Birmingham City Council Regular Meeting – November 26, 2024

The Birmingham City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at 9:30 AM in the Council Chambers. The pre-council meeting was canceled due to a lack of a quorum. The session began with an invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, and roll call. All nine council members were present initially, though some arrived late or left early. The council approved minutes from September 2024, received communications from Mayor Randall Woodfin, and proceeded through a full agenda including consent items, public hearings, discussion items, and appointments. The meeting recessed for executive session from 10:25 AM to 11:19 AM to discuss real property matters, then reconvened and adjourned at 12:50 PM.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda (Items 1–32, with several pulled) was approved unanimously on a motion by Councilmember Williams, seconded by Councilmember Smitherman. All council members voted aye. Items included:
  • Abatement of an inoperable vehicle at 1128 Oakwood St.
  • Multiple ARPA-funded agreements (e.g., $460,000 for Pathway to Homeownership Program; $25,000 for Daniel Payne Legacy Village Foundation health store; $230,000 for meal subscription service; $125,000 for Harris Homes tunnel ADA upgrades; $117,625 for Love Joy Ministries STEM program; $193,600 for TRAINFO railroad crossing prediction; $90,000 for Central Alabama Redevelopment Alliance; etc.)
  • Grant acceptances ($55,000 from Anne M. Cabaniss Charitable Trust for Arlington Antebellum Home; $100,000 from DOJ Justice Assistance Grant)
  • Legal settlements (Eric Brown, $18,000; Melissa Fendley, $15,000)
  • Right-of-way payment to Mount Hebron Baptist Church ($20,660)
  • Construction contracts (Boutwell Auditorium canopy replacement, $30,616 and $3,000; ARPA Clairmont Connector Trails, $1,110,725; ARPA Caldwell Park drainage, $5,901,458)
  • Various bids and expense accounts.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Grace Myers (98 Parkway East) spoke about ongoing issues with code enforcement at her property.
• William R. Muhammad (411 Lorain Street) expressed concerns about the Birmingham Water Works Board’s debt increasing from $700 million to $1 billion in four years, alleged unethical behavior by the finance committee chair, and questioned whether the city council and mayor are complicit in an attack on the black community.
• Elder Veronica Jabrine (980 Parkway East) described code enforcement failures at her store location, claimed physical attacks by property owners, and alleged that fire hazards and disrepair have prevented her from opening her business. She requested city enforcement.

Discussion Items

• Item 2 (Ordinance): Authorized the Mayor, Chief of Police, and Director of Traffic Engineering to extend experimental road closures in East Lake (Project Safe Streets) for an additional 90 days and to set a public hearing for January 14, 2025, on indefinite closure. Unanimously approved.
• Item 3 (Ordinance): Authorized an interlocal agreement with the Jefferson County District Attorney (10th Judicial Circuit) for $100,000 to fund the Certified Victim Service Officers Program, providing support to crime victims. Unanimously approved after supportive comments from Councilmembers Moore and Smitherman.
• Items 4 & 5 (Ordinances): Redevelopment agreements for LRY Media Group (use value $30,000 for former Birmingham Credit Union Building) and Slade Land Use (use value $60,000 for 1616 7th Ave N, with $2.6 million investment and 7 jobs). After an executive session, the council voted 7-2 to approve both. Councilors Clarke and Abbott opposed, arguing that the properties are “holy ground” for the civil rights district and that sale deviates from long-standing community plans. Councilors Woods, Tate, and O’Quinn supported the deals, citing opportunities for Black-owned businesses.
• Item 7 (Resolution): Approved $90,000 for Central Alabama Redevelopment Alliance to run a Non-profit Small Business Accelerator Program. Unanimous.
• Item 11 (Resolution): Approved $117,625 for Love Joy Ministries to implement a STEM program for early learners in South Woodlawn. Unanimous.
• Item 12 (Resolution): Approved $193,600 for TRAINFO Corporation’s railroad crossing prediction solution (hardware and software) to reduce congestion and first responder delays. Unanimous after discussion explaining the technology.
• Item 33 (Resolution): Rescheduled the public hearing on East Lake road closures to January 14, 2025, after cancellation of the November 12 meeting. Unanimous.
• Item 34 (Resolution): Set a public hearing for January 7, 2025, on the vacation of 32,000 sq ft of 6th Avenue North and 38,400 sq ft of 29th Street North right-of-way for Evans Meat, LLC. Unanimous.
• Item 35 (Ordinance): Sought to repeal and replace the mobile food vendor ordinance. Failed to obtain unanimous consent (3 ayes, 3 nays), so it was held over to the December 3, 2024 meeting.
• Water Works Board Appointments: The council appointed four members to the Birmingham Water Works Board for terms expiring December 31, 2028: reappointments of Tereshia Q. Huffman and Larry Ward; new appointments of Jonathan Harris (replacing Ronald Mims) and Ivan Holloway (replacing George Munchus). The vote was 6 ayes, 1 nay (Councilmember Moore), 2 abstentions (Clarke, Tate).

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved unanimously.
• Items 2, 3, 7, 11, 12, 33, and 34 were all approved unanimously.
• Items 4 and 5 were approved by a 7-2 vote (Ayes: Moore, Smitherman, Tate, Williams, Woods, Alexander, O’Quinn; Nays: Abbott, Clarke).
• Water Works Board appointments approved 6-1-2.
• Item 35 (mobile food vendor ordinance) held over to the next regular meeting.
• The meeting adjourned at 12:50 PM.