The 2026 Cullman Tribune Debate Series: Cullman County Commission, District 2

1:03 Hello and welcome to the beautiful Bailey Center Auditorium on the campus of Wallace State Community College here

1:09 in Hanceville. Thank you to our gracious host, Wallace State Community College, and to Dr. Vicki Carlick for helping

1:17 make this event possible. The 2026 Tribune Debate Series continues today with the race for Cullman County Revenue

1:24 Commissioner. This debate debate features Michael Pitts and Kenneth Cornelius. These events are designed to

1:31 give the public unfiltered answers, direct comparisons, and meaningful conversation. Candidates do not receive the questions

1:38 ahead of time. The goal is simple: give voters a better understanding of who is

1:43 prepared, who understands the office, and who can explain how they would serve the people of Cullman County. The

1:50 revenue revenue commissioner's office affects nearly every resident in some way. It handles property taxes, motor

1:58 vehicle services, homestead exemptions, assessments, public records, and taxpayer services. For many residents, this office is one

2:10 of the most direct connections they have with county government. The Tribune works diligently to reach every

2:16 candidate. If a candidate declines to respond to emails or calls, there is only so

2:22 much we can do. The invitation stands, the forum is open. If a candidate does

2:27 not attend, an empty chair will sit beside those who do. This has been our

2:32 uh this has been done in prior debates and our uh forums, and it will remain our

2:36 policy. With all that being said, let's get to it. Now for the rules for the candidates. No

2:44 electronic devices uh are permitted. Questions will alternate, so no one candidate answers first or last more

2:52 than the other. Opening statements are limited to 60 seconds and may be prepared. Time

2:58 allotted per question is two to three minutes, three minutes being the max. Closing statements are

3:05 limited to 90 seconds and must be spoken without notes. Each candidate is allowed

3:11 one rebuttal per question, but only if one candidate directly names or calls out the other. Rebuttals are limited to

3:19 45 seconds. Facts only, no accusations without proof. If an unsupported accusation is made, additional response

3:28 time may be given to the opposing candidate. Voters deserve substance over slogans. Talking points

3:35 will not be enough. Now to our opening statements. Each candidate will now have 60 seconds for

3:42 an opening statement and we'll get we'll begin with Mr. Bice. >> [clears throat and cough]

3:49 >> Hello everybody. I'm glad to be here. I am Mike Pitts. I'm running for Cullman

3:54 County Revenue Commissioner. I am 59 years old. I've been married to my wonderful wife, Dorinda, for the last

4:02 37 years. Together, we have two kids. Uh our daughter, Lakyn, is 35 years old

4:09 and our son, Landon, is 17. Um we've been active in Cross Haven Baptist Church for about the last 18 19

4:19 years. I am uh very proud to say that I earned my associate's degree right here at

4:26 Wallace State Community College. I continued on, went to Athens State University to get my bachelor's degree

4:33 in business administration, which is perfect going into the revenue office. I presently own Creative Design. I have

4:42 two shops, one in Hanceville where I live, where we do where we make

4:46 t-shirts, do screen printing, and stuff like that. I have a shop in Cullman

4:51 where we do signs, um banners, stickers, that sort of thing. I've been able to do all my own

4:57 campaign materials, which has been nice. Thank you, Mr. Pitts. And Mr. Cornelius. I'm Kenneth Cornelius, running for

5:07 Cullman County Revenue Commissioner. I am excited to be here this evening. I was born and raised here in the

5:13 Hanceville area. I've been married to my high school sweetheart for the last 33 years.

5:19 Have two grown children, uh Garrett and Townley. Um have been in the Express Lube

5:24 industry, built, developed, and operated Express Lubes for the last 33 years where I enjoyed that, developing

5:31 properties. And then by running Express Lube in Arab, I built Moulton, Snead, and Hanceville.

5:37 And then sold those businesses out to Valvoline 3 years ago where in the last

5:42 2 years I've owned went and operated the Cullman County Park System for Cullman

5:47 County Commission, um which is the Smith Lake and Sportsman's Lake, Stony Lonesome Covered Bridge, Clarkson

5:53 Covered Bridge, and the Cullman County Agriculture Center, which is about $4 million of a budget and then 40

5:58 employees I manage on a daily basis. All right. Thank you both for those opening

6:05 statements, and Mr. Cornelius, we'll stay with you for this first question. The Cullman County Revenue

6:11 Commissioner's office affects nearly every resident through property taxes, motor vehicle tags, exemptions, assessments, public records, and

6:20 taxpayer services. What do you believe is the most important responsibility of this office, and what specific steps

6:28 would you take to make sure the office is accurate, accessible, and responsive to the public?

