Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Okay.

Minutes are adopted.

Okay.

Rolling agenda slide.

Item number one under new business.

Chief Dell.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Council.

Good afternoon.

Glad to be here today.

Today we're talking about new core steel.

New core steel about a month ago came to us.

They were doing a lot of safety training and some new stuff involved with their safety department.

They've got a safety director, Billy Payne, who works really good with the guys at Station 4 right there in Alberta.

They always have a really good working relationship.

We go out there and train at least every couple months, just going through seeing what they do out there and the processes that they do.

They saw a need though, they had a contractor on site that actually had some heavy equipment, uh, had an issue with some heavy equipment that needed extricating from that.

Um they saw a need that hey, we need the the closest unit there to have the capabilities to do these extrications.

And we've got some of this extrication equipment on on our truck companies and things like that, but we normally don't staff that on an engine that close.

So new core said, hey, you know what, instead of us buying this, let's buy this for that local fire department.

And so not only can it benefit new core, but it can benefit the community.

And so to me, that's that was an unsolicited uh offer, and to me that takes volumes to what they do and and what they do for our community.

So uh the plan tonight is to have kind of a kind of a thank you for them at the beginning of council to thank them for what they've done.

Uh they're gonna have two representatives here.

We've got the guys from station four gonna be here with that equipment so you all can see what they've donated.

It was a 50 $51,000 um donation.

So we've got everything from you know a lot of times you hear it called the jaws of life, the spreaders, the cutters, uh a RAM, things like that for all the heavy equipment uh so we can do those extrications, airbags, uh all that stuff that we've got within the city that's coming, but this puts it on another apparatus that allows us to respond quicker right there to that heavy industrial site.

Okay, any questions or comments?

Uh I just take it for granted.

Y'all could use that as needed somewhere.

Uh huh.

They've they have asked that we keep it at the first responding unit to them.

And that's what we're gonna do with motion.

We move that.

Uh we made that accommodation.

I say accommodation.

We it wasn't an accommodation.

We we made it work.

So we're very thankful for that.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Okay, item is approved.

Item number two, Mr.

Holmes, resolution authorizing renewal of the city's engineers professional liability insurance coverage for 26.

Yes, sir.

This is the renewal of our engineers' professional liability coverage.

Um, this is one.

We've gotten the we've gotten the premium number back late and did not have it uh for you when we had the ROS insurance litigation.

Uh the premium this year is uh 18,000.

I believe 700 something I can look.

I'm sorry.

Uh it is actually a reduction of about sixteen hundred dollars from last year.

So it's actually gone down a little.

I think that probably has more to do with uh number of engineers in the office that are receiving coverage than anything, but that's still a rare thing for us to have.

Any questions or comments?

Motion.

Second, all in favor say aye.

Aye.

Okay.

Renewal of the insurance is approved or forwarded to council.

Item number three, Ms.

Standridge, authorization of funding agreement with Tuscal Tourism and Sports Commission for Project Warrior.

Good afternoon, council.

I'm gonna be prepared to stand up here for a few minutes.

I think you can see your things on all of them coming down.

Um, if you will recall back during the mayor's uh capital budget proposal, there was six seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars that was added to the um proposal for project warrior.

Um, and this is just creating a funding agreement with Tuscosa Tourism and Sports Commission for the um the transfer of that $750,000 to them to be able to contract with artists um and uh in continuation of the project planning.

Okay, it's going to visit Tuscaloosa because they're acting as the as the project lead, project coordinator for the city, state, county, and university.

Any questions or comments to a motion?

Motion second, all in favor say aye.

Aye, item is approved.

I just want to know y'all, y'all know it's on the committee, right?

We're glad you joined in as well.

Yeah, yeah, uh, I think it was appropriate, right?

Okay, item number four.

Uh general fund budget revision number 19.

This budget revision is requesting to move 40,000 out of the airport's operating budget within the general fund into the airport development fund.

This is a um operating uh request because they were wanting to purchase um new access control security equipment that just took a little bit longer in coming, and so in order to get it into a longer term uh budget line item, we're gonna get out of the general fund.

Um general fund closes down on September 30th every year, and it's just going to be longer than that before they can get the access control items in-house and implemented, and so we are needing to put the money somewhere else just to wait for that timeline.

Okay.

Any questions or comments?

Motion all in favor say aye.

I can't say yes, yes.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All right, okay.

Item is approved.

Um five, Ms.

Standards, adopting an ordinance suspending the pay plan step raises to include one step for FY26 and amending amending section 1942 exhibit D of the city's pay plan.

You want to translate that to English, please?

Absolutely.

So from here on down with the uh finance committee agenda, these are all going to be fiscal year 26 budget items that we were discussing during budget hearings, and this is um going to be implementing all of the changes within the pay and salary schedules that were discussed in all of the department hearings, also.

So this will be implementing the following.

Um step for non-public safety, the colour to non-public safety, the two steps to public safety, and then the stipend to everyone as discussed um last week.

