Tuscaloosa County voters to decide on property tax increase on Tuesday
Tuscaloosa County voters go to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether or not to raise property taxes. The Tuscaloosa County School Board is asking for an eight-mill increase in property tax. The Tuscaloosa County Commission has called the Special Election at the request of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education to let voters decide on whether or not to raise property taxes for the Tuscaloosa County school system. The tax increases are divided into two ballot initiatives: one for a five-mill increase and the other for a three-mill increase. If both pass, then according to the Tuscaloosa County School Superintendent Keri Johnson, the system will receive about $15 million a year in additional revenues. The system already receives 10 mills in local tax support in addition to state and federal dollars. Former Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon has come out in opposition to the massive proposed tax increase. “I’m very passionate about Northport city schools,” Herndon said. “But as a Dad, a Granddad, a citizen of the great city of Northport, Northport’s never going to be the city it can be until it has its own school system.” “I know the county school board’s made presentations and showing what their proposals are and how they’re going to rebuild the schools and all this stuff across the county, but we have no guarantees of that,” said Herndon argued. “If you and I were to go to a bank to borrow money to do something, then we’d have to fill out all kind of paperwork and all kind of agreements and all kind of contracts that have to be definite things that’s going to take place if we build or if we don’t build. We come up failing to do what we have said that we would do, but we have nothing that we can hold them liable for.” Proponents claim that the money will be used to fund capital projects, fund more school resource officers, building security improvements, more pre-K services, decrease class sizes, increase electives, provide more mental health services, and increase dual enrollment scholarships. The tax increase will not affect Tuscaloosa city residents as Tuscaloosa city has a municipal school system. Tuscaloosa City residents pay 21 mills to support their city system. The Tuscaloosa County System has come under criticism recently for concerns about the culture at the schools and concerns that Black History may not be fully taught during Black History Month. There was a recent student walkout at Hillcrest High School to express these concerns. “We care deeply about our students, and it is important that their concerns are heard,” Johnson said in a statement. “We are putting together a plan to make sure our Hillcrest High students have an opportunity to express their concerns openly and honestly. Listening to them will let us know the right steps to take to ensure all students know they are valued.” The past two times that county voters were asked to increase their property taxes, voters rejected the measures. Polls will open at 7:00 am and close at 7:00 pm. Voters need to have a valid photo ID in order to participate in any Alabama election. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Mike Rogers and Jim Banks seek answers on how Covid-19 vaccine mandate impacted service members
In January, Congress overturned the military COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Now Congressmen Mike Rogers, Chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee (HASC), and Jim Banks, the Chairman of the HASC Subcommittee on Military Personnel, have sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin seeking answers on the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on servicemembers. Rogers and Banks expressed their displeasure that the Department of Defense has been slow to respond to HASC committee inquiries. “A letter of December 23, 2022, requested ‘your plan to implement this statutory requirement.’ Your four-sentence reply to the letter on January 26, 2023, failed to include any implementation plan,” Rogers and Banks wrote. “Additionally, staff has repeatedly asked for answers to many COVID-19 rescission questions critically important to the retention and recruitment of men and women in each of the armed services.” “We write to express our concern over the lack of clarity provided to the Armed Forces and to the American people related to your memorandum announcing the Department of Defense’s (DoD) rescission of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate,” Rogers and Banks continued. “While we acknowledge and appreciate your rescission memorandum writ large, many questions remain and have gone unanswered regarding the implementation of the rescission.” The Congressmen have asked for answers to a series of questions: · The COVID-19 rescission implementation plan, including implementing guidance and responsibilities within the Department of Defense and the Military Departments · The COVID-19 rescission strategic communication plan to the Armed Forces · The number of discharges that occurred between the signing of the NDAA and the time of your rescission directive · The treatment of potential recruits and accessions who have not taken the COVID-19 vaccine · The effect of the COVID-19 rescission