Category: Government
Alabama Ranks 46th in Ease of Voting: PARCA Report
UPDATED — Alabama trails the nation in terms of convenience and access to the ballot — ranking 46th in ease of voting — according to a recent report released by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama.
PARCA found that reasons for the state’s high cost for voting include a lack of early in-person voting, restrictive absentee voting requirements and a lack of automatic voter registration. Read more.
‘We’re in the Jobs Business,’ JCEIDA Leader Says in Announcing New North JeffCo Industrial Park
Jefferson County Economic & Industrial Development Authority has added about 1,100 acres to its inventory of developable land to create its latest industrial park in north Jefferson County.
JeffMet North Industrial Park, off Interstate 65 at Exit 275 near the Gardendale/Morris area, sets the stage for the creation of an estimated 4,700 new jobs and is expected to be a lure for auto suppliers. Read more.
Commissioners Grant Tax Break to Keep Distribution Center in JeffCo
In an effort to keep a longtime business in the county, the Jefferson County Commission agreed to reimburse Red Mountain Distributing for 60% of the 1-cent sales tax the company pays to the county.
Red Mountain, which does business as Ashley Furniture, has outgrown its warehouse in Bessemer. That warehouse serves four stores in the northern half of Alabama. Read more.
JeffCo Commission Moves to Secure Employee Investments
County Manager Cal Markert gave credit Tuesday to Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens in helping county employees get a better deal on investment funds. 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.
The Long View: Coca-Cola CEO Discusses New Project as JeffCo OKs $2M Investment
Mike Suco said Coca-Cola United looks well beyond the present when it looks into the future.
“We are a company that thinks not in a year or two or three years,” the president and CEO told the Jefferson County Commission on Thursday. “We think in 50-year increments.”
The Jefferson County Commission invested $2 million in that long-term vision for an estimated $330 million, multifaceted Coca-Cola Bottling Company United headquarters that is expected to create as many as 50 new jobs and retain more than 750 jobs. Read more.
JeffCo Considering $2M for New Coca-Cola Development
Jefferson County during its meeting Thursday will consider being part of an economic development project that will create a new gateway in and out of Birmingham.
Representatives of Coca-Cola Bottling Company United asked the commission for an economic incentive package of $2 million as the company looks to relocate from its longtime home north of Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport to the former Stockham Valves and Fittings location in Birmingham’s Kingston Neighborhood. 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.
Alabama, Mississippi Among U.S. Leaders for Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences, Study Shows
A youth sentencing study shows Alabama and Mississippi are among just four states that top the nation in new juvenile life without parole sentences since 2012. Read more.
