Backed by local and state officials, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin repeated the city’s priorities in the state Legislature — neighborhood revitalization, now and in the future.

“What we’ve done is spend, literally now right at $25 million in blight removal and weed abatement,” Woodfin said during a press conference Monday. “We don’t want to be in the continued business of spending public tax dollars for removing blighted properties of private property and cutting private lots because that’s not what the purpose of city tax dollars is for.

“Birmingham’s 2026 legislative agenda is about one thing, simply one thing, and that is giving the city the tools it needs to hold negligent property owners accountable,” Woodfin said. “Not only holding them accountable, but our ability to revitalize neighborhoods, and not only our ability to revitalize neighborhoods, but keeping housing affordable for people who call Birmingham home.”

Among those standing with the Birmingham mayor were Birmingham Business Alliance CEO Steve Ammons, Rep. Neil Rafferty, D-Birmingham; Rep. Kelvin Datcher, D-Birmingham; Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris; and Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook.

“This was meant to not only show a united front but to show that progress has been made,” Woodfin said. “I want to express again my sincere appreciation for the Birmingham City Council, County Commission, Commissioner Sheila Tyson, and a big shout out to Jefferson County delegation represented here. You see bipartisan support, along with the Birmingham Business Alliance. Our representatives and our senators are a united front to make revitalization not only a priority but actual items to save and help communities.”

The City Council in January unanimously passed a resolution that councilors said served as a joint statement with the mayor’s office about the legislative priorities. Those priorities, which were repeated in Monday’s press conference, include:

• Changing the Alabama Land Bank Act to allow local land bank authorities to acquire tax-delinquent properties more quickly, helping move vacant and abandoned properties back into productive use.
• Granting Birmingham the authority to create a vacant property registry, establish a registration fee and enforce basic maintenance standards to address long-term neglect by absentee property owners.
• Creating the Birmingham Housing Trust Fund, as well as legislation allowing municipalities to establish Community Land Trusts to promote community development and expand access to affordable housing.
• Seeking legislative review of a potential constitutional amendment that could allow Birmingham to impose blight remediation assessments on certain properties.

The Legislature has eight meeting days left in its session, which must end by April 20.

Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, said while time is short, the goals are achievable.

“It is a busy schedule but as you see, we are all one,” she said. “We are one Jefferson County. This is an agenda that is a united front.

“We have a statewide land bank,” Coleman-Madison said, “but our issues are unique to Jefferson County. All of us represent different municipalities, from Homewood to Mountain Brook to wherever. We have a vested interest here to push the agenda for Jefferson County, and that’s one thing about it.

“What affects one impacts all,” the senator said. “We are here united and because we are one Jefferson County. We can get this done.”

Rep. Mary Moore said progress has been made.

“We’ve been working on these bills since the session began,” Moore said. “In most cases, we’re working pretty steady. Everything is moving in the order that it will move in. As one transfers from one house, the other one will go to the other house. We’ll have time to get them out.”

Moore said the Land Registration Bill came out of committee last week and could go to the House floor this week. If approved, it would then go to the Senate.

Sen. Merika Coleman said cleaning up neighborhoods and getting rid of blight is not a partisan issue.

“I know that there are some fights that happen in Montgomery based on ideology, but this is not a partisan issue,” she said. “So goes Birmingham, so goes the rest of the county. All of the surrounding municipalities come into Birmingham to work, to play, to use our amenities. These are issues collectively that we can go and sing “Kumbaya” together as both Democrats and Republicans and clean up Birmingham, give Birmingham Municipal Court the tools that it needs, especially with the Blight Registration, and be able to do some great things together for Jefferson County.”