Leadership Marengo took a tour of the Marengo County Courthouse and Jail complex on Tuesday, learning more about how local government and law enforcement work. The tour was part of its second group participation of the 2009-10 year.

The year’s class, the 16th for the program, brings people from all walks of life together to enhance their leadership abilities while educating them about current conditions in Marengo County.

“We have speakers who have spoken about local government, like (county Emergency Management Agency director) Kevin McKinney,” said Leadership Marengo executive board member Catherine Meador. “We attended the Marengo County Commission meeting, and Debra Fox, the executive director of the Marengo County Economic Development Authority, will speak to us.

“A lot of times, we just can’t find the time to come down and see a county commission meeting, so we get to see our county government at that level. We toured the courthouse, and most people only come here to get their car tags. This gives us the chance to see where all of the departments and divisions are located.”

The next meeting of Leadership Marengo will be in January, and will be held at the Demopolis Higher Education Center and at Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital.