State auditor Jim Zeigler trying to block closure of surplus property site
As Gov. Robert Bentley moves to close a state-run surplus materials site in northern Alabama amid budget cuts and austerity in Montgomery, State Auditor Jim Zeigler is again playing the role of perennial thorn in the governor’s side. Zeigler announced Tuesday morning he will work to block the closure of the site in Eva, Alabama, which he says would “cost the state money instead of saving” state funds. Zeigler, whose idiosyncratic statewide-elected office is akin to that of an ombudsman or public accountant, says the closure is unnecessary. He claims it’s being done out of spite after the Legislature passed only part of Bentley’s tax increase proposals amid looming budget deficits earlier this year. “The state has almost two billion dollars in property paid for by taxpayers. That is a huge area of state government for the Bentley administration to be using as a political football,” said Zeigler. Bentley’s office recently announced it will shutter the facility, which is designed to process and dispose of surplus state property, and consolidate it with a similar state enterprise based in Montgomery. The state auditor did not elaborate on specifics of what a move to block the Eva closure might look like, other than to declare his opposition and say he will work to stop it. “I am looking at legal and political options to block the Eva closing,” said Zeigler on Tuesday.
In wake of state closures, city to take over Florala State Park
As the state shutters five state parks amid budget cuts in Montgomery, one Alabama city is taking matters into its own hands. The Florala City Council voted on Wednesday to approve a plan that would transfer the park into municipal hands. Paperwork is currently underway to finalize the takeover, including moves to absorb utilities payments at the park and hire a temporary manger to oversee it. The move was first announced on October 15, when the parks closures went into effect. Auditor Jim Zeigler loudly criticized the moves, saying the moves were unnecessary and amounted to “bad management.” “Will services remain the same? Absolutely not — they will be better,” Florala Mayor Robert Williamson said of the plan. Mayor Williamson said the process will be completely finished around the end of 2015. Florala’s move mirrors that taken by Arizona and other states in recent years, when federal budget cuts and uncertainty led to national park closures. The federal government shutdown in 2011 was a windfall for the Arizona state parks system, said system manager Ellen Bilbrey. “We have five state parks in the Yavapai County area and they all showed significant increases” following the shutdown, said Bilbrey. “Visitors were coming south and traveling around and hanging out in those areas which they probably wouldn’t have done otherwise. Whether the move will signal a trend towards devolution of authority over state parks to cities remains to be seen, but Florala will be an interesting case study on the matter going forward, as the statehouse seems unlikely to replenish the millions in gate fees it it has taken out of the parks system in recent years.
Jim Zeigler: Gumption – How to still make a difference despite Montgomery circumstances
When I became your State auditor nine months ago, I discovered obstacles to my plans for better accountability of how state government uses your money. Here are five: No accountability for missing state property. When the auditor’s office completes an audit of a state agency and reports missing property, there is no accountability. No recovery. No enforcement. The auditor’s office itself has no enforcement authority. Sadly, we are dependent on the attorney general’s office for enforcement. We send a copy of the report of missing property to the AG, never to be heard from again. The AG takes no action against the state officials responsible for the missing property. Looking back over five years of state auditor reports, it appears that the AG has never held a single person accountable and has never recovered even one item of state property. This is a major flaw in the state auditing process. Maybe I should have run for AG. The Governor does almost the opposite of what he campaigned on. Gov. Robert Bentley campaigned for re-election on “no new taxes.” Within days after winning the November general election, he started talking about needing new taxes. He passed three new taxes but is still asking for more, much more. He had said he was against the liberal Common Core in our education system, but he has not taken any steps to repeal it. He had said he would not allow ALDOT to harm the historical North Eufaula Avenue median where the treasured antebellum homes are. Within days of winning re-election, he and ALDOT decided to four-lane North Eufaula Avenue, taking 6 feet along the median and likely killing the oak trees. The Governor is cut off by a circle of advisers – bad advisers. Gov. Bentley does not listen to you, and he does not listen to me. He listens to a group of staff, supporters, lobbyists and special interest politicos. They have him surrounded and cut off from the normal people. The Bentley bunch are the sorriest, know-it-all, self-serving, we-know-best mafia he could assemble. We would all be much better off he would fire the whole bunch, go out to Wal-Mart, and hire the first five people to come out of Wal-Mart. I would have to operate the state auditor’s office with no receptionist, no secretary, no investigator and no lawyer. My assistant Hope Curry, the professional auditing staff, and I are getting the job done despite no receptionist, secretary, investigator or lawyer. Our audits are all current. We have improved the auditing system and completed audits of 68 state agencies already. Even after starting with this bare-bones operation, we suffered another 25 percent cut in our budget, about double the cuts to other agencies. I think I may have irritated some folks on Goat Hill. A problem with my favorite restaurants in Montgomery. After I won the election last year, I told a friend in Montgomery that I was looking forward to coming back there and enjoying my old favorite restaurants. The Elite. The Sahara. The Red Bird Inn. The Green Lantern. The Pub at Montgomery Mall. Two Sisters. Joe’s Delicatessen on Fairview. TP Crockmier’s. Igor’s. Charlie’s. The Capitol Grill. The Beverly. My friend replied that I was going to be disappointed – they are all closed. Without my patronage, they all went under. I actually have been surprised to learn lots of other things in my nine months as state auditor – mostly adversities. Maybe I should write a book, “Gumption: How to Still Make a Difference Despite Montgomery Circumstances.” Jim Zeigler is the Alabama State Auditor. You can follow him on his Facebook page Zeigler “Waste Cutter”.
