So you can see the loot, you know.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Oh, I ain't trying it all here.

Oh, it is turning all that stuff.

P I O are we ready?

Good morning, Birmingham.

Today is Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026.

The time is now 9:37 a.m.

I call to order the regular meeting of the Birmingham City Council.

Today's invocation will be led by Pastor DJ Manuel of Lilly Baptist Church in Tarran, Alabama, and the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Councillor Darrell O'Quinn.

If you're willing willing and able, please stand and join us.

Thank you.

Good morning, City Council.

We bow heads and on my heart's precious and internal father.

We give you praise and glory and honor.

For this is the day that the Lord have made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Lord, today we ask that you would invoke your presence in this place.

God now smile on them.

Give them peace of mind and solace in their heart as they made decisions for the citizens of Birmingham.

And God now we recognize your presence.

Good morning, Mr.

Clerk.

If you'll call the roll, please.

Yes, ma'am.

Councilmember Gunn.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Councilmember Smith.

Councilmember Smith.

Morning.

Councilmember Bob.

Morning.

Councilmember Williams.

Councilmember Woods.

President Pro T M Tate.

Council.

President Alexander.

Good morning.

Thank you very much.

Councillors, the minutes are not ready from the meetings of March 3rd, 2020 26th through May 26, 2026.

At this time we'll have communications from the mayor.

Good morning, Mayor Whitfin.

Good to see you this morning.

As well as those in the chamber this morning.

Good morning.

And those watching online.

So there's a need to protect our most vulnerable residents from the dangers of extreme heat.

This time of the city of Birmingham is calling on our residents, businesses, faith organizations, and community groups to come together for a simple act that can make a life-saving difference.

From June 1, which was yesterday through tomorrow, June 3rd, the city is hosting a community water drive to help stock local homeless shelters and cooling stations with essential hydration supplies.

Donations will be accepted from 7 30 a.m.

to 4 p.m.

over these three days at the Bower Auditorium.

And that address is 1930, Reverend Abraham Woods Junior Boulevard.

Donations of the bottle of water, Gatorade, and Power Aid will help ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness and others seeking relief from the summer heat have access to resources they need to stay safe.

Every case donating represents more than a beverage.

It represents dignity, compassion, as well as a commitment to caring for our neighbors.

So for more information for anyone who would like to give andor donate, you can call 205-254-2888.

Again, that phone number is 205-254-288.

Or go to Birmingham AL.gov slash homelessness on how you can get involved in the CIS.

On another note, Madam President, Council, we continue to promote the Birmingham Municipal Court Amnesty Month, which kicked off yesterday, June 1.

This program is this amnesty is for the entire month of June, June 1st through June 30th.

For many residents, unresolved court matters, we know can become barriers to not only employment, but also the housing, financial stability, and just a simple peace of mind.

And so for the remaining of this entire month, eligible individuals with an opportunity can take step forward resolving outstanding court obligations without fear of arrest.

Those eligible individuals may visit Birmingham Municipal Court Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.

to 4 p.m.

to take steps to resolve their cases, their cases or outstanding obligations.

Participants must present a valid ID.

This amnesty program applies to individuals with outstanding failure to appear warrants related to the following court on original traffic citation or misdemeanor charge.

Compliance with the payment plan or sentencing order, outstanding unpaid fines, court costs, restitution.

Eligible participants may have their failure to appear warrants recall.

And by being recalled, they will be allowed to pay the original fines and or court calls in full.

Establish or reinstate a payment plan, reestablish compliance with the court order program or probation requirements.

In addition to this, outstanding parking tickets can be resolved online at Birmingham AL.gov slash Park Smart.

Again, that's Birmingham AL.gov slash ParkSmart.

Parking fees may also be paid at the court.

This amnesty program does not apply to those cases.

But we imagine some may have questions or want to or have concerns so they can call Birmingham Municipal Court at 205-254 2161.

Again, that's 205-254 2161.

