The Birmingham City Council convened on October 21, 2025, for a meeting characterized by significant transitions and community celebrations. The session featured the retirement of long-serving Councilor Valerie Abbott after 24 years of service and the upcoming departure of Landscape Architect Jane Reed Ross. The Council also observed Domestic Violence Awareness Month, honored the 101st anniversary of the Alpha Kappa Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and approved key ordinances regarding fiber franchises and the tree commission. Mayor Randall L. Woodfin presided over the proceedings before the Council's business commenced.
Good morning. This is the regular meeting of the Birmingham City Council. Today is Tuesday, October twenty first, twenty twenty five. This morning our invitation will be delivered by Bishop George Whitlock the Third, the senior pastor of the Bond Church, and our pledge of allegiance will be led by Councillor JT Moore. If you're willing and able, please stand. There we go. Good morning, everybody. If you'll join me in prayer this morning, Father, we thank you for your goodness, thank you for your mercy. Lord, we thank you for our city councilors. We thank you for our mayor, we thank you for all that sit in the city seat of government. May you give grace, may you give mercy, may you give wisdom, and may you give discernment. May you give the ability to distinguish between the decisions that are right and the decisions that are just, the decisions that move progressively forward our city and prosper your people. May you bless each and every one of us with peace. We pray for the presence of God to cover us as we move throughout the corridors of our cities. We thank you for the walls of protection and the angels that go with us. May you continue to gather us on one accord as we build a vibrant city, as we build a great place for children, family, and friends. We love you and we honor you in Jesus' name. Amen. Council, the minutes are not ready for the May sixth through May sixth, twenty twenty-five through October fourteenth, twenty twenty-five. A lengthy mayor's report, so please bear with us this morning. A true friend and public servant, Terry Allen Sargent Jr. He died Sunday at the age of 47. He's very young. I spoke with his mother yesterday, known as Ted by his family and friends. He was assigned to Station 2 at UAB. He served as a firefighter EMT. Ted Sargent was also a devoted father and son. Spoke with Chief Corey Moon yesterday as well. In person and by phone, who described him as not only a great man, but a good public servant. Our condolences are with his family and friends and the entire Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service, those at the fire station he worked with, those who came in in his class, as well as his friends beyond City Hall and the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Team. On a personal note, in 2021, knocking on doors in North Avondale, I knocked on his mother's door, not knowing that that was his mother at the time. He actually answered the door and ended up not only having a conversation with him, but his mom and his aunt who live around the corner and other family members in North Avondale, where my mother grew up and his family know my family. So I just want to say to his mother, Miss Linda publicly, we are so sorry for the loss of your son, and our prayers are with you. This time, I want to also give an acknowledgement to the 84th Magic City Classic. Um it is officially classic week. We're gonna ask everyone to pace yourself. Stay hydrated. Take a nap if you can. But the nation's number one HBCU classic returns to our city. One of the Birmingham's most celebrated traditions. The 84th Magic City Classic is where Alabama AM University and Alabama State University face off in the legendary gridiron showdown. This annual game is more than football, it's a cultural celebration of HBCU Pride, Pageantry, as well as community. You can get details about all the events taking place this week, and there are literally too many to name. But the parade and the big game are on Saturday, and you can get more information at Birmingham AL.gov slash classic. Again, that's Birmingham A L dot gov slash classic. This year, the City of Birmingham presents Awaken, which we celebrate local change makers who use creativity, advocacy, and service to advance social justice and community programs. This year we're honored to acknowledge Joe Mentor, who is a world-renowned sculptor, community historian, historian, and founder of African Village in America, whose visionary art chronicles the black experience and the struggle for freedom, justice, and unity. This year's program theme is Art as Resistance. Again, that's art as resistance, awakening justice through creativity. The event, which is orchestrated by the Division of Social Justice and Racial Equity, will take place this Friday, October 24th at 10 a.m.