Birmingham, AL – Jefferson County Commissioner William Bell says more than 1,000 county employees placed on unpaid administrative leave could return to their jobs by mid-September if the count gets access to money in an escrow account.
County officials say they need immediate access to occupational taxes the county has collected since mid-May to rehire workers. Circuit Court Judge David Rains ordered that money held in an escrow account pending a decision by the Alabama Supreme Court. The only way the county can get to the $14.5 million in escrow is if Rains lifts the injunction.
Commissioners say they will decide how to approach Rains after the supreme court hears arguments Tuesday from lawyers for the county and taxpayers challenging the county's occupational tax.
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