Council approves budget revision to record $50,000 donation of sensory-activation vehicle and $4,360 in training funds for police behavioral unit

The Tuscaloosa City Council approved General Fund Budget Revision No. 6 to record a donated sensory-activation vehicle valued at $50,000 for the Tuscaloosa Police Department and to authorize $4,360 from the diversion indigent treatment fund for training for the department’s behavioral unit.

City Finance staff said the revision will create a revenue line to record the donated asset and an expenditure line to show acquisition of the vehicle. “This budget revision has 2 separate parts in it. The first part is there is an organization in town that is requesting to donate a sensory activation vehicle to TPD. The total amount of the vehicle for donation is $50,000 and so this budget revision will create a revenue in which the donated vehicle will be received and then also the expenditure to show the acquisition of the asset,” Ms. Standridge, city staff, told the council.

The second part of the revision authorizes use of $4,360 from the diversion indigent treatment fund, a municipal-court fee fund the city sets aside for designated expenses, to pay for training for personnel in the police department’s behavioral unit. Ms. Standridge said those funds will cover three training opportunities: a continuing-education conference for newly hired social workers (identified as being in Orange Beach) and two threat-management trainings for schools led by Lieutenant Craig Parker of the Tuscaloosa Police Department.

Lieutenant Craig Parker is scheduled to brief the council’s public-safety committee at 4 p.m. for additional details on the sensory-activation vehicle. Chief Bryce of the Tuscaloosa Police Department was present at the meeting for questions.

Council members asked clarifying questions during the discussion. One council member asked, “What is the fund, or where are they going to…what is the $4,360 spent?” Ms. Standridge explained the planned trainings and locations. Another council member praised the addition of social workers to the department: “I’m so thrilled to death that we have social workers there,” a council member said during remarks.

A motion to approve the budget revision was moved and seconded and the council voted in favor. The meeting record does not show a roll-call tally; the chair called for voice approval and members said “aye.”