Committee presses tourism official on $25,000 legal-services selection process

Grant Wallace, representing the Alabama Tourism Department, presented a two-year contract for $25,000 for legal services. A committee member pressed Wallace for details about how the firm was chosen, asking whether the director of tourism had simply called a local firm or whether other firms statewide had an opportunity to compete.

Wallace said the firm was selected for relevant experience in economic development and legal review and offered to remain after the meeting or furnish a more collaborative explanation on the selection process. The committee member requested additional information to confirm that firms across Montgomery, Mobile, Huntsville and other jurisdictions had equal opportunity to bid.