Birmingham City Council
Birmingham Directs COVID Funds to Public Safety, Public Works and Councilors’ Projects

The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to allocate roughly one-third of its remaining federal COVID relief funds among the city’s police department, fire and rescue, public works and “district-specific and citywide council projects.”
Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act was delivered to the city in two $74.4-million tranches one year apart. Much of last year’s half went toward premium pay for city employees, district capital projects, the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority and The World Games, which are slated to begin Thursday.
The second tranche arrived in city coffers this summer, though only $25.5 million of it was allocated Tuesday.
The Birmingham Police Department will receive $3.99 million from the new funds, while the city’s public works department will receive $2.43 million. Fire and rescue will receive $1.12 million, while “district-specific and city-wide councilor projects” will receive $18 million — $2 million per councilor. The specific nature of those projects has not yet been announced.