Members of the Shelby County Commission deserve a round of applause.

Our county is once again the subject of much inspiration for other counties with our Adult Jail initiative.

It was clear Monday night when members of the commission awarded the $14.7 million bid for the jail and Sheriff’s Operation Center.

Commissioner Don Armstrong has reported that due to the commission’s hard work and determination to save taxpayer dollars, no money will have to be borrowed to pay for construction of the jail.

It’s hard to believe that only about 10 years ago, Shelby County teetered on the brink of bankruptcy.

The forward-thinking commission at the time, many of whom are still with us today, knew that the way the county had been doing business had to change.

They understood that operating on a deficit was unacceptable.

Changes in the way the county’s money was budgeted and the commitment to put funds away for a rainy day have now brought us to this place &045; a place where we are the envy of many of the other counties in Alabama.

It was recently reported that counties had come under fire because of a lack of jail space, or simply inadequate facilities.

Shelby County does not have that problem &045; thanks to the hard work of members of the commission and various county employees and departments