By By ANNA M. LEE Managing Editor
Mayor Ted Jennings and four Brewton City Council members will be in Birmingham May 22-25 for the annual convention of the Alabama League of Municipalities.
The League was established in 1935 to conduct studies benefiting municipal governments, to provide legal and administrative information, to hold meetings of city government leaders to promote the exchange of ideas and to support the enactment of federal and state legislation in the interest of city governments. There are now 442 Alabama municipalities affiliated with the group. The organization is a member of the National League of Cities, its national counterpart.
Jennings, who has attended the Alabama League of Municipalities convention for about 18 years and served as the League's 1998-99 president, will be accompanied this year by city council members Dennis Dunaway, Cary Barton, Walter (Jake) Lewis and Mervin D. Huff.
Topics on the convention's program include the Alabama Mutual Aid System, a program to help cities help each other when planning for disasters; managing budgetary pressures; the role of municipal officials in 2004 elections, hiring and retaining good police officers and urban design.
In addition to guest speakers, workshop sessions and roundtable discussions, attendees will vote in the election of upcoming League officers. Jennings expects that 3,000 to 4,000 people will be in attendance at the meeting.