on civilian personnel, including any changes to the current travel policy · The number of discharges for the roughly 6000 Active Component servicemembers and 2000 Reserve Component servicemembers separated because of the mandate, broken down by rank, years of service, and date separated (as well as their discharge characterization) · The number of servicemembers required to pay back bonuses, the average amount to be repaid, and the amount already repaid · Whether DoD policy still requires repayments of bonuses · The number of National Guard members prevented from drilling because of the mandate, including the number of drills missed and amount of time they were prevented from drilling · Reasons why DoD stopped reviewing accommodation of requests from servicemembers who sought vaccination exemptions · Whether service academies have fully removed vaccine mandates for students and faculty · Whether any students at the service academies were refused diplomas due to failing to abide by the prior vaccine mandate, and if so, whether the academies will be making these students whole by providing diplomas and clear student records upon or following graduation · Whether DoD has reinstated any servicemembers forced out for failure to abide by the vaccine mandate, and DoD’s plan for ensuring that reinstatement is offered to any separated servicemembers; and, Austin has issued a memorandum overturning the mandate following passage of a National Defense Authorization Act requiring him to do so. The rescission mandate written states, “no individuals currently serving in the Armed Forces shall be separated solely on the basis of their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an accommodation on religious, administrative, or medical grounds.” The wording of this memorandum prompted more specific questions from Rogers and Banks: · Does this directive of your rescission memorandum mean that unless servicemembers submit an accommodation request, they are still required to receive the COVID vaccination? · Are potential military recruits required to submit an accommodation request to avoid being forced to receive the COVID vaccine? Rogers and Banks are requesting that the Department of Defense provide answers to these questions to the Committee no later than February 21, 2023. “Answers to these questions are crucial for Congress to fulfill its appropriate oversight responsibilities and provide any required legislative relief,” Rogers and Banks wrote. “Please note, many of the questions or requests for information presented above have gone unanswered for weeks, if not months. The Department and the Biden Administration must no longer refuse to respond to requests for information from this Committee.” The Committee on Armed Services has oversight jurisdiction over the Department of Defense. Many members of the military have expressed concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite this vaccine hesitancy, Austin, at the direction of President Joe Biden, instituted a blanket mandate requiring service members, Department of Defense civilian employees, and even all the employees of defense contractors receive the vaccine. Some members of Congress have suggested that the mandate has adversely affected morale and led to the forced separation of many soldiers, sailors, and airmen. Mike Rogers was recently elected to his eleventh term representing Alabama’s Third Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Chris Brown elected as new Jefferson County GOP Chairman
The Jefferson County Republican Party Executive Committee elected GOP strategist Chris Brown as the Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party at Thursday’s night meeting. Brown succeeds former State Rep. Paul DeMarco as Chairman. “I would like to thank the Jefferson County Republican Party for putting its faith in me and electing me Chairman for the next two years,” Brown said. “Thank you, Paul John DeMarco, for your service to our Party. I have big shoes to follow. I want to congratulate Deanna K. Frankowski and Keith Mitchell in being elected Secretary and Treasurer respectfully, as well as the new steering committee and bonus members. But the biggest thanks goes to my campaign manager, Parker Brown! I could not have been elected without him. I’m proud to be his Daddy.” Chris Brown has already announced plans for the Jeffco GOP: · Have a 2-year plan developed and adopted by April 2023 (at the latest) · Communicate with Republican voters year-round through paid and unpaid methods · Build enthusiasm again among traditional Republican voters to vote all the way down the ballot · Encourage infrequent Republican voters to vote on a more regular basis · Register and grow more Republican voters in the County · Work to expand minority outreach in the County · Recruit excellent candidates for winnable races · Build on our already successful ballot security program · Re-activate and motivate the Council of Clubs so that our Jefferson County Republican Clubs can serve as a gateway to the County Executive Committee · Help develop future Republican party leaders Fifteen members were elected to the Jefferson County steering committee. In addition to the 15 elected members, under By-laws Article VII, Section 1 (a), the Chairman can appoint four members to the Steering Committee. These are: · Johnny Amari · Joel Blankenship · Philip Brown · Kim Bullock · W.A. Casey · Joe Domnanovich · Cindy Douglas · Gilbert F. Douglas III · Vicki Fuller · Joel Kimbrough · Mike Kozlik · Lisa Pate · Teresa Petelos · Terri Richmond · Senator Dan Roberts · Vince Coker (appointed) · Donna Cude (appointed) · Paul DeMarco (appointed) · Waymon Newton (appointed) Under Article VI, Section 2, the Chairman is entitled to some officer appointments. These will need to be confirmed by the steering committee. Chairman Brown has appointed Phillip Brown as Vice-Chairman, Ben Foster as Chaplain, and Ron Armstrong as Sergeant at Arms. Gilbert and Cindy Douglas received the Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Service in 2023. New Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen and ALGOP Chairman John Wahl spoke to the group. Before the meeting, outgoing Chairman DeMarco wrote, “As we prepare for our first meeting of 2023 and elections tonight, I am grateful and want to thank each of you for the opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. I am proud of the hard work that members of the executive committee and county GOP clubs have performed. Considering how difficult the past three years have been, we have been so successful in increasing the number the activities and membership in the Jefferson County GOP.” “We have made a priority to increase the funds in the party with our fundraising,” DeMarco continued. “The Jefferson County Republican Party is in the best financial shape in the history of the party and has the monies to “plow the fields” as we gear up for the next election cycle. There is still much work to be done. However, I am optimistic about our community and the Jefferson County Republican Party. It was an honor to serve.” While the Alabama Republican Party has thoroughly dominated Alabama politics since 2010, the GOP has increasingly underperformed in Jefferson County. In 2022, incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey easily bested Democratic challenger Yolanda Flowers statewide 66.9% to 29.2%; Jefferson County was one of just 11 of Alabama’s 67 counties that favored Flowers. In the 2020 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump carried 62.2% of the vote in Alabama to Democrat Joe Biden’s 36.6%; however, in Jefferson County, Biden received 55.8% of the vote to Trump’s 42.6%. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Federal disaster aid increases to 100% for January 12 tornadoes
President Joe Biden authorized an increase for the FEMA Public Assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures by local government following the January 12th Storms. The emergency protective measures have been increased to 100 percent of the total eligible costs for a 30-day period of the State’s choosing within the first 120 days of the incident period. This is in response to a letter submitted by Senator Katie Britt, Representative Terri Sewell, and the entire Alabama Delegation urging the President to increase the federal cost share for FEMA public assistance from 75% to 100%. The Alabama congressional delegation had asked the administration for the amended disaster declaration. “I am beyond thankful to President Biden for this GREAT NEWS! From the beginning, President Biden has worked swiftly to respond to our calls by expediting the major disaster declaration for the State of Alabama,” said Sewell. “Now, with this critical increase in FEMA Public Assistance, I am confident that we will build back stronger than before. I thank Governor [Kay] Ivey and my colleagues in the Alabama Congressional Delegation for their support throughout this process. These critical resources will not only allow us to expedite the cleanup of all the properties destroyed by the storm, but our communities will also have the opportunity to build back stronger and to create a better future for the people of Alabama.” “These crucial funds will help Alabama families, small businesses, and communities rebuild and recover. I am grateful for the President’s continued support of an expedited and robust federal disaster response to assist our state’s people,” said Britt. “We are forever indebted to the incredible first responders, law enforcement officers, and volunteers who have devoted countless hours, as well as their talents and resources, to these valiant efforts. My office will remain actively engaged with local, state, and federal partners throughout the recovery process.” Congressman Barry Moore said, “I’m pleased that our request for 100 percent federal share for debris removal and protective measures as a result of the terrible January 12th storms has been granted by FEMA. If you need assistance, apply online at https://DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.” “I want to thank President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Coach Tommy Tuberville, Senator Katie Britt, and Governor Kay Ivey for working together with the City of Selma, Dallas County and the entire tornado destruction area to provide the 100% reimbursement declaration,” said Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. said in a statement. “This is truly a blessing for Selma. Thank you and I thank God for ‘favor’.” FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides supplemental grants to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments, and certain types of private non-profits so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies. After an event like a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, or wildfire, communities need help to cover their costs for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and restoring public infrastructure. The Federal Cost Share relates only to public assistance provided to governmental entities and does not include individual assistance. Uninsured individuals in the designated areas who have been impacted by the January 12th storms still must apply for individual assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by visiting the FEMA website. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Daniel Sutter: Stakeholders and cooperation
From the Business Roundtable to the World Economic Forum to leading business schools, many voices promote replacing corporations governed by stockholders with “stakeholder” capitalism. Laws empowering stakeholders might disrupt the social cooperation of corporations. The cutthroat world of business seems decidedly uncooperative. But businesses enable voluntary cooperation between people trying to improve their lives. Never forget the voluntary part. Throughout history, force has been the preferred way to secure assistance from others, producing slavery and oppressive taxation. The lure of commanding others endures today. Both the Trump and Biden Administrations commanded businesses using the Defense Production Act during the COVID-19 pandemic. A business involves many persons as employees, suppliers, and customers. Financial capital is also needed because production must occur before goods can be sold. Terms and conditions for all parties involved must be worked out, and a business must a way to decide what to produce and how. Numerous options for terms exist. Persons providing labor can work as independent contractors or as employees, and if employees, paid every two weeks or receive profit sharing. Financial capital can be provided through a loan with fixed repayment dates and specified interest or in exchange for a share of ownership (equity). Sales are never guaranteed in a market economy because potential customers are free to not buy any product. And because costs must be incurred before sales, revenue may fall short of costs, resulting in losses. Guaranteed profit exists only in rare circumstances called arbitrage; otherwise, profits are always uncertain. Every business must have someone who will bear a loss and someone who gets any profit. Profit and loss are residuals, and the person(s) who receive the profit or loss is the residual claimant. Having different persons bear losses and keep profits generally results in bad decisions, either a reckless pursuit of profit or an obsessive avoidance of loss. Many forms of business organization exist, from sole proprietorships to employee-owned enterprises to corporations. Each form has different residual claimants and different decision-making structures. The various forms of business cooperation have enabled the prosperity of modern America. The corporation has played an outsized role though, assembling previously unimaginable amounts of financing to build global enterprises. This proves that the structure of the corporation, with decision-making and residual claims vested in the stockholders, works. This is a delicate balance. Large investors generally do not manage the companies they own in part. Poor management decisions imperil investors’ capital. The efficiency with which stockholders control the corporations they own is hotly debated, but the persistence of corporations means that stockholders are sufficiently satisfied to continue investing their money. Stakeholderism prioritizes other groups – including customers, employees, and suppliers – over stockholders. Such proposals should face a high bar, given that corporations work. And stakeholders already receive enormous consideration. All market transactions are voluntary, so companies MUST provide value for customers, employees, and suppliers to continue doing business. Of course, the freedom of free enterprise allows companies to fancy that treating stakeholders shabbily will prove profitable. Many commentators characterize CEO embrace of stakeholderism as pure opportunism. Currently, activist stockholders can challenge CEOs over their decisions. Business Roundtable CEOs seek legal authority to ignore stockholders by claiming to serve communities, employees, or the environment. Yet truly empowering stakeholders through legal mandates for employee, customer, or environmental group representation on boards of directors also creates problems. Customers and employees, for instance, have opposing interests: customers want lower prices, while higher prices can fund higher wages. And neither might mind wasting investors’ money. Legally transferring stockholders’ decision rights is a type of theft and may make investors no longer willing to contribute their capital. The freedom of a market economy is also a challenge to its critics. The proponents of stakeholderism can start businesses organized in this manner. If their criticisms are valid, their stakeholder-driven firms should crush traditional corporations. Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.