6:35 The main thing with any business, and like I said, I've been in private business for over 33 years, and

6:40 then in the county parks business for the last 2 years, is customer service.

6:45 It's always treating the citizens with the most respect, giving them all any information that they need answered,

6:52 doing it in an efficient manner to make sure it is done to the point if they

6:57 have any questions, cuz no one likes to pay taxes. I'll be honest with you, but

7:01 you want to do it with a smile, effectively, efficiently, and to make sure they get that service every time

7:07 they come in, they have a question, answer it with a smile, and if you don't

7:11 know the answer, get someone that does. So, that's the main thing is making sure

7:15 the employees are trained and make their job easier with all their training that you can do for them and

7:22 make them successful in the way they do with the citizens of Cullman County. And

7:26 then to make sure all the assessments are done correctly, characterized correctly, and then the appraisals are

7:33 done fairly and the state mandates is followed. Thank you, sir, for your answer.

7:40 And Mr. Pitts, same question. Would you like me to repeat the question? Uh

7:43 please. >> Okay. The Cullman County Revenue Commissioner's office affects nearly every resident through property taxes,

7:49 motor vehicle tags, exemptions, assessments, public records, and taxpayer services. What do you believe

7:56 is the most important responsibility of this office, and what specific steps would you take to make sure the office

8:04 is accurate, accessible, and responsive to the public? I agree that taking care of the people

8:12 of Cullman County is number one. And by doing that, um I'm not one to just sit behind a desk. I

8:20 want to be out on the front line meeting the people, talking with the people,

8:25 getting to know the people, and help reassure that they're being taken uh care of the to the very best of of

8:32 our ability to make sure that they're getting all the exemptions that uh are

8:38 due to them, and to help them in any way possible. Um I Barry's done an excellent job as far

8:47 as setting up the checks and balances, but uh taking care of the money is right

8:54 there with customer service, that the collecting, the dispersing, and and solely being accountable for every penny

9:02 of it. Thank you, sir. And we'll stay with you, Mr. Pitts, for the second question.

9:09 All right. Many voters may not fully understand what the Revenue Commissioner does. How would you explain the duties

9:17 of the office to a resident who only thinks about it when paying property

9:21 taxes, renewing a tag, or applying for an exemption? When I first decided to run, I went down

9:31 and sat sat down with Barry to uh and I asked him, "What what are the

9:35 responsibilities of the revenue commissioner? And he he broke it down simply as this

9:42 is is managing the people in the revenue office. Approximately 27 people there. He said

9:48 that's probably the hardest part of the job. Then of course collecting and dispersing

9:54 the money, being accountable for it. I um um I I think that you got to be involved

10:03 and uh be willing to listen. I'm a people person. I I want to help people. So

10:11 uh I'm going to I'm going to listen to their problems and I'm going to help

10:15 take care of them every way that I can. Thank you, sir, for your response.

10:22 Mr. Cornelius, same question. Would you like me to repeat Yes, please. Many voters may not fully understand what the

10:27 revenue commissioner does. How would you explain the duties of the office to a resident who only thinks

10:34 about it when paying property taxes, renewing a tag, or applying for an exemption? Well, the first thing is to

10:40 run it efficiently. We're going to make sure that the clerks are doing their job

10:43 correctly and making sure they get in and out there in a efficient manner. And

10:47 then also we're educating the public on the exemptions that's available to them and making sure those exemptions are

10:54 um done in a way if it's a senior citizen that has to be renewed every

10:58 year, making sure you go around, making sure and getting in contact with them to

11:01 make sure those exemptions are there. Um and one of the main things is just

11:05 being open to the public. If they have a problem with their assessment on their

11:10 appraisal, listen to that and then if they have to go through the board of

11:14 equalization process, making sure it's a correct appraisal and then making sure if there's any corrections that you can

11:20 do for them, that you get that accomplished for them. Which is the main

11:24 goal of the revenue commissioner's office is run effectively, make sure everything's dispersed correctly,

11:29 because it's a $60 million dollar it has to be dispersed correctly or it's going

11:33 to take other taxpayers dollars to get corrected. Thank you, sir, for your response and

11:39 we'll stay with you for this next question. The office handles property assessment, tax collection, motor

11:45 vehicle service exemptions, and public records as we've spoken about. Which part of the office do you believe

