Butler County’s unemployment rate climbed to 16.6 percent in July, according to the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

That translates into more than 1,500 jobless people in the county, the most since August of 1999.

County and municipal officials have teamed up for an event to combat the rising rate of unemployment.

But organizers say “Getting Ready to Work,” a one-day program held next week, is more than just a numbers game.

The event, designed to offer programs and assistance for Butler County’s unemployed, is really about helping people, said Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon.

Ricky McLaney, director of the Butler County Commission for Economic Development, said organizers have so far received positive feedback about the event, planned for Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wendell Mitchell Conference Center of Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Greenville.

Among the state and county agencies that will be represented are ADECA, AIDT Training, the Alabama Career Center, the Butler County Extension Office, LBWCC, Reid State Technical College, and Manpower, Inc.

City and county leaders should be commended for their efforts to improve one of the most difficult economic climates we’ve ever faced.

Those seeking employment would be wise to attend Tuesday’s event.

For more information, contact the Butler County Commission for Economic Development at 1-800-743-1210 or information@bcced.com.