‘Unidentified object’ downed over Lake Huron, 3rd this week
A U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron on Sunday on orders from President Joe Biden, believed to be the same one tracked over Montana and monitored by the government beginning the night before, the Pentagon said. It was the fourth object shot out of the sky by U.S. fighter jets in eight days, along with ones over Alaska and Canada and a suspected Chinese spy balloon. Pentagon officials have said they don’t know when the last shootdown of an unknown or unauthorized object over U.S. territory occurred before this spate of incidents. U.S. authorities have made clear that they constantly monitor for unknown radar blips, and it is not unusual to shut down airspace as a precaution to evaluate them. But the unusually assertive response was raising questions about whether such use of force was warranted, particularly as administration officials said the objects were not of great national security concern and the downings were just out of caution. The extraordinary air defense activity began in late January when a white orb the officials said was from China appeared over the U.S. and hovered above the nation for days before fighter jets downed it off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. That event played out over livestream. Since then, many Americans have been captivated by the drama playing out in the skies as fighter jets scramble to shoot down objects. The latest brought down was first detected on Saturday evening over Montana, but it was initially thought to be an anomaly. Radar picked it up again Sunday, hovering over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and it was going over Lake Huron, according to U.S. officials, who had knowledge of the downings and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operations. U.S. and Canadian authorities had restricted some airspace over the lake earlier Sunday as planes were scrambled to intercept and try to identify the object. It was octagonal, with strings hanging off, but had no discernable payload. It was flying low at about 20,000 feet, according to one of the officials. Meanwhile, U.S. officials were still trying to precisely identify two other objects shot down by F-22 fighter jets and were working to determine whether China was responsible as concerns escalated about what Washington said was Beijing’s large-scale aerial surveillance program. An object shot down Saturday over Canada’s Yukon was described by U.S. officials as a balloon significantly smaller than the balloon — the size of three school buses — hit by a missile on February 4. A flying object brought down over the remote northern coast of Alaska on Friday was more cylindrical and described as a type of airship. Both were believed to have a payload, either attached or suspended from them, according to the officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. Officials were not able to say who launched the objects and were seeking to figure out their origin. The three objects were much smaller in size, different in appearance, and flew at lower altitudes than the suspected spy balloon that fell into the Atlantic Ocean after the U.S. missile strike. The officials said the other three objects were not consistent with the fleet of Chinese aerial surveillance balloons that targeted more than 40 countries, stretching back at least into the Trump administration. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told ABC’s “This Week” that U.S. officials were working quickly to recover debris. Using shorthand to describe the objects as balloons, he said U.S military and intelligence officials were “focused like a laser” on gathering and accumulating the information, then compiling a comprehensive analysis. “The bottom line is until a few months ago, we didn’t know about these balloons,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said of the spy program that the administration has linked to the People’s Liberation Army, China’s military. “It is wild that we didn’t know.” Eight days ago, F-22 jets downed the large white balloon that had wafted over the U.S. for days at an altitude of about 60,000 feet. U.S. officials immediately blamed China, saying the balloon was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals and could maneuver itself. White House officials said improved surveillance capabilities helped detect it. China’s Foreign Ministry said the unmanned balloon was a civilian meteorological airship that had blown off course. Beijing said the U.S. had “overreacted” by shooting it down. Then, on Friday, North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides a shared defense of airspace over the two nations, detected and shot down an object near sparsely populated Deadhorse, Alaska. Later that evening, NORAD detected a second object flying at a high altitude over Alaska, U.S. officials said. It crossed into Canadian airspace on Saturday and was over the Yukon, a remote territory when it was ordered shot down by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In both of those incidents, the objects were flying at roughly 40,000 feet. The object on Sunday was flying at 20,000 feet. The cases have increased diplomatic tensions between the United States and China, raised questions about the extent of Beijing’s American surveillance, and prompted days of criticism from Republican lawmakers about the administration’s response. Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said the administration was looking “somewhat trigger-happy.” “Although that is certainly preferable to the permissive environment they showed when the Chinese spy balloon was coming over some of most sensitive sites,” Turner, R-Ohio, told CNN’s “State of the Union.” After the shootdown last weekend, Chinese officials said they reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.” Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, urged the administration to be as forthcoming as possible, saying the lack of solid information was fueling online speculation. Himes said it was clear from briefings in recent years “that there is a lot of garbage up there” in the sky. “The truth
Students walk out after told to limit Black History program
