A Closer Look At City Of Northport's 2022 Legislative Agenda

Ryan Phillips
Updated ·5 min read

NORTHPORT, AL — The Northport City Council Monday evening unanimously approved the city's 2022 Legislative Agenda, which will now be sent to Tuscaloosa County's delegation in Montgomery for consideration.

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There are 10 total talking points on the approved legislative agenda, with City Administrator Glenda Webb pointing out during Monday's briefing ahead of the full Council meeting that there are several items pending before the legislature that may impact the city.

"Our staff made some additional recommendations on some items that are concerning to the community as a whole and the municipality," she said.

ALSO READ: Crucial Change Proposed For Tuscaloosa's Next Municipal Election As Part Of 2022 Agenda

Here's a closer look at each of the agenda points

1. Supporting tort liability limits

  • While the state of Alabama has sovereign immunity from any tort claim for money damages, municipalities are currently liable for certain financial damages accrued due to wrongdoing by an employee.

  • The law, as its written, currently limits damages to $100,000 per person for each occurrence and a total of $300,000 in the aggregate.

  • Northport city officials initially believed the State of Alabama would rewrite these laws to extend sovereign immunity to municipalities in cases of tort claims against an employee in their individual capacity. However, recent lawsuits and court decisions have called into question the limits on claims, as Northport city officials fear its employees could be exposed to personal liability in excess of the set limits.

2. Supporting legislation requiring adequate funding by the state general fund for criminal corrections, mental health systems, transportation and maintenance, in addition to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

  • This part of the agenda also expresses opposition for legislation that would pass financial burdens on to local governments without accompanying state funding.

3. The opposition of any legislation that would provide exemptions for pharmacies from gross receipts generated by drug sales in determining the issuance of a business license.

  • City Attorney Ron Davis: "We have so much of that in Northport, we get a lot of income from the business licenses for CVS and Wal-Mart and various drug stores. There's no sales tax on consumer businesses, so this would really be a windfall for businesses that sell drugs."

4. Supports and requests certain funding for infrastructure improvements, including along Highway 82 West to Rose Boulevard, in addition to along Highway 69 and Highway 43 to Larry Lake Road.

  • This agenda point aligns with an ongoing effort by city officials to add needed infrastructure improvements to the busiest travel corridors within the Northport city limits.

  • Roughly a year ago, for example, $2 million was approved by Gov. Kay Ivey and used to widen U.S. Highway 43 from Mitt Lary Road to Paul Howell Road.

5. Support of revisions to procedures to allow EMS units to return to service with more expediency, which is due to increased wait times for ambulance units at local hospitals with respect to transfer of care for patients.

  • City Administrator Glenda Webb: "this is making sure wall time is not such a big issue at DCH so our EMS providers whether it's us or our ambulance franchise holder."

  • "Wall time" refers to the period of time between arrival of an ambulance patient at the emergency room until the EMS and ER personnel transfers the patient to an ER stretcherand the hospital staff assume the responsibility for care for the patient.

6. Opposition to House Bill 111, which the city claims would limit its ability to budget for law enforcement within the municipality.

  • This bill would create the Police Funding Protection Act, establishing a system in which a county or municipality may not reduce the operating budget of its respective law enforcement agency by more than 20% in a 10-year period.

  • City Administrator Glenda Webb: "The way the deal is currently drafted, we oppose taking away our flexibility. Historically here, capital items have been rolled into the general budget, so when you pull out capital items, there can be substantial change by percentage and with that, we don't support the way it's currently written. We think it's a little overwrought. We would be glad to work with the League of Municipalities to discuss that particular bill."

  • The bill would also allow a budget to be reducedif a county or municipality could prove that the reduction was fiscally appropriate.

  • If passed, the Alabama Attorney General would be tasked with determining whether a county or municipalityhas reduced the operating budget by more than 20%.21 This bill would also exclude a county or municipality from various funding if found to be in violation.

  • House Bill 111 has had its first reading in the Alabama House of Representatives and has been referred to the House County and Municipal Government Committee.

7. Opposition to an exemption from sales of food from state sales and use taxes, as Northport is would otherwise face a significant decrease revenue, with no other way at present to shore up the funding lost.

  • District 3 Councilman John Hinton said "If that sales tax legislation passes, we're in trouble" when considering the revenue currently generated for the city by sales tax on groceries and prescription drugs.

8. Supporting an amendment to the appeal procedures for the Council's Planning & Zoning Commission, which would require an appeal submitted within 15 days of the final judgement being handed down.

9. Supporting legislation authorizing community paramedic programs and allows mid-level providers the ability to bill for services rendered, as well as providing funding for such through appropriate mechanisms.

10. Allowing for electronic bids versus in-person bid submissions for city contracts.

  • City Administrator Glenda Webb: "Because of COVID and the way the world works now, we want to make sure we are keeping up with the times and state law will specifically will allow that, for the use of electronic bids."

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This article originally appeared on the Tuscaloosa Patch