Just ask one of our county commissioners, and they’ll tell you that sitting on that honored panel of county governmental authority is more than just attending a few meetings and voting on a few resolutions – it’s work.

To do that work, many of the commissioners and the county’s employees attend training programs to improve their governing abilities.

Commissioner Frank Hickman recently completed a 50-hour training program on the basic responsibilities of serving on a county commission.

The program is required by law for first-time commissioners.

&uot;They have two years from the time they take office to complete the training,&uot; Hickman said. &uot;The training subjects them to different aspects of county government life, whether it be personnel matters, finances, tax sources or construction of bridges and roads.&uot;

Hickman said he considers the program a basic primer for county government.

&uot;I found it to be very useful and helpful,&uot; he said. &uot;Obviously, some of it I already knew, but I can see where those who have not been exposed to practical law for 25 years as I have been would benefit. I even benefited from it as a refresher course.&uot;

The program is supervised by the board of directors for the Alabama Local Government Training Institute, which is comprised of county officials, educators and members of the legislature.

County employee John Mark Davis, who is an engineer with the county’s road department, also received training recently from the Institute.

Davis completed a county engineering administration program that provided training in budgeting, personnel matters, planning and other county responsibilities.

&uot;The program consisted of seven different classes, with 84 hours of class time,&uot; Davis said. &uot;I feel it enhanced my skills in certain areas. It tells you what to look for to prevent problems. I feel it was a worthwhile program – a lot of things that weren’t covered in college that deal with the administrative side of engineering.&uot;

Davis has been with the county road department since January of 1995.