And at this time, I would like to ask your colleague, representative of District 9 and Pro 10 with the council of Tanya Tate to come to the podium.

And as she comes, I would like to ask all the guests here in their orange and those not in their orange that are part of the National Gun Violence Awareness Day, please come forward.

Yeah, that's all of y'all.

Yes.

Madam Madam President and Council, as your colleague continues to gather this flock and see of amazing people and organizations you see behind me.

What I love about this group of people is that they have a very clear mission.

And that is to eradicate gun violence in our communities in the city of Birmingham.

While we applaud the decrease in gun violence in our city.

At this time two years ago, noting that that is a 72% decrease in homicides for our city.

We acknowledge that one homicide, one victim of gun violence that has survived is still too many.

Every day in America, more than 120 lost people lose their lives to gun violence, and more than 200 others are wounded.

Behind every number is a family forever change.

That's my family.

That's many of the individuals you see here and their families, including mothers who are still grieving their sons.

June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month.

And this month, we take the time to honor the lives lost, recognize the potential that was taken from us too soon, but additionally reaffirm our collective commitment to creating safer neighborhoods and eradicating gun violence.

Because of the people you see standing here and the organizations they represent, Birmingham has demonstrated that progress, progress is possible.

Focus investments in violence reduction strategies, including restore hospital linked violence intervention programs and partnerships with credible messengers and community organizations.

The city achieved a nearly 44% reduction in homicides last year and continues to see declines as I just described earlier compared to two years ago, willow north of 70%.

These results show what can happen when residents, community members, leaders, law enforcement, local organizations all work in the trenches with a common goal.

And so that today we pause to honor the work of those who help reduce gun violence with the special proclamation that I'll read in part, and then I'll pass it to your colleague who is not only passionate and committed to this work, uh, but is on the ground herself, who I would like to personally thank for her hard work.

In the states whereas Americans are 25 more times likely to be murdered with guns than people in other developed countries, and whereas gun violence impacts people of all ages, it increases their probability of death from incidents of domestic violence, raises the likelihood of a fatality by those who intend to injure others, and among those who attempt suicide.

It places children and young people at risk and disproportionately affects communities of color.

And whereas today, in front of this council, before the city of Birmingham, the amazing people and organizations you see flanking me, we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands and encourage responsible gun ownership to help keep our residents safe.

Now, therefore, our Randall L.

Woodman, mayor of the City of Birmingham, along with the Birmingham City Council, and especially along with your colleague, pro cham of the council and counselor for District 9, Council Latonia Tate.

That's a lot of counselors.

That's National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the City of Birmingham, and what we truly look to do in this short moment we have with you is to encourage all of our residents to support their local communities, help prevent the tragic effects of gun violence, as well as to honor and value human lives.

Thank you for your time to this matter, and I present to you your colleague.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor Whiffin.

Thank you to my colleagues, the city council.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge Council Crystal Smithman and Clinton Woods, who started this journey prior to me.

Um joining the council, and you all for interesting my leadership.

So thank you all for believing in this work, Madam Proteam for believing in it as well.

What about us, Therese, who is a mother of a son that she lost in gun violence, those that are in this fight 24-7 on the ground doing this work day in and day at night.

I salute you all, Judge Hunt here for standing up the restore program in family court.

This work cannot be done without these brave men and women sacrificing their time, their families to position other people to win in the city.

So I'm gonna still make and allow Judge High here, your Dr.

Heats and Deborah Daniels to speak briefly and also acknowledge some survivors that are here.

Thank you, Councillor Tate.

Thank you, Mayor Woodfin.

Thank you to the council in general.

I just want to stand up today to say I appreciate the support that you all have given to the restore program and to us at Jefferson County Family Court.

Um, as we continue our fight against gun violence, we do everything we can, and but the support that you all offer is invaluable.

So as we um celebrate this week, um I just want to give our gratitude and say thank you once again for your support.

You have a difference.

Good morning, counsel.

Um let me say this.

Um, the people that are behind you uh represent community.

