More than $221,000 worth of pickleball courts throughout Jefferson County. A $5,000 digital sign for the city of Irondale. An $8,000 school trip to Washington, D.C. Up to $710,000 spent on Birmingham area police, including $19,000 for a “Thin Blue Line” monument in Vestavia Hills.

These are just a few of the projects that local legislators funded through grants from the Jefferson County Community Service Fund since 2018. The fund spent more than $16 million during the past five years.

The fund operated without much public scrutiny, until a federal court case revealed a state lawmaker kicked back some of the public funds to another legislator and his assistant.

Fred Plump, the founder of Piper Davis youth baseball league, pleaded guilty in May to federal corruption charges and resigned his seat in the State House. Last week, a federal judge accepted Plump’s guilty plea and set a sentencing date for Oct. 23. He was released on a $5,000 bond.

[Click here to see every grant legislators handed out through the fund since it began doling out money more than five years ago.]

These are the top 10 projects and groups that received money from the community service fund from 2018 to July 5, 2023, according to the fund’s records.

1. Hoover

Legislators gave the city $615,207 for a variety of projects, including extra Covid-19 support for its police and fire departments. More than $500,000 went toward an inclusive playground and splash pad, a $2 million project that opened at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in 2019. The 15,000-square-foot playground and 7,000-square-foot splash pad are designed to accommodate children and their families with disabilities so they can coexist with nondisabled families at the park.

2. Piper Davis Youth Baseball League

Legislators sent $487,799 to the nonprofit sports organization, the organization in the middle of the federal corruption case against former Rep. Fred Plump. Most of that money came from Rep. John Rogers, who is a central figure in the federal case.

Rogers told AL.com he allocated money to Piper Davis because he believed in the mission of the league and wanted to help the youth. But Rogers also identified himself as “Legislator #1,” who, according to Plump’s plea agreement, was “part of the conspiracy.”

Rogers has denied any wrongdoing. And he has not been charged with any crime.

“I wasn’t going to do nothing wrong,” Rogers told AL.com. “I didn’t want to take any chances because of who he was. As far as I know he was doing what he said he was going to do. You don’t know. Once they approve it, the legislature is out of it. I don’t have any control over what he does as long as he does what he says he’s going to do on the application, and that’s all there is to it. Anything else he did with it, that’s his problem.”

Two other Birmingham area lawmakers, Sen. Rodger Smitherman and former Rep. Rod Scott allocated $10,000 and $3,722, respectively, to the league. Smitherman and Scott aren’t connected to the corruption case in federal court now.

Smitherman declined to discuss the ongoing federal case, saying he did not have specific details. Regarding his contribution to Piper Davis, Smitherman, himself a longtime youth volunteer coach, told AL.com that the league had met the qualifications set to receive support.

“Anytime that you can do things to help our youth, you try to do that. When we passed it, one of the groups that qualified for that was youth organizations,” he said. “It’s an effort to try to help the youth and provide an opportunity for kids to be able to have something to do in the summer as well as to play organized sports. It was an opportunity to give our kids the opportunity to participate.”

Scott did not return multiple requests for comment.

3. Birmingham Urban League

Legislators allocated $297,697 to the organization, mostly for general support, Covid-19 relief and community outreach. But the organization said that it never received a $15,573.53 check written out to the organization from the fund by Rep. John Rogers, rendering the total money the organization actually received as $282,124.

In 2022, the Urban League applied to oversee the community service fund’s administration. The fund’s committee instead chose the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.

4. Birmingham

Legislators sent $271,147 to the city, with most of that money going to neighborhood associations and parks.

5. Highway 280 pedestrian bridge

Legislators directed $262,500 to the transportation project connecting Homewood with Mountain Brook. The project was originally projected to cost more than $1 million and has received separate funding from the two cities and other local civic organizations.

6. Trussville

Legislators doled out $251,518 to the city, with most of the money being used for a new downtown athletic facility. Other projects included an emergency traffic control system, road paving and Covid relief.

7. Red Mountain Park

Legislators gave $207,974 to the 1,500-acre wooded park in Birmingham for projects such as the park’s restoration and operation, as well as Remy’s Dog Park and the trail system.

8. Ramsay High School

Legislators sent $207,017 to the four-year magnet high school in Birmingham received for sports teams, facilities and to pay for students to attend a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Washington, D.C.

9. Exceptional Foundation

Legislators handed out $192,179 to the nonprofit’s Birmingham chapter, which provides social activities and recreational services for adults and children with intellectual disabilities.

10. A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club

Legislators gave $189,477 to the youth social services organization in Birmingham. Named after local entrepreneur A.G. Gaston, the nonprofit provides tutoring, mentorship and support to children and youth.

Other organizations that received at least $100,000 include the city of Gardendale, the Birmingport Fire Department in Bessemer, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

Here is a list of every project and initiative that was slated for community service fund money from 2018 to June 26, 2023.

AL.com reporter Joseph D. Bryant contributed to this article.