Northport Awards $30,000 To District Attorney's Office Following Opioid Settlements

NORTHPORT, AL — The City of Northport on Monday presented Tuscaloosa County District Attorney Hays Webb with a check for $30,000 to help cover his office's budget in the coming fiscal year.

Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.

The funding will come from a pair of large-scale federal court settlements with opioid producers, which the City Council has already approved to enter.

City Administrator Glenda Webb explained that the settlements have certain constraints regarding what the money can be used for. Considering the requirement of the money going to support law enforcement and law enforcement efforts, the city opted to award the money to the DA's Office to help offset funding.

District Attorney Hays Webb said the donation possibly represented the first city in the state of Alabama to provide financial support for its district attorney's office.

"We are grateful for Northport’s support," he told Patch on Monday. "They’ve joined the county in providing local funding, and we appreciate their assistance. Our folks work tirelessly for public safety and the people of our community. It’s unfortunate that we continually face funding issues, but we are very glad for the confidence and leadership demonstrated by Nothport’s City Council."

As Patch reported in March, the Tuscaloosa County Commission approved two years worth of funding in the amount of roughly $87,000 from the American Rescue Plan to partially finance a new pre-trial diversion program aimed at helping low-level offenders avoid felony or misdemeanor convictions on their record.

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 ryan.phillips@patch.com