The $500 for everyone paid under the public safety pay plan and the $250 stipend for everyone paid under the non-public safety pay plan.

That is all on this one.

And that totaled was it 450 ish the stipend amounts.

When we when we bundled the portion necessary to offset the public safety employees, really not getting a raise.

Yeah.

So that then we added uh kind of everybody.

Yes.

What was the total?

That stipended amount was just under $500,000.

Just under $500, and we used we reduced our contingencies to start the year from 1.3 to $700,000.

Okay.

Okay, any questions or comments?

Not is there a motion?

Motion.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Okay.

Um, really from this point downward is is all other than the um we'll talk about the vape tax in a minute.

But other than that, this is all now bundling the different pieces of the FY26 budget.

There were really only umdocs our compliments is Mr.

Crow summed it up to me privately.

There just ain't that much to fight about.

I thought um it was uh I said it.

It was uh a masterful job of finding the right ballots on the piano keyboard.

So can I do how many years?

There's always something plotting nothing major though.

We have we have uh we uh amended the um uh amount going to visit Tuscaloosa under uh agency funding as requested by numerous uh council members.

We uh we we amended or added uh uh some funding some one-time funding of district attorney's office in there from opioid settlement again is as um voiced by numerous council members.

We had several other items that you know that were the subjects of contentious discussion, but did not have enough forward momentum uh to go forward, so we left those out, and uh we'll I'm sure over the course of the coming year uh find times and the right venues to discuss those, those included you know, the the 20 extra, the 20 not extra, the 20 positions in the TPD budget that we've been unable to hire to fill, and then the site line funding of the Weaver Bolden branch as opposed to routing that to the library overall and letting them fund the branches.

Those were the two that there was discussion of, but not enough consensus to put to make changes to your recommendations again.

Our our appreciation, I think it hit it hit pretty well in the center.

Um so with that we'll now kick off moving down that, but that's what's in there.

Feel his head on a bad round.

So you're not gonna do that.

All right, all right.

Item number uh let's see.

Item number six, I believe we're on the standard.

And thank you for for weaving all of that in.

Item number six.

So this is going to be what increases the solid waste collection service charges.

That is basically what you consider garbage collection charges.

Um, and this was discussed during the mayor's budget presentation.

I don't think we really covered it any other time.

Um it is adding the dollar to uh residential um and also to commercial, but then that was going to be the the extent of the changes.

Okay, any questions or comments?

Not is there a motion?

Motion.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Uh item number six is approved.

Item number seven authorizing an ordinance amending chapter seven of the code of Tuscaloosa, Ms.

Standard.

Yes, so now this is the one we did not talk about specifically.

It's a very small item um monetarily, but it is something that possibly the council wants to consider separately.

Is this the vape tax?

This is the vape tax.

Okay.

Um I'm gonna ask if someone will make a motion to table it for a week just so we can find out more about it.

Moved.

Okay.

Second.

It will be doubled up next week.

It'll be I'm okay with doubling it up next week.

I just want to sorry Scott.

I want to hear more about it, not compressed into this kind of time frame.

Uh, all in favor say aye.

Aye.

Okay.

We'll table for one week, and Vicky, you'll make sure that's um next week, and it is okay to be doubled up.

Um item number seven, Ms.

Standard, or actually number eight.

Yes, sir.

So this will um adopt the general fund budget for the fiscal year 2026.

This will take the mayor's recommendation as was presented to you in the budget book, um, the big spiral book, and then making the uh couple of changes that Mr.

Buzzy just discussed.

The changes that were discussed from the mayor's recommendation are going to be um an extra $50,000 to the agency funding line item for Tusclose Tourism and Sports.

Um there's going to be another hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the Tuscles County uh district attorney's office that will be paid for out of opioid funds.

It is going to be budgeted as that.

We will need to have a conversation with the DA's office about how to fund and what to fund moving for to make sure that we are in compliance with the opioid funding, but we will do that after budget adoption is um is fully implemented.

And then um the other change from the mayor's budget presentation is going to be that stipend amount that we talked about in the pay plan um item.

So, like every single department's budget is going to change because of the stipend that's going to be applied to all the employees.

All right.

For the health insurance amount.

Okay, your motion?

Motion.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Okay.

General fund budget for FY26 is approved to be forwarded to council.

Item number nine, the standard.

The L this is adopting the elevate budget for fiscal year 2026, and this is just what was presented via the big spreadsheet that I I know is large and hard to read at times.

Um, but as we discussed, I think it was last week, the full elevate spreadsheet for fiscal 26.

Questions or comments.

The and I think the only real real changes were going were um one more year of sales tax projections, um, the Freeman Park and Pool amount um for planning for that uh that project.

Um the two new positions are they in there?

I'm sorry.

The two new positions for Saban Center, they are an elevate.

So that's not coming out of elevate that comes out of uh that's actually in the general fund and then paid for by the river district fund.

Okay, so they're not in elevate.

Um I think that was it.

Okay.

Questions or comments?

Motion second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Elevate budget is approved for FY26 forwarding council.

