Category: Birmingham City Council
Birmingham Council Waits on Budget Amendments as New Spending Plan Remains in Limbo
The March computer network disruption that interfered with the city of Birmingham’s operations for weeks caused further confusion Tuesday, with the City Council voting to delay approval of several budget amendments. The city will be operating at 2024 levels until the budget is finished. Read more.
Birmingham Council Sends Questions About Controversial Night Club’s Business License to Committee Rather Than Revoking It
The fate of a downtown Birmingham nightclub criticized for attracting crime remains unclear after the City Council held a public hearing Tuesday to discuss revoking the company’s business license. Read more.
Birmingham Council Approves $1M for Mental Health Services in Schools
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved $1 million to create a mental health program for students at Birmingham City Schools. The money is part of a yearlong agreement with the Birmingham Board of Education, under which the board will increase the number of school-based licensed counselors and provide students with school-based consulting services. Read more.
Birmingham Residents Cite Street Paving, Blight and the Neglect of Communities Among Budget Concerns
Birmingham residents who attended a budget hearing Monday night expressed concerns about many of the issues they said they bring up every year, including street paving, blight and the neglect of less prosperous communities.
They weren’t debating line-items in a budget proposal for fiscal 2025 because there isn’t one. As Birmingham Council President Darrell O’Quinn explained, for the time being, the spending plan for next year is identical to this year’s budget. City officials are using the $554 million 2024 budget as a stand-in for the coming year to allow staff to catch up on work lost due to what the city called a computer network disruption, which several news organizations have reported as a ransomware attack. Read more.
Even Watching Exhibition Driving in Birmingham Now Illegal
The Birmingham City Council put penalties on spectators who watch exhibition driving, regardless of whether they’re involved. That and setting a hearing on a lounge where street racers congregate are the latest actions in the city’s campaign against exhibition driving. Read more.
Proponents of a Gaza Ceasefire Resolution Continue Call for Birmingham Council to Pass Measure
Seven Birmingham residents spoke before the City Council on Tuesday urging city leaders to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Read more.
Birmingham Council Approves Incentives for Coca-Cola to Redevelop Former Stockham Valve Site
The old Stockham Valve & Fittings site in Kingston could be rehabilitated under a plan presented to the Birmingham Council on Tuesday. The council approved an incentive package for the $340 million redevelopment project in which the Coca-Cola Bottling Company United of Birmingham intends to build a new campus at the Stockham site. Read more.
Birmingham Council OKS Citizen Observer Patrol Unit Despite Safety Concerns
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday narrowly passed a measure to create a citizen observer patrol unit, with some council members expressing concerns about safety for both the unit and the public.
“In your opinion, do you not think this a liability nightmare for the city of Birmingham,” Councilor Hunter Williams asked city attorneys about the unit, which would be composed of 200 volunteers overseen by the police department.
City attorney Nicole King told the council, “I can say, with the type of training that is in place, that this will be a success, but of course you can never anticipate.”
The council also approved a measure establishing a police department-trained auxiliary police force of volunteers. Read more.
Birmingham Council Nixes Parking Minimums Citywide; Mayor Voices Frustration Over Violence
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved zoning amendments that include removing parking minimums citywide, a measure supporters say will make Birmingham more walkable, bikeable and accessible to public transportation. Read more.
Birmingham Council Approves $421K in Tax Incentives for Japanese Restaurant
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved $421,833 in incentives for a planned Japanese restaurant in downtown Birmingham, and it changed landscaping, buffering and screening ordinances to increase landscaping requirements and protect trees, among other changes. Read more.