I remember um Mayor Woodfin when he first came in the office, he talked about we can't police ourselves out of this issue.

And I've heard many of you say the very same things.

Um today is very somber for me because you see some slight smiles, but there's a lot of pain behind those smiles.

And I hope that you all understand that in the city of Birmingham, this work helps us to move forward and claim our rightful place as being a great city on the hill.

We can't have and claim economic empowerment uh without making sure that we are reducing gun violence.

Uh our babies are dying.

They've been dying in the streets, and I can't be more thankful for you all uh for making this investment.

Uh, your colleague has been a draw major for this work, and I appreciate you all for supporting uh each and every one of these organizations.

It's extremely important.

And I want to just take 30 seconds to just tell you what this work really is.

Many of the people behind you are working 11 o'clock in the morning or one o'clock uh 1 a.m.

We are out in the streets.

There's a piece of this component that talks about intervening in gun violence.

It's prevention.

It says that before police officers call, there are people that are integrating into the spaces, and I mean they are going everywhere where the spaces of violence is happening and attempting to interrupt that violence.

When you look at this space across the city, uh excuse me, across the nation, you've had people that stand behind me that that do this work that have actually been shot trying to do this work.

I want you to understand the severity, the seriousness, uh, and the compassion and dedication of the men and women that are behind us.

And so thank you so much for the work, uh, Mayor Whifan.

I can't thank you enough for this.

Uh, we're actually, whether you know it or not, the city of Birmingham is getting national attention on this work.

We're literally going to be presenting this program at Essence Festival on the backdrop on July the 2nd, and your colleague will be speaking uh in New Orleans.

So thank you again.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

Good morning, City Council, President Alexander and fellow counselors.

Uh on behalf of the Jefferson County Board of Health, I serve as Jefferson County Health Officer.

Uh, and I want to acknowledge you all on the sustained investment you've made in the city.

Uh, as you all know, there's been significant decreases in gun violence, not only in the city of Birmingham, but also in Jefferson County, and that's in large part to the efforts that you all have done.

Um we have a special relationship um with the city council and the mayor's office.

Uh, and the Board of Health stands firm with you all.

Uh and it's not just in words only.

Um, and hopefully soon you will um be seeing an agreement um for some additional funding coming from the Jefferson County Board of Health to the city to maintain the work and momentum.

Um, oftentimes when you see significant decreases in gun violence in the community, sometimes the resources dry up because you think that you've arrived.

And the issue is this is not the time to let off on the investments.

We have to double down those um efforts so we can have continued progress.

So thank you all.

And I really appreciate it.

Good morning.

Again, Mayor Wood and thank you.

Council President Alexander, thank you.

And of course, our champion, Pro Tim I Tate, for this opportunity.

OAA is deeply honored to stand here, not for what we have accomplished along, but for what we have achieved together through partnership, innovation, and a shared belief that every life has value, and every survivor deserves an opportunity to heal.

The hospital violence intervention prevention initiative has entered its fourth year of operation, serving over 285 survivors of gun violence.

Stabilized 755 families, provided 5,880 services.

But most importantly, we have documented zero retaliations, demonstrating that intervention, support, and hope can interrupt cycles of violence.

And some who are with us here today and will be coming to the podium.

And several now serve as full-time violence intervention professionals with OAA.

Their lived experience have built trust, where trust is often absent, creating meaningful connection with victims' families doing some of the most challenging moments of their lives.

Together, we are proving that through unity, we can reduce violence, improve outcomes, create pathways to opportunities.

Mayor Worthin and Dr.

Hicks, thank you for your leadership that has created a model that is saving lives.

So I'm gonna invite one of our violence intervention professionals along with some of our survivors to the podium.

Good morning.

Y'all come on up.

How y'all doing?

Now I don't know all how to do all that protein and all that, but I have a great, I'm I really appreciate everybody.

Okay.

First of all, my name is Timothy Linneal.

Now, first I want to thank y'all for giving me a chance to professionalize what I did automatically.

