Tuscaloosa County Commission Approves Juneteenth As County Holiday

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa County Commission on Wednesday unanimously voted to make Juneteenth a county holiday for its employees.

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The federal holiday, which commemorates emancipation and the end of slavery in the United States, is observed on June 19 and will now be what is considered a "full shutdown" holiday for county employees, like the Fourth of July and Christmas.

Tuscaloosa County now joins the City of Tuscaloosa and the City of Northport in observing the holiday with a paid day off for its employees, apart from maintaining essential staffing for departments like the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

During Wednesday's meeting, the debate was had to possibly make the holiday a flex day, like Good Friday, and then provide employees the opportunity to use it as a paid holiday.

However, commissioners ultimately opted to make Juneteenth a full holiday.

"We just feel like it's such an important issue for folks who work for us and it's important to folks in my district," District 2 Commissioner Jerry Tingle said.

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