Proposed by Act 2004-395)

Yes

Tuscaloosa County

25. Relating to Tuscaloosa County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to phase out the supernumerary system for certain elected public officials and allow them to participate in the

Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2003-120)

Yes

Walker County

Proposed Local Amendment No. 1

26. Relating to Walker County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide for the creation of the Corridor X Parkway Authority located in Walker County and providing for the composition,

Chuck Baldwin

jurisdiction, and powers of the authority relating to zoning near any limited access highway in Walker County, including, but not limited to, uniformity of landscaping and roadside design, land use, limitations and uniformity of signs, and the regulation of the outward physical features of buildings and structures. (Proposed by Act 2003-71)

Yes

Proposed Local Amendment No. 2

27. Relating to Walker County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to phase-out the supernumerary system for certain public officials and allow elected or appointed county officials, as defined, to participate in the Employees' Retirement System. (Proposed by Act 2003-74)

Yes

A detailed listing of these amendments can be found at http://www.sos.state.al.us/election/2004/localamendments.htm

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