11:52 requires the most attention from the next revenue commissioner and why? Well, the main thing would be the uh

12:00 the actual man day-to-day operations due to the fact of the vast amount of people

12:05 that comes in transaction based. So, those are the goes back to the personnel, the office staff doing a

12:12 great job, which they do, handling those efficiently, effectively to car tags every day, and then handling the

12:18 property assessments and appraisals, especially when the appraisals come out, which is just happened, the letters of mailed out to

12:26 giving the next year's appraisals and so forth. So, that's the main goal is to

12:30 make sure those are correct. If someone has a question for them, to make sure

12:34 that those are answered in a correct way and make sure they're followed by the

12:38 law. Thank you, sir, for that response. And you repeat the question. >> Yes, sir, I was about to get to that.

12:47 And Mr. Pitts, the office handles property assessments, tax collections, motor vehicle service exemptions, and

12:55 public records as we've spoken about. Which part of the office do you believe

13:00 requires the most attention from the next revenue commissioner and why? From what I've seen, all all the girls

13:09 in the front line, they handle both tags and um property um So, they have to be well trained across

13:20 all areas. I know there's classes offered and certifications for uh people working in the revenue office

13:28 to get. Uh I think it's very important to cross-train and make sure that

13:34 everybody has an opportunity to attend the classes. Uh during the year, you have different

13:41 things going on. Tags are are dispersed out um monthly by last name. So, that's

13:49 ongoing. Uh property taxes are collected from October 1 to December 31st. So, that's a busy time of the year for that.

13:59 I um uh there's ongoing uh new sales of property that's got to be

14:07 recorded and assessed and and the assessors uh a lot of people ask, "Why do my property

14:13 taxes keep going up and up and up?" But um they they have standards, they have

14:20 guidelines, and they have to uh their appraisals have to be verified and approved by Alabama Department of

14:28 Revenue. So, it's it's not like um that they have to do their job correctly.

14:36 There's not a very big range that uh they could take advantage of somebody.

14:42 Not that they would. But there's not really anything they can do to help

14:46 somebody either. But uh the revenue commissioner um is got to be there to everybody in

14:54 there. When I've been in there, they've all had questions uh for Barry as the

14:58 revenue commissioner. So, um he's got to be a very knowledgeable person and and help the people on the

15:06 front lines. Thank you, Senator, for your response. And Mr. Pitts, we'll keep it there with

15:12 you for our next question. Accuracy is critical in this office because mistakes can affect tax bills,

15:21 property records, and public trust. What systems or internal checks would you use to reduce errors before they reach

15:29 taxpayers? From what I've seen firsthand, Mary has done a wonderful job by setting up the

15:37 proper checks and balances. Everything is counted twice. Every drawer gets counted down and make sure it reconciles

15:44 at the end of the day. Every morning when they come in, they start out and

15:48 they make sure their drawers are right. So, he has a spreadsheet for everything.

15:54 It's It's well set up and it will make it very easy for anyone to come in behind

16:00 him and follow in his footsteps. I have um uh I was an accounting major.

16:10 I have my bachelor's degree in business administration. I like numbers. I like spreadsheets. I like accountability. I

16:18 like checks and balances for everything. Thank you, sir, for your response. Mr. Cornelius, same question.

16:26 Accuracy is critical in this office because mistakes can affect tax bills, property records, and public trust. What

16:34 systems or internal checks would you use to reduce errors before they reach taxpayers?

16:40 The main goal would be in training and having a double-check type system in everything

16:47 they do, be it a transaction at the window, be it a transaction at the end

16:52 of the day where you balance off, which is the same thing of the point-of-sale

16:56 system we had in my Express Lube operation. You balance at the end of the

17:00 day. Would be the main thing would be to have if any kind of uh

17:05 banking would be done, it would be done in accounting system that you have two

17:09 accounts that's there, and you verify that account before you do any debits or

17:14 credits, and make sure those numbers flow to those accounts correctly, and then make sure there's more than one

17:19 person that's doing that transaction. That way it's correct just to be uh safe

17:24 in case someone was to send something or do something different. And the main

17:28 thing what I would say in in all transactions, um to be verified by more than one

17:34 person at the end of the day, which they do uh now uh balance their their drawers

17:38 at the end of the day to make sure every penny's accounted for. Like I say, with

17:42 the $60 million um office, it has to be accounted for. The money has to come from somewhere. Um

