Category: Birmingham City Council
Birmingham Council Approves $50K for Arts Program at Juvenile Detention Center
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved $50,000 to establish an arts enrichment program at a juvenile detention center. The project, a partnership between the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the F. Ross Bell Detention Center, is to include activities such as music, visual arts, expressive writing and dance to address educational disparities. Read more.
Birmingham Council Approves Legislative Agenda Without Measure Allowing It to Opt Out of County Personnel Board
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved its 2024 legislative agenda minus one item: a proposal asking for state legislation that would allow the city to drop out of the Jefferson County Personnel Board, if it so chose. The rest of the agenda centers on laws to make it easier for the city to address blight in neighborhoods. Read more.
Council Approves $150K for Project to Provide High-Level Training to Junior Tech Workers
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday voted to spend $150,000 on a project to transition junior developers and engineers in the tech industry into more senior-level positions.
The group tasked with developing this program, called the Birmingham Upskill Partnership Initiative, is the regional technology association TechBirmingham.
Deon Gordon, president and CEO of TechBirmingham, said stakeholders in the tech industry have noticed a dearth of workers with senior-level skill sets. Read more.
Council Votes Down Zoning Change for Planned East Lake Business Over Parking
Courtney Jones said he was surprised when the Birmingham City Council voted on Tuesday to deny a zoning change as part of his plans to create an events center in the East Lake community.
“I was floored, to put it in layman’s terms,” he said in an interview after the meeting.
Jones owns the building at 6900 Second Ave. S., where he hopes to establish Atlas 360, a business hosting weddings, corporate events and private parties. Read more.
Birmingham Council Extends Timeline to Build on Old Ramsay-McCormack Property
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday extended an agreement with developers tasked with constructing a five-story commercial building at the former site of Ensley’s Ramsay-McCormack tower, a long-derelict structure that the community lobbied for decades to have destroyed.
The council voted unanimously to extend the agreement with Ensley District Developers from Dec. 31 to June 30, 2025. Read more.
City OK’s $5 Million to Help Keep BSC Open
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved $5 million in funding to help keep Birmingham-Southern College operating.
The city will provide BSC a $2.5 million loan that will be forgiven provided BSC opens classes in the fall and a 20-year loan for the same amount to be repaid at a 1% interest rate. Read more.
New Community Center Planned for Old Bank Building in Ensley
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved selling a former AmSouth Bank building in Ensley to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity so it can establish a community center there.
The Mu Psi Lambda chapter of the fraternity intends to refurbish the building and transform it into a multi-purpose outreach center to serve as a resource to the Ensley community by eliminating blight, providing youth and community training programs and other services. Read more.
Birmingham City Council Appoints New Committees
O’Quinn Elected President of the Birmingham City Council — Again
The Birmingham City Council in a special called meeting Friday elected Darryl O’Quinn as its president on a 5-3-1 vote after the legality of his initial election, on Tuesday, came under questioning. Read more.
Birmingham Council Elects O’Quinn, Alexander to Lead in the Next Two Years
Birmingham City Councilor Darrell O’Quinn on Tuesday took on the mantle of council president, and former President Wardine Alexander stepped into the president pro tem position. Read more.
