Governor Sets a Special Session on Congressional Redistricting to Start July 17
Gov. Kay Ivey called a one-issue special session for July 17 for legislators to adopt a new congressional district map. Read more.
Government
Bham Budget Passed After Compromise With Councilors; Concerns Remain About the Power of the Mayor’s Office
Birmingham’s most contentious budgeting process in years ended Tuesday with the City Council’s unanimous approval of Mayor Randall Woodfin’s $554.8 million FY 2024 budget. Having extracted a rare compromise from the mayor’s office — nearly half a million dollars redirected from street paving to code enforcement — councilors adopted a conciliatory tone. “I think all of us came away feeling better than we felt before,” said District 3 Councilor Valerie Abbott. Earlier she had complained, “We’re doing all the glitzy things that are so cool. Well, I’m sorry, I’m tired of cool. I would just like for some things to get done.” Councilor Hunter Williams clarified Tuesday that he wasn’t talking about the current mayor when he said last week that state legislators had created “a little king,” but he still worried that the current system under a different mayor could result in no checks and balances in city government. Read more.
JeffCo Commission Prez Floats Idea of Fund to Help Existing Businesses Grow, Startups Get Off the Ground
Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens on Tuesday broached the idea of the commission creating an economic enhancement fund. Read more.
Birmingham OKs Rezoning in West Birmingham Ahead of Possible Redevelopment Plan
Eight West Birmingham properties have been rezoned to make way for a federally funded “transformation plan” in the city’s Graymont, Smithfield and College Hills neighborhoods. The properties rezoned by the City Council Tuesday include the Smithfield Library, the Smithfield Court Housing Community, the former Hill Elementary School and the former Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity headquarters, all of which were redesignated as either “mixed-use medium” or “multiple-dwelling districts” on Tuesday. The rezoning is intended to support the city’s bid for a Choice Neighborhood Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city has been announced as a finalist for the $50 million grant, which would be used to redevelop much of the area surrounding Legion Field. Read more.
Ride Free on the Birmingham Bus Rapid Transit System! (At Least for Now)
The Birmingham Bus Rapid Transit system, also known as Birmingham Xpress, will be free for riders for at least the next few months — though exactly how long remains up in the air. A $300,000 payment approved Tuesday by the Birmingham City Council will cover the cost of eliminating BRT fares while the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority develops a new mobile payment application to encompass all of its services. Read more.
Supreme Court Ruling Means Special Session on New Map, Potential Race Shake-Ups in 2024
MONTGOMERY — The Supreme Court’s Thursday decision to overturn Alabama’s congressional map set off speculation about when the Legislature will have to redraw the seven districts and which incumbents’ territory will change significantly before next year’s election cycle. The SCOTUS decision came about 36 hours after Alabama lawmakers ended their 14-week regular lawmaking session. Sen.
Residents Complain About Predatory Towing Downtown, Say It Will Stall Economic Development if Not Fixed
Matt Lyons said he’s not in favor of putting towing companies out of business. “When your car's broken down on the side of the road,” he said, “the tow company is your best friend. That being said, what I'm against is predatory towing, which takes advantage of the citizens of Birmingham only to enrich the owners of companies like Parking Enforcement Systems.” Lyons was among a number of people who paraded to a podium Wednesday night at Boutwell Auditorium to talk about predatory towing practices in Birmingham. He recounted having paid for 3-hour parking as he attended a meeting, returning 30 minutes late to find that his car had been towed away. “I think it's very bad for the image of Birmingham,” he said. City officials attended the meeting and told the crowd there are several measures are being considered to mitigate the towing issue. One calls for a 15-minute grace period before a car could be towed, Julie Barnard of the city attorney’s office said. Others included adding warnings on parking apps to check that entered information was entered correctly, and requiring towing companies to release towed vehicles to owners who have proof they paid for parking. Read more.
Special Election to Fill Empty Commission District Seat to be Held July 18; No Write-Ins Allowed in Nonpartisan Vote
Probate Judge James Naftel joked that he would scratch someone from his Christmas card list after a question rose during the Jefferson County Election Commission meeting. The panel had just OK’d the schedule for the election to replace Steve Ammons as District 5 commissioner to the Jefferson County Commission when Naftel was asked about write-in votes. As it turned out, there will be no place on that ballot for write-ins. “For commission seats, because of the unique way it's done, you don't qualify with parties,” Naftel said. Read more.
JeffCo Commission to Consider Ambulance Funding Thursday
The Jefferson County Commission moved matters to the agenda of Thursday’s meeting that addressed an original mission of county government. But County Manager Cal Markert acknowledged that the fulfilment of a later mission is on the horizon. Markert presented resolutions using American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase upgrades to emergency management systems in four fire departments in unincorporated Jefferson County. Read more.
Birmingham to Air Proposal on Predatory Towing During Wednesday Public Hearing
The Birmingham City Council will hold a public hearing Wednesday to discuss predatory towing practices in the city. For more than a decade, Parking Enforcement Systems, a private towing company operating in downtown Birmingham, has been the subject of numerous complaints over its practice of removing cars from downtown lots. In May 2013, the council approved an ordinance capping towing fees at $160 per vehicle — PES had been charging more than $280 — but complaints that the company has aggressive practices have continued. In one instance in September, a 29-year-old Birmingham resident was shot and killed on a Parking Systems Enforcement lot after an argument with a PES employee over a towed vehicle escalated into violence. Read more.