17:49 just like in private business, uh that that has to be accounted for or

17:54 it cost you money, and that would cost the taxpayers money by losing that money

17:58 in any kind of transaction or by mistake. Thank you, sir, for your response. And

18:04 we'll keep it with you, Mr. Cornelius, for this next question. Residents often judge this office by

18:10 wait times, clear communication, and whether they can get consistent answers. How would you evaluate customer service

18:18 in this office, and what would you do to improve it? The customer service in the revenue

18:23 office does a great job. I will say though, uh coming from the express lube

18:28 industry, um where we average about 6-8 minutes per oil change, where we did all kinds

18:33 of custom checks, that's in and out. Um so, that's kind of what I've done for

18:37 the last 33 years is run efficiently and effectively, done it correctly, cuz in

18:42 the private business, in the express lube industry, that cost you money. So, the same thing with the revenue

18:47 commissioner's office, get them in, do it correctly, efficiently, and make sure that it's done correctly

18:53 because it will cost you money if a mistake is made. So, the main thing is

18:57 to just operate in that same fashion as in my private business, bridge that over

19:01 into the county government business. Thank you, sir, for your response. And Mr. Pitts, same question. Residents

19:09 often judge this office by wait times, clear communication, and whether they can get consistent answers. How would

19:17 you evaluate customer service in this office, and what would you do to improve

19:22 it? I I think they're doing an incredible job now uh compared to maybe in the past

19:30 with the policies and procedures that's put in. I think the satellite offices is

19:36 a key part of no wait times. Uh it keeps everybody from coming in to the the main office.

19:45 I've spoke with um all the employees that work in these offices. They they love their satellite

19:52 office. They love their people that they take care of. And and the people love

19:57 them as well. I do believe that the key to maintaining that is in the education, the cross

20:06 training, and the certifications for the people so that they can do their job

20:12 better. Thank you, sir, for that response. And Mr. Pitts, we'll keep it with you uh for

20:20 this next question. The revenue commissioner's office serves residents at the courthouse and through satellite

20:26 locations. How would you determine whether those locations and hours are meeting the needs of taxpayers across

20:33 Cullman County? I'd say the main thing is um going to the satellite offices and

20:44 observing uh the work and talking to the people and getting the feedback from the

20:50 people that if their needs are being met and if it is friendly service and staff

20:56 and greeting them and taking care in the care of them and how knowledgeable they

21:00 are. Um you can't just sit in a chair at a desk in the back of the office. You need

21:08 to be out, you need to meet, and you need to greet the people.

21:12 Uh I believe in building relationships with people, not just processing people. Um so, you you got to listen to the

21:20 people, and you got to take care of the people. Thank you, sir, for your response. And

21:26 Mr. Cornelius, same question. The Revenue Commissioner's office serves residents at the courthouse and through

21:32 satellite locations. How would you determine whether those locations and hours are meeting the needs of taxpayers

21:38 across Cullman County? Well, the satellite office is one of the best things that's ever happened to the

21:44 Revenue Commissioner's office as far as the the travel it takes to get to the

21:47 courthouse and the the parking and then getting in and out of security and so

21:51 forth. The satellite office gives a space for the senior citizens a close-to-home location, plus a shorter

21:57 distance to get from their parking spot to that office. The as far as the hours

22:02 of operation, that would be something that would be available um to each citizen to kind of poll the

22:08 citizens and see if those are meeting these needs that they are now. Um being

22:13 in private business for so many years, it it breaks down to the ROI's,

22:16 basically. That return on investment, what you have your employees there for, and to make sure the citizens are

22:22 getting taken care of correctly and efficiently in the time that they need to as far as office hours. And would be

22:28 uh beneficial even have another satellite office possibly to make it even more effectively and efficiently on

22:34 the hours that they're having to either come to the courthouse or be at the

22:37 satellite office. Thank you, sir, for your response. And we'll stay with you for this next

22:42 question. Property taxes can be confusing for residents who do not understand appraised value, assessed

22:50 value, millage rates, exemptions, and final tax bills. How would you uh what would you do to make the process

22:59 easier for the public to understand? I would love to have some community meetings, um especially in the senior

23:05 citizens uh centers that I've been around and the 18 that's in Cullman County. It's very

23:11 beneficial to them. They to understand the exemptions, to educate them on the ones that's available to them, and the

23:17 ones they might have availability to them. The process of being able to appraise and assess those values and the

23:24 millage rate for each individual municipality or just the county itself, and do some actual community meetings to