Governor, lawmakers clash over future budget process
In the wake of a messy conflict between the executive and legislative branches over state spending, Sen. Paul Bussman of Cullman on Tuesday called for a hearing where all state department heads would testify during a “open communications meeting” regarding future budgets. But presumably prompted by the office of Gov. Robert Bentley, state Acting Finance Director Bill Newton issued a memo Thursday telling Bussman “Thanks, but no thanks,” claiming such a hearing would interfere with the annual formal budget process. “Each of you was invited to attend an open communications on future budget meeting on October 21,” wrote Newton. “I have been asked by the Governor to instruct you to not attend the meeting on October 21. The reason for this decision is the Budget Management Act.” “You and your staff are familiar with this 40 year old law that defines in detail our State’s budget process. This law clearly sets out the responsibilities of all parties involved in this process including the Legislature. The legislative branch is to consider the Governor’s budget proposal and evaluate alternatives. At this point in the budget process, the Governor has not sent his FY 17 proposal to the Legislature for their consideration,” explained Newton. State Auditor Jim Zeigler, however, thinks a hearing along the lines Bussman has suggest would not circumvent the formal budget process, and in fact “could greatly help that process.” Zeigler called Bentley’s decision to prevent department heads for testifying next week – which are by and large appointed by the governor – a “boycott.” “This is a strange application of the rules and procedures,” said Zeigler, saying more scrutiny would help the cause of an effective budget process. “One problem this year was the governor was chronically late in getting proposals and bills to the legislature. He promised a special session on a date certain with plenty of time for preparation, but he pulled a surprise and called the session for the very next Monday,” said Zeigler, who plans to attend the hearing despite Bentley’s protestations. “The early open communications meeting can be a great idea. It does not violate the procedures for the governor’s budget,” Zeigler said Thursday. The disagreement could set up a massive clash over spending and budget authority between the governor and the Legislature – and if Zeigler’s actions are a harbinger of the future, perhaps the governor and his own Cabinet. Zeigler’s state auditor post is a statewide elected position not appointed by Bentley. Sen. Bussman’s hearing is scheduled for 4 p.m. on October 21, in the Joint Briefing Room of the Alabama State House in Montgomery.
