I'm never happy okay.

You're not a fallen number, nothing else.

Good morning.

Thank you for joining us for the October the twenty-eighth um council meeting this morning.

Um first we'll start off with the uh invocation by Reverend Dr.

Jodine A.

Daniels, Pastor of South Side CMB Church, Birmingham, Alabama.

If you can, please stand.

Um while she gives the invitation, and also remain standing for the pledge.

God of our people.

A man and amen.

One nation.

And then there's okay.

We'll skip the roll at this time, and we'll do that after the administration of the oath.

Uh minute are not ready from May the 6th, 2025 to October the 21st, 2025.

And we will turn it over to Council Administrator.

Good morning.

For the administration of all for the administration of Oath of Office, we'll begin with Districts One.

Uh Councillor Clinton Woods, please meet Judge Elizabeth French at the Speaker's Podium.

And you will be accompanied by Rhonda.

Rhonda Meadows.

Yeah, left and I can raise your right hand.

Okay.

Good morning.

I'm honored to be here today.

I'm proud to know Councillor Woods.

I'm proud of his continued service to the citizens of Birmingham.

Congratulations.

If you would please put your left hand on the Bible, raise your right hand.

I Clinton Woods.

I Clinton Woods.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

That I will support the Constitution.

That I will support the Constitution.

And we'll obey the laws of the United States.

And we'll obey the laws of the United States.

And the State of Alabama.

And the State of Alabama.

And that I will, in all respects.

And that I will in all respects.

Observe the provisions.

Observe the provisions.

And ordinances of the city of Birmingham.

And ordinances of the City of Birmingham.

And will faithfully discharge.

And we'll faithfully discharge the duties of the office.

The duties of the office.

Of council member.

Council member.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you, Judge.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, Councillor Hunter Williams.

Please meet Judge Carol Smithman at the podium.

Thank you.

And Ms.

I'm Jimmy Williams.

Thank you.

Good morning to you, Councillor Williams.

Good morning, Judge.

It is my honor to grant your request to give you your oath of office.

We use both hands.

When you give the oath.

The right hand.

Up to God.

It represents honesty.

Your left hand.

On his word.

Which you promise to keep.

This is my second time to give you this alt.

And I know there will be many more occasions.

Put the people first.

Stand strong.

And all will be well.

Are you ready?

Yes, ma'am.

Come closer.

I can't.

I don't have the COVID.

Come closer.

I.

I.

Hunter Williams.

Do solemnly swear.

You solemnly swear.

That I will support the Constitution.

That I will support the Constitution.

And will obey the laws of the United States.

And we'll obey the laws of the United States.

And of the state of Alabama.

And of the great state of Alabama.

That I will.

That I will.

In all respects.

In all respects.

Observe the provisions.

Observe the provisions.

Of the ordinances.

Of the ordinances.

Of the city of Birmingham.

Of the city of Birmingham.

And we'll faithfully.

And we'll faithfully.

And honestly.

And honestly.

Discharge the duties of the Office of Council members.

Discharge the duties of the Office of Council Member.

You may have fixed your signature.

Thank you, Judge.

Judge me.

Go in peace.

Thank you.

Councilor Jos Bassa.

Judge Tiffany A.

G.

No.

It took me one step.

Okay.

Are we using this Bible or that Bible behind you?

Councilman Vassa, it is my great joy and my honor.

Correct.

Other hand.

There we go.

It is my great joy and honor to issue this oath.

If you would put your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand for me.

You guys can come a little closer.

Okay, there we go.

I state your name.

I Josh Clausen.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

That I will support the Constitution.

That I will support the Constitution.

And will obey the laws of the United States.

And we'll obey the laws of the United States.

And of the State of Alabama.

And of the state of Alabama.

That I will in all respects.

That I will in all respects.

Observe the provisions of the ordinances of the City of Birmingham.

Observe the provisions of the ordinances.

Of the ordinances.

Of the City of Birmingham.

And will faithfully discharge.

And will faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Council Member.

The duties of the Office of Council Member.

Congratulations, and please sign here for me.

Thank you.

Councillor Brian Gunn, Judge Houston Brown.

There you go.

My words this morning are brief.

Brian, I am honored deeply to administer this oath to you as a first-time city councillor of the city of Birmingham.

And that's all I'm going to say.

But I will be supporting you and the rest of the members of this council to do justice and to be fair and to take care of my fellow citizens in this city.

If you would, I would like for you to repeat after me by placing your left hand on the Bible and you're raising your right hand.

I state your name.

I Brian Gunn.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

That I will support the Constitution.

That I will support the Constitution.

And will obey the laws.

And we'll obey the laws.

Of the United States.

Of the United States.

And of the State of Alabama.

And of the state of Alabama.

That I will.

That I will.

In all respects.

In all respects.

Observe the provisions.

Observe the provisions.

Of the ordinances.

Of the ordinances.

Of the City of Birmingham.

Of the City of Birmingham.

And will faithfully.

And will faithfully.

Discharge the duties.

Discharge the duties.

Of the office.

Of the office.

Of council member.

Of council member.

Congratulations.

Thanks so much.

Congratulations, Mom.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Thank you.

Okay.

Counselor Daryl O'Quen.

Retired Judge Houston Brown.

Councilor O'Quinn, it is an honor to be here with you this morning to swear in one of our senior counselor members.

Council of members.

And having sworn in our junior most, uh, it is a pleasure and and I'm just honored to do so.

Uh I would like for you to place your left hand on the Bible, raise your right hand, and repeat after me, please.

I say your name.

I, Daryl O'Quen.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

That I will support the Constitution.

That I will support the Constitution.

And obey and will obey the laws of the United States.

And will obey the laws of the United States.

And of the State of Alabama.

And of the State of Alabama.

That I will.

That I will.

In all respects.

In all respects.

Observe the provisions of the ordinances.

Observe the provisions of the ordinances.

Of the city of Birmingham.

Of the City of Birmingham.

And will faithfully discharge.

And will faithfully discharge the duties of the office.

The duties of the office.

Of council member.

Of council member.

Congratulations.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Councillor Christopher N.

Smithman.

Retired Judge Carol Smithman.

Don't talk too long.

What I won't.

I'll just tell you.

I'm so very proud of you.

Our family is here.

You've done a good job.

You do another good work for him.

Not for you.

Okay.

Mary.

James.

Repeat after me.

I.

I.

Crystal and Smetherman.

Do solemnly swear.

Do you solemnly swear?

That I will support the Constitution.

That I will support the Constitution.

And we'll obey the laws of the United States.

And we'll obey the laws of the United States.

And of the State of Alabama.

And of the state of Alabama.

Then I will, in all respects.

That I will in all respects.

Observe the provisions.

Observe the provisions.

Of the ordinances.

Of the ordinances.

Of the city of Birmingham.

Of the city of Birmingham.

And that I will faithfully.

And that I will faithfully.

And honestly.

And honestly.

Discharge the duties.

Discharge the duties.

Of the Office of Council Member.

Of the Office of Council Member.

So help me God.

So help me God.

Congratulations, Councilor.

Thank you, Judge.

Which one?

This one.

May God continue to bless the works of your hands and hearts.

Councillor Warren T.

Alexander, Judge Katrina Ross.

Good morning.

Council Alexander.

Thank you for giving me the privilege of being a part of your swearing in ceremony.

It is truly an honor.

It's important to renew your dedication to serving the constituents of District Seven.

Your third election clearly shows their trusting you.

I know you will continue to work hard with your colleagues to make Birmingham a great place to live.

Thank you.

So now place your right hand, your left hand on the bow and your right hand up.

I and state your name.

I wardean Towers Alexander.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

Solemnly swear or affirm.

That I will support the Constitution.

That I will support the Constitution.

I will obey the laws.

And I will obey the laws.

Of the United States.

Of the United States.

And the state of Alabama.

And the state of Alabama.

That I will.

That I will.

In all respects.

In all respects.

Observe the provisions of the ordinances.

Observe the provisions of the ordinances.

Of the city of Birmingham.

Of the city of Birmingham.

And I will faithfully.

And I will faithfully discharge the duties.

Discharge the duties of the office.

Of the office.

Of council members.

Of council member.

Congratulations.

Oh we're so excited.

I know it.

Okay, thank you.

I'm good.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councillor Sonia Q Smith.

Judge Marika Coleman.

Good morning.

Sonia, I am so proud of you.

Today marks a milestone for you and a journey that I've had an opportunity to watch first hand.

I've watched you as a young woman full of passion and excitement and integrity to serve her community.

So keep that.

Keep that passion, keep that fire.

Keep God first in all that you do.

And remember, it is your constituents.

They are the reason that you have the pleasure and the ability to serve as a member of the city council now for your oath of office.

I state your name.

I Sonia Smith solemnly solemnly swear or affirm, solemnly swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution, that I will support the Constitution, and will obey the laws of the United States, and will obey the laws of the United States, and of the state of Alabama, and of the state of Alabama, and that I will in all respects, and that I will in all respects observe the provisions of the ordinances, observe the provisions of the ordinances of the city of Birmingham, of the city of Birmingham, and will faithfully discharge the duties of the office, and will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of council member, of council member, upon which I am about to enter, upon which I am about to enter.

So help me God.

So help me God.

All right.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Councilwoman Sonia.

Smith.

Councillor Latanya Tate.

Judge Frederick Bowman.

Thank you, Mr.

How are you doing beautiful?

Good morning.

Well, cousin.

That's our inside joke.

Um, it is an honor to be here today with the privilege of swearing you in.

I've listened to this eight other times, and to me, uh something stuck out in the fact of the matter is the first part of this oath is something that every citizen in this room must do.

We all have to obey the Constitution.

Okay.

We all have to obey the laws of the state of Alabama and the United States.

That's punishments if we don't.

All right.

But the last part of this said that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of council member.

That doesn't mean you just show up to meetings and vote and put a vote in.

It means those campaign promises that you made.

It means that the thrive that you had to come out and try to make citizens' lives better, even in the face of times where you will not get a single thank you.

It means that you will hold fast and you will do just that.

That's the most important part.

So as you get ready for take this oath of office, I just want you to remember that.

So now, without further ado, if you put your left hand and raise your right hand.

Let's do solemnly swear.

Do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution.

That I will support the constitution.

And will obey the laws.

And will obey the laws.

Of the United States.

And the state of Alabama.

And the state of Alabama.

And that I will.

And that I will.

In all respects.

In all respects.

Observe the provisions.

Observe the provisions.

Of the ordinances.

Of the ordinances.

Of the city of Birmingham.

Of the city of Birmingham.

And that I will faithfully.

And that I will faithfully.

And honestly.

And honestly.

Discharge the duties.

Discharge the duties.

Of the Office of Council Member.

Of the Office of Council Member.

Congratulations again.

Thank you.

All right.

Oh man, it's my mom's birthday.

Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the swearing in ceremony.

Please join me in extending a round of applause to the 2025, 2029 Birmingham City Council.

Thank you.

Okay, councillors, at this time we will call the roll.

Council Member Alexander.

Here.

Councilmember Gunn.

Councilmember O'Quinn.

Councilmember Smith.

Here.

Councilmember Smithman.

Morning.

Councilmember Tate.

Councilmember Vasa.

Council Member Williams.

Good morning.

Councilmember Woods.

Good morning.

Okay, Councillors.

Uh previously you all submitted information as far as the voting is concerned.

Before we start the process for the position of president.

Are there any questions?

Questions?

Okay.

So at this time I will open the floor for nominations for the position of president of the city council premier.

Like to nominate Wardine Alexander.

Okay.

Any others?

No other nomination.

Okay, nominations are closed at this time.

So obviously.

So let's get a motion to that effect then to for Councilman.

Okay.

All in favor?

All opposed?

All right, congratulations, Councillor Alexander.

Thank you very much.

At this time we will open nominations for the position of pro Tim.

Are there any nominations?

I'd like to nominate Councilmember Latonya Tate.

Are there any other nominations?

I would like to self-nominate myself.

Are there any other nominations?

Mr.

Clerk, at this time we have two nominations.

Are you going to close them out?

Yes.

Okay.

All right.

Uh first vote.

Since we have you lay us here.

Councilmember Gunn.

Councilor Tate.

Councilmember O'Quinn.

Tate.

Councilmember Smith.

Councilmember Smithman.

Smitherman.

Councilmember Tate.

Tate.

Councilmember Vossar.

Councilor Tate.

Council Member Williams.

Tate.

Councilmember Woods.

And Council President Alexander.

Tate.

Okay.

So we have eight.

One.

Uh Councilmember Tate, obviously.

All right.

At this time we've voted in for Councillor Latonya Tate as President Pro Tim.

Yes, at this time, Councillors, we could have it.

Five ten minute recess so that we can go ahead and set our stage up for our continuation of our meeting.

Do I have a motion?

So moved.

Second.

Aye.

All right, at this time we'll recess for ten minutes.

Thank you.

We reconvene the meeting of the Birmingham City Council.

Mr.

Clark, do we need to have a motion to reconvene?

We'll just call the role.

All right, thank you.

Council, hold on, we've got to get everybody reorganized here.

Councilmember Gunn.

Councilmember O'Quinn.

Present.

Councilmember Smith.

Present.

Councilmember Smithman.

Councilman of Basla.

Council.

Okay.

