The City of Tuscaloosa Finance Committee met on August 12, 2025, to consider several budget revisions, insurance contract renewals, and a discussion on the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 budget. All action items were approved unanimously.
Motion to approve, Mr. Chairman. Members, if you would take a look at the minutes and there's a motion. Motion to approve, Mr. Chairman. All in favor say aye. Aye. Okay. Minutes are adopted. Ms. Stanford's item number one under new business general budget revision number 15. Yes, thank you, Council. This first uh general fund budget revision is a request to use insurance proceeds by the fire department. Um they had a few um uniforms that were damaged in the um in a fire event, and so we have gotten insurance proceeds from that. They then repurchase those uniforms from their regular general fund budget operating accounts, and so they're requesting to use the insurance proceeds in the purchase of a vehicle that needs to be replaced. Um, the amount is $63,000 that we are requesting to take out to to recognize an insurance proceeds and put in their equipment line item. So they would have to purchase that vehicle in the next couple of months. Chief Delk is here to talk about any operational decisions that go into that. Sure, Chief. Uh tell us what uniforms cost $63,000. These are actually uh they could be termed uniforms. This is actually turnout gear. So not the uniforms that you're probably thinking about, the dress shirts and stuff like that. This is protective gear. So thermal layer, um moisture layer, and so these are pretty expensive pieces, boots, things like that that were ruined by the products that were burned. It was the pet boys fire that this was ruined in. And so I think they had gone out of business. There was a little, you know, there was some stuff out there, whether it was gonna insurance was gonna pay these or not, because we did have to absorb the cost of those guys that responded out there in the turnout gear that was that was ruined. We attempted to clean some of it, you can you it was past the point of cleaning. How many uniforms did that go? Uh there was 12 sets. Oh yes, ma'am. Okay, okay. So that was and that was from all the first two companies that were there that made entry on that building and tried to try to do the best they can. I remember reading the report uh how these were full rubber product, you know. Yeah, think about all the stuff that would be in a in a mechanic shop that was burning that that was exposed to, and so we didn't want to put our guys in, and you don't ever want to put guys that that that exposures in their gear into another environment like that. Gotcha. All right, thank any other questions, comments? Not is there a motion? Motion all in favor say aye. Aye, item is approved. Item number two, water and sewer reserve for future improvements, budget revision number seven. This is the um the seven million dollars in the 10-year plan uh projects discussion that we had last week for uh the water and sewer but uh water and sewer budget adoption. So if you'll recall, there were seven uh there's seven million dollars in the tenure plan escrow amount that is on top of what we are uh needing to pay for debt service from the uh I can I can't pull words today. Um from the rate increases that we've done over the past four years, those projects are the Mercedes Force Main list stations for 1.2 million, the phase three improvements for um Fletcher at 2.3 million, the Hillcrest Tank Rehabilitation at 1.2 million, the outfall line replacement at 1.7 million, um, expansion of the sewer and sewer betterment at the airport runway for 400,000, and the line A raw water main repair at 150,000. All of that totals up to the seven million that was presented last week. Okay, as we discussed and we went through the machinations of how that seven million is arrived at from rate increases and questions or comments. Which which I couldn't pull the words today. I'm so sorry. I couldn't hear it again.