Government & Economic Development Institute

All County Commissioners in Alabama must complete the 50-hour Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Required Program within two years of their initial election. The program's curriculum includes the following courses, each accounting for 10 instructional hours. Please note that Buddy Sharpless Education Institute programming is strictly limited to current County Commissioners. Re-elected Commissioners that have previously completed the Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Required Program are not required to complete the program a second time, even if the Commissioner’s terms of service are noncontiguous. These Commissioners are encouraged, however, to complete the Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Advanced Program.

Orientation – County Government and the Commissioner

This course provides information on the immediate needs and requirements of the newly elected County Commissioner. It explores such issues as the roles and responsibilities of the Commissioner, statutory requirements of the Commission and the Commissioner, structure of county government, legal liabilities, roles of county constitutional officers, and resources available to the Commission.

Ethical and Legal Issues

This course acquaints the County Commissioner with the significant ethical and legal requirements affecting the Commissioner. It reviews issues such issues as the open meetings law requirements, conflicts of interest, and other standards of ethical conduct. Completion of this course fulfills the educational requirement of new Commissioners by the Alabama Ethics Commission.

Financial Administration

This course provides the County Commissioner with an understanding of revenue, expenditure obligations, and other processes that affect County government in Alabama. In addition, it gives an overview of the budgetary process, examining the maintenance of budgetary expenditures and the role of examiners in ensuring the County's sound financial operations.

Roads and Bridges

This course contributes to the County Commissioner’s policymaking and administrative proficiencies in the areas of physical infrastructure. Commissioners examine variations and advantages of road surfaces and bridge designs, road and bridge maintenance, right of way acquisitions, bridge inventory and load rating systems, and legal liability.

1 Advanced Program Course

A County Commissioner’s completion of any one course within the Advanced Program will fulfill the final requirement of the Required Program. Please navigate to the Advanced Program’s following webpage for additional information regarding these courses.

The Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Advanced Program is an extracurricular program for County Commissioners who have completed the Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Required Program. Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Advanced Program courses are offered each year, past offerings including "Intergovernmental Relations," "Personnel Administration," "Emergency Management," "Understanding the Liability of the County Commission," "Contracting Procedures," "Economic Development and Growth Management," and numerous others. Please note that Buddy Sharpless Education Institute programming is strictly limited to current County Commissioners.

The 70-hour curriculum, which is in addition to the 50-hour Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Required Program, can be accomplished through any combination of unrepeated Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Advanced Program courses, each accounting for 10 hours, as well as attendance to certain conferences focused on County work and issues. However, conference credits can account for no more than 20 of the Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Advanced Program's 70 instructional hours of credit. These conferences and their associated credits are listed below.

• ACCA Annual Convention: 3 credit hours
• ACCA Legislative Conference: 2 credit hours
• NACo Annual Conference & Exposition: 3 credit hours
• NACo Legislative Conference: 3 credit hours

Please note that the Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Advanced Program has historically been referred to as the "graduate program", its courses occasionally referred to as "electives," "graduate electives," or "graduate courses."

Registration/Cancellation Rule:

Provided that space is available, receipt of the registration form constitutes registration. Written cancellations, received fifteen (15) working days prior to the beginning of the program will be honored with a partial refund of the registration fee, but will be assessed a $50 administrative charge. Due to commitments to instructors and meeting facilities, late cancellations or non-attendance will not be refunded. Substitutions for registered participants may be made at any time.

Online Registration

The Buddy Sharpless Education Institute is governed by a board of directors, which establishes policies for both the Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Required Program as well as the Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Advanced Program. Many of these policies are included in the preceding webpages of this Buddy Sharpless Education Institute website, but all policies are centralized here for reference.

• Enrollment in any Buddy Sharpless Education Institute course is strictly limited to current County Commissioners. Registrations belonging to any other individuals will be cancelled, as such participation is prohibited.
• Written registration cancellations received 15 working days prior to the course’s beginning will receive a partial refund of the registration fee, less an administrative fee of $50.00. Note that refunds are only allowed for credit card payments, as Auburn University will not refund check payments unless the agency is a registered vendor of the university.
• Due to commitments with instructors, caterers, and meeting facilities, late cancellations or non-attendance will not be refunded. However, substitutions for registered participants may be made at any time.
• Participants must attend the entirety of a Buddy Sharpless Education Institute course to receive its associated credits. A participant who misses any portion of the course will be required to retake it in its entirety to receive credit.
• Participation in this program's events grants organizers the right and permission to use photos, videos, and audio recordings taken from such events in publicity efforts, to include social media content.
• No Buddy Sharpless Education Institute course can be taken twice for program credit. A Commissioner may take a course twice if they are seeking reinforcement or updated information on the course’s subject matter, but they will not receive credits for this repetition.
• Reelected County Commissioners that have previously completed the Buddy Sharpless Education Institute Required Program are not required to complete the program a second time, even if the Commissioner’s terms of service are noncontiguous.
• Completion of certain classes in the County Government Education Institute (CGEI) can be transferred to Buddy Sharpless Education Institute programs for credit, mostly in extenuating circumstances regarding a Commissioner’s inability to attend a Buddy Sharpless Education Institute course offering. It is recommended that Commissioners contact GEDI to confirm any CGEI course’s qualification for transfer credit.