Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin on Tuesday announced long-awaited 2025 budget amendments that include increased funding for sidewalk repairs and traffic calming efforts as well as a 3% across-the-board raise for city employees.

“The spending plan presented to the council highlights our shared priorities,” Woodfin was quoted as saying in a release. “I am proud of the more than $20 million dedicated specifically to neighborhood revitalization in this plan.”

The mayor said the budget also includes funding to support merit and longevity pay for eligible employees. He added that employees will not see any out-of-pocket increase for their health care or pension contributions.

The police department’s appropriation also increased from $115 million to $124 million to support the raises, merit pay and additional services to enhance public safety, according to the mayor. That’s in addition to a $16 million police recruitment and retention program Birmingham leaders approved in October.

The new budget maintains $2 million in funding for Birmingham Promise and $1 million for the Birmingham Board of Education. The spending plan also continues funding for financial literacy and conflict resolution in Birmingham City Schools, the Safe Haven program for youth in Birmingham Parks and Recreation, and juvenile justice efforts with Jefferson County Family Court.

The city’s 2025 budget year began in July, meaning the amendments announced Tuesday were a few months late. Birmingham has operated under the 2024 budget since that time. Leaders blame the delay on what they have called a computer network disruption, which several news organizations have reported as a ransomware attack.

In previous meetings, City Councilors members have expressed their frustration with the lack of a true budget several months into the fiscal year.

Other budget amendments include:

Category 2025         (Recommended)        2024 Budget
Street Resurfacing            $15 million                        $15 million
Sidewalks                              $1 million                           $200,000
Traffic Calming                  $500,000                            $250,000
Demolition                           $1.5 million                       $1 million
Weed Abatement               $2.75 million                    $2 million

Read a more detailed explanation of the budget.

Certified Victim Service Officer Program Approved

The council on Tuesday also approved an ARPA-funded project from Councilor J.T. Moore to provide support for the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office for a Certified Victim Service Officer program. The program provides comprehensive services to crime victims who might feel unsafe navigating the criminal justice system.

“I’m glad to be able to support this project with the federal funds that have been made available to my office through ARPA,” Moore said. “Often times we talk about, ‘If you see something, say something.’ But there are people who have been victimized who are genuinely afraid to speak up and provide information to law enforcement. This is a huge barrier for us to overcome. I believe in this support system, I believe in amplifying their voices and I believe in the work that’s being done on this front with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office.”

In other business, the council deferred an item until next week’s agenda that would update the city’s food truck ordinance and streamline the process in which vendors could acquire permits. The amendments are aimed at reducing the time it takes to process the applications and prevent redundancy – cutting the time to secure a permit from several months to 48 hours.

The three main changes include reducing the number of available permits to a single one for vendors (now there are multiple variations of food truck permits and it complicated the process, according to vendors).

The changes would also require a fire inspection from the city of Birmingham, not an outside entity. The amendments would also expand the areas in which food trucks can operate. Rather than having designated spaces for food trucks on city streets, the businesses would be able to park and operate at any metered space in the city, so long as they are in compliance with previously existing regulations such as not operating within 150 feet of an existing business.