Contact: City Hall 2201 University Blvd Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401 Phone: (205) 349-2010 Fax: (205) 349-0185 Email Webmaster
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Candidate Questions
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Candidates must be registered to vote, must have been full-time residents of the city for at least one year prior to qualifying, and must not hold any other elective office.
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A potential candidate may begin raising funds at any time after filing designation of a campaign treasurer and bank designation with the City Clerk. The campaign account must be separate from any personal accounts and used only for depositing campaign funds and making campaign expenditures.
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City Attorney
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Whether to employ an attorney is entirely up to you. The attorneys for the City of Tuscaloosa will gladly speak to citizens who are not represented by a lawyer. If you are represented by an attorney on the issue in question, the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Alabama State Bar generally require city attorneys to speak to only your lawyer about the matter unless your lawyer consents to your speaking directly with the City’s lawyer. Although City Attorneys always seek to treat everyone professionally and fairly, please keep in mind that they represent the legal interests of the City, not of individual citizens.
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The City of Tuscaloosa and the Office of the City Attorney are prohibited by law from representing you or your interests. We also cannot recommend attorneys to you. If you need an attorney you may find these resources useful: Alabama State Bar Lawyers Referral Service. Call (800) 392-5660 or click here http://www.alabar.org/ and look for the Lawyers Referral Service link. This service by the state bar association will give you the name and contact information of attorneys in your area that handle the kind of legal problem you have.
Legal Services of Alabama is a statewide non-profit organization providing free civil legal assistance to low-income and elderly Alabamians. Call 205-758-7503 or click here http://www.alabamalegalservices.org/
The University of Alabama School of Law Clinical Program has several specialized clinical programs that may or may not be able to assist you. Call (205) 348-4960 if you think you might qualify.
Most attorneys advertise in the telephone book yellow pages. Look under “Attorneys.”
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For an explaination of common reasons claims are denied and what some of your options are if that happens, use the following link.
Claim Denial Info
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Many City of Tuscaloosa records are available online, however, if the record you need is not available online or you simply cannot find it, then you should file a public records request using this
link
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Traffic tickets are paid at Municipal Court. Additonal information on traffic tickets is available at this
link.
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Environmental Services
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Putrescible animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking, and consumption of food, including waste from markets, storage facilities, handling and the sale of produce products, and in general from food for human consumption, and non-putrescribe waste matter, such as glass, plastic, paper, cartons, boxes, and cardboard.
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We cannot collect containers that are overloaded due to unacceptable materials. These include automotive parts, bricks, concrete, and other construction items. Also we cannot accept household sewage, livestock, or poultry waste, hazardous waste, unprotected medical waste, dead animals, ashes, trash, street or highway cleanings, or industrial waste.
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You may purchase a City regulation garbage cart by calling the City’s Revenue Department at (205) 248-5200. The carts are sold at a price of $55.00 and delivered to the customer.
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The Environmental Services Department will fix your container up to a certain point free of charge to the customer. All you have to do is call and give us your address and we will come out to your house or business.
If the cart is not repairable you will be required to purchase another one.
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To find out your collection day call the Environmental Services department at (205) 248-4900. Then place your cart out for collection no later than 7 A.M. on your pick up day and remove it from curbside or city right-of-way no later than 8 A.M. the next day.
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For our customers who are physically unable to roll a garbage cart or carry the recycling bin to the curb, we provide both garbage and recycling pick up at the back door at no extra charge. This service is not provided when other physically able adults are in the home. For more information call our office at (205) 248-4900.
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All tree and lawn trimmings, leaves, pine straw, trash that has been burned, rocks, bricks, and demolition type waste, generated by family units.
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Paper, cartons, cardboard, refuse, garbage, litter, rubbish, sludge, liquids, toxic or hazardous waste will not be accepted for trash collection.
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Call the Environmental Services Department for the trash pick up schedule at (205) 248-4900.
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Trash collection is a free service to residents with an active water account. Business customers are not entitled to trash collection.
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Finance
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You can get on the bid list by clicking on the Bidding Registration Form feature on the Finance page. Print the form out and fill out as instructed on the form. Fax back to the number provided on the form. If you do not have a fax machine, you can mail it to the purchasing department. You will be notified of any pertinent opportunites.
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There is no charge to be placed on the bid list.
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The Albama Competitive Bid Laws require a bid bond in the amount of 5% for any contract valued greater than $10,000. Acceptable formats are addressed in the Special Conditions of the bid document.
