Jefferson County Commission

Targeted Tornado Warnings Coming for Jefferson County as Part of Siren Maintenance Plan

Jefferson County and the cities therein will benefit from some nifty shopping when it comes to maintenance of weather sirens. Weeks ago, Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Coker estimated it would cost $400 annually to maintain each of the 254 sirens in the county. Some sound shopping and deft negotiating yielded a cost that was much lower than that estimate, one that also will provide residents with better targeted warnings. “We are now able to afford the polygon warning system and still save $53 per siren,” Coker told commissioners at their Tuesday committee meeting. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

2021 World Games Projected to Bring in a Quarter of a Billion Dollars (Yes, With a B)

April 24, 2018 – Jefferson County commissioners were told during their committee meeting Tuesday that the metro area should see a huge economic impact from the 2021 World Games. D.J. Mackovets, CEO of World Games Birmingham, said the economic impact is expected to be a quarter of a billion dollars. “That’s with a ‘B,’” Mackovets said, “with 100,000 visitors.” Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

New JeffCo Courthouse Mural Replaces Race-Tinged Message With Race-Blind One

Ronald McDowell was excited – and nervous – as a crowd gathered to see his latest handiwork – a mural that brings an up-to-date picture of Jefferson County to the courthouse lobby where two other murals have been displayed for more than 80 years. “I’m just hoping and praying that the public will appreciate what I’ve done and that I’ve done something that represents them,” said McDowell, the artist commissioned by the county to create the work. Dozens of people crammed into the westside lobby of the Jefferson County Courthouse for the unveiling of the new mural, which was met with applause and cheers. It complements the Old South and New South murals done by John Warner Norton when the courthouse was constructed in 1932. Those murals “reflect a different time and a different place in our history,” said Commissioner Joe Knight. “They were created in the Jim Crow Era where the reasoning was such that it is no longer prevalent or acceptable in our society today.” Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Schools in Jefferson County Getting $13M More From the County Commission

April 10, 2018 – When Jefferson County commissioners announced they were presenting $69 million to public schools in the county with the reallocation of the 1-cent sales tax, they said another check was coming. Tuesday, commissioners announced that subsequent check is on the way, and they will be distributing another $13,221,000 to schools. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Jefferson County Commission Revives Effort to Demolish Dilapidated Houses

Jefferson County is moving back into the demolition business. Commissioners moved the matter of demolishing a structure at 526 Butler Avenue in the Bessemer area to the consent agenda of Thursday’s commission meeting. “It’s something we haven’t had in our toolshed, our repertoire to work with,” Commission President Jimmie Stephens said. “When we have a dilapidated home that becomes a public nuisance, whether it’s been abandoned by a storm, tornado or whether it’s been abandoned for lack of use, we need to have the tools – and now we do – to go in and demolish that home and clean it up for the neighborhood. “It’s long overdue,” Stephens said. “We want to put funds in the budget next year so we can do that in a meaningful way.” Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Jeffco Commission Debates Giving Fultondale the Cold Shoulder Over Unpaid $15M Debt

March 20, 2018 — Jefferson County Commissioner David Carrington said Tuesday that continuing to do business with a city that hasn’t paid its bill to the county is not good business. “It might be good politics but it’s not good business,” Carrington said. He was referring to Fultondale, which he said had not paid more than $15 million owed to the county. Carrington made his point as commissioners in their Tuesday committee meeting discussed a through road agreement with Fultondale. He said Jefferson County participated with Fultondale on an economic development project in the city. “We were supposed to be paid out of revenues from the development, and the city of Fultondale still owes the county north of $15 million and hasn’t paid anything since 2016,” Carrington said. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Storm Season is Coming and Concord Still Has no Shelter, JeffCo Commissioner Says

Jimmie Stephens said he had had enough. The president of the Jefferson County Commission made it clear during a meeting Tuesday that he was tired of facing Concord residents with unfulfilled assurances that they would get the storm shelter for which they have waited seven years. “They lost family members, they lost homes and they’ve waited seven years to get this done and it hasn’t been done yet,” Stephens said in the commission’s committee meeting. “When you live in the Concord community, when you live in the Oak Grove community and you’re looking for a safe place to get out of a storm, it’s not if you’re going to have one it’s when you’re going to have another. It’s hit every time.” Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Humane Society in Search Again for a New Home

March 6,2018 – The Greater Birmingham Humane Society is looking for another place for its new home after Jefferson County commissioners acknowledged that another entity is interested in developing the old Trinity Steel property in North Titusville. Commissioner David Carrington said during the commission’s committee meeting Tuesday that the Trinity Advisory Committee met and approved the property being used for economic development. Subsequently, the Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority met and rescinded the zoning authorization to the city of Birmingham. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Blanket Fort Hope Seeks JeffCo’s Help to Take in Child Trafficking Victims

Alexa Likis-James conjured images of a child’s innocent sense of security as she spoke last week to members of the Jefferson County Commission. Explaining Blanket Fort Hope, the organization she co-founded that aims to provide a fortress of safety for child victims of human trafficking, Likis-James told the commission there is no housing in Alabama for child trafficking victims, specifically for the ages of 11 to 14 years. She asked the commission for help finding and paying for a crisis home. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Agreement Reached for Water Works to Collect Sewer Payments, Votes Expected Thursday

Birmingham Water Works has agreed to collect Jefferson County sewer fees, which could conclude discussions that have lasted nearly a year. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.