And it gave it give every person like me a chance to move their life in a different direction.

So you're not just helping the community.

You have to know that's coming back into the community.

You have a chance to be a professional, something they do anyway.

All right.

We uh in the hospital violence intervention program, we take our clients from the bedside to a year after.

And we work with them that whole time.

I want you to meet a couple of them.

Um these are the young ones.

This is Jeremy, he's 16.

Um, he came to us.

Um, when I met Jeremy, him and his folks were going through some things.

And um, they was back and forth.

And to sit down with them and say, hey, let's just stop.

Y'all not listening to each other.

And they start listening to each other.

Now, Jim had graduated at 16.

He has a job.

And eventually what he decided to do as you go on to college, I'm gonna try to talk him into coming back and teaching and helping with the kids that's his age.

So we're building programs as we build this new community.

All right, thank you, Jim.

You want to say something?

Sure, I did.

Thank God.

Okay.

All right.

Come on, um, I think I'm gonna come up.

He kind of shy, but let me tell you, that's Jeremy's um nephew.

Okay.

So when Jeremy started, guess what?

He said, hey man, I'm really going down the same road you've gone now.

Can I get in?

Because our family engagement part of our program, we're able to help the family that are um they are affected by gun violence, just like the actual person has been shot.

Okay.

Now, this guy right here, me and him, we're rough.

Because sometimes it's hard to teach the talk to the older guys because they have a set frame of mind.

We had to build a relationship, and as our relationship build, he realized I was the big brother.

Okay.

So this is Jonathan Parker.

Come on, look, the comeback's greater than a setback, y'all.

And OA, man, they've been here to help me the whole time.

I can't lie, it's been like even when I was in my downward part of my life.

I mean, it's the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with.

You know, I've never had to deal with anything like that before.

And when you're my age at 44 years old, man, it's real hard to just lose everything and then you know, get back several months and then try to figure out how you're gonna catch everything back up.

Well, these folks right here behind me, man, they did a hell of a job, excuse my language, but you know, they they've looked out for me and got me back where I need to be, and I really appreciate it.

Okay, this this is this is thank you, Jonathan.

This is my man here.

This is just a little bit of what we do.

This is a small portion, but this is the everyday job.

This we talk to them almost every day.

Sometimes I want to hear from them.

But it's a relationship that we build from.

And from this point on, I believe we're gonna be lifelong friends, if nothing else.

And want to bring all of them back to help move this um program alone.

Thank y'all.

Oh, we all know.

Good morning, good morning.

Um, so I'm my name is Devin Tang Swain.

I serve with RuJ Bean in the Office of Community Safety Initiatives, and I'm sure she was here, she would definitely want to say thank you to the mayor.

Thank you to all of you, and thank you to counselor Tate, as well as all of the wonderful people that are behind us because we know that without them, without their long hours, long days, and just all of their experience, this work would not be able to just be executed the way that it is.

We all know that the service doesn't stop because there are continuing situations that we just need to keep working down in order to make Birmingham safe for all the people that work, live, play, and worship in such an amazing city.

So once again, I just want to say thank you all.

The work never stops, the service never stops.

And let's continue to make Birmingham safe for everyone.

Thank you.

All right, don't move.

Thank y'all.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Smithman.

Thank you, Madam President.

Before oh, y'all aren't leaving, okay.

Before y'all leave, I just um hold on, before y'all leave, because I want y'all to hear this from me as well.

I want to say thank you.

Um, you know, Madam Pro Tam and I were talking, and she was saying that you all um didn't feel appreciated, right?

Because due to the decrease in homicides and et cetera, and I'm not anti-police, but the police were getting a lot of credit, and people weren't acknowledging that the work was much more than the police um getting increase and incentives, you know, encruptment efforts.

It was the people behind the scenes.

I think someone said, uh, Mr.

Barnes, whether it's working at 11 a.m.

or 1 a.m., you guys are doing the hard work because that takes a lot of hard work to really sacrifice your life for the greater good of the community.