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The City of Tuscaloosa has an auction twice a year to dispose of surplus property. Look for these opportunities advertised in the paper listing date and location or call (205)349-0498 to inquire about information.
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When the check is returned to the City, it is sent to Certegy for collection. If cerrtegy is unable to collect on the check within 60 days, they return the check to the City. A certified letter is then issued and if the check is not collected on within 10 days, it is sent to the Worhtless Check Unit and a warrant is issued.
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Checks are processed and mailed every Monday after 2:30.
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The invoice must reach the Finance Department with signed approval from the appropriate department before 2:30 pm on Wednesday to receive a check for that week.
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All checks are mailed through the U.S. Postal Service.
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The City currently solicits bids on a weekly basis for certificates of deposit from local financial institutions that participate in Alabama's Safe program. The institution quoting the highest interest rate will be awarded the investment. In the case where more than institutuion quotes the same rate the investment will be given to the financial institution that is holding the lowest number of investments.
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Fire Department
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#1 2527 6th Street
#2 322 Paul W. Bryant Drive
#3 202 Rice Valley Road NE
#4 2113 University Boulevard E
#5 2200 Greensboro Avenue
#6 3029 Loop Road
#7 105 Skyland Boulevard
#8 2200 Culver Road
#9 3924 Woodland Forrest Drive
#10 8101 New Watermelon Road
#11 10293 Covered Bridge Road
#12 Tuscaloosa Municipal Airport
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The 911 system is designed to save you valuable seconds because the system routes calls to the fire or police units that are closest to your home. Fire stations are not equipped to take such calls and doing so would actually reduce response time. It is also possible that no firefighters would be at the station due to being on a call, whereas 911 calls will always be answered.
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You should replace the batteries in your smoke detectors twice a year. A good way to remember is to do this when you change your clocks for the time change in spring and fall.
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Safely pull to the right and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed. Be aware there may be more than one vehicle that needs to pass.
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Assure that you have a well-defined escape plan. Make sure that people who are confined to a wheelchair have immediate access to their wheelchair when an emergency occurs. It is usually better for disabled persons to have ready access to outside exits.
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The Insurance Services Office (ISO) has given the City of Tuscaloosa a Class 3 Rating.
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All City Firefighters are trained to First Responder levels in emergency medical response. Almost all are basic emergency medical technicians or paramedics.
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No. Try opening a can of tuna or cat food and wait for the cat to come down on its own.
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Call the Public Safety Educator at (205) 349-0322 at least 2 weeks in advance to determine availability.
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Training takes up a great deal of their time when they are not at an emergency. Firefighters also participate in fire safety inspections, public education and pre-fire planning. They often drive the community to become familiar with the area to reduce response time during incidents. Firefighters must also check and maintain their equipment, and clean and maintain their stations.
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The standard response to a residential structure fire includes three engine companies, one ladder truck company, one rescue truck and one chief officer. As soon as the first arriving engine determines that other resources are not needed, they are immediately released. The main goal of the Tuscaloosa Fire & Rescue Service is to save lives and property, and this level of response is necessary to accomplish this goal over 95% of the time.
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The Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Department responds to an annual average of 8,000 calls for assistance; almost 90% of the calls are for emergency medical assistance to the sick or injured.
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Fire run reports are available from Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Service administrative offices on the first floor of the City Hall Annex on University Blvd. Office hours are 7:00-5:00, Monday-Friday. Phone 349-0326.
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Current industry standard for an effective fire response is four personnel on an engine. The required crew for an ambulance is two personnel, but most patients require the assistance of more than two pairs of caring hands whenever an ambulance is summoned. Responding with an engine and a rescue vehicle ensures an adequate crew for any situation we might encounter.
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Because crews work 24-hour shifts, the average fighter workweek is 56 hours. If crews were to work 8-hour shifts (40-hour weeks), an entire fourth shift of 18 people would need to be added. This is the most cost-effective work schedule for fire protection.
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Because crews work a 24-hour shift, they must eat their lunch and dinner at the station. The firefighters eat the same meal, as a group. The crews pay for their food out of their own pockets. Each morning, after equipment is checked and housework completed, one of the vehicles (engine or rescue truck) will make a quick trip to the grocery store to purchase the food for the shift. All crews remain in service to respond to calls during this time.
