Message from the President

Dear Fellow AMROA Members,

From all reports, the Winter Conference was a success. We were very concerned that we would have low attendance due to the city clerk's conference being held at the same time. We were very pleased, however, to have had strong participation from our membership, and are sure that the turnout was because of the relevant items that were on the agenda to be presented. The focus of our conferences is to have presenters who have expertise in subjects that are of interest to us. Laws and procedures change, which means there are always subjects that need to be explored further. We will continue to provide speakers who are knowledgeable and capable of providing information that is beneficial to us as revenue officers and auditors.

The evaluations have been thoroughly examined. It is understood that there was discontent with speakers who took more time than we may have been accustomed in the past. Please understand that some subject matter presented this time needed to be put forth in greater detail than some subjects we have discussed at previous conferences. Wouldn't we rather have speakers who provide a little more information on a subject than not enough? If we think back to previous conferences, there have been some presenters who spoke for only fifteen or twenty minutes. If you were to choose between the two, from which would you be most likely to glean more than one piece of information that would be beneficial to you? We hope that those of you who attended the conference learned something that will help you to do your job more proficiently than before.

On a personal note: I am doing remarkably well! I am very glad to be back at work for my city and this organization. Thank you for your support and "get well" wishes you sent to me. I look forward to seeing you all at Summer Conference in Guntersville.

To Jarrod, LaTrice, Vincent, and Jamie, thank you for your leadership in planning for Winter Conference. A special thank you to Jarrod, who took the reigns and made sure we had the speakers we needed to complete the program. To Julia Heflin and the staff at Auburn University, thank you for the work that you do each year to ensure that the program runs smoothly.
 

Finally, may your Renewal Notices be filled with immigration  paperwork and declarations of citizenship; may our taxpayers cooperate and understand the reason, and may we all be filled with the Spirit of the Season.

Sincerely,

Garry Shirah
President