Limestone County commissioners press for review of local bills after staff submissions

Commissioners at the Limestone County Commission work session on Feb. 17 spent much of their meeting discussing several local bills in the Alabama Legislature and whether the commission had been adequately consulted before those bills were filed.

A commissioner asked Drew to summarize the local measures; Drew said one bill identified in the transcript as HB 310 would give a special designation to property owners 65 and older and, as read, appears to ‘‘freeze the property valuation for property tax purposes of the 65 or older’’ class of property owners. Drew cautioned his remarks were based on his recent reading of the bill and that the language could change as the legislature amends the draft.

Drew also described a local bill to revise the sheriff’s pay structure so it would no longer be tied to the highest-paid circuit judge. According to Drew, the bill ‘‘would untie the sheriff’s pay from that completely’’ and instead set up a local statutory structure to make calculation of sheriff pay ‘‘very clean and very easy to calculate.’’

Several commissioners said they were surprised that some local legislation that appeared to originate from the commission or its attorney had been submitted to Montgomery before being discussed in an open commission meeting. One commissioner said, "We shouldn't be writing bills that don't come before this committee that we have a chance to review and input in an open meeting," and pressed for a requirement that proposed local bills be circulated to the full commission before filing.

Commissioners debated whether the commission had an official position on the bills. Multiple speakers said they had not passed a resolution and therefore the body had no formal recorded position. One commissioner proposed resolving the uncertainty by placing a resolution on the next meeting agenda to state the commission’s view on the sheriff’s salary bill; Chairman asked that a resolution supporting that bill be included at the next meeting for a formal vote.

No formal vote or resolution was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. Commissioners agreed on the need for better internal communication and for staff to circulate copies of proposed local legislation to commissioners before filing with the state legislative reference service.

What’s next: Chairman asked staff to place a resolution on the next meeting agenda concerning the sheriff’s salary bill so commissioners can take an official position.

Sources: Remarks by Drew and comments by multiple commissioners during the Feb. 17, 2026 Limestone County Commission work session.