23:32 actually show them how that's calculated. And it's all mandated from the state, so the code gives us that

23:37 mandate. And then once we send in all those comps, basically comparisons, to the state, they give us what is

23:45 comparable to, and then what the the actual rate would be going up in Cullman

23:50 Cullman County. We've been blessed in Cullman County. Everybody wants to come here. Um we're at a 12 to 15% uptick,

23:56 but thank the Lord the state capped it in 2024. We're only 7%, and I know

24:01 that's still 7% increase, but to show those people and educate them on the

24:06 that process, and hopefully they would better understand the process, which would make it a lot easier on the the

24:11 clerks and so forth when they come in to do their business, they actually are not uh

24:16 alienated or upset at the clerk cuz like I said before, no one likes paying

24:20 taxes, but you need a smiling face to collect that money and to answer any

24:24 questions there. And hopefully they'd have that if you educated the public a little bit more on as far as how that

24:29 was accomplished to get to that number. Thank you, sir, for your response. And

24:35 uh Mr. Pitts, same question. Property taxes can be confusing for residents who do not understand appraised value,

24:43 assessed value, millage rates, exemption, and final tax bills. What would you do to make that process easier

24:51 for the public to understand? I think education is is the key and while campaigning I've visited every

25:01 community center in Cullman County multiple times. There's we we especially need to look out and

25:08 take care of our seniors. I think it's a great place to start. I think it's going

25:14 to require more than that, but actually going out and taking some of the employees of the revenue

25:21 office out to sit down and little bit more one-on-one with the individuals with their

25:29 questions and help them better understand when you turn 65 and and your income's less than $12,000 a year,

25:37 you're tax exempt. But you also have to reapply for those exemptions every year.

25:45 Um that you know, there's several available and it's income-based, but $12,000 is um it's so low that it's hard for people

25:57 to even qualify that. Um there's you know, the 100% disability you can be

26:04 tax exempt, but some people, you know, just aren't aware of these things and we

26:09 need to reach out into the community and do everything we can to to help educate

26:15 uh them on these matters. Thank you, sir, for your response. We'll stay with you for this next question.

26:22 It's kind of relating what you just touched on. Some residents qualify for homestead over 65 or

26:29 disability exemptions, but may not know the rules, deadlines, or renewal requirements. How would you improve

26:37 outreach so eligible taxpayers do not miss benefits they are legally entitled to receive?

26:46 It all goes back to to education and that that's needs to be I think the main

26:54 focus of trying to help serve the people of Cullman County. The H1 exemption is something that anybody

27:01 can get if you live and that's your your personal place where you live up to 160 acres you

27:09 can get an H1 exemption. H2 exemption is if you're under a $12,000 um

27:17 um uh income and H3 is either disabled and H4 is you're 65 and you make over $12,000 income. That

27:31 saves you a little bit more money but you know a regular homestead exemption

27:36 saves you about $45. There's that's not a lot. Uh the the different classes uh

27:43 um I looked at my own as an example with a calculator. I live in the county.

27:50 That compared to the city was about a $800 to $900 difference um in for my property tax.

27:59 Uh there's um there there's a lot of um a lot of options, a lot to understand

28:08 but we've the the other thing that I saw was and and people forget, let's say they don't

28:16 go refile for their exemption. They can go back two years and fix that

28:23 and send you a rebate check back. If you fail, now if you go beyond that, you

28:29 know, it's it's out of our control. But I've seen Barry be firm and tell people

28:36 exactly how it is and he then I've seen him say, I can go back two years and

28:40 change that and fix that for you. So we just got to do a better job educating

28:47 our our seniors especially um, as as well as everybody else. Thank you, sir, for your response. And

28:57 we will now go to you, Mr. Cornelius. Same question. Some residents qualify for homestead, over 65, or disability

29:05 exemptions, but may not know the rules, deadlines, or renewal requirements. How would you improve outreach so eligible

29:14 taxpayers do not miss benefits they're legally entitled to receive? Uh, one of my main platforms on all my

29:22 uh, since I started running for revenue commissioner is education, especially with the senior citizens and so forth.

29:28 Um, the main exemptions for them are the 65-plus, which is they get to save the

29:33 state um, part of the property tax, and then like I said, $12,000, which is a very low low number, which I

29:40 would love to get with the legislator and move that number up. Um, the

29:43 legislature has helped us tremendously with giving us a locked property tax at 65. Um, they will get their property tax

29:52 if it's the primary residence 5 year or more in that residence up to 160 acres.