Auditor Jim Zeigler says state parks closures “bad management”
State Auditor Jim Zeigler again denounced the nature of budget cuts which have resulted from budget negotiations between Gov. Robert Bentley and a Legislature which is increasingly hostile to him. Zeigler – who started a public campaign last month to prevent deep cuts to his own office – said closures of five state parks slated to stem from the current budget are unnecessary despite a budget shortfall patched up by lawmakers this month after nearly six months of fits and starts in Montgomery. Barring drastic administrative changes, five state parks will close their gates October 15: Bladon Springs, Chickasaw, Paul Grist, Roland Cooper and Florala. Zeigler said in a statement over the weekend the closures are not primarily fiscal in nature, but rather due to poor choices state government officials have made. “Just in the past five years, $15 million made by the parks has been stolen from them and used to prop up other state programs. If this money had been left within the park system, there would be no closures,” Zeigler said. Zeigler says the parks generate “85-90 percent” of the money they need to operate from tickets, gift shop sales and fees. While Democratic U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell has focused her efforts on mobile driver’s license facilities which will shutter due to budget cuts – an issue she has said pose a threat to the civil rights of rural Alabamians – Zeigler has largely focused on the state parks issue. “The Bentley administration is hinting at more closures of more parks next year. We need better management and a long-term plan to keep the parks open. The simple thing to do is to stop taking money earned by the parks and let them keep it.” said Zeigler, a statewide elected official who occupies an unusual ombudsman or comptroller-like position. “With a few changes, the parks can be self-sustaining and not rely on taxpayer funds,” Zeigler said. “Nobody in Montgomery is taking a lead role in getting this done.” Zeigler will address the future of state parks on the day of the closures. Zeigler is set to speak this Thursday, Oct. 15 in Hoover at the 5:45 p.m. meeting of Rainy Day Patriots, a Tea Party-inspired political group. The open-press event will be held at Hoover Tactical Firearms, 1561 Montgomery Highway in Hoover.
Jim Zeigler fighting to stop massive cuts to auditor’s office budget
State Auditor Jim Zeigler says he is being unfairly targeted by budget cuts by Gov. Robert Bentley and legislative allies after speaking out against the governor’s tax and spending proposals – and this week, he is taking his fight to the statehouse in Montgomery. Zeigler will testify before the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee meeting today at 1 p.m. Central in the Capitol building, where the panel is taking up HB 1, better known as the bill that will enact the state budget. As of Monday morning, the budget proposal contained a whopping 60 percent cut to the office of the State Auditor, the statewide elected ombudsman position occupied by Zeigler since he took office earlier this year, taking over for term-limited Samantha Shaw, like Zeigler a Republican. The 60 percent cut, Zeigler said in an announcement Monday, is by contrast to the mere 10 percent cuts faced by the offices of other statewide positions In a social media post, Zeigler issued the following appeal: Your help is needed quickly to stop the obliteration of the State Auditor’s office. You can contact members of the Senate Finance & Taxation Committee General Fund. Ask them to amend HB1 so that the State Auditor’s budget will be around $1 million instead of the $400,000 it now reads, which is a 60% cut. This committee meets at 1 p.m. today (Mon, Sept 14). It will take up HB1, the general fund budget, which passed the House Friday. HB1 singled out the State Auditor’s office for about a 60% cut that would cripple essential auditing. Other agencies received cuts in the 10% range, which the auditor’s office could live with. We ask for your help quickly in maintaining bare-bones funding for the State Auditor’s office. Amending HB1 to provide the State Auditor $1 million instead of $400,000 would still allow essential auditing and be a cut in line with other agencies. Zeigler also pointed out his opposition to the removal of the Govs. George & Lurleen Wallace portraits from the capitol rotunda, the four-laning of historic North Eufaula Avenue, the closure of 15 state parks, the use of taxpayer funds in campaigns for tax increase referendums and the removal of Confederate items from the capitol museum gift shop in an appeal to supporters Monday. The Senate F&T meeting will be held in room 727 in the statehouse in Montgomery.
Ahead of Special Session, auditor Jim Zeigler warns unfair budget cuts are on the table
State Auditor Jim Zeigler issued an announcement this morning in which he said the looming combination of budget cuts and tax increases the Gov. Robert Bentley and the Legislature will mull unfairly burden “the little guys.” Zeigler put out a list of possible reductions in the governor’s budget proposal, which Bentley says may be necessary should the executive and legislative branches again fail to reach a deal to backfill a $250 million shortfall currently projected in next year’s budget. Included are cuts to state parks, most drivers license officers, Medicaid for indigent Alabamians, the elimination of some 99 state troopers, and reductions in state hunting and fishing services. Zeigler took umbrage that highly visible public services max face the ax while administrative costs incurred by the governor himself and his staff are not on the chopping block. “It is obvious that the Bentley advisers are targeting cuts on the little guy but none on higher-up politicos. And none on the Governor’s office itself,” Zeigler said Tuesday. “This is an obvious strategy to get citizens concerned about the cuts to pressure the legislature to pass the Bentley tax package.” “My prediction is it will not work. Just ask voters in Baldwin, Lawrence, Colbert and Jackson Counties and in the City of Athens. They all voted down tax increases by wide margins in the past six months,” said Zeigler noting the recent local resurgence of anti-tax sentiment that had abated somewhat amid the economic recovery. Zeigler noted the absence of proposed cuts to items like the following: “The Governor’s fleet of airplanes and helicopters and their frequent use? The Governor’s entourage he carries around with him and their large costs, including over-time? The number of state vehicles issued to officials who do not need them for after-hours duty? The high-priced SUVs and other luxury vehicles? The ultra-high salaries of some officials?” read Zeigler’s extended rhetorical question. “No. No cuts threatened to the Governor’s staff and to politicos.” “The Bentley advisers are not listening to the citizens; they only listen to Montgomery insiders,” Zeigler continued. The Special Session begins this evening at 5 p.m. at the state Capitol Building in Montgomery.
