Category: Jefferson County Commission
Jeffco Commission Discusses Proposed Downtown Amphitheater
A proposed $50 million amphitheater that could seat up to 9,000 people received a less-than-enthusiastic reception when it was presented during Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission.
Commission President Jimmie Stephens doled out copies of The Star Uptown Amphitheater Opportunity, a seven-page information booklet produced by Corporate Realty, to fellow commission members.
The plan calls for an amphitheater that could seat from 8,500 to 9,000 and would be owned by the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority and managed by Live Nation.
The downtown entertainment venue would be located north of Protective Stadium and west of The Star at Uptown development on the old Carraway Hospital campus. It would replace the “aging” Oak Mountain Amphitheater, which is managed by Live Nation.
Read more.
Tyson Pushes for Saturday Absentee Voting, Commissioners Demur
Sheila Tyson was determined to have her say.
The Jefferson County commissioner whose resolution to open the courthouse for absentee Saturday voting declared that commissioners who voted against the matter going onto today’s agenda were wrong to not open the courthouse.
Arguing for in-person absentee voting on two Saturdays in October, Tyson said the underlying problem is voter suppression.
“Voter suppression is rampant here in the state of Alabama because that’s the only reason I can see why these doors are not open,” she said. Read more.
Jeffco Commission Rejects Opening of Courthouse to Saturday Absentee Voting
An effort to open the Jefferson County Courthouse for Saturday absentee voting was squelched Tuesday during the commission committee meeting.
Commissioner Sheila Tyson presented the resolution for consideration to be placed on the agenda of Thursday’s commission meeting. Commissioner Lashunda Scales moved the item and Tyson seconded it before it was defeated 3-2 on a rollcall vote.
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Groups Lining Up for Extra Funding as Budget Year Closes, Commissioner Warns
Joe Knight alerted his fellow Jefferson County commissioners Thursday that some entities are lining up for any money left over from the county’s fiscal 2022 budget. Read more.
Garbage Point of Discussion for Jefferson County Commission
Discussion of garbage segued to garbage of a different sort during Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission.
The agenda included a resolution to address garbage pickup at county facilities, including the courthouse. The resolution calls for EcoSouth Services of Birmingham to handle county facility garbage collection and disposal for three years for $785,400.
County Manager Cal Markert said that cost is double what it had been. The aim, he said, is to keep coverage in place until proposals can be accepted from other vendors. Read more.
Scales Sets Town Hall on Public Safety for Monday Evening
JeffCo Commission Passes Annual Budget of $962 Million
JeffCo Commission Approves Extra Money for TWG Over Tyson’s Objection About Lack of Information
Sheila Tyson was determined to take her stand, even if she stood alone.
The Jefferson County Commission today approved allotting an additional $4 million to help offset the deficit incurred by organizers of The World Games. The matter passed on a 4-1 vote with Tyson casting the dissenting vote.
The District 2 commissioner said there was too much information that had not been made available to the commission or citizens.
“We don’t know who they hired, how much they paid. Nothing was brought up about how the money was spent,” Tyson said. “I just feel like the taxpayers were due this information, that the commission was due this information.” Read more.
JeffCo Commissioners to Debate Budget in Thursday’s Meeting
The Jefferson County Commission is set to consider the county’s 2023 fiscal year budget during its meeting Thursday.
The proposed budgetary appropriation for all funds is $962,149,935, with $672,306,998 in the operating budget and $289,842,937 in the capital budget. The capital budget represents 30% of the total budget and the operating budget accounts for 70%. Read more.
JeffCo Commissioners Plan to Pitch In Another $4M to Pay World Games Deficit, Continue EMS Discussions
Continuing in the spirit of participation and cooperation, the Jefferson County Commission today put things in motion for helping The World Games overcome the deficit it had from the 11-day athletic competition held in metro Birmingham in July.
Organizers of The World Games found themselves in a $14 million hole when the international event was done. Commissioners moved to the agenda of Thursday’s meeting a resolution to allot $4 million to The World Games from the American Rescue Plan Act funds. Read more.