You know, I was just looking at you all taking the picture, and I was like, this is Birmingham.

This is what Birmingham is about.

It's about community.

You know, we put this charge a couple uh years ago that it had to take community to really set Birmingham free because no one is gonna save us.

I said that a few years ago.

No one but us is gonna save us.

So I want to say thank you.

Also, thank you to Brandon Johnson.

I don't know where he is, but Brandon Johnson is another person.

Um, he and Utre, really did research for years, y'all, before this was established.

They were told no a lot of times, but they kept going.

Um, I really like what someone said every life has value.

I think a lot of people, and in my other life, I'm an attorney, I do a little criminal law as well.

A lot of people feel like their life doesn't have value when they go to jail or they get in trouble, and so they think I don't have a, you know, I I lose you, because you lose your identity, and Joe, everybody knows that you become a number.

And when you come out into society, you still remain a number, even though you don't have your prison number, right?

But people like you, I remember I forgot your name, I'm sorry.

You were like, they really walked me through.

They gave me a chance to see that my life can be meaningful outside of maybe my past.

And so I really thank you because I think every person, the only difference between us in this room and other people is someone really invested in us, right?

Whether it was our parents, a coach, somebody invested in us and put us on the right path.

Um, and I'm really happy to see all this work because the cycle has to end, right?

Birmingham has a history of violence.

My mom reminded me of that.

When we started in the very beginning, Birmingham had that history.

I think she told me about like the mind workers that used to fight.

Like, so we're naturally fighting against the natural grain of the city.

But I am just, I think, Madam Pro Tim, Madam President, I think this will be the 10 prices, this will be our legacy.

This will be our legacy.

This will be y'all's legacy.

We will be the council and the mayor that invested in our community with gun violence instead of just throwing money at resources, throwing money at the police.

We are, you know, the ten of us are going out there, councilwoman, walking the streets going there.

You don't see a lot of politicians doing that.

You see a lot of politicians, they'll take a picture and then they'll leave.

But I really appreciate that.

And Mayor Woodfin, in January 2019, because I remember standing there, it was a long speech.

You declare this a public health crisis because it need to be treated as such.

And I think that's the catalyst that started all of this.

I remember Madam Pro Tim and others were telling us it's gonna take us time, two years before you see the effects.

We started this in 2021, it's 2026, and we're finally seeing this.

And so I just want to remind the public change takes time.

It really takes time.

So I just want to thank you guys so much.

Um, I'm gonna give a shout out to Madam Pro Tim's event.

Hill the block is August 1st.

You will see all these people there celebrating the community, giving them those resources as well.

And then lastly, even though the White House has eliminated the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, that doesn't mean that this work doesn't stop.

That just means we have to be more creative.

And thank you once again to Mayor Woodfin for increasing the funding in this year's proposed budget for this type of work is much needed, but we still have more funding that we need to expand um hobbies.

So thank you guys so much.

And I'm finally done.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Counselor Woods, one more.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, one wanted to show appreciation to my colleague uh President Pro Tim Tate for I think really being the engine of pushing this, uh Mayor Woodfin.

I think we had a lot of conversations years ago around what we needed to have.

We needed this element uh in Birmingham, and we had to figure out how to execute on it.

And so um had the opportunity to go to other cities and see what they were doing and see what we didn't have here.

And so to see so many people here to see the work that is happening here in Birmingham, uh, you know, you just have to kind of step back and take it in because uh it's something that was created, something that we needed, something that they uh went and found the right people to execute it.

And so, you know, when we look at the progress that we've made, um, and even as we envision where we're going and continuing to improve, uh, you just have to have the appreciation for uh the work that's being done because listen to the stories.

There's certain things that can only be solved through relationship, and so having people on the ground, uh building those relationships and creating that change.

So I just want to commend everybody and uh as we take a moment to really just appreciate you know how far we've come, but uh GERD ourselves for the journey ahead.

So thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you again, Mayor Whitfin and Councillor Pro Tim for bringing this group to us today and having this opportunity to celebrate success.

So thank you so much.

Counselors, if you will allow unanimous consent, and we can move from our agenda and allow the following presentation.

Counselor Sonia Smith has a presentation this morning.

We'll give her our attention.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sonia.

All right, thank you.

Councilor Smith.

All right, well, good morning, everyone.

I have um Donald Smith here with me, not related, um, from the James Lewis Tennis Center at the ENSLE Recreation Center.

Donald gives tirelessly of his time and um effort, talents, and heart to the James Lewis Tennis Center.

And so he's here today to share some of the activities and accomplishments of the past year, what's happening this summer, and it looks like you've got one of our junior tennis players with us also.

So I will pass it over to you, Donald.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Sonia, thank you for giving me the opportunity uh to come here and speak to the city council.

I want to introduce myself.

I'm Donald Smith.

By day, I serve for this, I serve as a principal engineering inspector for the city of Birmingham, and this is my 37th year.

By night, I serve as a tennis instructor for the James Lewis Tennis Center in Angle Park, where is in District 8 and in District 9.

And Sonia's as an integral part of our tennis facility.

I just want to give you all an update of some of the things that we do at the James Lewis Tennis Center.

And as you all know, tennis is a sports that adds longevity to life.

And it's it is a sports that you can continue for you know for a lifetime.

So right now I want to give you some of the things that we're doing at the James Lewis Tennis Center.

As of today, we have a 3.5 ladies team that's going to the state championship in Auburn, Alabama.

We have a 4.0 doubles team that's going to the state championship in Dothan.

We also have a junior team now that's playing junior USTA league tennis here in the city of Birmingham.

And Dayton AG is one of the students in our junior tennis program.

Also, we will have a Magic City tennis tournament in September, where we have athletes from all over the country coming to play in our tennis tournament.

Some of the awards that we have received at the James Lewis Tennis Center are as followed.

We have received the um we have received the award for the best tournament of the year, the year 2025 by the USTA Southern.

We received the Hubert Kessler Inspiration Cup Award for outstanding volunteer for the James Lewis Tennis Center by tirelessly giving up my time for the past 20 years of teaching tennis at the James Lewis Tennis Center for free.

The next thing is Dayton AG.

Will you please stand up, Dayton?

Dayton is the winner of the Arthur Ash Essay, where she wrote an essay and she won a free trip to Atlanta to visit to see some of the top tennis players.

Also, she's participating in the NJTL National Junior Tennis and Learning, which uh the which James Lewis is a member of, and each year the seven states get together to send athletes to the conference, which will be held in Memphis, Tennessee.

Also, Dayton is a varsity, a varsity tennis player at Homewood High School.

She has a GPA of 3.7.

She played an integral part for the Homewood High School to qualify for the state championship in Mobile.

Also, Dayton is a certified tennis instructor at the James Lewis Tennis Center.

So we are really happy to have Dayton to be a part of our tennis team and our tennis family.

So some of the things that I want to talk to you about are the things that we do at the James Lewis Tennis Center.

We offer free tennis lessons every Monday through Wednesday from 5 30 to 8 o'clock.

They're free to adults and juniors starting at the age of 12.

James Lewis Tennis Center has also networked with Mary Mullins.

Mary, would you please stand?

Mary is the director of the Insley Rec Center, and we work tirelessly with Mary Mullins to provide free tennis activities to the junior summer program.

And these kids range from age six to 6 to 12.

So we provide tennis lessons for them.

We provide rackets and we do all these activities inside the gym when it's um when it's too hot to come go outside.

Also with Mary Mullins at the Rec Center, the James Lewis Tennis Center, we sponsor, we sponsor six kids every year.

If the parents can't afford this tennis, if the parents can't afford the summer program, we step in and provide funds to support those kids who need to go to that summer program.

Also, the James Lewis Tennis Center, we work along with Mary with Mary Mullins for the At-Risk program that Mrs.