Councilmember Williams.

President.

Councilmember Woods.

Morning.

President Pro Tim Tate.

Present.

Council President Alexander.

Present.

At this time, I'd like to ask for communications from the mayor.

Mayor Woodfin.

Yes, ma'am, Madam President.

Good morning to the council.

I'd like to take a moment to actually welcome the new counselors as well in this new council as a body.

Congratulations to each of you.

Look forward to serving with you all as well.

With that said, this past weekend's 84th Magic City Classic.

Um, as you all know, was a huge and big success for us.

I mean, it takes the entire city of Birmingham Enterprise to make this event happen, and I would like to give a big thank you to all of our city employees for their hard work for some of that, including working early mornings and very late nights as well.

I want to offer special thank you to Birmingham Park and Recreation, the Birmingham Police Department, Birmingham Fire Rescue Service, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Transportation, and many other departments, including the mayor's office, Chaz Mitchell.

These men and women were on the front lines for more than Saturday, and we are grateful for their sacrifice.

Another note, the City of Birmingham, as you know, we're hosting the Roundup Harvest Festival.

Um this thing, this city's year, this theme this year, City of Birmingham invites family to sell up for the some fun at the 2025 Harvest Festival, theme Woodfin's Roundup Harvest.

It's tomorrow, Wednesday, October 29th, and the celebration will take place on short 20th in front of City Hall from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

It is inspired by the popular tour story movie.

The event will include carnival rods and playable games, food trucks, and plenty of fun, safe family fun, and children are encouraged to come dress in their favorite costumes to join us for the festivities.

And this free community event is designed especially for children between the ages of two and twelve and promises an evening full of laughter treats and togetherness in our city center.

This time I would like to ask Christina Norman with Down Syndrome Alabama as well as her guests to come to the podium.

And as they come to the podium, down syndrome is the most frequently occurring chromosomal disorder and is the leading cause of intellectual and developmental delay in the United States.

And I want to encourage all citizens to work together to promote respect and include and the inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome and to celebrate their accomplishments and contributions.

And with that, please um provide more.

If you press the gray bar, there you go.

Okay, thank you so much.

Thank you, Mayor Whiffin, President Alexander, Pro Tim, Tate, and all of our Birmingham City Council members.

Good morning.

I am, as Mayor Whiffin said, Christina Norman, and I'm on the board of directors for Down Syndrome Alabama.

We represent advocacy, education, and connections throughout our city and our state.

My son Landon, who's not with us today, has Down syndrome.

But we do have Will McCallie and his daughter Frances and Tamika Thornton and her daughter Kamora.

Down syndrome, as he said, is the most common chromosomal disorder with every one out of 700 birth resulting.

We would like to thank the City of Birmingham for recognizing all of its citizens with Down syndrome.

Growing up here in Birmingham, I know the integral part of this rich history's historical city, and we know working together, we can provide opportunities and inclusiveness for everyone.

Now Frances has something to share.

I am not Francis, I am her father, and she got a touch of stage right.

So she asked me to read this on her behalf.

Thank you for having me here today to celebrate Down Syndrome.

Down syndrome is when you have an extra chromosome.

In October, we celebrate, educate, and advocate for everyone who has Down syndrome.

I want everyone to know that Down syndrome is awesome, and I can do anything that I set my mind to, just like everyone else.

Francis McCauley.

Thank you, Mayor Whitman.

Madam President, I would like to Councillor Smithman.

Thank you.

Um over the past weekend, I think a lot of people saw this.

The Slide Cafe in Five Point South was broken into.

And so I would just like to also see about talking with the administration about providing support to small businesses in Five Point South.

We have been losing businesses from Iron City Pizza, for example, Black Market, and I would just like to see if we can have a meeting with them to help them as well.

Also, in the in the head of this new term, I would like, and the new councillors will see.

Every neighborhood meeting, we are the ones that have to answer to them about city issues.

I would like to request at least once or twice a year that department has neighborhood meetings, because it's almost pointless for them to have neighborhood meetings if we cannot address about speed bumps, about crime.

Well, we have the police officers, but it will make our lives a lot easier.

We used to have department heads when I was first in office.

So that's a request.

The blue book, I still want it monthly.

I would like a request for it to be printed.

Currently, I've heard it's not updated, so I would like it updated.

And I would like to admit your review every year for the next four years.

And those are my requests.

Thank you.

Thank you.

At this time, I would like to read the statement of the conduct of business before we consider the consent agenda.

All items designated as consent are routine and non-controversial and will be approved by one motion.

All items on the consent agenda will be announced by reading the item numbers only.

No separate discussion of these items will be permitted unless a council member or the mayor requests the item to be removed from the consent agenda.

May request the item to be removed from the consent agenda to hold the hearing on the item.

Any items removed from the consent agenda will revert to its normal place on the agenda order of business.

For remaining matters, all matters of permanent operation, and that's indicated with a P will be read, and all public hearings indicated with PH will be announced.

At this time, Mr.

Clerk, can we have a reading of the items for consent?

Yes, ma'am.

Consent agenda starts on page two with item three.

Page six, item four is on consent.

Page seven, item five is on consent.

Page 11.

Item 6 is on consent.

Please note that item number 8 within item 6 should be withdrawn for planning engineering permits.

That's item number 8 inside of um item 6.

Skip over to page 15 and item 7 is on consent.

Page 24.

Items 8 and 9 are on consent.

Page 25, items 10, 11, 12, and 13 are on consent.

Page 26.

Items 14, 15, and 16 are on consent.

Page 27, items 17, 18, 19, and 20 are on consent.

Page 28, items 21, 22, and 23 are on consent.

Page 29, items 24, 25, 26, and 27 are on consent.

Page 30, items 28, 29, and 30 are on consent.

Page 31.

Items 31, 32, and 33 are on consent.

Page 32, items 34 and 35 are on consent.

Please note that item 35 was recommended by economic development and tourism.

Page 33, items 36, 37, and 38 are on consent.

Please note that all of those items were also recommended by economic development and tourism.

Page 34, items 39, 40, and 41 are on consent.

That will be the same for those items.

Economic development and tourism recommendation.

Page 35.

Items 42, 43, and 44 are on consent.

And all of those items are recommended by economic development and tourism.

Page 36.

Items 45, 46, and 47.

Please note that items 45 and 46 were recommended by economic development and tourism.

Page 37.

Items 48, 49, 50, and 51 are on consent.

Page 38.

Items 53, 54, and 55 are on consent.

Page 39.

Items 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, and 61 are on consent.

Page 40, items 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67 are on consent.

Page 41, items 68, 69, 70, 71, and 72 are on consent.

Page 42, items 73, 74, and 75 are on consent.

Page 43, items 76, 77, and 78 are on consent.

Page 44, items 79, 80, and 81 are on consent.

Page 45, items 82, 83, and 84 are on consent.

Page 46, items 85, 86, 87, and 88 are on consent.

Page 47, items 89, 90, and 91 are on consent.

Page 48, items 92, 93, 94, and 95 are on consent.

And on page 49, we conclude with items 96, 97, 98, 99, and 100.

Thank you, Mr.

Clerk.

At this time, counselors, are there any items you'd like to add or remove from consent?

Yes, ma'am present.

I would like to take the follow-up items off of consent, starting with page 31, items 31 and 32.

And okay.

And then on page 32, items 34 and 35.

Page 33, items 36, 37, 38.

Page 34, items 39, 40, and 41.

Oh second.

Yes, too long.

33.

You said 36 and 36, 37, 38.

Okay, all of them, okay.

Yes.

All right.

Page 34, items 39, 40, and 41.

Okay.

Page 35, items 42 and 43 and 44.

42, 33, 44.

It's all the bold items.

Uh page 36, items 45, 46, 47.

Page 37.

Items 48, 49, 50, and 51.

Page 38, item 52.

Then go all the way to page 42.

Items 74 and 75.

And then page 43, item 76.

And then page 49, item 96.

96.

On page 49.

All right.

Any others?

Councilor McQueen.

Page 42, item 73, please.

Page 42.

Item 73.

Thank you.

Any other items.

All right, Mr.

Clerk, will you read back those items that we move from consent?

You want me to do it?

I need to.

I can it stand back.

It's up to you.

No, I guess.

Um so the items that remain on consent were items three, four, five, um, six, seven, eight, and nine, ten through thirteen, fourteen through sixteen, seventeen through twenty, twenty one through twenty-three, twenty four through twenty seven, twenty eight through thirty.

Uh we removed thirty-one and thirty-two.

Thirty-three remain on.

We remove thirty-four and thirty-five.

We removed thirty-six through thirty-eight.

We removed thirty-nine through 41.

We removed 42 through 44.

We removed 45 and 46.

Did we remove 47?

No.

I had 47.

47 as well.

47.

Yeah.

45, 46.

We removed 48, 49, 50, and 51.

Um we remove 52.

No, it's not on.

53, 54, and 50.

No, that's not correct.

No.

Those on.

That's the those still on.

So still on 38 is 53 through 55.

39, 56 through 61.

Um page 40, 62 through 67 are still on.

41, 68 through 72 are still on.

And then we removed 73, 74, and 75, as well as 76.

And 77 and 78 remained on consent.

And on page 44, 79 through 81 remain on consent.

Page 45.

82 through 84 remain on consent.

Page 46, 85 through 88 remained on consent.

Page 47, 89 through 91 remained on consent.

And page 48, 92 through 95 remained on consent.

And we remove item 96 and 97 through 100 remain on consent.

I'm sorry, I forgot to take off actually items 7, 78, on page 43, on page 44, items 79, 80, 81, page 45, items 82, and 83, and 84, and then on page 46, items 85, 86, 87, 88, then the next item, um page 47, items 89, 90, 91, and then page 48, items 92, 93, and 94.

I believe that's it.

All right, thank you.

At this time, counselors will entertain a motion and a second for the consent items.

Second.

Counselor did I'm sorry.

Did you uh receive IP?

Did everyone receive the IP?

No.

No.

Okay.

That's fine.

So I believe that was Councilor Williams and Counselor O'Quinn.

Okay, thank you.

Counselor Williams and O'Quinn.

All in favor, let it be known by saying aye.

Aye.

All opposed, say nay.

All right, thank you.

At this time, the items that were listed as consent are approved.

If you're here to listen to either of those items, I'll let you know that they have been approved and we'll continue with the rest of our agenda.

Mr.

Clerk, if you'll call the first item.

Alrighty, one second, please.

Item 31.

Resolution amending resolution number 1727 25 adopted by the council on October the 14th, 2025, which will which under which the council of the city of Birmingham, Alabama authorized the mayor to execute all documents required for the city to complete a grant application and accept all grant funds awarded by the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program.

Grant provided by the Alabama Department of Transportation and support of the Greenway and A Road Diet on Richard After Junior Boulevard South Birmingham, Alabama.

The resolution is amended by striking the award amount from the CA CMAQ grant of $3,200,000 and inserting the award amount of $3,216,484.82 cents and striking this the city contribution and amount of $800,000 and inserting $804,121.20 cents towards the project.

The correct project funding shall be in the amount not to receive $4 million, $606 and two cents.

The mayor is further authorized to take all actions and execute such other documents as appropriate and necessary in accordance with the terms of the grant.

Motion please.

Second.

Item is before you.

All right, thank you.

Councilor Smithman, you ask that this be removed.

I know that we heard this during budget and finance.

Did you have any other questions?

Well, I just wanted to make sure the entire council had the same type of information that we did.

Thank you.

Right.

So from administration, can you all give us an overview of this item?

Yes, ma'am, Madam President.

Colin Alexander is outside.

We'll also bring in Alan Walker to assist him to answer any questions the council may have.

Thank you.

Good morning.

If you introduce yourselves, yes, good morning.

Um Alan War Walker, I serve as Deputy Director of Capital Projects.

Callin Alexander, our service program manager in the Birmingham Department of Transportation.

Thank you.

Councilor Smithman.

Yes, I know Mr.

Alexander, you gave us a great you know explanation of it.

I just wanted just another general overview at Council Meeting today of this item.

Yes, certainly.

Um so we are standing up in the updated agreement uh for uh the project, it's a road diet project, two miles that extends um from 15th Avenue uh all the way down to Valley.

Um we've had this project in the works uh and um just continuing forward with that standing at the agreement.

Okay, and then I see that we're gonna give a contribution amount of 800,000.

What is the financial source of that?

What's the funding source?

The funding source is the uh part of that is the gas.

Excuse me.

Madam President.

Yes, um, the funding source will come out of the fuel tax account that we get from the state of Alabama.

Okay, thank you.

Any other questions?

Councilor Smithman.

No, ma'am.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Any other questions from any other counselors?

At this time, we're ready to entertain the vote.

Okay.

Okay, all in favor, let it be known by saying aye.

Aye.

All opposed, say nay.

All right, thank you.

Item number 31 passes.

Next item.

Item 32.

A resolution approving and authorized the mayor to execute a lease agreement with Insley District Developers LLC, on the which the city of Birmingham as tenant will lease approximately five thousand six hundred and eighty-eight square feet of space from ENSLE district developers and then building uh ends lead district developers will construct on the site of the former Ramsey McCormick building located at 508 19th Street ENSLE for an initial term of five years, which term may extend it up to two additional terms of five years each and for a base rent in the amount of 265,000 dollars during the initial term and 15053,000 during an extension term.

