Riley says no state of emergency for Jefferson Co.
Published: July 16, 2009
Updated: July 16, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Gov. Bob Riley says he will not declare a state of emergency because of financial problems in Alabama’s most populous county.
Speaking Thursday in Hoover, Riley said such declarations are intended for natural disasters. He said the money problems facing Jefferson County are a fiscal crisis that can be solved. Riley said officials need to agree on new tax laws for Jefferson County.
Riley said the county should not consider bankruptcy as anything other than a last resort.
He also said an overhaul of Alabama’s ethics law is an important part of the solution because people don’t trust the government right now.
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When the JeffCo Commissioners are intereviewed on tv, it makes me so sad. They speak as though the lack of the occupational tax is the problem. What about the sewer debt still out there accruing interest? Have they forgotten about that? Have the news reporters? Even if they do the get the occupational tax money back, they still can’t pay for the billion dollar sewer system. We (the county) are still broke.
When is the county commission going to realize that BANKRUPTCY is their only option? Is it when there are several hundred convicted criminals on the street committing the same crimes over again and no police there to protect and serve? Is it when Cooper Green has to close their doors and we have an epidemic health crisis because there is no medical treatment? What is it going to take for these people to realize they have tried saving their butts and nothing has worked. No one is going to pull your butts out of the fire.
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