Birmingham’s mayor on Tuesday told the City Council that the city continues to make significant progress in its goals to reduce violence, citing a 43% reduction in homicides in the Magic City.

Councilor J.T. Moore said that statistic may not be the best number, but it’s a trend in the right direction.

“I’m excited about that. I know that I’ve gone to several neighborhood association meetings where residents can feel the difference,” Moore said. “They can notice the difference. And so that means that everything that we’re putting in place is working.”

Though homicides as of May 4 were down year to date compared to last year, Mayor Randall Woodfin said assaults have increased. Last week’s crime update from the Birmingham Police Department showed a 30.2% increase compared to last year. At that time, there had been 27 homicides in the city this year and 591 aggravated assaults.

Woodfin also said city officials have made strides in fulfilling policies called for in the Birmingham Crime Commission’s Jan. 6 report. Of the 82 recommendations in the report, 54 are in some form of action, Woodfin said. Of those, 32 are active and in progress, and 22 are in development.

In the mayor’s crime commission update in March, he reported that 19 of the recommendations were in the planning and development phase, with 30 in pre-launch or in progress.

Woodfin also told the council that city leaders are in the early stages of considering a public safety czar.

“We’re reviewing best practices in other cities and in determining what a director or coordinator would look like here,” the mayor said. “I’m pleased with the progress of that, and I think we’ll have more to share really soon on what happens next with that recommendation, and we’ll update you as we move through that process.”

Woodfin also mentioned the passage of Senate Bill 119 in the Alabama Legislature, which the governor signed into law Monday. The measure strengthens penalties for firearms possession for those prohibited from owning them. It also increases the penalty for shooting into an occupied dwelling and expands Aniah’s Law to include shooting into an occupied dwelling as one of the crimes for which a suspect can be denied bail.

Green Space Zoning Districts Approved

In other business, the council approved three new zoning districts that aim to preserve parks, natural areas and greenways.

The council’s Planning and Zoning Committee recommended creating the new zoning districts because the city previously had no designated zoning for open spaces. Without them, they argued, the city’s greenspaces could be bought and developed.

The council also set a public hearing for May 20 to consider extending a moratorium on automated car washes.