Tuscaloosa City approves mayoral certification for Housing Authority's 2026—2030 five-year plan

The Tuscaloosa City Council authorized the mayor to sign a HUD certification Tuesday that confirms the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority's five-year public housing agency (PHA) plan for 2026—2030 aligns with the city's Consolidated Plan and its Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. Counsel described the request as a routine certification on HUD Form 577 SAO; the council approved the motion after brief discussion.

The certification matters because it is a prerequisite for certain federal approvals and funding actions. Counsel told the council the document "is saying their 5 year plan . . . is consistent with our 5 year plan, for, our consolidated plan and for our analysis of what impediments to Fair Housing." Counsel added, "Simple as that. We just need the mayor's signature." The transcript does not include a numeric vote tally; the motion was recorded as carrying with the comment "Most passed."

Jessica Alexander, introduced by counsel as a representative of the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority, outlined the authority's near-term development sequence. She said the authority plans to acquire Mackenzie Court and expects to have "full ownership of that in 2026." After acquisition, Alexander said the authority intends to apply for competitive 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits in 2026 or 2027 to fund redevelopment of a larger property referred to in the transcript as "Hay Court" (the transcript contains variant spellings). "Hay Court is a very large development," Alexander said, noting the authority serves "216 families" there and expects to redevelop the site in two to three phases to avoid saturating the local affordable housing market.

Alexander said the authority will not begin redevelopment until Mackenzie Court is stabilized and work at other sites is finished, and she emphasized the competitive nature of the 9% credits: "we usually only award 1 . . . so we're also competing" with other local applicants. The authority's timeline therefore depends on acquisition, tax credit awards, and resident engagement steps she described, including meetings with residents before construction.

An unidentified council member moved to approve the certification and the moderator seconded; the motion was approved. The transcript records the outcome verbally but does not provide roll-call names or a numeric tally. Counsel thanked those present after the vote.

Next steps: the mayor's signature is required to complete the certification on HUD Form 577 SAO and the housing authority will proceed with acquisition and tax-credit application planning subject to competitive award timelines. The transcript does not provide a date for the mayor's signature or a detailed implementation schedule.