Name: Ronnie G. Coffman

Age: 54

Personal: Married to Regina Clem Coffman; three children, Jenna, Joshua, Christopher, his wife Amy and granddaughter Emily; parents, Wilson and Shirley Coffman of Athens.

Civic or volunteer affiliations: Member of Lindsay Lane Baptist Church, choir member and AWANA leader; past secretary, past vice chairman and present chairman of the Limestone County Republican Executive Committee; member of the Alabama Republican Executive Committee.

Education: Graduated from Elkmont High School in 1975; completed vocational education in drafting and an apprenticeship program in land surveying from 1975 to 1986; became a Registered Alabama Land Surveyor in 1986 and a Tennessee Registered Land Surveyor in 1987.

 

Q. What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the license Commissioner’s office and what plans do you have to address it?

A. The biggest issue is the rapid growth of Limestone County and being able to accommodate the taxpayer because of the rapid growth.

We must expand the license commissioner’s office in order to keep up with the past, present and future growth.

 

Q. Depending on the day and time, applying for or renewing an existing tag or license can result in a bit of a wait. What plans do you have to keep the office running smoothly and efficiently?

A. We must think outside the box if we are to better serve the taxpayer. Traditional hours have been from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

There could be several solutions to make it easier for the taxpayer to visit the courthouse.

We could be open on Saturday and closed on Wednesday during the weekday.

We could have extended hours one or two days a week to better accommodate taxpayers. I will work with the county commission to make sure that we have the best plan in place.

Q. Many residents now use the Internet to take care of county business. How can today’s technology be better utilized in the license commissioner’s office?

A. I will encourage taxpayers to pay online by making sure that the Limestone County License Commission’s office has the best user-friendly website available.

We can also produce a pamphlet showing step by step instructions on how to purchase your tag online.

 

Q.  The state’s immigration law has presented new challenges in terms of how county offices conduct business with residents.

While offices must abide by the law, what steps can the license commissioner’s office take to ease the burden on legal residents?

A. I believe that the illegal immigration law that was passed by the Alabama Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Bentley was just what Alabama needed, and the rest of the states should follow our lead.

Alabama citizens don’t feel inconvenienced if they know we are preventing illegals from obtaining a license or tag illegally. I will make sure that legal citizens are inconvenienced as little as possible by handling the problem situation myself so the license commission staff can expedite non-problem situations in a timely manner.

 

Q. Do you see a need for a satellite license commission office? If so, how would you recommend the county fund the office?

A. I would like to see a satellite office open in the East Limestone area. Limestone County has increased in population by 26 percent in the last 10 years.

You would think with the increase in population, we would have at least a 26 percent increase in revenue to the license commissioner’s office.

I will work with the Limestone County Commission to see that we have adequate funding for this project. If we have a satellite office, then we would have less activity at the courthouse annex and would be able to move some of the employees from that site to the site at East Limestone.

My goal is to make this license commissioner’s office the state’s most efficient and most productive with as little cost as possible to you, the taxpayer.