Shelby County government revenues have bounced back since recession, county manager says

Shelby County government revenues are almost back to where they were before the recession, County Manager Alex Dudchock told the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce today.

Dudchock was giving the state-of-the-county address at the chamber's October luncheon at the Pelham Civic Complex.

“Today is about looking at 2015 and looking forward, but if you’ve been here for the 21 other times I’ve been in front of you and done this, you know I try to make it a little interesting for you,” Dudchock said.

The county's financial state has been improving since the recession hit in 2008, Dudchock said. General fund revenues for fiscal 2015, which ended Sept. 30, came in at $53.8 million, which is about $150,000 less than county revenues before the recession, he said.

“When the recession hit, we were at $54 million. We immediately went down 2 [million], 4 million. We had to make quick decisions – that’s a lot of money,” Dudchock said. "We can proudly say we closed the fiscal year of 2015 just recently, and we’re only $156,000 below where we were in 2008. And those foolish people, me being one of them, are celebrating.”

Dudchock said he expects the general fund to continue improving in fiscal 2016, which began Oct. 1. Revenues are expected to reach almost $55 million - $900,000 above what they were in 2008, he said.

“Those are conservative numbers, and they’re not far off,” Dudchock said.

During his presentation, Dudchock also noted the Shelby County Commission’s funding priorities — the Sheriff’s Office, jail and the Highway Department.

“They put their money in public safety; they put their money into roads,” Dudchock said. “They’d like to see them doing more, but they’re living within their means.”

The county in recent years has been able to receive $22 million in state and federal funds for highway and bridge initiatives, Dudchock said. With that funding, seven bridges were replaced, two intersections were improved and 13 resurfacing projects were completed.

The county has taken on several other projects in the past few years, including several changes to Oak Mountain State Park, Dudchock said.

“We have treated Oak Mountain State Park like a county park for the last seven, eight years,” he said. “Why? Because the facilities were not being maintained at how I want them, at how our citizens expect them to be. Oak Mountain State Park is also an economic engine for our county.”

In 2015, the treetop boardwalk and large birdhouses at the Alabama Wildlife Center were restored, cable wakeboarding was implemented, a new playground was added, an archery park opened and several restrooms were added or updated. Planning for other amenities is also in the works, Dudchock said.

The county also partnered with cities on community projects, including the Chelsea Community Center. Shelby County helped fund a portion of the Senior Center there, helping pay for furniture and other amenities.

Looking to the future, Dudchock discussed two upcoming events that should boost tourism in Shelby County. He said the 2016 USA Track and Field National Junior Olympics, which will take place at Veterans Park on Valleydale Road in December 2016, could draw around 10,000 attendees who will then stay for two to three nights. Oak Mountain State Park is the host site for the National Senior Games in June 2017, which could bring in 12,000 competitors and their families, he said.

Dudchock also said he hopes to see Shelby County's unemployment rate continue to decline. The 4.7 percent unemployment rate in August is still double what it was before the recession, he said, and it’s up to small businesses to fix that.

“We’re still the leader in the state, and we’re the tops in the Southeast, but we don’t measure ourselves that way,” Dudchock said. “We measure ourselves by, we know we have people that are still unemployed.”