Government

Birmingham City Council Approves Package That Will Bring 76 Research Jobs to City

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, the San Diego-based company that purchased Southern Research’s engineering division earlier this year, will receive up to $228,000 in city incentives to bring 76 new jobs to Birmingham. The Birmingham City Council unanimously approved the development agreement at its meeting Tuesdsay. Kratos acquired Southern Research’s engineering division (SRE) in May for $80 million; it will invest an estimated total of $26.6 million into the division’s campus, located at 757 Tom Martin Drive. That will include hiring and training 76 new employees over the next five years; for each new hire, the city will refund the company $3,000 in occupational taxes. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Birmingham Gets Grant to Train Unemployed for Health Care Jobs

A $10.8 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration will go to a new initiative placing Birmingham’s historically excluded job seekers in high-demand health care positions. “Our grant (proposal) was very competitive because we have an amazing health care sector here, and so essentially this will build on our already existing opportunities (to) connect job seekers who haven’t really traditionally had the ability to cross over and compete for those jobs,” said Sarah McMillan, the manager of workforce and talent development in the city’s Office of Innovation and Economic Opportunity. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

6 Ways the Conversation Around a Guaranteed Income in the US Has Changed

A guaranteed income conference held in Atlanta shows how the movement has progressed since 2017, with more than 50 pilots currently handing out cash. Read more.

by Stephan Bisaha, WBHM

Tyson Pushes for Saturday Absentee Voting, Commissioners Demur

Sheila Tyson was determined to have her say. The Jefferson County commissioner whose resolution to open the courthouse for absentee Saturday voting declared that commissioners who voted against the matter going onto today’s agenda were wrong to not open the courthouse. Arguing for in-person absentee voting on two Saturdays in October, Tyson said the underlying problem is voter suppression. “Voter suppression is rampant here in the state of Alabama because that's the only reason I can see why these doors are not open,” she said. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Jeffco Commission Rejects Opening of Courthouse to Saturday Absentee Voting

An effort to open the Jefferson County Courthouse for Saturday absentee voting was squelched Tuesday during the commission committee meeting.  Commissioner Sheila Tyson presented the resolution for consideration to be placed on the agenda of Thursday’s commission meeting. Commissioner Lashunda Scales moved the item and Tyson seconded it before it was defeated 3-2 on a rollcall vote. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr. 

Birmingham City Council Moves Toward Approval of Cannabis Dispensaries

Birmingham has taken “the first step” on the road to legalizing medical marijuana. The City Council voted Tuesday to approve an ordinance authorizing medical cannabis dispensaries to operate within Birmingham city limits. The Alabama Legislature authorized the production and distribution of medical marijuana in the state last year, though it maintains strict regulatory control over the licensing process. That process is ongoing — the state is not expected to issue licenses until July — but Tuesday’s vote opens the city up to potential licensees. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Birmingham Councilors Allege Promises Broken but City Still Renews Via Contract

The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to renew its contract with the ridesharing service Via, despite frustration from some councilors that promises of expanding the program had not been kept. Under the contract, the city will pay Via up to $2.64 million per year to provide transit services in the city for a term “not to exceed three years.” Every 12 months, the council will have the option to continue funding or to cancel the partnership. Even so, some councilors expressed anger that they were being asked to recommit to an organization that had not fulfilled its promises to expand its services, despite previous increases in city funding ostensibly for that purpose. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Birmingham’s New Xpress Rapid Bus Line Gives Residents a New Option to Travel Across the City

The Birmingham Xpress is a single route that runs east to west between Five Points West and Woodlawn. A total of 32 stops take riders by places such as Princeton Baptist Hospital, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Railroad Park and Sloss Furnace. Read more.

by Cody Short, WBHM

Groups Lining Up for Extra Funding as Budget Year Closes, Commissioner Warns

Joe Knight alerted his fellow Jefferson County commissioners Thursday that some entities are lining up for any money left over from the county’s fiscal 2022 budget. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Garbage Point of Discussion for Jefferson County Commission

Discussion of garbage segued to garbage of a different sort during Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission. The agenda included a resolution to address garbage pickup at county facilities, including the courthouse. The resolution calls for EcoSouth Services of Birmingham to handle county facility garbage collection and disposal for three years for $785,400. County Manager Cal Markert said that cost is double what it had been. The aim, he said, is to keep coverage in place until proposals can be accepted from other vendors. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.