Tuscaloosa Officials Outline Plan to Move Court Referral Program In-House

City staff, with Judge McKinney present, presented an informational proposal to create an in-house court referral program for drug and alcohol cases, saying the program is state mandated and would replace the county’s current private-provider arrangement.

The presenter described the proposal as "just an informative proposal for you that we are looking to create a court referral program within the city of Tuscaloosa." The program would be run under a state contract expected to reimburse about 85% of costs, with the remainder covered by participant fees, the presenter said. The program would include monthly monitoring sessions, drug testing, externally provided classes, and self-help meetings.

Staff characterized the in-house model as cost neutral: "The state's contract plus the fees that are collected will cover the personnel cost, drug testing supplies, and the office supplies for operating the program," the presenter said. The presenter said the city currently uses a private company, Alternative Sentencing, for the county's court referral work and that moving in-house would not create a new mandate but would change who administers the service.

No formal vote or authorization occurred; the item was presented for committee information. Staff listed next steps: return to the committee for state contract procurement, create full-time positions for program staff, select a vendor for drug-testing supplies, and identify physical office space. A committee member who identified their perspective as a social worker said the proposal "is a way to break down barriers to services and to help those that are in need of these services," and expressed support for the in-house approach.