29:56 But it all boils down to educating them and then making sure if they do not renew that with their

30:03 affidavit that they just sign and send back in, that we contact them. And they

30:07 do a great job up there. I was up there uh, working with the the team, and they

30:12 were doing that. They were contacting each one of them has a list. If they do

30:15 not get that renewal, say someone has passed or has changed that to someone

30:19 else's name, they're not eligible for that. But as long as they say the US mail did not get

30:25 them that renewal. So that is the main stay, especially if someone is a

30:29 senior citizen and doesn't remember to renew that, you need to help them. So the community

30:36 meetings I think would be great at each senior center to renew to make sure they

30:40 know the renewal, be there to help them renew with that process and to show them

30:44 exactly what's available to them. So, education is the main goal and to work

30:48 with the legislator also to get some more help with the senior citizens. I

30:53 think is a tremendous thing to do to help move that tax exempt $12,000 up say

30:58 to maybe $25,000 to where even social security they might be eligible for an exemption on the

31:03 property tax. Thank you for that answer and we'll stay with you for this next question.

31:11 When a taxpayer disagrees with a property value or believes there has been an error, what should the revenue

31:18 commissioner's office do to make the review or appeal process clear, fair, and accessible?

31:26 Well, like everybody got here in last month, they've got the actual letter in

31:30 the mail that has that actual appraisal value in it. The main thing I would say

31:34 to do is, you know, you handle that as much over the phone if they if a citizen

31:40 has a problem with that appraisal, handle as much over the phone, call the

31:43 revenue commissioner's office and with appraisals and the appraisers can handle some of that over the phone, but if not,

31:49 the board of equalization to actually schedule a hearing um and possibly even doing that one of the things I would

31:55 like to look at is doing those hearings at night. That way people being a small

32:00 business owner for 33 years, I'll be honest with missing work for one of your

32:04 employees to go save $50 on their property tax, it ain't cost effective for them. Plus, they lose you lose them

32:10 for that day of work. So, I would love to actually do that after hours possibly

32:14 to get that where they can come in after hours and have that board look at that

32:18 and maybe um be able to accomplish that and still be able to make their daily

32:21 work and then come in at night and actually have that possible. Thank you, sir, for your response and

32:28 Mr. Pitts, same question. When a taxpayer disagrees with a property value or believes there has been an error,

32:36 what should the revenue Commissioner's office do to make the review or appeal process clear, fair, and accessible?

32:47 When they send out the appraisals at at this time of year, I think that also

32:53 would be the time to send another letter >> [snorts] >> that makes people aware of their exemptions

33:00 and stuff and at least put the thought in their head when there's still time

33:04 uh to go question or find out more about some of the exemptions. But, if you

33:10 disagree with the appraisal of your property, you're going to have to go through the Board of Equalization.

33:19 Um if there is a negligent error, or it could be as simple as a key punch error,

33:27 uh that can be resolved quickly and easily in front of the Board of

33:31 Equalization. If you're not um happy with the result that you get from them, you can still go through

33:39 another appeal process. I don't know. I I went through the process uh many many

33:46 years ago and it it really They said, "Although we may have overvalued your land, we've

33:55 underestimated the value of your house, so we're going to call it a wash." So, I

33:59 I've been through the process. It really didn't give me the answer that I wanted,

34:05 but uh I did have a I did have a fair chance to go and try to make my point.

34:12 Thank you for your response, and we'll stay with you for this next question.

34:16 The office must collect taxes that are legally owed, while also serving people who may be frustrated, confused, or

34:24 financially strained. How would you balance enforcement of the law with the respectful treatment of taxpayers.

34:36 When people are upset, you have to stay calm and that is a strength of mine as far as

34:44 being patient, being understanding, being willing to listen. And sometimes that will that will get you through.

34:52 That will give you the opportunity to explain to them why things are the way they are. If um

35:02 uh if you're rude and don't act like you care, it's only going to build and grow frustration and

35:11 and that that's never a a good result. So um being compassionate and being

35:19 understanding, but at the end of the day, we have to do what's right according to Alabama law.

35:25 So it's just showing people that you care, I think, that makes the difference.

35:32 Thank you, sir, for your response. Mr. Cornelius, same question. The office must collect taxes that are legally owed

35:40 while also serving people who may be frustrated, confused, or financially strained. How would you balance

35:46 enforcement of the law with respectful treatment of taxpayers? Well, in the expressly business, there's

35:53 I've had many many many instances, same as when someone's upset because their car is not ready or there

36:02 had a mistake on their car and they actually think there was a mistake on their car.

