Motion.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Okay.

Minutes are adopted.

Item number one under old business.

Authorization of budget amendments.

For the department of public safety tabled on 930 25.

Mayor Maddox.

Ms.

Herbert and Ms.

Stanbridge.

Yes, sir.

And I'm gonna let uh Miss Herbert and Ms.

Standridge go through the specifics of the budget amendment.

But I passed out to each of you a memorandum that I want to prepare for today because I assumed that there would likely be a discussion just beyond the budget amendment itself.

So 130 days ago, I notified the city council in writing that my goal was to create an executive director of public safety.

The foundation of this recommendation is something I think we all believe in, whether we've agreed or disagreed along this journey that we want to make Tuscaloosa safer, and that if there is a crime fire medical response or even an act of mother nature or terrorism, then our response will be swift.

I don't disagree that any of us don't believe that.

We all are in alignment.

This recommendation since June 27th has been vetted both formally and informally and has been adopted by the public safety committee and the administration and policy committee, has also gone through one vote of the city council.

Um the recommendation that we have made is cost neutral, doesn't increase our fiscal 26 budget, and the recommendation that you see today is a reflection of months of discussion with each and every one of you.

So hopefully today's recommendation fits what I believe has been the concerns of several city council members.

Um I know there has been some concern about the amount of this being vetted, and so what I wanted to provide to each and every one of you is just my correspondence and a couple of other significant correspondence since June 27th.

Um whether we agree or disagree, it's my goal to provide you as much information that I have access to so that this council can make a good decision and debate it and then determine if it's necessary.

So at this time I'm gonna ask Ms.

Herbert and the standards to walk you through the budget amendment, an overview of it from 40,000 feet before they go into details is one of the concerns that has been and probably the primary concern as it relates to the budget amendment, has been overtime.

So as you will see in the budget amendment, we have limited the overtime in the case that someone who is a police or current police officer or firefighter, a sworn officer is selected to that position.

Um, and it's in your packet, you will see the proposed legislation that will allow this position eventually to be exempt under the local law that requires that sworn police officers and sworn firefighters earn over time.

Um again, that's been a process of the very productive discussions I've had with many of you, and it is reflected in the overall spreadsheet.

So I don't know if Ms.

Standridge or Ms.

Herbert are going to present, so I'll let them present this to you.

It's a single sheet that we send it out to them.

So Miss Standard.

Yes.

Um the sheet that you see in front of you with all of the details for um financing for the position is not should not be foreign.

I think that we handed this out at the end of September when we first started talking about the position and how to fund it.

Um the only change from that original document will be the overtime amount that the mayor mentioned has been decreased.

I think previously it was at 30,000.

We have since decreased it to 10,000 as shown on the um page in front of you.

And because of that um lowered overtime rate, we were able to uh functionally adjust the offsets for it, and so I do want to go through the offsets as there is.

Lower overtime amount.

Okay.

Um, and so I do want to go over the uh individual offsets for the ways to to fund this position.

The first one on the list is going to be to utilize the ambulance franchise revenue.

Um, this is the one that was adjusted because over time was decreased.

Previous to now, we had two different positions that we were gonna try to offset their um their salaries and benefits amount with the ambulance franchise revenue.

So because of the lowered overtime, we're only requesting one offset, and that is for the EMS prevention coordinator.

That total amount um would be about $83,791.

And so we would recognize the ambulance franchise revenue and then also increase salary amount for this position.

The other two items that we're proposing to use to fund the position is to eliminate two vacant um two vacant positions that are currently in TPD.

The first one is an auxiliary officer position.

Um that total amount would be the 60,000 one sixty-five, and then in a vacant police patrol officer position that would total about 115,000 dollars.

Um those two positions have been vacant for over a year, and the and when it comes to the uh ability to be able to fund the position, that one, those who are already in TPD, and so really just taking them off the board is all we would need to do for funding.

Um this really will the the net effect of all of these changes would leave about 23,315 dollars available.

Um whether or not that goes back into contingency within the general fund or stays within the salary line item within TPD to be possibly utilized later is is up to the council to decide.

Um below you will see equipment uh one-time costs needed for the position, and that is really just going to be uh proposed to be paid for out of salary savings, which the uh police department has um available, and we can transfer that to their equipment line.

I'm willing to answer any questions.