In Alabama, elderly residents have been arrested, handcuffed, and taken to jail for unpaid trash bills. However, a little-known state law could allow free trash pickup for some residents. Read more.
Mark Pettway let the Jefferson County Commission know Tuesday that you can’t always believe what you hear. The sheriff came to the commission committee meeting to ease concerns that a deal had been struck for the county jail to house inmates who are currently at the Birmingham Jail. “There is nothing right now other than some talks that's going on,” Pettway said. “If you hear something, you can check with me to make sure it's happening. Right now, there's nothing in writing. Nothing has gone forward.” The sheriff said officials from the city of Birmingham have talked with him about the possibility of establishing a regional jail that could accommodate prisoners from Birmingham and surrounding areas. Pettway said he has also talked with attorneys for the city. “We're just talking some things out,” he said. “We need to have a chance to talk with the (county’s) legal department. We'll find out some things that may not work. We'll find some things that may work. It's a process. Read more.
Eight Birmingham nonprofits will receive $850,000 in funding from the city’s Building Opportunities for Lasting Development grant program. Before Mayor Randall Woodfin instituted the BOLD initiative in 2018, Birmingham’s contributions to nonprofits were included as line items in the city’s operating budget. Now, the city’s Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity distributes $1 million in nonprofit funding via an application process. All eight organizations receiving funding are minority- or woman-led, and five are first-time recipients. Read more.
The League of Women Voters has established a channel on which citizens can watch videos of the state Senate, House of Representatives and legislative committee meetings, searchable by keywords and phrases. “Ultimately, we anticipate that the Alabama Channel will improve civic engagement and government transparency,” said Kathy Jones, president of the education fund. Read more.
This weekend, over 100 cars with flags honoring people who have died in homicides this year will ride through downtown Birmingham. Read more.
Residents of five homes in Moody that had been evacuated were given the “all clear” to return home as the Moody Fire Department determined that a landfill fire that has been burning largely underground has been contained. The fire is burning at Blackjack Road from Carrington Lake Parkway to Annie Lee Road at a landfill that disposes of trees and other debris. Persons living as far away as Birmingham’s Crestwood neighborhood complained of smelling smoke and even having smoke invade their homes. When material burns underground, there is a cavity and soil falls away. “It can create a fissure or a hole and then we have smoke or steam coming up through that,” Moody Fire Marshal James Mulkey said. “Then the smoke is going to come up into the air. You can smell this for miles.” The above-ground part of the fire has been plainly visible from several miles away. Read more.
Birmingham is optimizing its trash pick-up service. The City Council voted Tuesday to approve a three-year contract with Routeware, a software company that will collect and analyze data to determine ways the city’s garbage collection can be more efficient. “Each day when we have drivers and supervisors leave (work), that’s historic knowledge that walks out the door with them,” Joshua Yates, the city’s director of public works, told the council. “This system will (place) an iPad in the truck, where anybody can sit in that driver’s seat and know exactly the route they’re supposed to be driving … . Consider this the infrastructure backbone for our fleet.” The software will also include an “accountability” component in the form of video surveillance. Read more.
A proposed extension of Jefferson County’s sewer billing relationship with Birmingham Water Works broached a discussion about why customer costs are rising. County Attorney Theo Lawson told the Jefferson County Commission during Tuesday’s committee meeting that he has been negotiating with the utility company over BWW billing customers both for water and Jefferson County sewer service. Lawson said the current contract expires in December and must be extended six months while those discussions continue. “We need to maintain the status quo,” Lawson said, “so that we do have collections in place until we can get this squared away.” Commissioner Sheila Tyson said the dual billing relation has allowed some with BWW to blame Jefferson County for higher customer bills. “The collection method they have isn’t good because if it was, they wouldn’t be overcharging these people,” she said. Read more.
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved a three-year partnership for conflict resolution programs in city high schools. Birmingham-based nonprofit the Penny Foundation will implement and administer the Common Ground initiative, a program using the Habilitation, Empowerment and Accountability Therapy (H.E.A.T.) curriculum, which is “designed for people of color and/or others facing socioeconomic issues which applies a holistic, culturally relevant, responsive, strength-based model that emphasizes a positive and engaging approach to handling anger management and conflict resolution.” Read more.
The organizational meeting that followed the swearing in ceremonies for the Jefferson County Commission didn’t include a seating chart. But Lashunda Scales didn’t need one as she swapped seats with Joe Knight after the commission established its leadership, with Knight succeeding Scales as president pro tempore. That was one of two positions that Scales no longer has after commissioners did away with subordinate co-chairs of their committees. Scales had been co-chair of the economic development committee chaired by Steve Ammons, who said the change was done to provide greater efficiency. “It's just easier to have one commissioner,” he said. “We're all on the same committee so there's no need for a co-chair. We're delivering information to all the commissioners. Since each commissioner is on every committee, then you just have the chair.” “I'm at peace today because I recognize that a position or title don't make you who you are,” Scales said in her closing comments. “You empower the position. The position doesn't empower you.” Read more.