Motion please.

Another item second.

All right, Councilor Smithman, you ask that this item be moved.

Yes, where are they gonna be doing exactly as tenants?

Madam President, so Mr.

Coriante Houser will come in and be and answer those questions, counselor.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Coriante houses, I serve as interim director for Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity.

All right, Councillor Smith, the moment you address your question.

Yes, ma'am.

Um, I just want to know what exactly are they doing?

Like what are the services they're going to be providing?

In this building?

Yes.

So or in the space we've we've not fully determined that yet.

Um so part of this lease will also be a police substation.

The other part will be some sort of city service programming.

So we've not fully developed that out yet.

Uh, but it'll be something relative to the community.

So a community space, business license, programming, small business space.

It's the general population is what it'll be happening there.

Gosh, yeah.

Have we surveyed the surrounding community to see what they will like in that space?

That's a part of the plan.

So that's what we're gonna have.

Okay.

Um do you know how many people you may be able to service?

Or how many people they will have in the space, or is that still being determined?

The entire building.

Well, no, this just space, yeah.

So this will just be for city services.

So it'll be a unique space for city service to come in and serve.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

Any other questions about this item?

Yes, Mr.

Gunn.

Just a quick question.

Is there an update on the timeline for this development?

So we would have to go into executive session to discuss further related to pending litigation.

Would you like to do that?

Okay.

Councillor Williams.

Thank you.

So with this development, is this dollar amount that we see here in rent?

Um and the additional term in the capital stack that was presented to us.

Yes.

As part of whose who we have least.

Okay.

And then what percent outside of that is that building leased?

Uh it's about eighty percent leased at this point.

Okay, and how much of that 80% does that does, and that that's signed leases, correct?

80%, not letters of intent.

It's a combination of the both.

Ooh.

How what what what actual commitments do we have at this time and how much is the city's percent?

So it's my recommendation that we go into executive session to discuss pending litigation under Alabama's code 3625 A7A3.

Motion for executive session.

Do you need one?

You'd like to go further?

Get more information.

I mean, this is I don't really want to go in executive session.

I feel that the public actually has a right to know these things to be quite frank.

Um let the council decide.

I I mean, I'm not going to support this without you know, without the information.

It's not in our packet.

So thank you.

All right, do we need a motion?

Yes, we got a motion.

Okay.

We have a motion.

Motion and a second.

Councilmember Gunn.

I'm sorry.

Councilmember Gunn.

Yes.

Councilmember O'Quinn?

Yes.

Councilmember Smith?

Yes.

Councilmember Smithman.

Yes.

Councilmember Boston?

Yes.

Councilmember Williams?

Yes.

Councilmember Woods.

Yes.

Councilmember Tate.

Uh Pro Tim Alexander Tate, sorry.

Yes.

I'll get it.

You get it.

President O uh Ellizette.

Yes.

All right, Councillors, at this time we're going into special session.

Uh we'll go in for 15 minutes.

So we're recessed for 15 minutes.

And now we're ready to take up item thirty two.

Okay, we have a motion.

We have a motion and second already.

So we're ready to vote.

Yes.

All right.

All in favor, let it be known by saying aye.

Aye.

All opposed, say nay.

Nay.

Yes, Councilmember Williams with an A.

Item 32 pass this next item.

Should be item 30.

Is it 30 34?

Yes.

Item 34.

Item 34, a resolution approving the renewal of the term of a lease agreement dated October the 29th, 2015, between the Medical Clinic Board of the City of Birmingham General and BBA PBM C L L C for additional tenure term expiring at midnight on November the 1st, 2035.

The lease agreement was executed in connection with the issuance by the Medical Clinic Board of the City of Birmingham General of certain subordinate.

I'm sorry, subordinated revenue bond section 9.2 of the lease agreement requires a certified copy of a resolution of the Birmingham City Council approving the renewal of the lease term for the renewal to become effective.

Motion please.

Second.

Item is before you.

All right, thank you.

Councilor Smithman, you ask that this item be removed from consent.

Yes, ma'am.

I just want some additional information and was the um why are we extending a 10-year term?

Just I just don't know what's going on.

Mayor Wilton.

Madam President, to this question related to additional information.

The attorney who's working this item is attorney uh James Stanley, who is not available today.

Ms.

King, are you in the position to share this any additional information?

Yes, I am.

Thank you, Mayor.

The city in this item is not obligated, so there's no responsibility, but it is a formality.

It has to be approved by the city.

Okay.

Is this so this was done in 2015?

What was the original intent of this agreement?

So this is related to the um board.

He can provide follow-up, but just know that the city has no obligations of any financial responsibility related to it.

But he can give you I can have him provide a written response on the inception.

Is that okay?

Councilor, would you like to delay this item?

Yes, I would like to move for a one-week delay.

One week, two weeks, one week.

Second.

Right.

For one week delay.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

We have a motion and a second for a one-week delay.

All right.

All in favor, let it be known by saying aye.

Aye.

All opposed, say nay.

All right.

Item 34 is delayed for one week.

Next item.

That should be item 35.

A resolution approving and authorize the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with Alabama Center for Employee Ownership Incorporated to the bold funding program to work with the small businesses to keep good jobs in Birmingham.

Eliminate barriers to retirement for entrepreneurs and lead to wealth generation for workers by turning the civil tsunami of a retiring and small business owners into an opportunity for workers through relationship building workforce development and hosting the people first development conference, which will equip attendees with a familiarity with how employee ownership drives development and a deep knowledge of a the resources available for employee ownership conversion for a term of 12 months for an amount not to exceed 93,055.

Motion please.

So I'm sorry, item 46.

Item 46.

All of these are bold items.

Councilor Smithman, you pulled each of these items.

Do we want to go ahead and let them present each of the items together and we vote them all in on one or up council?

Would you like to hear each item separately?

Uh it's up to our colleagues, honestly.

I know that administration did provide us with a presentation during budget and finance, and this gives an overall view of each of the items.

So if we're in agreement, then we could go ahead and hear the items and then we'll vote on them.

Is that okay?

You also, counselor.

All right, madam president.

Yes, I need um item 44 to be pulled.

Thank you.

Very good.

All right, so we'll hear all of them together except item 44.

And do we have someone from administration they present to us?

Okay.

Let's call them up.

So let's call all the items up except 44.

Okay.

One second, please.

A resolution approving authorizing the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with the BCAN Birmingham.

Incorporated through the bold funding program to strengthen BCAN's mobile free store project, which eliminates transportation barriers for delivering essential resources directly to communities through partnerships with libraries and other local organizations.

BCAN will provide basic necessities, including clothing, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and household goods to poor and needy residents in Birmingham at no cost.

A term of 12 months for an amount not to receive $71,450.

Item 37.

A resolution approving and authorize the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with breakthrough Birmingham through the Bold funding program implement.

Breakthrough Birmingham's Thrive Teacher Project, which offers one-to-one coaching, mentorship to first and second year Birmingham teachers.

Teachers are assigned a mentor coach, a retired educator from whom they receive weekly observations and coaching.

The program focuses on improving knowledge and skills and culturally responsive and trauma-informed teaching, classroom management time, management teaching strategies and work life balance for a term of 12 months for an amount out to exceed $110,000.

Item 38.

A resolution approving and authorizing the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with the community on the rise through the Bold funding program to implement a project to empower five women survivors of homelessness through the whole program full-time employment opportunity and community partnership.

The project will expand stable housing opportunities by launching a second rent-to-owned pathway and maintaining a current pathway while simultaneously growing community on the rise rises justice enterprise by placing recycled plastic products in 10 retail stores and tracking quarterly recycling to totals to demonstrate measurable community and environmental impact for a term of 12 months.

For an amount not to exceed $75,740.

Item 49, a resolution approving and authorized the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with the Creed Foundation.

Um a 16-week business development curriculum designed for historically underserved small business owners, which closes critical gaps in financial literacy, credit readiness, legal compliance, and operational capacity through group instruction and one-on-one mentorship for a term of 12 months for an amount not to exceed $94,42.50.

Item 40.

A resolution approving authorized the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with Forge Workspace LLC through the bold funding program to implement two 12-week accelerator programs, which will guide more established business owners that are in early stage profitability.

Through operational and strategic growth for a term of 12 months for an amount amount not to exceed 142,502.

Item 41, a resolution approving and authorizing the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with the hope as fire ministries incorporated through the bold funding program to serve 85 participants through six nine-week workforce development classes with wraparound support, including life coaching, case management, transportation, valid ID, and counseling, in which participants will earn industry recognized credentials, complete internships with local employers and receive 12 months of post-graduation support to ensure job placement and retention for a term of 12 months for an amount not to exceed 115,008 and 20 cents.

Item 42.

A resolution approving and authorized the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with uh hub or worldwide incorporated through the bold funding program to implement the adopted clinic initiative clinics to provide critical medical supplies and equipment to support the five Alabama regional medical services, clinic locations in the mobile unit serving uninsured and underinsured patients and priority neighborhoods in addition to providing quarterly trauma training for community members and clinic staff for a term of 12 months for an amount not to exceed 73,887.

Item 43, a resolution approving and authorizing the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with measured access to the bold funding program to implement the Capital Innovation Lab, Birmingham Inclusive Innovation Innovate Initiative, which is designed to eliminate barriers, strengthen workforce development and support small businesses by bringing together uh annual investor training and entrepreneurship development for students and professionals and a community-wide innovation summit for a term of 12 months for an amount not to receive 121,000 dollars.

And I think we went to uh 45, skipping 44.

Yes.

Approving the authorizing the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with the post founders, LLC through the Bold funding program to implement a comprehensive community centered emergency response training program to improve cardiac and survival rates to reduce health disparities and create pathways to workforce development, focusing on Birmingham's priority neighborhoods, including North Birmingham, Smithfield, Ansley, and Woodlawn where residents face the greatest barriers to CPR training and emergency preparedness for a term of 12 months for an amount not to receive $83,240.

Item 46, a resolution approving and authorizing the marriage, execute a bold program agreement with United Ability Incorporated through the bold funding program to implement the pre-apprenticeship training initiative, which will uh activate employee partnerships and manufacturing industries to develop pre-apprentice work sites that meet national apprenticeship standards, are teaching competitive remarkable skills to youth with disabilities for 12 months for an amount not to receive 108,000.

I think that's it.

All right, counselors.

I do want to bring attention, we will not be considering with the call of these items.

Item 37 on page 33.

Mr.

Clerk, will you note that we'll call it up by itself?

37.

37, yes, sir.

And 44.

So at this time, we'll entertain a motion for the items in front of us.

So move.

Second item is before.

All right, thank you.

Councillor Smithman.

Uh really just uh, I mean, I know you just gave it to us, but literally, other than maybe the budget and finance committee, no one else knows anything about these.

Well, we just need an explanation.

All right, honestly, like a short description of the organization project, geographic priority areas, um, and their goals for each quarter and how long have they been there in existence.

Thank you.

Mayor Whitman, do you have someone from your team?

Yes, ma'am, madam president.

At this time, I would like to ask Monique Schwartz to come in and give a high level, a very high level of these items.

All right, thank you.

And counselors, before you, you do have a presentation that was presented at budget and finance, and it should follow along with Ms.

Short's overview.

Thank you, Ms.

Shorts.

Should give us your name again and hit the gray bar so we can hear you.

Fantastic.

Thank you.

Good morning.

I'm Monique Schwartz and our service as senior program manager for the Office of Business Diversity and Opportunity within the Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity.

And I'm here today to present the 12 finalists for the Bold Award.

Alabama Center for Employee Ownership.

Their Gar Priority Areas are ENSLE, Fourth Avenue Business District in the Civil Rights District.

They're an Alabama 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to turn the civil tsunami and retiring small business owners into an opportunity for workers, particularly minority and women workers to build wealth, have a voice in their workplace, and share in the dignity of ownership.

Their initiative aims to convert 10 businesses to employee ownership, turning 400 employees into owners and creating five new jobs in the process.

To fill the set to facilitate this, ALCEO will host a conference with 50 attendees, providing a platform for discussion and networking.

Additionally, the program will engage 20 focus group participants to gather insights and feedback while surveying 500 businesses to assess their needs and interests.

To support these efforts, they will also train five community-based canvassers who will help spread awareness and promote the benefits of employee ownership within the community.

B Cont Birmingham is a second-time awardee.

Their priority areas are ENSLE, Five Points West, North Birmingham, Smithville, Illiton, Tittysfield, and Woodlawn.

They are a grassroots organization, women-led, committed to breaking down barriers faced by low-income and unhoused residents across Birmingham.

Their mission is to ensure essential resources such as clothing, shoes, hygiene products, and necessities are accessible to those in need.

They will conduct 75 mobile free pop-up events throughout the year, aiming to serve 7,500 individuals with at least 80 participants coming from the geogap priority areas.

They will distribute a total of 20,000 units of clothing, hygiene items, household goods, and workforce attire.

Additionally, the program seeks to supply at least five partner organizations with workforce attire and refer to 25 individuals to the Be Kind for Bubble Mental Health Program.

They will also collect feedback from at least 550 participants to assess the impact of its services, ensure continuous improvement and responsive to community community needs.

Community on the rise.

Their jiggard priority areas are the Fourth Avenue Business District, Civil Rights History.