Item number 10 authorizing the use of opioid settlement funding for various agencies, Miss Stanford.

Yes, sir.

So because we still need some um discussions with the DA's office.

This is only going to cover the amount for Freedom Farm and then the amount for um thank you for the Phoenix House.

It just escaped me.

Um, so the Phoenix House uh uh annual agency amount, and then the this is the final year of payment to Freedom Farm of 250,000.

And what remind me Phoenix House was it 150, 100?

What was it?

It's 150.

150.

Okay.

Any questions or comments?

Motion.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Item is approved.

Number 11 authorizing the mayor to execute agency funding contracts for 2026, Ms.

Stanbridge.

Yes, sir.

This includes all the agencies that we've previously mentioned that were in the mayor's recommendation, plus the changes to TTS and the district attorney's office.

This will also include all of the agency funding amounts out of Elevate for the Tuscosa City School System for pre-K summer learning program, dual enrollment, and the TCS Athletic Excellence Fund that was covered under the Elevate spreadsheet.

Okay, is the the um the last one the athletic excellence fund?

Does that have a a lifetime or is that unending?

Is that so it it continues is done annually?

Um all of the funding for the Tuscalyptic.

So it wasn't originally passed for three years or four years.

No, sir, it's yes done annually, but we do have it planned into perpetuity.

And the um the summer job program, we discussed that in multiple committee meetings, right?

That's we upped it from 100 to 120.

I think this last year we added a little bit of money up 10,000.

We added 10 or 20.

We added 10,000 to this last year, but uh it's only at 100 for this upcoming year.

Okay.

Okay, any questions or comments through a motion?

Motion second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Item is approved.

Item number 12, general fund facility renewal fund, Ms.

Stanbridge.

Yes, every year we set aside a certain amount from the general fund into the facility renewal fund.

It is what you see, Mr.

Thompson.

Um come up and um and Mr.

Sullivan come up and talk about different uh projects for city facilities.

We set this aside um for them to be able to continuously use it, and it builds into this fund, um, and this is just authorizing them to expend from it for every single contract adoption.

They will still have to come to projects committee.

It is just to allow us to write the check without also having to come back to finance committee and make another budget revision for it.

Thank you.

Any questions or comments?

Chair, second, second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye aye.

Item is approved.

Item number 13, Miss Stanbridge.

Yes, EFRF.

No, just one F.

No, you got it.

GFR.

Yeah, general fund reserved for future improvements fund.

Yeah, okay.

Um, so there are two specific amounts within the general fund budget that we have um the departments that we discussed that need to be transferred to the general fund because they are large equipment buys.

There was the um large equipment for the public works department that uh Mr.

Green briefed you on during his department presentation.

Um, and then there are uh vehicles for the fire department that may take a little bit longer than 12 months on order, and so we need to transfer them out of the general fund budget and into a longer term per into perpetuity front fund budget.

So they can they can spend as the equipment projects to be delivered, and remind us the amounts on those or is it on is it on the attachment?

Oh, it should be, yes, sir.

It should be on the attachment page 27 2029, 29, sorry nine.

Yes, so um for public works that is one million one hundred and forty-six thousand, and then for um fire, it is 126,000.

Okay.

Any questions or comments?

Motion.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Item is approved, and item number 14.

Yes, sir.

Fund budget for FY26.

So this is adopting the water and sewer fund budget.

This was everything that we talked about from the um the increase in revenues for the that five-year rate structure that was adopted in fiscal 21.

Um, and we'll fund all of the water and sewer departments' work for the fiscal year.

Okay.

Any questions, comments?

Motion.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

That will be done.

Make some more we can do a few.

Item number 15, water and sewer facility renewal fund for FY26.

So the same thing that we do on the general fund side, we do on the water and sewer facility fund side as well, and so we will transfer a certain amount of money out of the water and sewer operating fund into the facility renewal for uh Mr.

And so we will transfer a certain amount of money out of the water and sewer operating fund into the facility renewal for uh Mr.

Thompson and Mr.

Sullivan to continue to do their work on water facility upgrades.

Okay.

Motion.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Is that aye?

Aye.

Aye.

We got it, didn't we?

Item is approved.

Should have voted not.

Item number 16.

The last one.

Water and sewer reserve for future improvements fund budget for FY26.

Included within the water and sewer operating fund.

Um there is a certain amount from the rate structure that is set aside for the 10-year plan.

Um so we are pulling that money out of the water and sewer operating fund and putting it into the RFFI for the 10-year plan weight for either uh new projects that are going to be proposed or to pay off debt service for the 10-year plan debt issuances.

Questions or comments or a motion all in favor say aye.

Aye aye.

Item is approved.

Uh mayor, again, our compliments.

Thank you very much.

Um, any other items to be brought before finance committee today.

So next week we've got we've got one small piece uh to fill out that's the bait tax.

We'll hear that.

We'll allow it to be um doubled up and then next week the budget and toto.

Yes, sir.

Great.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Uh is there a motion to adjourn?

Motion second.

All in favor say