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Abandoned buildings or structures slated for demolition provide firefighters with additional experience working in live structures. Structures can be donated for non-destructive training, destructive training or burn training. Considerable preparation time may be required of the owner beforehand. All training structures need an asbestos survey and provide proof of no insurance. It is important to note the structure is not reduced to an easily moved pile of rubble but rather a burned-out structure that will need to be removed by the owner. For more information, contact the Fire Marshal at 349-0327.
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Fire in a building creates a tremendous amount of heat and smoke. In many instances, firefighters must remove this heat and smoke before they can get close enough to extinguish the fire. Heat and smoke rise, so cutting a hole in the roof and breaking out windows in strategic locations allows the smoke to vent upwards, allowing cool air to enter the structure from below. This improves visibility and lowers heat conditions for the firefighters inside, allowing them to quickly and safely extinguish the fire. Remember, heat and smoke cause damage, too, so ventilation will actually reduce overall damage to a building and contents.
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Human Resources
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We have our avaliable jobs posted on this site. Access them by clicking on the following link.
Current Job Listings
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Click on the following link for information on the hiring process for the City of Tuscaloosa's jobs.
Hiring Process
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For a listing of the Benefits offered to full time employees click on the following link.
Benefits
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Human Resources Department
P.O. Box 2089
Tuscaloosa, AL 35403
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Main FAQs
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The donation process is very simple and ensures that all monies go directly into the classrooms.
Invest now...
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Call the Tuscaloosa County Voter Registrar's Office at (205)349-3870 ext. 415 thru 418.
Polling Places
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The Council meet each Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. All committee meetings are on Tuesdays prior to the weekly Tuesday evening Council meeting. Check the Calendar on our home page for more details.
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District 1: Bobby E. Howard
District 2: Harrison Taylor
District 3: Cynthia Lee Almond
District 4: Lee Garrison
District 5: Kip Tyner
District 6: Bob Lundell
District 7: William Tinker III
City Council Information and Maps
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Yes. Drop-off points for recycleable items are at the following locations:
Fire Stations
#2: 322 Paul Bear Bryant Drive East
#3: 202 Rice Valley Road N.E.
#6: 3029 Loop Road
#10: 8101 New Watermelon Road Skyland Elementary School
408 Skyland Blvd. Environmental /Services Department
1120 28th Ave. Waste Recycling Inc.
907 31st Ave. University Church of Christ
1200 Julia Tutwiler Dr. Alberta Police Sub-Station
2731 University Blvd. East
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Call the Wastewater Treatment Plant at 349-0273.
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You may view current bid opportunities by accessing the following link:
Bid Invitations...
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Yes. Get more information on the City of Northport's website.
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All full time City of Tuscaloosa employees are eligible for full benefits.
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Municipal Court
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2122 6th Street,downtown Tuscaloosa, beside City Hall
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The Prosecutor will call the docket in alphabetical order on Criminal Arraignment and certain traffic offenses on Traffic Arraignment dockets. The Court Magistrate will call the docket on the Traffic Arraignment dockets for minor traffic violations such as speeding, running a red light, running a stop sign, the wrong way on a one way street, etc… The Prosecutor will ask you whether you plead guilty or not guilty. If you plead guilty, the Prosecutor will advise you of the recommendation of a sentence to the Judge and the Judge will then sentence you. If you plead not guilty, the case will be set for trial date by the Judge. If you plead guilty to the Court Magistrate on the minor traffic violation, you will be sentenced to the settlement amount and advised when to pay the fines and court costs. If you are pleading not guilty, the Judge will set the trial date.
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A: Only if it is minor traffic violation. The fines for minor traffic violations are set out in this web site.
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Maybe,if it is on the minor traffic fine schedule. Payment will be accepted at the cashier's window or you may mail a money order or a cashier's check along with your copy of the ticket (signed on the defendant's line).
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Only if you have signed a plea of guilt
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A printable guilty plea (for use with minor traffic offenses only)may be obtained by clicking on this link.
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The Judge can order a fine of up to $500 and/or 6 months in jail on any charge in municipal court except for Driving under the Influence whereby the fine and jail time can be higher.
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The Judge or the Court Magistrates will give you the date to pay your fines.
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The court cost will remain the same whether you come to court or not.
The court cost is already included in the amount paid for minor traffic citations. If a trial or failure to appear fine is applicable, the court cost could increase due to subpoena or late fees. The fine, however; is subject to change if a trial is requested. This is at the discretion of the Judge.
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Cash, cashier's check, money order, Master Card and Visa (with valid ID)
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