They are a nonprofit and justice enterprise empowering people experiencing homelessness through a focus on housing, education, healing, and employment.

This program will develop leadership skills for three women in the whole program and create four service learning opportunities for the Birmingham community.

Each participant will compete a complete professional development activity, and four staff members will see increased pay, enhancing their financial stability.

A partnership with the M4A agency will hire a part-time survivor staff member, while handmade recycled products will be introduced in 10 local stores.

They also aim to increase 25% increase in savings for women through the budget education.

Lastly, their one staff member will begin her rent-to-owned contract, and another will compete there, complete her third year in program.

The Creed Foundation.

A 16-week business development curriculum.

The initiative plans to enroll 75 business owners with over 50% from the geographic priority areas.

They will experience a 25% increase in their understanding of business cash flow, accounting software, credit, and legal compliance.

Each will also receive 10 hours of one-on-one legal coaching and up to 32 hours of group instruction, along with 30 legal and accounting software stipends to support their growth.

Forge Ford, their areas are East Lake, ENSLY, the Fourth Avenue Business District, Civil Rice District, North Birmingham, Smithfield Illinton, Tittysville, and Woodlawn.

They are a co-working space and small business hub located in downtown Birmingham.

Since 2017, they've supported hundreds of entrepreneurs by providing affordable, flexible workspace, meaningful community, and opportunities for connection and growth.

With bold funding, they aim to directly serve 20 businesses through its accelerated program, including training, co-working memberships, and networking.

Key outcomes include 20 small business owners completing structured leadership and operational training through two 12-week accelerator programs with quarterly follow-up ensuring accountability.

The program tracks business growth metrics such as increasing revenue, customer base, operational efficiency alongside job creation within 12 months of program.

Participants will secure funding, grants, or contracts, receive 15 introduction to funders and advisors, and engage in at least two showcase events yearly, connecting them to Birmingham's entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Hope inspired ministries, state areas are East Lake, North Birmingham, Smithfield Illison, and Woodlawn.

They equip unemployed and underemployed Birmingham residents with the skills and support needed to secure and sustain employment.

With bold funding, they will support 85 participants through comprehensive wraparound services such as life coaching, case management, and counseling.

Participants, at least 40 from referrals from churches and shelters, DHR, or through community outreach, where our industry recognized credentials and complete internships, along with receiving 12 months of post-graduation support for job placement and retention.

24 learners will complete the OCA 10 certification or other relevant credentials, continue their education, enroll in a registered apprenticeship, or secure competitive employment within three months of graduation.

Hub Worldwide priorities include ENSLE, North Birmingham, Fourth Avenue Business District, and the Civil Rights District.

They are a nonprofit that provides a unique and essential service as the only organization in Alabama focused on redistributing life-saving medical supplies and equipment to underserved clinics.

Their initiative aims to provide medical supplies and equipment to 5,000 patients through the adoptive clinic program targeting both priority areas like North Birmingham, ENSLY, and East Lake.

It will support all five armed clinics in Birmingham by distributing $93,000 worth of supplies, including gunshot wound care kits and its diagnostic tools.

Hub will deliver 176 essential items, train 20 medical staff in first aid for severe trauma, and provide fast training for 60 residents.

Hub will also increase patient access to essential services by 15%, preventing 5,000 pounds of medical equipment from landfills.

Measured access.

Priority areas are ENSLE, North Birmingham, Fourth Avenue Business District, and Civil Rights District.

Measure Access advances inclusive economic development through capital access, workforce innovation, and community entrepreneurship support.

They will launch the Capital Innovation Lab to train 15 Angela investors, targeting an 80% completion rate and engage 20 accelerated participants with a 75% completion goal.

15 professionals will obtain agent investment certifications, while 20 students will complete venture capital fundamentals training.

75% of those angels will commit to ongoing investment activity here in Birmingham.

Five venture capital scouts will secure internships in the venture startup sectors, and measure access will establish the Birmingham Angel Network with 15 active members.

The PostFinders.

PostFinders LLC is a woman-owned health education business committed to improving cardiac health outcomes and emergency preparedness through accessible CPR AED training and certification.

Postfinders with 40 individuals in AHA hands-on CPR, and they are also certified 46 individuals in AAJ basic life support.

215 individuals will be trained and certified at AHA Heart Saver, CPR AD, 290 participants will receive training and open year overdose response from Mr.

Narcan Administration and stop the lead training.

This initiative will train and certify two individuals as CPR instructors and engage five volunteers with the Postfinders.

It aims for at least 15% of 300 participants training to report increased confidence in performing by center training.

Training locations include Carver High School, HABD, and MacAuthine Park.

United Ability areas include East Lake, Five Points West, North Birmingham, Tittsville, and Woodlawn.

United Ability is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1948 by a group of compassionate citizens in Birmingham, supervised services to individuals with disabilities.

Both funds will support the pre-apprentip, which will train 24 Birmingham CD youth with disabilities in an advanced manufacturing setting, equipping them with the skills necessary to enter registered apprenticeship at a higher level or to join the workforce with credentials for high demand high wage jobs.

Federal referrals will be sourced from 38 Birmingham City Schools and the Alabama Department of Real Rehabilitation Services.

Learns will complete OSHA 10 or other brotherhood certifications, complete 126 hours on the job training, out to our own certifications in forklift driving, and within three months of graduation are expected to advance their education, enroll in a registered apprenticeship, or participate in competitive employment.

Employer sites include Buffalo Rock and Motion Industries.

Thank you very much.

Counselors, you've heard an overview of each of the bold items that are before us.

Right now we are only considering just as a recap items 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 40, and 46.

Are there any questions?

Councillor Smithman, did you need any additional information?

Yes, I would like to meet the representatives of those organizations.

The budget and finance committee has, but I don't think the rest of the council.

Yeah, I know I recognize some of them in the audience.

Come up, yes.

If everyone would please come up.

What information would you like?

What are their goals for each quarter and how long has their organization been in existence?

And who is the representative of those here?

Hi, uh, my name is Daniel Marshall.

I'm from the Alabama Center for Employee Ownership.

Uh also want to say congratulations on your uh first year of school.

Um so as uh Monique said, uh, our goal is to convert 10 businesses in Birmingham to employee ownership.

Uh that takes some time, and so our goal for that is by mid-2027 that that would happen.

Uh, we also want to reach out to 500 businesses.

Uh, and so that would be basically we're foregrounding that in the first two quarters is our goal.

We want to have 50 attendees uh at our conference where business owners from the area can meet uh employee ownership experts and employee owners from around the country.

Um that would be 50 folks, and that would be uh in Q2.

Um, and then finally, we have uh focus groups for legacy business owners from those neighborhoods, uh, and we would have basically 10 from uh Fourth Avenue Business District, 10 from uh Ensley, and that would be in Q1.

How long has your organization been in existence?

Uh for two years.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Next applicant.

Madam President.

Yes.

I can um counselor ask the questions again so everybody's clear on what they need to present.

Yes, thank you.

What are your goals for each quarter and how long has your organization been in existence?

Morning, everyone.

My name is Ashley Griffiths.

Um, goals are to continue our pop-ups amongst the eight libraries that we are currently in, serving over 7500 each next year.

So broken breaking that down per quarter.

Um, we also do will do 75 pop-ups next year, and then 50 uh mental health referrals to our counselor through the BCON for Abba program.

Um, and in addition to that, our workforce development, in which we will provide to our partnering organizations the work pants and work um uniforms provided to us through Centaz Corporation, and we have been in existence since November of 2022.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

I believe that's your last.

Next, please.

Goals and how many years they've been at Hello, Field State or Organizational United States.

Hello.

Good morning, congratulations, new counselors.

My name is Avery Rhodes.

I'm the executive director of community on the rise.

We are so excited about this opportunity.

We've been in existence for five years since 2020.

We empower people experiencing homelessness.

Our goals for this bold grant are to empower five women survivors of homelessness who already are in our whole program.

Whole stands for wellness and housing opportunity linked to employment.

So it's a comprehensive embrace of women struggling on the fringes.

And so we are seeking to get our goods, which include jewelry and home decor into 10 local retail stores so that we can expand our reach as well as recycle 25 super sacks, which is a huge bag of plastic, and divert it from the landfill and from our ecosystems.

Would you like me to go through quarter by quarter, or is that good for the general?

I believe those are the questions that were this one.

Let's go ahead.

Thank you.

So thank you so much.

Also, I forgot because I know former counselor Abbott has it.

Wait, ma'am.

Yeah.

You where can people drop off their recycling?

Isn't number five?

We have an entrance.

We're on 2nd Avenue North on the side of the Church of the Reconciler.

Our sign hangs out from the door, and we have two blue pots, and you can come Monday and Thursday between 10 and 2 to drop off your number 5.

So all of the plastic that we recycle is local and diverting it from the landfill is super important.

So please come and tour, hang out with us and see what we're doing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning.

My name is Danielle Hines, the executive director of the Creed Foundation.

The Cree Foundation has been around for two years.

However, you all might know Creed 63, which has been in existence since 2021.

The goal of the program is to provide 75 businesses over the next one year, 25 per quarter, to receive one-on-one accounting support and one-on-one technical assistance, which also includes legal work.

All of the businesses will receive free QuickBooks, which is substantial, and it will create an economic impact directly to the city of Birmingham of more than $900,000 total at the end of the 12 months.

Thank you.

Next applicant.

Hi, my name is Kim Lee.

I'm the owner and founder of Forge.

We are a co-working space located in the Pazitz building.

We opened in 2017.

And over the years we've started hundreds of small business owners, many of them located in the city of Birmingham.

Our vision has always been to support small business owners, whether they're our members or not.

And this program allows us to give the opportunity to not just provide them support and community but also a small business accelerator.

So we will take businesses, small business owners that have been in existence and take them through a 12-week accelerator.

We'll do two per year.

So our goal is for 20 small business owners to go through this program.

It will level up their business, give them tools for training their employees, marketing, get their vision and alignment in order and be able to pass that on to all of their employees.

So at the end of each program, we will also have a celebration ceremony.

We'll bring in other people from our community and from the city to learn about the businesses and how they've grown.

Thank you.

Okay.

Next applicant.

And we do three things recruit, train, employee.

So we recruit individuals who are unemployed by meeting them where they are, either on the streets, through the courts, uh, in the prisons coming out of incarceration.

Then we train them both how to get a job, how to keep a job.

They come through receiving three college credit hours through the ACE program, but we also help them uh eliminate barriers in their life from transportation to identification, and then the end goal is that they're employed and they are self-sufficient.

Our goal is 85 uh participants uh touched.

Uh we know that not all of those will will graduate, but we will do six classes uh throughout the course of the year.

Um so you know, the classes sometimes you have two and a quarter and sometimes one, but those numbers will vary between there.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next applicant.

Hello, my name is Laura Gilmore.

I'm the founder and executive director of Hub Worldwide.

We launched in 2019, so we're kicking off our eighth year starting in January.

Hub stands for health care, under-resourced and biomedical.

We are laser focused on helping under-resourced communities with their health care needs.

So the mission of Hub and what we do is we basically we collect unused and surplus medical supplies and equipment and we distribute them to communities in need.

That includes individuals.

Sometimes people call us, get um just you know, discharged from the hospital, things like that.

We also serve clinics in the area, but the bold grain is focused on the arms clinics.

Our goal is to um supply them with ninety-three thousand dollars worth of supplies and equipment and training this year.

We're gonna start out in uh the first quarter with an updated needs assessment, and then we'll have our first trauma training that quarter.

So we're gonna have trauma trainings each quarter.

We're going to uh train 20 um office staff, but also 60 individuals in the community.

We're also going to provide incentives for them to come.

Um if anybody knows anyone that needs help or wants to donate supplies, we're looking at it hardware park 811 Fifth Avenue North.

Do you have any questions?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next applicant.

Good morning.

My name is Douglas Watson, managing director for measured access.

It's an economic development organization at the center of economic development is entrepreneurship.

And part of that is what we do.

We provide resources to entrepreneurs, and one of the biggest uh gaps in resources is funding.

And so Alabama is one of the least funded uh states as far as venture capital concerned, and one of the biggest reasons about that is that one there's a little lack of angel investors, and one of that because of that, there's a lack of uh education around what that means.

And so we are providing that education uh around angel investment and venture capital for both uh potential angels and students that would like to learn that and so thank you.

Next applicant.

Good morning.

My name is Carolyn Etherich.

I'm the founder and CEO of the Plus Finders LLC.

Um, our mission and what we will be providing is not only confidence, but training individuals throughout our underserved areas through Woodland, ENSLE, Smithfield, and North Birmingham, giving them the confidence of how to respond any event of an emergency by offering 300 individuals training and certification in CPRAD, NARCAN opioid awareness, and stop the bleed training.

Thank you.

And we have been in business since 2019.

Thank you.

Last but not least, united ability.

Hello, I'm Katie Dumas.

I'm the director of employment services with United Ability.

We have been around for 77 years since 1948, and our quarterly goals are to serve eight Birmingham City students and out-of-school youth in a pre-apprentip program.

So they will gain the skills and certifications needed to either enter into a registered apprenticeship at a higher level than individuals who did not go through the program, which historically individuals with disabilities have not had that leg up in the workforce.

Um and we will also assist them in getting into competitive employment and high-wage, high demand jobs.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Uh, not for the applicants, but really for um administration.

How did we determine each funding amount for each applicant?

Was it something they requested?

Or how was that determined?

So, yes, through the process, they requesting an amount.

We had a certain amount, so we just kind of went through and made sure everything was allowable through our tax through taxpayers dollars, and then they were giving that amount.

Okay, and this may be either dumb or a simple question.

What is the difference between funding and leverage funding?

So the funding is how much we are giving them, the leverage funding, how much they're giving back to the city of their own resources.

Okay.

And where will that funding go?

So it came in a come up in kind, so they could have provided space, they provide anything in kind they could have provided.

Just one clarification, not giving back to the city, they're putting that in their total budget for the program.

So we will be giving a certain amount, and then they're leveraging another amount for the total budget of the program.

Okay, okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Any counselors have any questions?

Alright, at this time we're ready for the vote.

Thank you, Ms.

Short, and we thank all of the applicants as well.

All in favor, let it be known by saying aye.

Aye.

Oh, say nay.

All right, thank you.

So items.

37.

Items.

Let me let me just declare the ones that we just approved.

So item 35, item 36, item 38, item 39, item 40, item 41, item 42, item 43, item 45, and item 46 are all approved.

Now, next item.

You want to go to 37?

Yes.

Okay.

Um item 37 resolution approving and authorized the mayor to execute a bold program agreement.

The breakthrough Birmingham through the Bowl funding program implement breakthrough Birmingham's Thrive Teacher Project, which offers uh one on one-to-one coaching mentorship to first and second year Birmingham teachers and teachers are assigned a mentor, a mentor, coach, a retired educator from whom they receive weekly observations and coaching.

The program focuses on improving knowledge and skills and main culturally responsive and trauma-informed teaching, classroom management, time management, teaching strategies, and work life balance for a term of 12 months for an amount not to exceed 110,000.

Motion please.

More item.

Exactly.

Item is before you.

All right, thank you, Counselor Smith.

Think you have the same question?

Yes, ma'am, goals for each quarter and how long they've been in existence.

We have the representative from Breakthrough Birmingham.

Good morning.

Hi, my name is Mary and Michelle.

I'm the executive director of Breakthrough Birmingham.

Um we've been around since 2013, but this particular program has been around for the past January.

We'll make it four years.

So we're really excited to continue the Thrive program that uh Bold funded last year.

So the focus of our program is really supporting 24 uh teachers in Birmingham City Schools using a teacher's coaching teachers model.

So we've been lucky enough to recruit four retired educators who work with us part-time at 25 hours a week.

And what they're doing is going into these classrooms on a weekly basis to ensure that first and second year teachers, the people most likely to leave the classroom, um, are getting additional support.

So that what that looks like is a weekly observations and a debrief cycle.

What that looks like is professional development that's happening on a monthly basis, uh, sometimes on the weekends, sometimes after school.

What that looks like is just professional networking opportunities.

One of my core beliefs, honestly, as a teacher or as a former teacher, is that we do not professionalize the the industry enough.

And so making sure that you have people across the city who are in the same, you know, going through the same fire as you, getting to this training over the over two quarters is really really important to making sure that you are long-term staying in the classroom.

What we found over the last two uh I'm sorry, the last three cohorts is that we've got a 90% retention rate, which is uh in comparison to about 35% with Birmingham City schools and 55% across the state.

So we think our supports are working.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

All right, thank you.

Yes, this time, Mr.

Clerk, are we ready for the vote?

All in favor of letting me know by saying aye.

Aye.

Old say nay.

I I will be abstaining from the vote.

Got it.

Okay, so noting that abstention, item 37 passes.

Next item.

Should be um 44.

Yes, item 44, a resolution approving the authorized the mayor to execute a bold program agreement with the flourish Alabama through the bold pro um funding program to implement a project entitled Isley uh creative uh economy initiative, which aims to transform Isle Birmingham into a thriving arts district by leveraging public art, culture programming, and community-driven design to create 50 jobs to provide workforce development for more than 140 local students from the Birmingham City Schools to host events such as concerts, artist showcases, wellness programs, and to implement public uh art installations, thereby uh stimulating local businesses, attracting visitors, and creating economic opportunities for artists for a term of 12 months for an amount not to exceed 139,000.

Motion please.

Mother item.

All right, thank you.

Do we have the applicant here from Flourish, Alabama?

Yes, it is good morning, good morning.

Um, my name is Jamon Hill.

I'm co-founder and executive director of the Flourish Alabama.

We have been in existence since April 27th, 2019.

So six years, six and a half years.

Um, we're really excited to utilize this bold funding this year to continue to grow the um ENSLE creative economy and the creative economy of Birmingham in general.

We'll be working with, as it says, around 140 students.

Um, the way that's break broke down over quarter is we'll be working with students in the fall semester.

Well, starting with the spring semester, then our summer program, and then also our fall semester.

Additionally, we'll be hosting monthly concerts and events where we'll actually be hiring artists to perform and taking some of those same artists, training them not only in workforce development, but specifically to teach, so we can bring them back as teaching artists as well to continue working with our students.

So we're really excited for this program this year.

We're really excited to continue building it and um yeah.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

All right.

Thank you.

This time we're ready for the vote.

All in favor, let it be known by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed say nay.

Thank you.

And clerk, Mr.

Clerk, would you note the absence of um counselor Smith?

She was not here for that vote.

Thank you.

That item passes.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

I really appreciate the opportunity that everyone has had a chance to uh hear from the multiple projects that the city is funding for the bold program.

Again, bold is for building opportunities for lasting development.

A question that was asked of me was what do you want to see for the city of Birmingham with the next four years?

And I think my answer was workforce development.

And so this is showing workforce development at work.

And you see, we have a diverse number of projects, but with a lot of small businesses that we're investing in.

So I thank administration and thank you, counselors, for us supporting these programs.

Next item, Mr.

Clerk.

Seven.

Yes.

A resolution approving authorized the mayor to execute an opioid abatement provider agreement with the Alabama Apple C Center for Law and Justice Incorporated through the opioid abatement program to implement Apple C's network of nonprofits collaborate concerning well which collaborate concerning treatment, re-entry, and supportive services for people returning to the city of Birmingham from incarceration for a term of two years for an amount amount not to receive 100,000 motion, please.

Second.

There's a lot of them that are related.

Okay, I have really a similar question for all of them.

Give me the numbers of those.

47 49 50, 51.

I think that's it.

It's 52.

I'd like to do it 52.

No, no, sorry, yeah.

Correct.

Okay.

So then Mr.

Clerk, would you call those items up together as well, please?

Okay.

Um, so we'll go.

I'm sorry, 48, too.

47, 48, 49, 50, 51.

We'll stop at 51.

Yes, sir.

All right.

Item.

I'm sorry.

48.

48.

A resolution approving and authorizing the mayor to execute an opioid abatement provider agreement with Auburn University through the opioid abatement program to complete its empowering peer leaders, peer leaders to reduce youth substance abuse project, a peer-led substance abuse prevention initiative in Birmingham City Schools through Alban University's 4-H health rocks program for a term of 12 months for an amount not to exceed 200,000.

Um item 49, a resolution approving and authorizing the mayor to execute an opioid abatement provider agreement with Cahaba Medical Care Foundation through opioid abatement programs to expand Cahaba Medical Care Foundation's medication assisted treatment and integrated behavioral health and medical services by mobilizing integrated treatment team to reach unhoused individuals with substance use orders disorders and at risk youth for a term of 12 months for the Mount Not to receive 300,000.

Item 50, a resolution approving and authorize the mayor to execute an opioid abatement provider agreement with uh cooperative downtown ministries incorporate, doing business as firehouse ministries through the opioid abatement program to implement a comprehensive trauma informed prevention initiative to address opioid use disorder and secondary substance use among Birmingham's most vulnerable residents experiencing homelessness for a term of two years for an amount not to receive 100,000.

Item okay.

Did we get a motion and a second?

We're calling all those up together.

So move.

Second.

All right, Councilor Smithman.

Uh yes.

So my general question for really all of them are I saw in the the attachments that there were tools and metrics of success.

Um, and what are those for all of those organizations?

Um it talked about approved use of funds, and are there any additional services being provided?

Or can we have the expansion of them?

Madam President.

Yes, Mr.

Mayor.

Lena Melton, who um leads our unhouse services is about to come in and give detail, but from a global perspective, very similar similar to the bowl process.

Um these people are able to apply to go through a public um transparent, transparent process to receive these funds.

Um these organizations are not new.

Um they've already been doing the work around various issues, including a significant amount of our unhoused residents.

What we find attached to a lot of this work is drug use and particularly from drug use um opioid within drug use opioids.

Um and so they've gone through a process that she can explain if um your colleague could repeat the question so she can get straight to that point.

My name's Councillor Smith.

Um, yes.

If you repeat the question my question was the tools and metrics of success that each organization plans to um implement and any expanded services provided, and then also, for example, like item 48.

How many schools are they going to be servicing?

Because it says Birmingham City Schools.

Thank you, Ms.

Melton.

So what we're asking, those questions relate to items 45 through 51.

Okay.

47.

Good morning, Council Alena Melton.

I serve as director of special projects in the mayor's office in governmental affairs.

Um, to the two questions, the metrics.

We've worked with UAB's Department of Psychic Psychiatric Medicine to create a rubric that's specific for each other organization.

So we'd be happy to provide that to the council.

Each one is different based on the services that they've um that they're rendering uh based on the outcomes that we wanted to be able to measure to justify the funding, and if I understand the second question correctly, there are no additional services to the mayor's point.

These uh these funds are specifically for the reduction of the effects of opioids in our community, so we're pretty streamlined on what we're able to um fund.

But like how many, like what's the goal?

Like how many people are we servicing?

Um, like I said, for like item 48, how many schools are we servicing?

So again, I would need to get you each metric because all of them are different to them to the schools.

We do have um the folks from Auburn here who can give you the exact number, but if I'm um I won't get that correctly.

Good morning, Lisa Jones.

I'm the county extension director for Alabama Cooperative Extension System here in Jefferson County.

Um we are going to conduct this uh intervention using our 4-H Health Rocks platform in 22 Birmingham City Schools.

That would be every school that has uh a middle school and high school population.

So this program really targets middle and high school.

Um it provides um curriculum support and uh develop leadership development for peer mentor programs at each of the schools to be titled BCS influencers.

So our our goal is to really stand up a team of students at each school with a faculty sponsor to become their own best intervention for opioid and substance abuse prevention.

Okay, thank you, ma'am president.

Yes, um, because you know the best way to have a positive influence on the peers is by having other peers to be ambassadors for them.

So thank you.

I guess for the other ones too, like what's their goal?

How many residents are they looking to service and how are they going to kind of target the residents?

Because we know we have concentrated populations of unhoused residents in certain districts.

So again, each one is specific, and we could if that's the information is not in your packet, we'd be happy to tell you that for each one individually.

I know top of mind, um Alabama Apple C we see 80% of the folks coming home from prison who have who struggled with addiction, and the the participants of that program match that demographic, about 80% of their clients are struggling with addiction.

So I think the very specific numbers, if you will allow, we will get that back to you that those numbers and the matrix.

Is that okay with you, counselor?

Honestly, no, because I feel like we should have this information before we vote.

Because this is something this is an issue all of us are dealing with with our unhoused residents.

Okay, so will they be allowed to just come and speak and they can't?

Thank you.

If you'll introduce them as they come up and let us know which program.

Sure.

So the first one I have is Alabama Apple C.

Mr.

Ronald McKeithan is here to speak to.

Hi, my name is Ronald McKeith and I'm director of the Secretary Chance at Alabama Alpha Seat.

Um I should mention that 80% of the individuals coming out of prison are suffering with drug abuse.

I have personal experience, live the experience of inside prison.

I can tell you it's like people walking the walking dead.

And we need these funds to ensure that we can help these individuals.

And we have like a one stop shop with all these organizations, and we're trying to give them the best we can.

I just I guess I just wanted to know if there's like a target individuals, or is it just we're just trying to get them as we can?

Right now we're talking to individuals that are leaving prison.

And we're also talking to individuals that have been out at least within a year.

But we're not turning down anyone.

As long as they live in in Jefferson County, we're going to come to their needs.

Okay, let me ask this very how many people did you service last year?

I don't have the information with you.

You don't have information, okay?

Okay, that's fine.

As a follow-up, do you have a goal or do you have a capacity that you are trying to meet?

Well, we started off with number 30 at the beginning.

We've passed, we've passed our um, we've passed the beginning stages, but we started off with 30.

And right now, we are trying to, we realize that we can take on more with 30 was our first goal just as a trial test.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Any other questions?

Counselor Williams.

So that brought me to some.

Now I'm thinking your question.

So with this, is this funding for the existing 30 that you have in your queue right now?

No, this fund is going to be for some of the existing, but those that are coming.

Okay.

So where do y'all meet these folks?

Like where, like, is there do y'all have like a physical location where this work is taking place or where does this well we have meetings, but when it comes to the individuals, we've been inside prisons at job fairs giving out the information.

Um, and uh we mostly require them to get in touch with us.

We also have other parole board members get in touch with us, but we have our meetings that um they vary at different places, but as for the individual we serve in, uh, they will come to different organizations depending on their needs.