36:06 So I've had 33 years of experience in dealing with upset customers. It's one of those things that you just

36:13 take in all the information, stay calm, cool, collective, and make sure what the

36:19 actual problem is, address the problem with respect. Do not just blow off their problem cuz

36:25 everybody's problem is big to them where you might think it's no big deal. It is

36:31 a big deal because it's their problem. So, you address them in a way that they

36:34 understand you are concerned and you want to make that correction if it's possible. But at the end of the day, we

36:41 have to follow the code of Alabama. So, we have to make sure they understand if

36:47 they can correct the problem of course paying their taxes and get caught up. But at

36:53 the end of the day, they must know that that is what our job is is to follow the

36:58 code of Alabama and if it's to go through the process of when they get

37:04 don't pay their property taxes and they get to the auction >> [snorts] >> that is just our

37:09 job as revenue commissioner. Thank you, sir, for your response and we will stay with you for this next

37:16 question. Don't worry, we're getting to the last two guys. It's All right. So,

37:22 this next question is for you, Mr. Cornelius. Technology now plays a major role in public records, tag renewals,

37:28 property searches, online payments, and fraud prevention. What technology or communication improvements would you

37:36 support and how would you make sure residents without reliable internet access are not left behind?

37:45 Well, our revenue office now the county commission has done an out an outstanding job of funding

37:51 and Barry is on the cutting edge of technology. As our Barry Willingham has

37:55 done a great job as our revenue commissioner on the cutting edge of technology with the GIS system and the

38:00 way they formatted that. I'll be honest with you. It is one of those things that

38:05 I would love to say that oh my goodness, we're way behind. We need to update, but

38:10 they have a great system. It's an operator friendly system that was actually help crafted by Barry Willingham. So,

38:17 it's a user friendly system and it also does a a job cutting down on errors in

38:22 the way the information is put in. I would say though the ones that did not

38:26 have access is trying to help them understand it, be it they call and walk

38:32 them through the process or if we did more internet transactions, which we do

38:37 now, it's very simple. Um help them to get through that process, but if they do

38:42 not have the capability of Wi-Fi or internet access through their phone is either letting them call in and walk

38:48 them through the system of coming into a satellite office, which is one of the

38:51 greatest things, uh being a local office there close to their home and doing that in a personal

38:57 transaction, or letting a loved one maybe come and help them and or come to

39:01 a senior center and when we having one of those meetings help them with that

39:05 transaction also. Thank you, sir, for your response. Mr. Pitts, same question. Technology uh now

39:12 plays a major role in public records, tag renewals, property searches, online payments, and fraud prevention. What

39:21 technology or communication improvements would you support and how would you make sure residents without reliable internet

39:28 access are not left behind? Technology is a double-edged sword. It's something that we've learned

39:39 uh and and need to to live with and live by. It's great and wonderful when it

39:45 works properly. It is your worst nightmare when it doesn't. But um from what I have seen, the there is a

39:53 couple of different uh pieces of software that they use in the revenue office.

39:59 And I know Barry helped develop some of it. Barry understands the whole office. He knows he's the guy

40:07 with all the answers. He is is highly regarded as one of the top revenue commissioners in the state,

40:14 probably the country as well. I know other revenue offices uh turned to him for help and his

40:24 knowledge. And I know he goes out and he helps other offices. We are lucky here

40:29 in Cullman County that that we've had him for 18 years. And he has

40:36 the the best out there. The best that that uh is to be offered.

40:43 Um again, education education, cross-training the people to be uh more knowledgeable and more efficient by

40:53 getting the the necessary certifications that are offered. That um is how that we can keep our our

41:01 communications um going, safe, and easy for the people at home to to do their

41:09 online transactions. Thank you, sir, for your response. And we'll stay with you for this final

41:15 question. This office is responsible for public money, property, records, taxpayer services, and legal deadlines that

41:23 affect families, businesses, and local government services across Cullman County. Based on the duties of the

41:29 office, why should voters trust you to serve as Cullman County Revenue Commissioner? Well, I've been a resident of Cullman

41:39 County all my life. I uh uh I've worked hard. Nothing's ever been give to me to get where I have. I have

41:48 my education to fall back on. I have my years experience in business that uh I

41:54 can fall back on. Um I'm If there's a problem, I solve it. If there's something broken, I fix it.

