MONTGOMERY – Mayor Rusty Jessup of the City of Riverside has earned the prestigious professional designation of Certified Municipal Official (CMO) Emeritus, a highly regarded honor awarded to officials who have excelled beyond the requirements of the Basic and Advanced CMO Programs.

To achieve this third level of the Alabama League of Municipalities’ CMO training program, a municipal official must earn the designation of Certified Municipal Official by completing 40 training credit hours conducted or endorsed by the League followed by an additional 40 training hours to receive an advanced certification.

Attaining CMO Emeritus entails a minimum of 120 credit hours of Continuing CMO Education plus 15 points. Points can be earned by serving on and attending meetings for a League Policy Committee; attending the League’s Annual Convention, Municipal Legislative Advocacy Session and the Municipal Leadership Institute; and by attending the Congress of Cities and the Congressional City Conference for the National League of Cities.

Mayor Jessup is a member of the 5th graduating class of the CMO Emeritus level and will be recognized for his accomplishments during graduation ceremonies held in Prattville on October 3.

Because of his attendance at statewide and regional educational conferences, Mayor Jessup has received formal classroom training in subjects such as council meeting procedures, parliamentary procedure, the Open Meetings Act, public records, ordinance drafting, conflicts of interest, the State Ethics Law, duties of the mayor and council, tort liability, the competitive bid law, zoning and planning, annexation, municipal regulatory powers, municipal revenues and expenditures, personnel actions and leadership development.

“Graduates of all CMO levels spend many hours over several years attending day-long workshops and lectures on the finer points of municipal government,” said Ken Smith, Executive Director of the League of Municipalities. “Earning the CMO Emeritus designation is the epitome of this journey and a significant achievement.” Executive Director Smith commended Mayor Jessup for his dedication and motivation to become a better informed, more effective municipal official.