So these people are all out of prison though.

No, out of prison, and we also have people that are getting out.

We have when received the list of people that are getting out soon, and we have a way of reaching them to let them know we have these services available for them.

Well, how do we know that they're gonna come to the city of Birmingham?

Are we not enticing them to come to the city of Birmingham if we're offering them services?

Okay.

So if you guys will remember about a year ago, um the program that is being funded is the Birmingham Reentry Alliance.

Many of you came to the um the kick off the launch of that program.

And so the number is in between 30 or 50 because these are folks who were leaving prison without a home plan.

And so they get case managed for entire year.

So the number was always intended to be a reasonable number that the case manager could handle.

Um, and so we're not enticing folks.

These are people who left prison and are returning to Birmingham.

These are Birmingham residents to date that have been serviced through this program.

Okay, thank you.

And it's my understanding that the funding source is the opioid litigation.

Right.

This is particularly for those who come into the program with opioid addiction leaving prison.

Okay, thank you.

The funding source for all of these that that we're here.

Okay, thank you.

The next one I have is the Love Ladies Center.

I'm sorry, were there more questions?

The Love Ladies Center.

Good morning, uh, Madam President, members of the council, um, congratulations to everybody, especially the new council members.

Uh, real quick, I want to thank the parks and rec department.

We had our annual alumni celebration at East Lake Park yesterday.

Um, over 2,000 uh, or it was Sunday rather, over 2,000 people showed up, and they were there uh the weekend of the classics.

So we're especially grateful for that.

Uh but uh my name is Frank Long.

I'm the director of development of the Love Lady Center.

We're now the nation's largest long term recovery facility for women and their children.

Women coming from addiction, incarceration, domestic violence, and homelessness, or some combination thereof.

Counselor Smithman, you would ask kind of where people come from.

I pulled an interesting stat yesterday that I'd like to quote.

Since August 2nd of 2020, we at the Love Lady Center have received 9,134 online intake applications from women seeking entry into our program.

That's nearly five women applying every single day for the past 1912 days.

So we stay full with a bed capacity of 535 and a wait list that hovers around 300.

And I'm here to take any questions you guys might have.

Counselor Smitheman.

And what kind of programming are you going to offer for them?

Yeah, that's great.

Great question.

And so it's super comprehensive.

There's five main pillars where you have to earn credit hours.

And those pillars are class credits, health credits, education credits, parenting credits if you have your children and a job readiness piece.

Everything from conscious discipline to epic parenting.

We always have a bank teaching financial literacy, a lot of relapse prevention, but nothing's cookie cutter.

The education department's very robust.

Thank you, Madam President.

Any other questions?

Yes, Council.

As someone that's been to your facility several times, I am constantly impressed every time I'm there.

Kudos to your organization.

Y'all have done an exemplary job and are if anyone is deserving of opioid funds, it's the work that you guys do.

Thank you, Counselor.

Thank you, Madam Pro Tem.

Yes, thank you, Madam High President.

I just want to commend each and every one of these organizations for doing the robust work that you guys continue to do because if you're not close to the solution or the problem, but what I want to do is challenge each one of my colleagues going forward.

If you don't understand what the organizations are clearly doing, I suggest that you you get with the organizations or learn what they are doing, the services that they are offering.

I'm very familiar with Carla Crowder, the Alabama Apple Seat, and the work that she does.

I also want to challenge each one of you.

If you have not watched Alabama Solutions, I challenge you to do so.

Because this is hardcore work that people are doing.

Being a retired probation and parole officer myself, seeing people when I worked in the state of Florida that suffered with addiction, methamphetamine addictions.

You know, going on outings, I I would say outings, but going on what we call searches, and having to be decomposed for going, you know, into a methamphetamine situation.

Um what I do want to, I'm not challenging anybody to do anything, but I think Elena said I don't know how many of you guys got.

I don't think I remember seeing any of you over at the OAA when we launched the re-entry alliance.

But I just think going forward, I think this council needs to have a roundtable discussion with people that are doing this work so we can clearly understand what everybody is doing to rectify these situations when it comes to substance abuse when it comes to unhousing situations because it's a crisis, just not in Birmingham, it's a crisis all over the nation.

Well, we're seeing people being criminalized because they don't have anywhere to live.

Now we're gonna have an issue with people losing their SNEP benefits, so the pot gets greater.

And so I challenge each one of you again to watch Alabama Solutions and also have some roundtable discussions, Elena, if we can get and all of everybody at the table, so we can uh so people can understand like what each organization, what service each organization's offer.

Because everybody is doing work in there doing work differently.

But again, thank you guys for what you're doing.

Um because it takes a heart, people that have empathy and sympathy and compassion to do this work.

Thank you, Madam Pro Tem.

Um in light of what Madam Pro Tem said, I remember when you were present the first time.

So I will hope you know we would be able to do that because that's a great and really I'm asking these questions because I want to make sure that we know what's being done with the money that we're voting for.

You know, that's that's the least we can ask as the council for the public because we may know what they're doing, but the public may not know what they're doing.

And so that's really the reason why I'm asking all these exceptive questions.

But I really do thank you all for what you do.

Um, you know, I am a certain I do the drug court every once in a while, and you know, sometimes people are sober when they come to court, sometimes they're not.

And so I I really thank you guys for the work that you do.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

All right, we're ready for the vote.

Okay, this is close 51.

I didn't read it, but that's good.

Yes, sir.

Go ahead.

Oh, wait a minute.

We didn't hear from Cahaban Medical or um firehouse ministries either.

Hello.

Come on.

My name is Charity Laster.

I serve as director of behavioral health for Cahaba Medical Care, and through this program, we're expanding our integrated substance use and behavioral health medical services to the unhoused population in homeless encampments throughout the city.

We partnered with uh Food for our Journey, Recovery Resource Center Addiction Prevention Coalition and UAB, so that we as a team will be able to offer food, offer medicine, substance use through medication assisted treatment and also medical care.

So through this one program, we're gonna bring what we do in our clinic every day to the unhoused community through encampments.

Any other questions?

So I know you mentioned food for our journey.

Uh currently in Five Plant South, um, something former Council App and I dealt with a lot is the situation they have with that particular church about people being fed, which there's nothing wrong with that, but they're also with trash yet as well.

So I would hope, you know, with you partnering with them that you would make sure that you know there isn't any trash or a nuisance that is caused from that food truck being there wherever you are.

Yes, ma'am.

That's something that they mentioned as we discussed the partnership was the cleaning up of the area and now with the additional partners, then being able to pick up those the trash as they go from encampment to encampment.

Okay, thank you.

It's 49.

She's 49.

49.

Cahaba Medical Care Foundation.

Thank you, Madam President.

So you're going.

So you're going to have a food truck?

No, sir.

I hate to confuse you.

No, we've partnered with several other organizations, and we will go on their routes.

They currently have routes to serve unhoused populations, so we will follow that route as we do substance use treatment and medical care.

Gotcha.

Thank you.

Sorry.

All right.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Yes, Council.

It's good seeing you, Charity.

Continuing the great work that I know that you did when you worked at the public defender's office.

But I what you guys are doing kind of reminds me of Libya when we went to California with to see the footprint of um what they were doing in California.

So thank you, Charity.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next one that we didn't hear from.

Is that the other one?

Yes, and we had another.

Uh, firehouse ministries.

Yes.

Thank you for allowing me to speak.

My name is Nicole Boomhoefer.

I'm the executive director of Fire Health Ministries.

And through this OBUAT abatement program, we uh propose to distribute uh nylops scene uh kits, one thousand of those.

We're doing prevention trainings, over 50 of those.

Going to be providing 200 behavioral health referrals, 100 peer-led support groups.

We'll be reaching 1,200 individuals through this, and we will be working with 55 or two to help 55 individuals uh transition into sober living or permanent supportive housing through the fire health ministries.

As you know, we're uh a low barrier shelter in Birmingham.

We serve about 3,000 uh men each year, men and women each year, uh, through either our emergency shelter, which is at capacity every night at 100, or through our medical respite program, the only one in the state of Alabama uh at 12 capacity every day, and or through our permanent supportive housing, which houses uh just over 100 men every night.

Oh and will all of these the um peer led groups, etc.

Will this all be housed at your facility?

So it's going to be uh facilitated at the emergency shelter, but it's also going to encompass our day shelter participants, those that aren't actually staying at the shelter and ours uh permanent supportive housing folks that are out in the community.

So we'll be doing uh we've already started it and uh on average we've had about 34 men uh come through each of the weekly workshops.

All of the men that stay there every night get an orientation and they are provided the uh Narcan or the fentanyl test strips and um just in May just to give you an idea of what we do see at the uh agent at the um emergency shelter in May alone we experienced eight overdoses, we're able to administer Narcan and prevent those deaths.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

I have some uh pamphlets that I just want to leave with y'all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

At this time, Mr.

Clerk, we're ready for the vote.

All in favor, let it be gone by saying aye.

Aye.

All opposed say nay.

All right, so those were items 48, 49, 50, and 51.

Excuse me, 47, 48, 49, 50, and 51.

Each of those have passed.

So item 52.

Next item.

Item 52.

A resolution approving authorized the mayor to execute an opioid abatement and provider agreement with uh urban alchemy through the opioid abatement program to provide Birmingham Oasis, a fixed location outdoor respite site designed to engage individuals who had highest risk of opioid overdose staffed by urban alchemy practitioners with lived experience and trained in harm reduction.

The always oasis offers low barrier access to hydration snacks, Narcan, care coordination, and supportive engagement.

The site includes shaded or heated infrastructure, public bathrooms, dog park, and consistent daily operations open 12 to 14 hours per day, seven days a week for a term of 12 months.

But about night we'd see 600,000 motion, please.

Um is before you all right counselors are there.

Any questions about this resolution where they're authorizing the mayor to execute uh another opiate agreement at this time with urban alchemy?

Do you need an overview of this?

Yes.

All right, thank you.

So Mr.

Madam President, yes.

What we find and what we found is unhoused residents will pick a space, a public space if you would, or private space and hang out.

Um issues may arise on this private um property or public property, and we have to clear it.

And one of two things happen, um house residents and house residents, by the way, convene and co and co-mingle in the sh in the space.

One of two things end up happening.

They migrate eventually migrate back to the same space and or pick another space.

And so having conversations with colleagues via mayors across other urban quarters across our country, um, and seeing what they've been doing.

Um what we find is why don't we just create a dedicated space?

This dedicated space can actually be managed not by the city.

We may own it, um, and I think in this space before you we will want to own the space.

Um but that congregating, if you would, would be more it will literally be managed and resources would be in this space from bathrooms to um hydration stations to snacks to Narcan, um, but an additional wraparound service to assist people who are on house in a continued effort versus going to um and so instead of just walking up to an encampment in the same space, um we could say what resources do you need, uh, what off-ramp you need if you would for additional assistance from being on the house to transition to the next moment.

So while they're in this space because they're gonna just do like any house person does, you have spaces you chill, hang out at this is a more organized intentionally designed effort.

Um, and this has been a success in other places that it's been that it is that it currently exists in.

So the money before you authorizes us to be in a position to identify a space, purchase that space, and then move to create this space that's managed by urban alchemy.

Thank you.

Any other questions, Councillor Smithman?

Yes.

Um, Mr.

Mayor, what other locations has this been implemented in?

Like what other cities?

Austin Portland, sir My name Artie Gilbert, I'm the director of operations.

All right, hold on.

Yeah.

Oh uh I was gonna say is someone from administration gonna answer this question for us.

Yes.

Um Portland, Austin, and San Francisco, Madam President.

Thank you.

And where is this location gonna be?

I don't know who wants to answer it.

We um so if I'm correct, uh Madam City Attorney, as it relates to um purchase of property, it follows under Yes is my recommendation that we go into executive session to discuss real estate transaction, and that's under 3625 A 7 and for real estate.

So let me ask before we entertain going into executive session.

Do you have any questions outside of the real estate?

Well, yes, I I just want some clarification, just because maybe I'm not remembering this right.

But I feel like when community development with the money they're doing for the um tiny homes, is urban alchemy still one of those organizations that will get that funding too?

Is this like a separate well, I guess I'll say later, but is that separate?

Like, does that mean they have two projects they're gonna be doing?

Well, they have several projects they're doing separate from the tiny homes throughout um this relationship with heart is dispatched throughout the city.

Um, and then this is totally separate as it relates to actually once the space is secured, managing the space.

Okay.

I just asked because you know, I can't really remember time we've gotten an update from them.

So that's the only reason why I asked about that.

Because we we don't know, we know some of what they've been doing, but we don't really know what they're doing, where they are.

It's been a minute since we've heard from them.

So we'll be glad to ask for an update and include that with uh committee of the whole so that we can make sure that they're prepared to give us that information.

Um do you still need the question relative to real estate for us to go into executive session?

I mean, I would like to know that my colleagues are well, okay.

Yes.

Okay.

And so that's 7A6.

Madam President.

Yes.

Uh we will we'll be glad to go to executive sanction to answer that question, but but if it please you and your body, the any other questions related to this, we would love to exhaust before we go into executive session.

I don't have any additional ones.

Any other questions?

Yes, Mr.

Vatson.

Yes, thank you, Madam President.

I had a few questions around uh urban alchemy.

