HB606 • 2026

Baldwin County Employees; revise appointments by county commission of contract employees

Budget Elections Labor Taxes

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Fidler
Last action: 2026-03-17
Official status: Pending Committee Action in Second House
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The term 'Successor commission' was removed from terms_to_know because it is not explicitly defined in the provided text, though its function (taking office after an election) is described.

Baldwin County Contract Employee Appointments

This law changes how Baldwin County hires certain staff by making some appointments optional for elected officials and listing specific jobs that must have written contracts with the county commission.

What This Bill Does

Allows the judge of probate, revenue commissioner, and sheriff to choose whether or not to appoint their top employees.
Lists ten specific county positions that may be hired as contract employees appointed by the county commission.
Requires each contract employee to have a written agreement with the county commission.
Mandates that contracts include rules for ending employment, job descriptions, and yearly performance reviews.
States that new elected officials must decide within 90 days whether to keep or cancel existing contracts after an election.
Requires three-fourths of the elected commissioners to vote in order to fire a contract employee.

Who It Names or Affects

The Baldwin County Commission
Contract employees holding specific listed positions such as county administrator and budget director
Elected officials including the judge of probate, revenue commissioner, and sheriff

Terms To Know

Permissive appointment: A rule that allows an official to make a hire but does not require them to do so.
Contract employee: A worker hired under a written agreement with specific terms for pay and ending the job.

Limits and Unknowns

This law only applies to Baldwin County.
The text lists specific job titles but does not define the exact duties or salary amounts for each role.
The bill becomes effective on October 1, 2026.

Bill History

2026-03-17 House
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 921 (Yeas 16, Nays 0)
2026-03-17 House
Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 47, Nays 0)
2026-03-17 Senate
Pending Committee Action in Second House
2026-03-17 Senate
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Local Legislation
2026-03-12 House
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-03-12 House
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-03-10 House
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-03-10 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Baldwin County Legislation

Official Summary Text

Baldwin County Employees; revise appointments by county commission of contract employees

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB606 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB606
BYZCI4J-1
By Representatives Fidler, Holk-Jones, Givens (N & P)
RFD: Baldwin County Legislation
First Read: 10-Mar-26
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BYZCI4J-1 02/03/2026 JWB (L)JWB 2026-635
Page 1
First Read: 10-Mar-26
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to Baldwin County; to amend Section
45-2-120.12, Code of Alabama 1975; to establish that
appointment of certain contract employees by the county
commission is permissive; and to remove certain positions from
the list of contract employees that are appointed by the
county commission.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 45-2-120.12, Code of Alabama 1975,
is amended to read as follows:
"§45-2-120.12
(a)(1) One appointed employee position may be filled by
the judge of probate which position The judge of probate may
appoint one employee who shall be designated serve as chief
clerk.
(2) Two appointed employee positions may be filled by
the revenue commissioner which positions The revenue
commissioner may appoint two employees who shall be
designated serve as chief clerk of collections and chief
appraiser.
(3) Three appointed employee positions may be filled by
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HB606 INTRODUCED
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(3) Three appointed employee positions may be filled by
the sheriff which positions The sheriff may appoint three
employees who shall be designated serve as chief deputy, chief
jailer, and chief of the civil division.
(b) The county commission may appoint the following
shall be appointed contract employees: County administrator,
emergency management director, juvenile detention director,
personnel director, building official, clerk/treasurer, county
engineer, development and environmental director, budget
director, and communication and information systems director.
(c) Each of the appointed contract employees shall be
employed under contract with the commission. Each contract
shall include at a minimum the following provisions:
(1) A provision for termination and severance.
(2) A job description for the position.
(3) An annual written evaluation to be reviewed with
the employee and retained by the commission in the employee's
personnel file.
(4) A provision that the contract will be nonbinding on
the successor commission after each four-year election;
however, the contracts must be cancelled canceled or continued
within 90 days of the successor commission taking office.
(5) A provision that any appointed contract employee
employed by the county commission may not be subject to any
action to cancel or not to renew the contract or in any other
manner dismiss or terminate the contract employee except by a
three-fourths vote of the elected members of the county
commission."
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
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HB606 INTRODUCED
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Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
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