City secures 11-month access to seven digital billboards to centralize messaging

The Tuscaloosa City Public Projects Committee approved an 11-month contract with Lamar Advertising for access to seven digital billboards the city can upload and schedule content to at will.

Staff told the committee the city previously ran a five-month trial that combined static and digital boards and found digital boards substantially more useful because they allow scheduling by time and day and immediate replacement with emergency messaging when needed. Based on the trial, staff presented a digital-only, 11-month arrangement that removes static billboards and reduced the comparable monthly cost from about $24,000 to about $18,000. The contract covers seven digital screens the city can use concurrently; staff said the total cost will be allocated among several departmental budgets that normally fund marketing and public-education activities, and that the contract runs November through the following September (11 months).

Councilors thanked staff for the prior pilot work and said the centralized approach helped reduce public confusion during construction communications; staff said the city already uses the boards daily for a range of messaging including amphitheater events and police communications. Motion and second were made and the committee approved the contract by voice vote.