Senator says state vetoes left Opelika projects unfunded, urges constituent advocacy

State Senator Chevron Jones told residents at an Opelika listening session that the recently passed $115,000,000,000 state budget included numerous vetoed local projects and urged constituents to press appropriations leaders to restore specific grants and appropriations.

Jones said the legislature approved the $115 billion budget and that projects Opelika submitted for appropriation were among those that did not receive funding. "We put forth over $66,500,000 in projects that were not funded," Jones said, and he singled out an ERP (enterprise resource planning) government finance software request intended to help the city’s budgeting and financial operations as an example of a project that was approved in committee but ultimately vetoed. "The very project that they told us that will help the city got vetoed," Jones said.

Why it matters: Jones framed the vetoes as concrete losses for local infrastructure and municipal capacity, and he recommended a constituent-driven approach to recovering funds. He advised residents to contact appropriations chairs and to request that the city include its legislative appropriation requests in materials shared with residents so citizens can advocate directly.

Supporting details: Jones described the budget context, saying last session’s $115 billion figure is higher than recent years partly because the state no longer has American Rescue Plan revenues to offset recurring needs. He characterized that change as raising questions about whether funding is divided equitably across jurisdictions. Jones also said Opelika had been placed on JLAC previously and that the city had provided documentation showing improved financial standing; he told residents the ERP system was specifically intended to address the very financial shortcomings that placed the city on that list.

Residents and local officials in the audience asked about next steps. Jones proposed constituent outreach to chairpersons on appropriations and said his office will pursue follow-up with staff. He said session activities begin with pre-session committee weeks in October (his office noted October 6 for a Tallahassee trip) and the formal session start date in January.

What’s next: Jones asked residents to provide feedback and to partner with his staff on outreach; he said both constituent contact and better-local-to-state coordination can improve the odds of securing future appropriations. He did not announce a formal re-filing or appropriation schedule at the meeting.