Tag: Birmingham City Council
Bham Council Approves $500,000 in BOLD Funding, Sets Legislative Priorities and Pledges In-Kind Services to Support USFL
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to approve more than $500,000 in grant funding for five local nonprofits as part of the city’s Building Opportunities for Lasting Development initiative. Mayor Randall Woodfin launched the BOLD program in 2018 as a mechanism for distributing city funds to local nonprofit and economic development organizations.
The council also voted on its legislative agenda. At the top of the list for councilors is expanding the city’s number of entertainment districts from five to 15. It also approved $500,000 in in-kind services to the new United States Football League, which this year will be playing its entire season in Birmingham, including eight to 11 games at Legion Field. Read more.
Carpenter Added to Transit Authority Board, Four Members Reappointed
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to reappoint four members of the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority board whose terms had expired. The council also appointed one new member, Becky Carpenter, to replace outgoing board member Kevin Powe.
The city of Birmingham appoints five of the BJCTA board’s nine members; Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Homewood and the Jefferson County Commission round out the other four appointments.
Four of the city’s 2017 appointees — board Chairman Theodore Smith, Vice Chair LeDon Jones, Darryl Cunningham and Willie S. Davis — have all been reappointed to a second four-year term on the board; their terms will expire in September 2025.
But board member Kevin Powe, who was also appointed to the BJCTA board in 2017, will not be back for a second term. He’ll be replaced by Becky Carpenter, a project manager at Corporate Realty Associates. Through her job, Carpenter has worked on several major redevelopment projects in the city, including that of the former Carraway Hospital and Southtown Court housing project. Read more.
Birmingham Council OK’s Agreement With ICE, Disturbing Advocacy Groups
The Birmingham City Council has approved an agreement between the city’s police department and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement that would deputize several BPD officers as customs officers for ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations jurisdiction.
The agreement was approved unanimously despite tense opposition from several advocacy groups worried that it could lead to more deportations in the city and give ICE too much power.
The agreement — a continuation of a previous 3-year deal — went before the council Nov. 2 but was delayed due to councilors’ concerns that it would require the police officers involved to participate in the deportation and removal of undocumented Birmingham residents. Read more.
Birmingham Loosens Rules on Taxis to ‘Modernize’ Service
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to “modernize” the city’s taxicab ordinance, loosening restrictions on the appearance of taxis and allowing them to use third-party GPS technology to calculate fares.
The change comes as traditional taxi companies compete against ride-sharing operations that aren’t under the same rules as cabs.
“The goal of this is updating, modernizing some of the (ordinance) to the way the industry operates now,” Assistant City Attorney Julie Barnard told the council. “There’s a lot of changes. The primary thing is, this opens the city up to more modern operations and taxis, and that’s the goal here.” Read more.
Birmingham Council Transfers Two Sewer Stations to Jefferson County
The Birmingham City Council has approved the transfer of two sanitary sewer pump stations in the city’s Fairmont neighborhood to Jefferson County. Operations of those stations already had been turned over to the county as part of a 1998 unification agreement, but the properties themselves had remained under city ownership. Read more.
Birmingham Council Revokes Crestwood Boulevard Motel License After Crime Complaints
The Birmingham City Council has revoked the business license of a crime-ridden Crestwood Boulevard motel. The USA Economy Lodge had been given eight weeks to fix its numerous issues — including drug trafficking, prostitution and damage to neighboring properties — which had led to 151 calls to police between Feb. 2 and Aug. 8. Read more.
Birmingham Promise Gets $1.8M Grant From Bloomberg Philanthropies
Mayor Randall Woodfin’s Birmingham Promise educational initiative has received a $1.8 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, it was announced Tuesday.
That grant will go toward the program’s apprenticeship initiative, which Woodfin said “will be used to help Birmingham City Schools high school students to start gaining work experience to gain career skills that will last them a lifetime.”
Woodfin also told the City Council during Tuesday’s meeting that Bloomberg Philanthropies’ “very vigorous vetting process … shows that this program is sustainable, and it’s a model for any city across America for how we should engage in partnerships to invest and give opportunity and exposure to our youngest generation and our high school students.” Read more.
Birmingham Delays ICE Agreement, Wants to Assure It Won’t Lead to Police Involvement in Deportations
The Birmingham City Council has delayed approval of an agreement with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement that would appoint several city police officers as customs officers for ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations jurisdiction.
The 3-year deal would provide for the continuation of a previously established task force that District 2 Councilor Hunter Williams said is focused on “combating both human trafficking and large-scale narcotics operations in the city of Birmingham.”
Mayor Randall Woodfin asserted that the agreement would not result in deportations or administrative removal of any undocumented Birmingham residents.
“I have stated on a pretty consistent basis that the city of Birmingham does not have any interest in doing the federal government’s job, but there’s something more powerful than words, and that’s, like, your actions,” Woodfin said. “We’re not here to do the job of deportation.”
But the association with ICE — and the unclear wording of the ordinance — left both advocates and councilors dubious of the proposal. Read more.
Three New Members Tilt Birmingham Council Toward Youth
Three new members of the Birmingham City Council took their seats for the first time Tuesday morning, a transition that some councilors suggested would usher in a new era of unity in city government.
J.T. Moore, Carol Clarke and LaTonya Tate were sworn in as the councilors for Districts 4, 8 and 9, respectively, replacing William Parker, Steven Hoyt and John Hilliard. The three newcomers didn’t say much during their first meeting at the dais, mostly issuing brief statements of gratitude and humility.
The council promptly turned to the business of selecting a new president and president pro tempore, a process that has been contentious in the past. Not so this time — District 7 Councilor Wardine Alexander and District 6 Councilor Crystal Smitherman were unanimously elected as president and president pro tempore, respectively, with no discussion and no additional nominations.
District 5 Councilor Darrell O’Quinn said the ease of that vote “sets an important precedent for us moving forward,” adding that he is “extremely optimistic that this group is going to be able to work together.”
District 3 Councilor Valerie Abbott was even more effusive, calling the new council lineup “a breath of fresh air.”
“I think this is going to be the best council I’ve served with,” she said. Read more.
Women Will Hold the Majority on the Birmingham City Council Over the Next Four Years
Three new councilors will be sworn in Tuesday.
Read more.
