The 3 Things Professionals Most Dislike About Houston County

Plus 7 other things that made the list.

Author’s Note: This is a follow up to my recent post about my visit with Leadership Dothan. If you’ve not read it, you may want to check it out before coming back to this article. It’s only about a 3 minute read.

Also, I debated about whether to actually post this list or not. In the end, every community has its warts and Houston County is no different. We are lying to ourselves to say otherwise. In my life, I’ve had more than my share of personal shortcomings. And I still have plenty! But I never got over any by ignoring and pretending they didn’t exist. So with those things in mind, I decided to share this list with you.

#1 - School System (10)

The schools systems are the top concern for the working professionals in Leadership Dothan’s Class of 2023. 10 out of 35 participants cited this as the #1 thing that needed improving. To be fair, schools received 2 votes as the number 1 thing that some participants liked about Houston County.

One thing I’ve learned since coming into office is that the perception of our schools hampers our recruitment of industry and high-income professionals. People and prospective industries judge a community by the commitment to–and quality of–the schools.

There is a saying, “people spend their money on the things that are important to them.” Well, if our children matter most to us, why do we fund our school systems at the absolute minimum required by law?

The community needs to get onboard with providing adequate resources for our children’s education. Maybe we are okay with the idea of hampering the prospects of our own children, but I hope not. If we are, what does that say about us as a community?

I will tell you that there have been some early discussions about things the county might be able to do to help. They wouldn’t cost the taxpayers anything more than what they are already paying but those discussions are ongoing.

#2 - Roads/Road Work (8)

8 people cited the condition of the roads and/or ongoing road work as the worst thing about Houston County. There is no doubt the ongoing work on the Ross Clark Circle has been a headache. Unfortunately, it will continue for many more months. But it must take place to resolve longstanding headaches and prevent future ones.

There was also conversation about the poor state of some of our county roads. It was difficult to distinguish among the submitted responses which they were referring to, especially since both were openly discussed. So I lumped them together in this category.

#3 - Lack of Things to Do (7)

7 people cited lack of things to do as the main problem facing Houston County.

The City of Dothan is hard at work on a downtown revitalization effort that will be transformative. Houston County is actively working on a mega bike trail on the east side of Dothan. We have a lot of exciting things happening, but clearly have some work to do. Parks and recreation is not something the county has historically been involved in. But it’s something that has our attention now.

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Those were the major things on the participants’ minds. But here are the other items that also showed up in the informal survey:

• #4 - Crime (3)

• #5 - Lack of Affordable Housing (2)

• The Rest (1 vote each) - Improved Mental Health Services, Cleaning Up Abandoned Properties, Lack of Multiculturalism, More Cultural Opportunities, Internet/Cell Coverage

What do you think?

I recently read a book on community development and I’m loosely quoting here:

“A community of people determined to succeed cannot be stopped by any government. Likewise, a community that accepts failure cannot be helped by any government.”

So I ask you: what is the one thing you believe we need to work on in Houston County more than any other? And, more importantly, what will you do to improve it?