Finance committee approves fire gear insurance use, $7M water-and-sewer reserve, audits and insurance renewals

The Tuscaloosa City Finance Committee on Wednesday approved a bundle of budget revisions and contract actions, including using $63,000 in insurance proceeds from damaged fire turnout gear to buy a vehicle, moving $7 million into a water-and-sewer improvement reserve, renewing a contract for federal-grant audit work and selecting stop-loss insurance for the city’s employee health plan.

Committee members adopted the minutes and unanimously approved the items after brief presentations and questions. Chief Delk explained the fire-department insurance claim and equipment loss, saying, “This is actually turnout gear,” and that crews had lost 12 ruined sets that could not be cleaned. Committee members then approved a request to recognize up to $63,000 in insurance proceeds, move those funds into the department’s equipment line and use them to buy a replacement vehicle in the coming months.

The action to add $7,000,000 to a water-and-sewer escrow implements a 10-year plan the committee reviewed last week. City staff outlined the projects the reserve is intended to cover: Mercedes force main lift station, $1,200,000; Fletcher phase 3 improvements, $2,300,000; Hillcrest tank rehabilitation, $1,200,000; outfall line replacement, $1,700,000; sewer betterment at…