Jim Zeigler: My take on Donald Trump event in Mobile
At the Donald Trump event in Mobile last Friday, I felt the electricity, the enthusiasm, the excitement, and the pure joy. I saw the thousands that showed up on short notice. Trump’s was the best rally have I ever been to, and I have been to many – George Wallace, Big Jim Folsom, Bobby Kennedy, Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Zig Ziglar, and Glenn W. Turner. Sadly, I never experienced a Ronald Reagan rally in person. I have witnessed George Wallace resonating with the folks opposed to federal encroachment on rights of states and individuals. I have seen Nixon quietly appeal to the “silent majority.” The Trump supporters are some of the same folks, but the silent majority has gone vocal — loudly expressive. What is producing the strong public response to Trump? Here is the Zeigler take on this: The celebrity factor. People are drawn to The Apprentice, a reality TV superstar, a billionaire tycoon. People are fed up. They are disgusted with politics as usual. They want an aggressive outsider. People agree with Trump on stopping illegal immigration; on stopping dumb U.S. deals with Iran, China and others; on incompetents in high places; on stopping the giving away of U.S. industries and jobs to other countries. Trump is Ross Perot on steroids. They are entertained by and feel good about Trump’s in-your-face style and with graphic descriptions of others. The other presidential candidates can often be boring. Trump is anything but boring. The public is always wondering what he will say next. Trump is the un-Obama. Repeal ObamaCare. Stop the dumb Iran deal. Put competent people in the administration. Run the government like a business tycoon, not a community organizer. Jim Zeigler is the Alabama State Auditor. You can follow him on his Facebook page Zeigler “Waste Cutter”.
Governor Robert Bentley to make Tuscaloosa jobs announcement Thursday morning in Montgomery
The governor’s office office announced Wednesday Gov. Robert Bentley will address the public and members of the media Thursday afternoon in Montgomery regarding developments related to economic development in Tuscaloosa County. State Auditor Jim Zeigler seemingly had the inside scoop Wednesday afternoon, taking to social media and posting the following: An announcement is expected Thursday of an automobile parts supplier coming to the Tuscaloosa area bringing 600 jobs to Alabama. It will manufacture doors for Mercedes vehicles made at the Vance, AL plant. Details Thursday. The announcement will take place on the steps of the Old Capitol Building on Dexter Avenue in the state capital. Event organizers say the governor – for whom the good news is badly needed after a two legislative Sessions have so far failed to produce a budget – will speak at 11 a.m. and will be joined by local and state leaders.
Auditor Jim Zeigler announces plan to return portraits of Governors George & Lurleen Wallace to Capitol rotunda
When State Auditor Jim Zeigler addressed the Coosa County Republican Party Tuesday evening, he had a surprising announcement to make – Zeigler told his co-partisans in Rockford that his months-long effort to restore the position of the official portraits of former Gov. George Wallace and and his wife and successor Gov. Lurleen Wallaceb may soon end in victory. Zeigler told the gathering of Coosa GOP-ers his conversations with state officials in charge of historical preservation had “at long last” began to augur progress. “I requested a meeting with the new Acting Director of the Alabama Historical Commission. Because she is a defendant in a pending legal case about the Confederate flag removal, she correctly decided that I should instead meet with the new Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Jim Day of Montevallo,” Zeigler said, telling the assembled crowd he found a receptive audience in Dr. Day. “He has drawn a diagram of my plan to return the Wallace portraits to the rotunda while preserving the spots of the most recent four governors in the second floor rotunda and maintaining the chronological order of the other governors’ portraits,” Zeigler said. “This proposal will be placed on the agenda of a meeting of the Alabama Historical Commission.” “I believe that we are very close to righting this wrong and having the two Wallace portraits returned to where they historically were and legally should be,” he concluded. Zeigler cited a joint resolution – Act. No. 83-57, HJR 10, from February 2, 1983 – passed by the Alabama Legislature which states: BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That the official portrait of Governor George C. Wallace is of such significant historical importance that it shall be displayed in the center rotunda of the first floor of the state capitol from this date henceforth. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to Governor Wallace and the Alabama Historical Commission so that they may know of our intent that this historic portrait will be forever displayed. A concurring Act regarding Lurleen Wallace was also passed, a clear sign of the Legislature’s intent on the issue. Zeigler said the news was heartening for those who honor Alabama’s history, and an affirmation the rule of law. “The law is clear. The intent of the legislature is clear,” he concluded. “Some Montgomery bureaucrats decided to revise history and ignore the intent of the legislature to suit their own politically correct agenda. The restoration of the Wallace portraits to the rotunda will right this wrong.”
