Editing Tuscaloosa, Alabama (section)

==Government==
{| class="wikitable"  style="margin:1em; float:right;"
|+Current City Council Members
|-
! District !! Representative !! Serving Since
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 1 || Matthew Wilson || style="text-align:center" | 2021
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 2 || Raeven Howard || style="text-align:center" | 2020
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 3 || Norman Crow || style="text-align:center" | 2021
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 4 || Lee Busby || style="text-align: center" | 2019
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 5 || Kip Tyner || style="text-align:center" | 1997
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 6 || John Faile || style="text-align:center" | 2021
|-
| style="text-align:center" | 7 || Cassius Lanier || style="text-align:center" | 2021
|}

Tuscaloosa has a strong-mayor variant [[mayor-council government|mayor-council form of government]], led by a mayor and a seven-member city council. The mayor and council members are elected concurrently for four-year terms. The mayor is elected by the city at-large while council members are elected to single-member districts. Neither the mayor nor the members of the city council is term-limited. All elected offices are nonpartisan. Elections take place in years following presidential election years, with run-off elections taking place six weeks later if necessary. Terms begin immediately after election. The most recent municipal elections were held in 2021.

The mayor is the chief executive and administrative officer of the city. His main duty is to oversee the day-to-day operation of city departments pursuant to executing policy enacted by the city council or, in the absence of any council policy, his own discretion. His other duties include preparing an operating budget each year for approval by the city council and acting as ambassador of the city. The mayor also presides over city council meetings but votes only in case of ties. The current mayor of Tuscaloosa is [[Walter Maddox]], who was elected to office in September 2005. Prior to Maddox, Alvin A. DuPont had served as mayor for 24 years.

Previous members of City Council include District 1 - Bobby E. Howard (2005), Burrell Odom (2013); District 2 - Harrison Taylor (1993); District 3 - the same; District 4 - Lee Garrison (1997), Matt Calderone (2013); District 5 - the same; District 6 - Bob Lundell (2005); District 7 - William Tinker, III (2005).

{{hidden begin|title=List of mayors of Tuscaloosa, Alabama|titlestyle=background:#F8F8FF;width:60%}}
* William R. Bolling, 1828<ref>{{citation|chapter=Mayors of Tuscaloosa |via=HathiTrust |title=Revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Tuscaloosa |author=Wood & Wood |year=1885 |publisher=Tuscaloosa, Ala. |hdl=2027/uiuo.ark:/13960/t0gv0ks9f}}</ref>
* John Owen, 1828
* Wm. R. Smith, 1837
* Robt. S. Inge, 1837
* D. Henry Robinson, 1842
* Robert Blair, 1844–1848, 1859–1861, 1872
* James L. Childress, 1849
* Joseph C. Guild, 1850–1854
* David Woodruff, 1855
* L. S. Skinner, 1856–1858
* Robert Lacey, 1862
* Jesse E. Adams, 1863
* Obediah Berry, 1864–1865, 1873, 1877–1878
* Joseph C. Guild, 1866
* S. B. Smith, 1867
* John S. Garvin, 1867
* Josiah J. Pegues, 1868
* T. F. Samuel, 1869–1871
* John J. Harris, 1874–1876
* William C. Jemison, 1879–1890<ref name="Times-1899">{{Cite news |date=1899-05-12 |title=A List |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tuscaloosa-weekly-times-a-list/171365105/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |work=Tuscaloosa Weekly Times |pages=4}}</ref>
* Henry B. Foster, 1891–1894<ref name="Times-1899" />
* William Jemison, 1895–1898<ref name="Times-1899" />
* ?
* John C. Pearson, circa 1931<ref>{{cite news |last1=Slowe |first1=Betty |title=Ex-mayor died 25 years ago this week |url=https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/opinion/20111212/betty-slowe-ex-mayor-died-25-years-ago-this-week |access-date=March 3, 2021 |work=Tuscaloosa News |date=December 12, 2011}}</ref>
* ?
* Luther Davis, circa 1937<ref name=Graveyard>{{cite web |url= http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/AL/ofc/tuscaloosa.html |title=Mayors of Tuscaloosa, Alabama |editor=[[Lawrence Kestenbaum]] |work=Political Graveyard |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
* ?
* J. S. Robertson, circa 1952<ref name=Graveyard />
* J. Hal McCall, 1953–1956<ref name=Graveyard />
* George Van Tassel, 1956–1969<ref>{{cite web |url= https://tavm.omeka.net/items/show/513 |title=George Van Tassel,1913-2007, mayor of Tuscaloosa from 1956 to 1969 |work=Tuscaloosa Area Virtual Museum |access-date=June 30, 2017}}</ref>
* C. Snow Hinton, Jr., 1969–1976<ref>{{cite web |url= https://tavm.omeka.net/items/show/512 |title=C. Snow Hinton, Jr., 1919-1976, mayor of Tuscaloosa from 1969 to 1976 |work=Tuscaloosa Area Virtual Museum |access-date=March 3, 2021}}</ref>
* Ernest W. "Rainy" Collins, 1976–1981<ref>{{cite web |url= https://tavm.omeka.net/items/show/492|title=Ernest W. "Rainy" Collins, 1911-2004, mayor of Tuscaloosa from 1976 to 1981 |work=Tuscaloosa Area Virtual Museum |access-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref>
* Alvin P. DuPont, 1981–2005<ref>{{citation |work=Tuscaloosa News |url=http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20170109/former-tuscaloosa-mayor-al-dupont-is-running-again |title=Former Tuscaloosa Mayor Al DuPont is running again |date=January 9, 2017}}</ref>
* [[Walter Maddox]], September 2005–present
{{hidden end}}

