Council approves Elevate-side capital items including $800,000 for Soko Park; Mason's Place funding contingent on matches

The Tuscaloosa City Council approved the Elevate portion of the 2026 capital projects budget, which includes $800,000 proposed for Soko Park to pay for lighting, security cameras and related improvements, city staff said at the meeting.

City staff described the Elevate side as separate from the general fund capital items the council had finalized earlier. "It's the Elevate side that we still have out there. There are two items within Elevate. There is $800,000 for Soko Park that is for lighting and cameras, and different aspects of Soko Park," a city staff member said.

Council discussion included Mason's Place, a project the Elevate funding is intended to support in part; council members and staff said final local disbursement for Mason's Place is contingent on matching funds from Northport and the county. An Elevate representative told the council that the county "actually exceeded our match," and that Northport and the county had both contributed to the overall match previously.

After discussion and a motion, the council voted to approve the Elevate items; the transcript records the item carried by voice vote. The council did not adopt additional contractual terms or a construction schedule during the meeting. Staff indicated recommendations for how the Elevate dollars should be allocated to Soko Park and Mason's Place, and that some pieces of the Elevate funding would come from interest earned on designated savings-center assets but the exact accounting detail was not read aloud in full.

Councilmembers asked for any questions and accepted the staff recommendation to move the Elevate items forward. The transcript does not provide a roll-call tally or the names of the motion maker and seconder for the Elevate vote.