Uh, you know, the last two or three years, we know that across the country and the city, we've noticed an uptick in homelessness.

Uh I know urban alchemy has uh been contracted as part of that solution.

And I'm uh as well curious to see some of the metrics and data around uh around these services, you know, how many folks have been served, um, and what are some of the resolutions for that service as well.

An example is uh uh as I understand there's a gap that we're seeing uh where urban alchemy has offered services, but individuals experiencing homelessness have declined them.

So in those situations, you know, is there a defined plan or protocol?

And uh so that's question one, and then secondly, would be uh an interest in seeing some data and metrics uh around the services.

Madam President, yes, to your um to your colleagues question, counselor.

It pleases pleases you, sir.

It pleases the entire body.

Um those two questions, I think we can go deeper as it relates to separate from this item isolating an entire presentation and update on all things homelessness as it relates to the addition of the contractual agreement with them, but on the ground here in the city of Birmingham separate from Urb Urban Alchemy is one heart and the work they're doing, as well as trends and data providing update on who's been served, how many people have been served, and other trends we're seeing throughout the work that's been delivered on the ground.

Those two questions, I think we can go deeper as it relates to separate from this item isolating an entire presentation and update on all things homelessness as it relates to the addition of the contractual agreement with them, but on the ground here in the city of Birmingham separate from Urb Urban Alchemy is one heart and the work they're doing, as well as trends and data providing update on who's been served, how many people have been served, and other trends we're seeing throughout the work that's been delivered on the ground.

I think beyond this, that's that it's gonna take us beyond the item before you.

But for this particular item, I wondered if do you need the full discussion in order to go further with this item, or do you have any inform enough information before you to consider this piece of urban alchemy?

Yes, you still have questions?

All right.

You want to do it now, or do you want to wait until we go into executive session?

Yes.

Go ahead now.

So on this item, and and I don't know who wants to speak to this.

What what specific you know?

I've I've really scoured over this budget and looked at that's being presented to us in our packet and looked at what Urban Alchemy's website says that they're doing related to this item.

So what wraparound services are actually being provided at this site.

Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

He's getting ready to answer that question now if you could share your first and last name again.

Again, I'm Artie Gilbert.

The service that it provide, it provide a service one to get individuals from off of ICEO from all the businesses that have been complaining off the street and get them to this location, a space where we'll be provided with essential, it would be uh essential conference.

We pass out coffee, tea, water, we will have a dog run.

Most people experience homelessness have pets.

We have a dog run, we have public restroom, which is very difficult for individuals going to establish to use the restrooms.

We have public restrooms, and we will have an on-site care coordinator who will be around the clock providing the resources to connect it to the resources to help individuals get permanent housing or into shelters.

Okay, so according to the contract, we have one, two, three IT people that are going to be receiving rather large salaries, and one care coordinator with a rather low salary.

So what are we doing?

And that's not in that does not include um like a project director, or I'm talking about like an IMS engineer, an IT analyst, a data analytics and reporting individual.

So, what are all these IT people doing?

Right.

So the IT people is the ones who keep all the technology up the up the speed.

Because we documenting through data everything that we're doing.

So we can present that when it's time for us to present it.

So we want to make sure that we do account, have an account of all the service that we're doing.

We can backtrack as far as we need to go to show all the service, all the connections, as well as with HMIF service, one roof, how we um submitted all the information in there to tie into the IT that's set up with which is called Zindex.

So we're going to have just as much salary going to four IT people as those actually the four that are providing service.

So you have the IT lead, and do you have the other ITs that he have covering different sections covering up the monitors, the video cameras, um, making sure with the clock in the clock in the staff had to be tracked because they have to clock in and clock out with the system called PACOM.

And so it's just the different technology thing that all of them is addressing.

I think counselor when you when you go through this, this is covering two shifts, 14 hours a day, and it's open seven days a week.

So you know, you're gonna have people several more than one shift.

My can here here are my concerns over this.

The folks, the practitioners that um who, according to the website are are felons, which is fine, are going to be there on a day-to-day basis.

However, there are a lot of highly paid individuals, like four IT people, that that swamp the the pay scale swamps the actual people that will be providing the services while they're there.

I want to know if there's actually wraparound services being provided or if we're creating an open-air drug market because if it is just having bathrooms and Narcan in a in a place where the city brings people to that are utilizing narcotics, that's and that and and on their website, you know, that's what was done in the tenderloin district.

Well, so I want to answer your question.

No, this is not will not be for an open air drug market, and we can't have it both ways.

That's why you actually need the IT and the cameras and everything else to monitor the site to make sure people are not using drugs.

So I guess then I guess I still go back to my same question.

What wraparound services are actually being provided?

And I'm just reading the contract.

Could you explain what you do?

Why you go to an encampment or somebody calls in?

Can you explain the process the A through Z of what happens?

Right.

So we have two components.

We have the component of the incident response.

We have a set of comm centers that receive non-emergency 311 calls.

We have a component that's a pro active engagement.

We have three vehicles that goes out all throughout Birmingham and engaging, along with the 311 calls coming in.

The people who do deny uh decline service, that's far any between.

Maybe every 10 two, one or two.

That's because that they have lost trust over a period of time.

It's the most important thing is the building and creating a trust.

That's the whole thing with the OASI.

We don't have a we we create an intimate trust through heart, but then when we stationary, they're gonna see us still hard.

The people who work with HORT that's providing the wraparound services with the care coordinators and the team who done built relationships with the HORT team over the time that we've been here almost a year.

So now we're done creating way more relationships with JBS, other establishing emergency medical facilities that allow us to bring individuals in now, along with creating a positive relationship with all the guests out there.

The guests have lost trust in people in the hell.

That's why they deny in the first place.

But what we're bringing is a compassionate, very kind and a trauma-informed approach, where they can understand that you're not the problem, but what happened to get you in this position, and we're here to solve the solution or bring a better solution than what they're felt.

The guess what they told us is that when they go to certain places, they feel like they incarcerated.

That's what they don't like.

And what we're bringing, we're bringing that we see you day in and day out, because we know who Jim already, Tim is to show the guests that we can help you to walk up off this ground and get to another place that'd be more beneficial to walk you back into permanent established housing.

And it has been proven from Austin, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, now in Santa Fe, and Denver, Colorado, Atlanta, and now Birmingham.

So with all due respect, sir, is that not the existing contract with you?

Having we already have with you guys?

That it is.

But this what this service does, what's before you, item 52, is the work they do, they will still do, to be very, very clear.

This is for additional staff for a stationary site, on top of them being deployed when they get a call in, when they go out to an encampment, when they go out to maybe uh someone is providing the service, such as feeding, and they may approach that, or when they are dispatched to one of our parks, or when they get a call on private property, they are still doing that in my left hand and in my right hand before you're a stationary area where they will add additional people to do that in this fixed space too that they're building trust.

So what one thing I you know, I really like the preceding items that we just heard with the opioid funds.

They're very specific, they involve prevention, they involve those that already are experiencing opioid addiction, etc.

I really also like the work that we approved as a council with Faith Chapel, because Faith with the pilot pro with the pallet program, Faith Chapel had really defined metrics of what they were going to provide when it comes to wraparound services.

Faith Chapel had really defined metrics of what they were going to provide when it comes to wraparound services.

I mean real defined.

It wasn't emotional, it wasn't, you know, we know names.

It was just, it was defined.

And this contract looks like to me an IT contract that I've read, and there is no defined wraparound services.

And anyway, that I I guess I've made my point.

I I can't I you know I'd like to see some results first in actual specific wraparound services, not emotional data about people we know.

Very specific numbers of these are the amount of people.

It's what Faith Chapel provided us before we voted on that.

But anyway, uh back to you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Madam President.

Yes, Mr.

Mayor.

If you would allow Ms.

Um Melton to explain similar information that was set shared with this council at the committee of the whole, I believe about a month and a half ago, related to an update from her from one heart.

It's permission um to correct just I apologize, Mr.

Mayor.

That's actually been a few months ago, but we did present before committee of the whole, and we do get monthly reports.

We're happy to share that on what we do have.

Um but as it relates to the question of wraparound services, what is before you now is really a middle between many of the requests that we get in government affairs from each of your offices from your districts and what urban alchemy is already providing.

It's we've had a whole of sorts.

We get the calls about encampments and we send them, and we're able to get help in many instances.

It's unfortunate, um, Councilor Williams, that you've gotten reports of people that have said no, but people do get a right to choose, and we're working every day on all kinds of options, not just urban alchemy, to get people to trust and um to build those relationships to get people housed.

However, we get these calls about encampments, and we don't always have a place for people to go, quite frankly, other than jail.

On the compassionate side, oftentimes the request says, where can they go that's not jail?

This is the answer that's not jail.

Based on what we've seen from traveling around the country, it's been largely successful.

Other cities have used opioid funds because it does promote harm reduction.

Um there is a level of tech that's absolutely needed because they are tied into one roof's HMIS, and so that is how the ha the role to housing begins without tablets and the technology needed to have to help a person get their information entered into that system, they're just sitting essentially as if they were sending a park.

So um the reports that we have provided and can provide again will show all of the wraparound services, but these are just the additional ones that we're looking to add on by having a place that people can go when the shelters release them every morning and hopefully get the help that they need.

Thank you, Council Leaves.

And you know, in response to that and pointing out that Austin is where the that this has been implemented, obviously 30 days ago, Austin just canceled their contract because they thought that the data that they were providing was was fictitious, and you know I did this go to committee, anyone's committee no did we look into why all the Austin's Department of Homeless Intervention thought that the data was fictitious 30 days ago and canceled the contract because of that?

It is my recommendation under 3625A 783.

We go into executive session to discuss potential litigation counselors up with yes, counselor would uh is this a time sensitive issue?

Yes, based on the calls I give from all of you, yes, but you want to punt it by all means is there a desire to give more time for this, or do we need to go on into a move for executive session?

All right, we can see uh she gave certification council member gunn.

Councilmember O'Quinners.

Yes, Councilmember Smith, yes, Council Member Smith, Council Member Ross, Councilmember Williams, Council Member Woods, President Pro Tim Tate, Council President Alexander.

Yes.

All right, counselors, we will go into executive session, so we will research recess for 15 minutes.

Thank you.

That to order.

Mr.

Clerk, do you have to call the roll?

Yes, ma'am.

Councilmember Gunn.

Councilmember O'Quinn.

Present.

Councilmember Smith.

Present.

Councilmember Smithman.

Councilmember Bossel.

Councilmember Williams.

Councilmember Woods.

Present.

Council President Pro Tim Tate.

Present.

Council President Alexander.

Present.

Council is we return from executive session and we now want to take back up item 52.

And um do we have a motion of direction we want to go with this item?

Council O'Quinn.

Madam President, I would like to make a motion that we refer this item to committee of the whole.

All right.

And we will schedule the next committee of the whole.

We'll look at that timing of that, and then we'll put base this item with the next meeting of the committee of the whole.

All opposed, say nay.

All right, item 52 is referred to committee of the whole.

Right, counselors.

We still have several items in front of us and councillors Smithman uh called for most of these items.

We will go ahead and take your item.

Council O'Queen, I believe the next item is item 73.

73 on page 42.

Item 73, a resolution amending resolution number 970-25 adopted by the council June the 17th, 2025, exercising the city's option to have assessments for the abatement of noxious or dangerous weeds to the tax collector of Jefferson County for the collection with property taxes to remove parcel one two three zero zero one five one zero three zero zero zero one seven zero zero zero due to the owner providing no assessment on the property motion please move the item all right thank you Dr.

Quinn you pull up that item yeah this one I just wanted to ask about this one because it's a little different than um you know other similar ones that I've seen you know specifically the part about the owner providing no assessment on the property can you can anyone explain to me you know what that means yes yeah council quinn so basically um you've seen in the past where we actually take in parcels off because of a citizen came and wanted contest it this is one of those cases where they contested and they failed to approve that the cut was done accurately and so now we was before the council is actually their item to put a lien on it to send to the county to the county for assessment did that answer your question well I'm confused because it says the the the summary says to remove then it gives the parcel number so you know the resolution was uh number nine seventy twenty-five was adopted by the council on June 17th of 2025 and then this item you know would be amending that resolution to remove that parcel that was included in the resolution on June 17th yeah that that may be a mistake on the wording but we're we're trying to assess their property though at the current moment okay so this needs to be corrected um can we just delay it one week and then we'll have it corrected motion to delay one week there's a motion then a second for delay or this item for one week all right all in favor that it be something by saying aye say nay all right item 73 is delayed for madam president I have a motion to reconsider the consent agenda my hero we don't have to roll call to have first and the second go ahead I'd like to add all of the remaining items on consent at this time good is that allowed since the counselor that oh that means asked for them but it's all the council okay all right so we have a motion do we have a second second okay so we're adding uh seventy three through uh yes that's item seventy four through this is yeah seventy four through ninety six correct so that's item seventy four through ninety six we're reconsidering for consent okay uh

Good.

Is that allowed since the counselor that means asked for them?

But it's all the council.

Okay.

All right.

So we have a motion.

Do we have a second?

Okay.

So we're adding uh 73 through 10.

Yes, that's item 74 through 74 through 96.

Correct.

So that's item 74 through 96.

We're reconsidering for consent.

Okay.

Got that before us.