The city council acts as the legislative body of the city. It is powered by state law to consider policy and enact law and to make appointments to city boards. The council also considers the budget proposed by the mayor for approval. The majority of work in the council is done by committee. These committees usually consist of three council members, one of whom will be chairman, and relevant non-voting city employees.

Tuscaloosa, as the largest county seat in western Alabama, serves a hub of state and federal government agencies. In addition to the customary offices associated with the county courthouse, namely two district court judges, six circuit court judges, the district attorney and the public defender, several Alabama state government agencies have regional offices in Tuscaloosa, such as the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama State Troopers (the state police).

Tuscaloosa is in the federal jurisdiction of the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama]]. There is a courthouse in Tuscaloosa simply called the Federal Courthouse. Several federal agencies operate bureaus out of the courthouse.

Federally, Tuscaloosa is split between the 4th and 7th Congressional Districts, which are represented by [[Robert Aderholt]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]) and [[Terri Sewell]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]), respectively. In addition, Alabama's senior senator until 2023, [[Richard Shelby]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]), is a resident of Tuscaloosa.

On the state level, the city is split among the 5th, 21st, and 24th Senate districts and 62nd, 63rd, and 70th House districts in the Alabama State Legislature.

In December 2009, construction on the [[United States Federal Building and Courthouse (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)|new federal courthouse]] of Tuscaloosa began. The $67 million building was the centerpiece of a major downtown urban renewal project. According to information released by the General Services Administration, the building is {{convert|129000|sqft|m2}} with parking. It houses the U.S. District Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court and Social Security Administration office.

The Northern District of Alabama has only one facility suitable for holding a major criminal trial in Huntsville. However, Huntsville lacks the facilities for safely moving criminal suspects in and out of the building safely. Tuscaloosa's new federal courthouse will anchor the federal structure for the whole Northern District of Alabama.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20091206/NEWS/912059938?p=1&tc=pg |title=Construction begins on new federal courthouse |website=TuscaloosaNews.com |access-date=May 13, 2016}}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=Government buildings in Tuscaloosa
|width= | height= | lines= |align=center |footer=
|File:Tuscaloosa Court House.jpg |alt1=A view of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse as seen from Greensboro Avenue |Tuscaloosa County courthouse
|File:1tuscalfedchtus.jpg |alt2=A view of the Tuscaloosa Federal Courthouse as seen University Blvd |Tuscaloosa Federal Courthouse
|File:AlvinDuPontMuncourtTuscaloosa.png |alt3=A view of the Municipal Court Building |The Alvin P. DuPont Municipal Court building
|File:CityofTuscalintermodalfacility.png |alt4=Tuscaloosa City Hall|Tuscaloosa City Hall
}}