More than 200 students walked out of class at an Alabama high school after they say they were told by school leaders to omit certain relevant events from an upcoming student-led Black History Month program. However, school officials have denied the allegations even while acknowledging the need for students’ concerns to be heard. Students told WBMA-TV they were ordered to leave out major historical moments, including slavery and the civil rights movement, from the program scheduled for February 22 at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa. The students were told they “couldn’t talk about slavery and civil rights because one of our administrators felt uncomfortable,” said Black History Month Program board member J’Niyah Suttles, a senior who participated in Wednesday’s walkout. She said the direction from a school administrator left her hurt. “My protector from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. — for you to tell me I can’t talk about something that is dealing with my culture is very disturbing; it’s very confusing,” Suttles said. Fellow Hillcrest senior Jada Holt expressed similar emotions. “Why am I being censored about my culture, something that is rooted in me? Why can’t I talk about it? History is history, and it’s already been made, and it can’t be erased,” she said. Senior Jamiyah Brown, who helped put the program together, organized the walkout, which lasted about an hour. “Without our history, we are nothing. Without teaching our youth where we come from, how can we move forward?” Brown said. Tuscaloosa County Superintendent Dr. Keri Johnson, in a statement, denied allegations that an administrator told the students to leave out historical elements. “It is not true that faculty or staff told students that slavery or the civil rights movement could not be part of the program,” Johnson said. “When several community members heard this and contacted Hillcrest High administration out of concern, the administration explained to them that this was false information that was circulating.” Johnson said the school system supports the student’s right to peacefully demonstrate. “A number of our Hillcrest High students have concerns about the culture within their school. We care deeply about our students, and it is important that their concerns are heard. We are putting together a plan to make sure our students feel heard so that we know the right steps to put in place to ensure all students know that they are valued,” Johnson said. The president of the Tuscaloosa Branch of the NAACP, Lisa Young, said the alleged direction was a disgrace. “I don’t know how you can talk about Black history in this country without talking about slavery or the civil rights movement,” Young said. She said she has asked to meet with Johnson but has yet to be given a date. Young said she was “angry, and part of me feels like we failed our students. We want to see what we can do to assist them, and make their school a safe place.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama prison staff shortage worsens despite court order
A federal judge said Friday that Alabama prisons remain critically understaffed, with court filings showing the number of officers in state lockups has continued to drop despite a court order to increase numbers. The prison system has lost more than 500 security staff employees over the last 18 months, according to court filings. “We had horrendous understaffing in this department and something has to be done,” U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson said during a status conference in the long-running lawsuit over prison health care. In 2017, Thompson found that mental health care in Alabama prisons is so inadequate that it violates the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. He said understaffing is one of the root issues and ordered the state to increase the number of corrections officers. William Van Der Pol, a lawyer representing inmates in the lawsuit, told Thompson that Alabama has fewer correctional officers than when the litigation began or at any point where they could find comparative numbers. The state has used pay raises and recruitment efforts to boost officer numbers, but has been hindered by a tight labor market, Bill Lunsford, a lawyer for the state argued. Thompson asked the two sides to compare current staffing levels to what they were in 2014 when the case was filed. Van Der Pol, an attorney with the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program, told Thompson that based on available numbers the prison system is at its “lowest number in history” for officers working at major facilities. “It has kind of fallen off a cliff for lack of a better word. It has dropped from 1,800 officers down to a little over 1,300 in the last year-and-a-half … They are a lower number today than they have ever been,” Van Der Pol said. Lunsford said the state did not dispute the numbers but called it a misleading “soundbite.” He said the tight labor market has many industries searching for workers and that that is a “difficult headwind” for the state’s effort to hire and retain staff. Increasing staffing has been a priority for the department, said Lunsford. Between 2019 and 2021, the state added more than 1,000 security staffers through recruitment and retention efforts that included pay raises and bonuses, according to Lunsford. “This is not a story of total failure. There have been successes,” he said. Thompson said blaming the low unemployment rate was an excuse and suggested that the department may need to again raise the salaries of correctional officers to recruit the needed workers. Lawyers for Alabama wrote in a court filing that prisons had the equivalent of 1,392 correctional staff members on September 30, 2022, after losing 528 correctional staff since April 1, 2021. On March 31, 2021, they had 1,920 staff members, according to earlier reports filed by the prison system. The numbers included dozens of cubicle operators, who are responsible for door controls but are not certified officers. Lawyers for inmates argued cubicle operators should not count in total security staffing numbers. While lawyers for inmates argued the current staffing numbers are a record low, state attorneys argued in a court filing that it is difficult to compare 2022 and 2017 numbers because of changes in prison operations. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
