Over 50 municipal officials from across Alabama were recognized on October 30 during the Alabama League of Municipalities’ annual Certified Municipal Official graduation and awards ceremony at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel.
Under the Alabama Municipal Official Training Act, which took effect earlier this year, mayors and councilmembers must now complete 10 hours of training annually during their first term in office.
Once officials have completed 40 hours of the League’s basic CMO certification, they must continue earning at least 5 training hours each year.
RELATED: Over 100 municipal officials graduate from Alabama League of Municipalities’ training program
“A major component of the League’s mission for the past 90 years is to train and prepare our new and veteran municipal officials with the skills and resources needed to help them best serve their communities,” said Greg Cochran, executive director of the Alabama League of Municipalities.
“We are excited that this year we have partnered with the Alabama Community College System to provide enhanced online courses through their training platform, which some of the graduates have been able to utilize when they could not attend our events.”
The League’s CMO program provides classroom and online instruction in government operations and best practices. Officials can earn multiple certification levels after completing 40, 80, and 120 hours of coursework.
This year’s ceremony recognized six certified municipal officials, 27 advanced officials, nine CMO emeriti, and five Tier II honorees who exceeded 120 training hours.
The League also presented Certified Municipal Achievement (CMA) Awards to 15 municipalities—the largest group since the award’s creation in 2018.
The CMA honor recognizes cities and towns where both the mayor and full council complete at least 40 hours of training each year.
ACCS Chancellor Jimmy Baker commended the partnership, saying, “We are pleased to partner with the Alabama League of Municipalities to modernize their online training to better assist municipal officials with staying up-to-date on the best practices and resources for their roles as public servants.
The ACCS and ALM teams have worked tirelessly the past year to roll out this updated training, and we look forward to continuing to build on this initiative together through our Innovation Center.”
The Alabama Community College System’s Innovation Center, through its Skills for Success program, helps connect community colleges, industry, and local partners to deliver short-term, job-ready training across Alabama’s most in-demand career fields.
Since the CMO program began 31 years ago, more than 5,200 Alabama municipal officials have completed League training designed to strengthen local government leadership.
A full list of 2025 Certified Municipal Official graduates and Certified Municipal Achievement Award recipients is available at almonline.org.
Founded in 1935, the Alabama League of Municipalities represents more than 450 cities and towns across the state. The League works to strengthen municipal government through advocacy, training, and collaboration, serving as the unified voice for Alabama’s local leaders.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