Uh I need a motion on adopting the consent agenda with those items added.

So moved.

Second.

All in favor, let it be known by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed say nay.

All right, Council.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councillor Williams.

So all these items have been added and approved for consent.

Now, counselors, that brings us to the end of our agenda.

Um, I do want to ask if you can just limit some of your um so you want your time.

But let's go ahead and we'll go in and give our uh individual updates.

And I'll start with you, Councillor Woods.

All right.

Uh one, we want to congratulate uh Miss Kennedy Wisenhunt, a daughter of the district, but she went on to uh represent Alabama in the uh 2025 Miss USA pageant out in Nevada.

Uh she finished in the top 10, so incredibly proud of her.

And shout out to her mom, uh Cindy Wizenhunt, and we'll look to uh invite her down to City Council at once some point to celebrate.

Also want to thank all of our volunteers that came out for the B Litter free cleanup.

Uh continuing to see a lot of impact uh in terms of reducing the amount of litter that we're seeing at certain areas and want to shout out uh UAB uh Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity who came out to serve and collected an impressive 462 pounds of litter.

So we just thank the groups that continue to show up and uh make an impact.

So thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Williams.

Thank you, Madam President.

As of right now, the next economic development tourism committee is scheduled for November the 4th.

Um if you'll have all your submissions to India.bailey at Birmingham AL.gov and welcome all of our new members of the council.

Looking forward to working with each and every one of you in the best and most productive way possible.

Thank you.

Council of the Bezavasa.

Boston works.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselors.

Um Madam President.

Uh, just two uh updates and really just saying we had uh two great events recently that I'd love to recognize in district three.

One is uh I love Highland Park.

It's a wonderful event, celebrated uh the Highland Park neighborhood, Birmingham Historical Society was involved.

Uh we had several other organizations, restaurants, uh, and a well-attended event.

So um just kudos to those who organized that event.

Secondly, lastly, uh what a wonderful celebration of the opening uh at Bessie Estel Park of our affordable uh excuse me uh accessible playground, uh, which counselor Abbott was uh a big part of so just uh we want to highlight those two items.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Councilor Gunn.

Yes, thank you so much, madam president.

Uh when I wrote my notes this morning, I said good morning.

That was good afternoon.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Uh first I want to thank um district four, all of the district four residents who have entrusted me uh to represent them on the council days.

It means the world.

So I'm uh continuing to um advocate for the needs of district four.

Um and I definitely want to make sure that district four is aware of my team that will be helping to serve uh district four.

Uh I brought on Carmen Mays to serve as chief of staff and uh Darius May will serve as the director of public policy and external affairs.

Uh now for the announcements, uh neighborhood meetings.

There are four uh neighborhood meetings coming up on Monday, November the second.

Airport Hills meets at 6 p.m.

via teleconference.

Roebuck uh meets at the police precinct at the East Police East Precinct uh police station at 6 30.

Uh Airport Hills is meeting at 6 p.m.

at the Brownsville Heights Community Center, and then tonight uh is the Norwood neighborhood meeting and they meet virtually.

Uh lastly, Mr.

Jenkins stopped me on the way in.

How are you doing, Mr.

Jenkins?

Uh Mr.

Jenkins uh made me aware of the annual men of praise concert, which is taking place November the 9th, 2025 at 3:30 p.m.

at the Greater Emmanuel Temple Holiness Church Incorporated, where Bishop Jose Perry is the pastor.

So he's inviting everyone to come out to that.

And those are my announcements.

Thank you.

Councillor Smith.

All right.

Well, good afternoon.

Um, so a couple of things.

First, I want to congratulate all of the new Birmingham City Schools board members.

Most were sworn in this past Sunday, one this morning, and then the other two at some other later point.

So I want to congratulate those individuals for that role.

Couple of neighborhood meetings.

Also just want to wish everyone a safe Halloween as you are going out and celebrating.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Council O'Quinn.

Thank you, Madam President.

For District 5, the Fountain Heights Neighborhood Association that's uh would regularly be held tonight has been canceled.

Uh however, Crestwood North Neighborhood Association will meet tonight at 6 30 p.m.

at Girls Incorporated.

Um want to let folks know uh to save the date for the annual district five Thanksgiving food drive and giveaway that will be held Friday, November 14th, 1 p.m.

at 1 p.m.

at the Jefferson County Family Court located at 120 second court north.

Um this is this event is a first come first serve event while supplies last um if for folks who have participated last year um same setup um again that's Friday, November 14th at 1 p.m.

at Jefferson County Family Court.

And then um also want to let folks know about an event happening uh in the Crestwood North Neighborhood Association this weekend.

Uh so the the neighborhood um has a their own nonprofit organization called Greater Crestwood.

Um they're having an event on Saturday, November 1st called Crestfest.

Uh it's a neighborhood music festival.

Um there'll be local music, uh food trucks, artists, um, and all of this is going to take place on porches across the neighborhood, and that'll be from 11 to 5 p.m.

Um, and there's going to be an after party at the at Crestwood Tavern.

Um, so if you want more information, they have a website set up, um, and that web address is Crestfest, BHM dot com.

Um, and then uh finally, I just want to say um thank thank you to all my colleagues for a smooth transition of power um and congratulations, Madam President and Pro Tim.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

Councilor Smitherman.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, just one announcement.

Uh I think I'm the last Safe Summer Concert, but it'll be this Sunday at 5 p.m.

at Railroad Park.

We will have Q Parker next, Sherry Brown and local uh artist.

Uh Rocky, we will have um Food Trucks 1918, Jay Wings, um Lemonade Junkies, Travis, and I'm missing one more.

Uh so enjoy live music, delicious food trucks, and so much more.

Um, it's free, so come out and join us.

And then congratulations to everybody, include our council leadership.

Um, I look forward to seeing what we will do as a council.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Madam Pro Tim.

Thank you, Madam President.

As Councilor Quinn has said it gracefully, uh, Fountain Heights neighborhood is counsel for tonight.

I'm gonna congratulate each and every one of you looking forward to serving with each and every one of you.

I want to congratulate my niece, Toriel Pallett, being sworn in to the Birmingham Bar Association on last Thursday.

Another attorney is on the rise.

Dolamite Neighborhood Association meeting will be held tonight at 6 p.m.

at the Westfield Ola Mike Community Center, located at 1069 Tim Mill Row, Central Pratt Neighborhood Meeting will meet next Monday, November the 3rd.

6 p.m.

They meet on conference call, and you can dial in at 7207409732 Passcode is 34808.

Sherman Heights neighborhood will also meet on November the 3rd at 6 p.m.

at the Morningstar.

Christian Church located at 1600 Slayton Avenue, and you also can dial in at 952206 4918.

Pass code is 223418.

No public safety meeting on today, and very on the shonta seafus will be teaching another QR code class on Wednesday, October 29th from 911 at the North Birmingham Library.

Nick concludes my announcements, Madam President.

Thank you, Madam Pro Tim.

These are announcements for District 7 on Monday, November 3rd.

These are announcements for District 7 on Monday, November 3rd, the Grisilla Heights Neighborhood Association will meet at 6 p.m.

at the Mary Doris Center.

I want to take this opportunity on behalf of Madam Pro Tim and myself to thank you all for entrusting us with your leadership, council leadership for the next two years.

And so very appreciative of that support.

And I must say I want to thank you personally, Dr.

O'Quinn, for your leadership for the past two years.

You really brought some excellent things to us.

I know you streamlined our committees.

You gave us an opportunity to have our meetings where we have more training, more workshops, and um you kept us going with those committee and whole meetings.

So I thank you very much.

But I do appreciate working with you and supporting you, and I appreciate your leadership in that role.

You all know my background is um my dad was a teacher, my uh my mother was a uh school secretary.

And so everything I relate to goes back to education.

So I just want to leave one little thought today to our seniors, Councillor O'Quinn and Counselor Williams.

We're looking to you to help lead us and guide us with the knowledge that you have and the institutional knowledge that you have for your length of service here on the council.

For our juniors, that includes me, Council Woods, Councillor Smithman.

We have this opportunity now to also to help those that um are serving with us to our sophomore, go with it, and to our freshmen.

We just want to say that we welcome you all.

We will be supportive to each other.

Again, uh, we look to work together as a team.

I enjoyed the fact that we said, what did we say last week?

A question is not an indictment, it's what just seeking information.

And so um we thank you, and I thank each of you for being able to serve with you.

And we look forward to serving with the administration with everyone.

So thank you.

So at this time, we will entertain any uh speakers.

I think they've both gone, but we'll go ahead and let you call those names, Mr.

Clark.

Okay, Robert Banks.

One still here?

Okay, go ahead.

Robert Banks.

Ricky is it Green?

Green.

Ricky Green.

Okay, I didn't see you back there, sorry.

Hello.

Great.

Well, I'm always coming before the council, but this time I'm coming before you as Minister Ricky Green.

I am associate minister at East Birmingham, Church of God in Christ, whereas Bishop Peter and Senior is my pastor.

And also uh we have a life center there.

It's been empty for about 10 years.

Used to be a daycare about 10 years ago.

And we also have a family life center on the corner on 55th Street North, 200 55th Street North.

It's vacant also, but God had blessed me to be able to access those facilities.

And I wrote the vision, made it plain, went to the bishop and he ran with it.

So now I'm over the facilities.

And the life the life center is 155,000 square feet and have three floors to it.

I want to go in there and turn the third floor, the second floor, to living quarters where I'll be able to house 125 people, uh, homeless people.

But that's just to give you a brief idea of where I'm going.

I'm not gonna put too much out there at this moment because everything is still being finalized in the writing.

But uh in the Christian Life Center, we have a gym, classrooms.

It's about 50,000 square feet.

I've been talking to other programs because I was gonna turn to a community center, a resource center, also an outsource center, get other programs to come in.

Um right now, you guys don't have to be worried.

I'm not gonna actually go in your pocket books yes yet.

But uh, I definitely will be in touch with you all, and I'm looking forward to partnering with you all and working with you all because this is gonna be a journey.

Birmingham has so many programs in the city within itself.

And by me being from the you know, neighborhood, you know.

I just don't see any success stories.

People come over these programs, try to get money.

But where's the track record for us to success stories of the lives of the people that they are interacting with on a daily basis to bring about a change?

You know, I've been doing outreach for about 10 years behind the scenes, no recognition.

So now is the time, you know, for us to really step up to the plate and get more active in the community to be more hands-on to bring about a change instead of coming over programs, and we don't we're not seeing anything changing, all these programs.

So I think we just need to evaluate and um you know go back to the drawing board.

But like I said, that's all I just want to share at this time.

But like I said, I'll be back in a couple of weeks to present you all with a proposal.

Thank you, Mr.

Green.

And where did you say your property?

What um it's in Woodland, district four.

Okay, thank you.

I was going to ask for the district.

Yes, ma'am.

All right, thank you very much.

Counselor Oakland.

Madam President, I think I want to thank um Pastor Green for coming.

And this these are the types of um, you know, projects that we need in the city of Birmingham.

And we we especially um this reminded me that um you know, we're in a in an emergency situation within the next few days with uh the government shutdown and you know the uh SNAP benefits uh not going out to tens of thousands of city of Birmingham residents.

Um I got an estimate over the weekend that uh you know we have somewhere around 70,000 SNAP benefit recipients in the city of Birmingham.

Um so when you you think about that, you know, relative to our population um, you know, the the alarm ball bells should be going off for our entire community, and you know, the city of Birmingham uh, as far as the government is not going to be able to fill that gap.

So I'm I'm putting out an all call for our entire community to help make meet this uh immediate need.

Um this is not just a uh issue of um making sure people get fed, you know, when people are in crisis, uh it has all sorts of other ripple impacts across the community.

So for for the sake of the individuals, um, absolutely, but but for the sake of our community, this is uh a time for people to step up.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you very much.

Just real quick.

Um that since you mentioned that about the pandemic, I would also like to mention that we feed the community on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 11 to 12.

And we've been doing this for about seven years now, out of pocket.

So since uh and also I've been working with Southside Baptist Church with Council Councilwoman Abbott, and we have a food bank over there, and we give away food every second Thursday in the month, and that's gonna help with the pandemic providing families with groceries.

So I don't think you have to do, we have they have to be within the uh zip code, certain zip codes, and um we'll be able to provide them with food boxes.

But for as on Woodland side, we're just on the feeding on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the church from 11 to 12, and the address is 5600 First Avenue North, and you don't have to be homeless, it's for anybody who wants to come have Mill Fellowship with us.

So just keep that in mind, and it's open for anyone.

Thank you.

Thank God.

Thank you.

And what I'm thinking, counselors, maybe if we we get this information within our districts, if we can maybe get uh some type of flyer information out on our website on our landing page as we go through this time, because we as you said, 70,000 people that are dependent on this.

Um, we want to get that information out there, and we thank you for congregations like yours that are uh willing to invest in the community and help people in need.

So thank you so much.

Yes, ma'am.

I thank you all to take the time out and listen to me.

Thank you.

How blessing at this time we do want to thank our officers who are on duty, Officer Pinkard, and I believe that's Officer Square back there.

Thank you very much for your service.

And at this time, we'll entertain a motion to adjourn.

All in favor, let it be no more saying aye.

Aye.

Thank you, meeting adjourned.

Right.