Steve Ammons didn’t need his GPS to get to the Jefferson County Courthouse Thursday morning. The former District 5 commissioner was on the other side of the dais as the entity he now leads was set to receive funds from the commission.

“It’s always good to come back and see the folks that we worked with,” said Ammons, now the president and chief executive officer of the Birmingham Business Alliance. “That’s the part I miss. I miss the people. I miss some of the work, but I miss the people the most.”

The commission allotted $400,000 apiece in economic development funds to Innovation Depot and the Birmingham Business Alliance. The allocations are intended to support their workforce development efforts.

“We have a strategic plan that we’ve been working on,” Ammons said. “We’re starting to work some of those processes out of the strategy, which more align with business retention expansion but also attraction. What can we do to be more refined in how and what we go after? (We’re) using more business and market intelligence to go after specific sectors so we’re not a mile wide and an inch deep. We’re actually refining it and we’re more strategic, using a scalpel instead of a butcher’s knife. That’s a lot of what we’ll be doing.”

The CEO added that BBA is absorbing what was Central Six, the regional workforce agency that had operated under the state Department of Labor, which is now the Department of Workforce.

“We’re absorbing some of the things that they did,” Ammons said. “You’ll see us do a little bit more on the talent and workforce side. And we’re already starting some of that as well.”

During Tuesday’s commission committee meeting, Innovation Depot CEO Brooke Gillis said the halls of the depot are thriving.

“We’re pivoting a little bit, handing out grants and getting our (business) founders capital ready,” Gillis said. “That means they’re ready to raise big money. In 2026, we’re excited to roll out a few new programs that will allow us to fully fund projects that will help our founders through big moments that are difficult to get through.”

Those “big moments” include hiring someone, finishing a project with a web developer or getting through a lawsuit.

Thursday’s agenda included the commission approving the collection and removal of roadside debris in unincorporated parts of the county affected by last week’s storm.

Additionally, the commission passed a resolution from the Department of Revenue, putting three licenses in place that were approved by the state Legislature during the 2025 legislative session. Those licenses include:

• Governmental Venue License, Act 2025-405: This license allows the licensee to purchase liquor and wine from the ABC Board and beer and wine from licensed wholesalers and sell that product at retail and serve for on-premise consumption alcoholic beverages at a location owned by the state or political subdivision of the state such as civic centers, community event spaces, concert halls, amphitheaters, stadiums, historic properties and outdoor spaces. The State ABC license fee is $250 annually.
• Special Event Storage License, Act 2025-405: The event storage license will allow a licensee of a special event to purchase and store alcoholic beverages then transport from the storage facility to the venue and back to the storage facility. The state ABC license fee is $550 annually.
• Educational Tourism Distillery License, Act 2025-413: This license will allow a large-scale distillery producing at least 100,000 gallons of liquor per year to offer tours, allow on-site tasting of up to 1.5 ounces per person, sell their own products and host events. It will not allow persons younger than 21in the tasting area or direct sales to retailers. The state ABC license fee is $1,000 annually.

Revenue Department Director Scott Moore said he doesn’t expect the new licenses will bring more than $5,000 annually to the county.