State raises PACT pre-paid college plan payments, may clear the path for more
State Auditor Jim Zeigler on Monday lauded a move by a state higher education board to raise tuition payments to families who have purchased PACT – or Pre-paid Affordable College Tuition – plans that allow parents to lock in an affordable four-year college program in exchange for paying ahead. The program had fallen on hard times, going insolvent in 2009 and freezing the rates of its tuition payments. Zeigler, an advocate of using a “modest portion” of money from a BP settlement stemming from the 2011 Gulf oil spill to fully restore the “PACT” tuition payments, says Monday’s decision “opens the door for other increases,” including, possibly, full tuition at 2015 levels. “Some leaders in Montgomery had been saying that a previous settlement of PACT litigation means that no increase can legally be made. That is obviously not true given the 3% increase,” Zeigler said. Zeigler said that while he is glad the state board has seen fit to use the somewhat improved budgetary position of Alabama to remediate what the auditor has called a “wrong,” he will continue to lead a push for legislation or executive action that ties future payments to the contemporary rate of tuition that Alabama colleges and universities are actually charging. “The 3% increase is a tiny step in the right direction,” Zeigler said. “It does clear up some misconceptions that could aid our fight for full payment as promised.” Zeigler, a retired attorney, has a personal as well as a public policy stake in the issue: he purchased two PACT plans – 16 and 11 years ago, respectively – and hopes to see them eventually pay the full cost of college for his two daughters. A Montgomery ethics panel recently ruled that that arrangement does not violate state ethics laws, because his stake is one he has in common with so many other citizens and because that stake is equal to other participants in the program. “This is a wrong that needs to be righted,” Zeigler told ALToday.com last month. “The BP money may be the last chance to provide the full tuition that these families paid for and based their planning on.”
Alabama Ethics Commission gives Jim Zeigler a-ok to pursue PACT tuition reimbursement
On Tuesday, a lawyer with the Alabama Ethics Commission ruled that State Auditor Jim Zeigler‘s active support for full funding of state pre-paid college program is permissible. The ruling was handed down amid some controversy over the fact Zeigler’s family had purchased two of the PACT – or Pre-Paid Affordable College Tuition – plans for the couple’s own children. Those concerns were jettisoned by commissioner Hugh Evans Tuesday, opening the path for Zeigler to continue his advocacy efforts. “Mr. Zeigler cannot separate his actions from his official role, but as long as he does not use his position or the mantle of his office to receive a benefit different than that accruing to the other members of the affected class, there is not an Ethics violation,” read the decision that cleared the statewide auditor. “The class affected is all participants in the PACT program. This is a very large class, and it would appear to affect all members equally.” Zeigler, who bought two PACT plans 16 and 21 years ago repsectively, has been pushing for the Legislature and governor to approve “a modest part” of funding from the recent settlement related to the 2011 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to make whole parents and guardians who had purchased plans before the program went insolvent in 2009, which led to a devaluation of the plans. Zeigler has argued plan purchasers would not improperly benefit from such an arrangement because they would simply be remedially receiving funding they were owed anyway, as opposed to benefitting from a new windfall. The plans, Zeigler told ALToday.com last month, were not an investment subject to loss but rather a contract the state agreed to fulfill at “a sum certain.” “This is a wrong that needs to be righted,” said Zeigler. “The BP money may be the last chance to provide the full tuition that these families paid for and based their planning on.”