Tate and a lot of members responders at the James Lewis Tennis Center.

And I think one of the things that we want to provide for them through tennis and at this Ashridge program is to is to provide a safe haven for all kids because all kids should have the opportunity to learn in a free environment where there's no hostility and provide a safe haven for all those who want to come to this program.

Also, the other thing that we do with Mary Mullins at the Ansley Rec Center is that for the kids who don't have anything for Christmas, we network with her so we can sponsor gifts, gift cards, or gift certificates for those kids who who parents can't afford to provide gifts or gifts or things for them for school.

Also, we also provide service to the rec center if they need basketballs or any kind of equipment for the office.

We provide those things too for the James Lewis Tennis Center.

Also, what we do with at the James Lewis Tennis Center is that we network with Mac Alpine and we network with the Alpha Fraternity.

We help provide them with the Turkey giveaway and the sweeper tailor and collar green giveaway every year.

We provide to help them with that.

Also, the James Lewis Tennis Center, we work with athletes from the following schools to provide free tennis lessons to give them opportunities to grow their game.

We work with kids from the Homewood School System Ramsey High School, Gardendale High School, Cornerstone, Macadur High School, Jackson Olin, and also Holy Family High School.

They come to our facility and we provide them with free tennis lessons and instructions to help them be competitive and learn this sports that will give them an opportunity to develop good life skills.

So Sonya, at this time, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to come here to um let the city council know what we're doing to make it make a difference in our community, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to come and talk, and you also being an avid tennis player and part of our tennis team as we you know exchange lives through tennis.

So Sonya, thank you very much.

All right, thank you.

Thank you so much.

We appreciate you, Councilor Smith for making this recognition.

Thank you, Mr.

Smith, for your service to the city and more importantly to the service to the community.

Um we know how valuable tennis is a sport can be, as well as a great form of exercise, and so I consider the community health initiative.

So thank you very much.

Thank you again.

At this time, counselors, we return back to our agenda.

Mr.

Clerk, do we have announcements of boards and agencies expirations for July?

Yes, ma'am.

Um start with the Birmingham Land Bank.

We got Bradley P.

Green term expires July the 15th, 2026 is a four-year term.

Um that's under the community development committee.

Then we have uh the design review committee.

We have Ivan Holloway.

Um expires 730, 2026, is three-year term.

And that is a resident at large position.

We got Brian Wolf, and that's a building trade practitioner.

Term inspired 730, 2026, that is a three-year term.

You got April Barnes, that is a resident at large position.

Term inspired 730, 2026, and is a three-year term.

And then we have Scott Barnett, and that is a registered architect position, and it's 730 26 is the expiration date.

This is also a three-year term, and that is on the planning and zoning committee.

And finally, we have Public Park and Recreation Board, which have Ronnie Rice, term expired 7, 16, 2026, and it is a six-year term under the Arts and Parks Committee.

Thank you, Mr.

Clerk.

Counselors, um, we note those announcements aboards and agency expirations, and we'll get those to the appropriate committee chair.

Thank you very much.

At this time, before we have the consideration of the items that are before us today for consent, I'd like to read this statement.

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

No separate discussion of these items will be permitted unless a council member, the mayor, or resident interested in a public hearing so request.

If so, such items will revert to its normal place on the agenda order of business.

All matters of permanent operation, and they're indicated with a capital P will be read.

All other matters will be announced by reading the item number only.

All public hearings will be announced.

Mr.

Clerk, if you could give us the items being considered for consent.

Okay, consent agenda starts on page two with items two, three, and four, page three, items five, six, and seven.

Page four, items eight and nine, page five, items 13 and 14.

Please note that item 13 was recommended by public safety.

Um, page six, items 15, 16, and 17.

Uh, all those items were recommended by public safety as well.

Uh page seven.

I have items 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22.

On item 19, um, looking through the paperwork, it seems that address is 704 and not 701.

I think it's 704 Pratt Highway.

Page 8.

We have items 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27 on consent.

