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Senator Elliott asks to hold private investigators board contract over per‑license cost spike
Summary
Charles Knight, chair of the Alabama Private Investigation Board, requested a 5% increase to the board’s administrative contract; Senator Elliott questioned per‑license costs compared with similar boards and asked the committee to hold the item for further review.
Charles Knight, chair of the Alabama Private Investigation Board, asked the committee for a 5% increase to the board’s professional administrative services contract with the Austin Group—amounting to about a $7,000 annual increase for a board with roughly 700 licensees.
Senator Elliott questioned the per‑license cost under the new contract versus prior contracts and versus the professional bail bonds board, which he said was around $31 per licensee. Elliott calculated the new contract would amount to roughly $142.58 per licensee and asked what the board’s license fee is; Knight said the license renewal is $300 every two years (effectively $150 per year). Elliott said he would like to hold the contract to understand why the per‑license cost is “four and a half times” that of the bail bonds board.
Knight defended the higher cost by citing reciprocal agreements with other states (Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana and work with South Carolina) that require additional, time‑consuming processes. He also said the board’s 2025 budget projections and actual expenses previously produced net savings to the board, and offered to meet with Elliott after the hearing to discuss details.
Next steps: Senator Elliott said he would hold the contract so the committee can review the fee comparison and the justification for the increase; Knight agreed to follow up offline.