42:04 Um I um I enjoy people. I want to work alongside the people in the revenue

42:10 office. And I want to I want to do everything I can to um help take care of the people of

42:20 Cullman County. Thank you, sir, for your response. And Mr. Cornelius, final question. This

42:27 office is responsible for public money, property records, taxpayer service, and legal deadlines that affect

42:34 families, businesses, and local government services across Cullman County. Based on the duties of the

42:40 office, why should voters trust you to serve as Cullman County Revenue Commissioner? Well,

42:47 one of the things I would say is handling multi-million dollar businesses, I'll be honest with you, um

42:53 been doing that my whole life. I built uh my business from scratch. Um

42:58 my corporation that I've built and developed, um I was blessed to have people in my lives when I first went to

43:04 work in the express lane industry that helped me. Um but uh the thing about I don't need a job. I

43:11 want the ability to serve the people of Cullman County. It's not about a a job

43:16 or the benefits, it's about helping the people of Cullman County that's already hard working and need to

43:22 keep every dime that's they've earned available to them. It's one of those situations that uh

43:28 I believe in the people of Cullman County. I want to serve the people of

43:32 Cullman County um in a way that it benefits them. Um my job now is about

43:39 double the budget that the Revenue Commissioner's office is, 1.7 million is the Revenue Commissioner's, my Parks

43:46 Department here in Cullman County 4 million. The employees, I have about 40 employees at the Parks Department.

43:53 20 to 25 at the Revenue Commissioner's office. So, I have done that. Double

43:57 what they do now as far as the capacity of thing. So, it's one of the things

44:01 that I think I'm set up to benefit the people of Cullman County by running the

44:05 office and doing it officially, and effectively, and doing the things that helps people of Cullman County.

44:11 Thank you, sir. And thank you both for answering our questions today. Um we're going to get to the closing

44:16 statements. Each candidate will now have 90 seconds for a closing statements. And closing statements must be done without

44:24 notes. Neither one has notes, so we're good. Uh we will begin with you, Mr.

44:29 Cornelius. You have 90 seconds. Yes. I'm getting ready Cornelius, and I'm running for Cullman County Revenue

44:36 Commissioner. I'll be honest with you, I've bridged the gap between private business and working for county

44:41 government. I've done that for the last 2 years working for county government. I've run effective businesses for 33

44:48 years and been able to bridge that gap. I want to be your next Revenue

44:52 Commissioner because I believe it's a calling. I don't need a job. It's a

44:56 respect for the office and the people that's been there before me, and I want

45:00 to continue that for the hard-working people of Cullman County. Thank you, sir. And uh Mr. Pitts, you

45:08 have 90 seconds. I'm Mike Pitts, and I am not a politician. I'm a businessman, and I'm

45:17 looking to be elected as the next Cullman County Revenue Commissioner. I'm 59 years old. I've worked hard all my

45:26 life. Nothing's ever been given to me. I'd like to clarify on some things that

45:32 uh was put out there. I wasn't given uh the family business. I had to buy the family business.

45:40 I invested, I borrowed money, I I bought the company. I um updated all the machinery. I've I've

45:49 expanded it. I've grown it. I I've done all this, and I I want to

45:58 I want to spend the rest of my time um I would I'd love to go into the revenue

46:04 office and take my education and my work experience in there and do something good uh for the

46:12 people of Cullman County. It um I don't agree with a lot of the

46:17 exemptions and everything else, but as the revenue commissioner, I will go by what the law says, but I want to

46:25 go above and beyond the revenue commissioner and try to through legislation pass some

46:32 new laws and make things truly better for the people of Cullman County. Thank you both.

46:39 And that concludes this portion of the 2026 Tribune Debate Series. Thank you to

46:45 both candidates, Michael Pitts and Kenneth Cornelius, for both being here today and for giving voters the

46:51 opportunity to hear directly from each of you. Uh thank you to everyone who attended in

46:56 person, everyone watching online, and everyone who continues to take part in the local election process. An informed

47:04 public makes for a stronger county and this and these conversations matter. We also want to thank Wallace State

47:13 Community College for hosting us here at the Bailey Center Auditorium. And uh a

47:18 thank you to Dr. Vicki Carlowicz and Wallace State's team for their hospitality and support. The Tribune

47:24 will continue working to give voters direct access to candidates, clear information, and meaningful public conversation

47:31 throughout the election cycle. Thank you all for being here and have a good

47:35 evening. Good job, Kenneth. Appreciate it. Good job, brother.