More Changes Recommended For Tuscaloosa County Hiring Practices

Tuscaloosa AL

01 December, 2021

2:23 PM

Description

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The debate over racial inequities in Tuscaloosa County's hiring practices picked back up once again during Wednesday's regular meeting of the County Commission and a compromise was reached to have "frank and honest" discussions about how to implement a recently approved set of recommendations for doing so. Click here to subscribe to our free Tuscaloosa Daily newsletter and breaking news alert Rev. James Williams, the president of the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, spoke to the matter as a guest of the Commission. His words, many of which he has said before the Commission during past meetings, focused primarily on addressing pay for minority hires. This would be done in an effort to combat what Williams and others view as systemic poverty that ultimately leads to violence in the community. "What are you doing to bring about a change?" he asked, without making any direct or specific requests of the Commission. "What are we doing today to bring about change?" District 4 Commissioner Reginald Murray, who headed up the committee that formulated the recommendations, also made several new recommendations. These measures were adopted in mid-November, as Patch previously reported, and were generally well-received, especially when considering much-needed updates to testing technology and the county's digital infrastructure. In addition to the measures approved, Murray on Wednesday also pondered on a possible move away from the current model of the Civil Service Board providing oversight for hiring, in favor of an alternate approach like the Personnel Board for the City of Tuscaloosa. Making such a drastic move would not be an easy or expedient one, due to the matter be left up to the state Legislature and the county's delegation. District 3 Commissioner Mark Nelson also pointed out the years of commendable service the county has received with the current arrangement and how the structure actually helped combat many of the racial ills that once plagued the county's hiring process. District 2 Commissioner Jerry Tingle also argued that the moves made next by the Commission should serve as an extension of what has already been discussed and voted on. "We're going to need to know who we're going to be dealing with," he said, mentioning the other parties who will be involved in future work sessions and when implementing policy. "How many white people do [The SCLC} have in positions of authority? Because these will be very frank, honest discussions." Prior to this, however, Murray made a motion for the Commission to return at its next meeting with a formal response to the platitudes presented by Williams — a measure that was once again met with confusion from his colleagues with respect to clarification on the demands. The Commission ultimately agreed upon having a series of work sessions over the coming weeks, in conjunction with the SCLC, to suss out how best to move forward with the recommendations. "There were injustices in the past, history is history," said Probate Judge Rob Robertson. "We've got unprecedented opportunity in this. There are over 3,500 jobs open [in the county]. There's plenty of opportunity. It's not simple. It's not something this Commission can just do, but the recommendations we received are good, valid recommendations." Indeed, apart from updating technology and the way the county tests its applicants, the Commission has little authority when it comes to the actual hiring practices of the county. As Patch reported two weeks ago when Murray proposed a hiring freeze until the problems with racial inequities could be rectified, the Commission does not have the power to unilaterally implement such a measure, despite being the financial custodians of the county's funds. Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at [email protected]