Tuscaloosa City finance committee accepts K‑9 and fire donations, approves budget revision to fund police equipment

The Tuscaloosa City Finance Committee approved acceptance of two donations and adopted General Fund Budget Revision No. 7 to record the gifts and allocate $26,827 from police auction proceeds for department equipment.

Chief Blankley, Tuscaloosa Police Department, told the committee the city was being offered a directed donation to the department’s K‑9 program from a group of local businesses, and the department planned to accept the gift. The amount discussed in the meeting was reported in fragmented form by speakers as “20 2 thousand 6 hundred and 4 dollars.” The committee approved the donation by voice vote.

Kelsey Standridge, Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue, said the department would receive a check from SERVPRO, the restoration company that runs a local golf tournament and splits proceeds with emergency services. Standridge described the intent to apply the gift to the fire department’s training division for upcoming training tied to a conversion and for general training use. During the presentation a speaker identified the check as “3,500 and $35.39” (transcript: “3,500 and $35.39”); the committee approved acceptance by voice vote.

A finance staff member presented General Fund Budget Revision No. 7, saying the revision had three parts: (1) to book the K‑9 program donation (the amount reported in the meeting as “20 2 thousand 6 hundred and 4 dollars”), (2) to book the SERVPRO donation (reported in the meeting as $3,535.39 based on a speaker saying “3,500 and $35.39,” though the same staff later referenced $3,539), and (3) to request use of $26,827 from the police department’s funds accumulated from auctioning federal military surplus equipment. The presenter described those auction proceeds as restricted for police use and said the requested $26,827 would buy equipment and supplies for investigations, logistics and patrol.

The staff member listed planned purchases from the $26,827 allocation including two ballistic rifle‑rated shields (about $7,500 each), parts for barricades used at sporting events, a microscope to photograph fingerprints on vehicles, and traffic cones for patrol vehicles. In response to a committee question, the staff member said about $86,000 remained in the police auction‑proceeds account after the transactions discussed in the meeting.

All three items were approved by voice vote; the transcript records committee members saying “aye” but does not record a roll‑call tally or the names of the motioners and seconders.

The approvals book the donations into the general fund and authorize the police department to spend the specified $26,827 from auction proceeds on the listed equipment and supplies. The committee did not record additional conditions or amendments in the transcript excerpt.

The committee moved on after the approvals; the transcript ends with the chair asking whether there was any other business for the finance committee.