Government

Come Back With More Detail and We’ll Talk: Council Delays Plan for Rescue Money

Birmingham’s efforts to distribute millions of dollars of federal American Rescue Plan funding hit a snag Tuesday after councilors took issue with the vagueness of Mayor Randall Woodfin’s proposed allocations. Woodfin proposed to divide $53.1 million of the funds into broad “buckets:” $3 million for community-based public safety initiatives, $1.5 million to COVID-19 response, $18 million for neighborhood revitalization projects, $18.75 million for public transportation, $4.5 million for small business support, $1.1 million for employee vacation buyouts, $4.75 million for tourism and $1.5 million for grant writing and professional services to pursue other federal funding sources. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Birmingham Residents Clear Their Traffic Records Quickly With Rocket Docket

Hundreds of Birmingham residents went to Boutwell Auditorium hoping to get their cases settled by getting their warrants removed and receiving a new court date to pay off a ticket, or pay it off then and there. Read more.

by Cody Short, WBHM

Sen. Priscilla Dunn Won’t Seek Reelection, Candidates Line Up to Run

MONTGOMERY -- Democratic State Sen. Priscilla Dunn won’t be running for reelection in 2022, and at least two current state representatives plan to run for the vacant seat. Dunn’s husband, Grover Dunn, told Alabama Daily News on Monday that his wife would be retiring after finishing her last year in office. State Reps. Louise Alexander, D-Bessemer, and Merika Coleman said they plan to run for the seat. Rep. Rod Scott, D-Fairfield, said he has been considering running for the Senate seat but has not officially decided. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Birmingham Police Revise Policies to Disallow No-Knock Warrants

Birmingham police will no longer use no-knock warrants such as the one that led to the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville last year. Mayor Randall L. Woodfin, Police Chief Patrick Smith and Thomas Beavers, senior pastor of The Star Church, announced that and several other revisions to police policies and procedures during an event Tuesday. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Mt Brook Donations to Britt for Senate Signal Views from the GOP’s Business Wing

Residents of Mountain Brook may be relatively few in number, but they sent a message about their views on the Republican Party in campaign finance reports filed last week by candidates running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. Although Mountain Brook’s population is just more than 20,000, people who live in the affluent Birmingham suburb contributed far more than any other municipality in the state to Katie Boyd Britt. Donations from residents of Mountain Brook signal support for Britt from the traditional, business-oriented wing of the Republican Party. Read more. Also read: Britt Leads Rivals in Fundraising for GOP U.S. Senate Nomination

by Glenn Stephens

Contributor Lists in U.S. Senate Race

The following are contributors of $5,000 or more this year to the campaigns of candidates for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate in Alabama next year, according to reports filed July 15 with the Federal Elections Commission. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Bill Poole Named State Finance Director

MONTGOMERY -- Gov. Kay Ivey has appointed state Rep. Bill Poole as the state’s next finance director, her office announced Friday. The appointment is effective Aug. 1. Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News

Britt Leads Rivals in Fundraising for GOP U.S. Senate Nomination

Katie Boyd Britt, former chief of staff to Sen. Richard Shelby, collected more than twice as much in campaign contributions as her three rivals combined during the past three months, according to reports filed this week by candidates in Alabama’s 2022 U.S. Senate race. Britt, who resigned earlier this year as president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, entered the race for the Republican nomination to succeed Shelby on June 1. Since then, she has raised $2.3 million in contributions. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville reported contributions of 820,775 for the three-month period that ended June 30, and Montgomery business executive Lynda Blanchard raised $190,873. Jessica Taylor of Birmingham, who announced her candidacy earlier this month, had no report on file with the Federal Elections Commission. Read more. Contributor Lists in U.S. Senate Race

by Glenn Stephens

Several Sitting House Republicans Draw Primary Challengers

According to June campaign filings, at least three sitting state House members have GOP primary challengers who plan to raise funds against them. In House District 48, Rep. Jim Carns, R-Birmingham, is running for reelection and being challenged by Republican William Wentowsk of Vestavia for the district that covers parts of Jefferson and Shelby counties. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Company Begins Study to Shorten Jefferson County Emergency Response Times, Some of More Than 3 Hours

The problem of extended ambulance response times didn’t pop up overnight, and the solution won’t either, according to a consultant Jefferson County is bringing in to address the situation. “This is our first day on the project,” Joseph “Jay” Fitch, founding partner of Fitch and Associates, said Tuesday at the committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission. “We're going to be to touring your 911 center and working with an advisory group of municipal officials and fire chiefs today.” Fitch said the first part of the project is discovering data so his company knows when and where emergency calls occur. Knowing that, he said, the company can look at different kinds of options for emergency medical service coverage. Commission President Jimmie Stephens said long ambulance response times has been an ongoing problem for more than nine months. He said the extended wait times for an ambulance for emergencies, including heart attacks, sometimes exceeds three hours. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.