Page nine.

We have items 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 on consent.

Page 10, items 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37.

Page 11, items 38, 39, 40, 41, and 42, page 12, items 43, 44, 45, 46, and 47, page 13, items 48, 49, 50, 51, and 52, page 14, items 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, page 15, items 58, 59, 60, and 61.

Now on page 16, items 62, 63, and 64.

Page 17, items 65, 66, and 67.

Page 18.

Items 68, 69, 70, and 71.

However, on item 71, we're going to go one, two, three, fourth line up from the bottom, and we're going to start the strike it as authorized by section 31-9-10 code of Alabama and Section 8 of Act 1969-916 consistent with the agreement.

Entered into on April the 4th.

And we'll stop there.

1995.

Yeah.

So we'll end the strike there.

And the it should end with agency.

The synopsis.

Then on page 19, we pick back up the consent agenda with items 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, and 77.

And we conclude with item number 78 on page 20.

Thank you, Mr.

Clerk.

At those time, counselors, are there any items you'd like to have added or removed from consent?

Councillor Smitheman.

Yes.

Um thank you, Madam President.

We don't have to take item 14 off, but what is the amendment?

Madam President, to um Council Smith and this question.

Um counselor, we're changing the date.

That's it.

Okay, I thought so.

Um then can we take off item 60 on page 15?

The request is to move item 60 on page 16 from consent.

Mayor Whiff and I also had a question about item number 14 and related to the tool bank USA.

Um, thanks for the clarification on the amount.

My question is have any changes occurred with how our residents are able to utilize this?

I'm sorry.

I did have a question.

I didn't necessarily want to take it off consent, but item number 14 with tool bank USA.

I'm having some questions from residents, neighborhood associations of how they're able to secure these tools.

And um has any of that changed, or if we need to take that off consent and get someone from the administration just to help us just want to ensure that nothing is changed with what our original agreement was we can just take it.

All right, I'll keep this item on consent, but I do want to come back later and just ask about the agreement, and I'll ask with who this item refers to because it's not necessarily thought that it is one councillor's item.

Yes.

Okay, thank you.

All right, thank you.

We can keep it on consent with the agreement.

All right, is there a motion?

Second, so move second.

All right here.

One second.

All right, voting should be open.

Okay, thank you.

Councilmember Basa.

All right, Councilmember Wood.

I'm also an aye.

All right, that should be up.

All right, thank you.

The consent agenda passes.

If you were here for any items that were listed for consent, they have been approved, and we'll continue with the rest of the agenda.

All right, item one, in order to ordinance to amend the zoning district map of the city of Birmingham, case number ZAC, 2026-3 to change zone district boundaries from R6 Multiple Dwelling District to QMUL, qualified mixed use, low district, in order to allow a boutique, antique store filed by Jeff and Amy Smith, the property owner, and applicant for property generally located at 3849 Claremont Avenue, Birmingham is situated in section 32, quarter section two, township 17 range 2 west, 3522, and hearing of ourselves parties.

Motion please second.

All right, counselors, this is an ordinance to amend the zoning district map of the city of Birmingham to change certain zone district boundaries.

And so I'll turn this public hearing over to Councilor Josh Boss.

Council Basel.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um do we have staff on hand to report on this item?

Good morning.

My name is Kim Spurl.

I serve as the zoning administrator and Department of Planning, Engineering, and Permits.

The case before you this morning is ZAC 2026-3.

This is an application to change the zoning from R6, multiple dwelling district to QMUL, which would be qualified mixed use low.

The property is located at 3849 Claremont Avenue in the Forest Park South Avondale neighborhood.

The applicant is proposing to utilize the existing single family home and convert it into a boutique antique store.

The property is approximately 1,300 square feet and it is one story.

The business is proposed to operate Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.

to 5 p.m.

And the majority of all activities will occur during those business hours.

However, she will have occasional nighttime trunk shows as part of the operations.13 acres that is currently zoned R6.

Properties to the north, east, and west are also zoned R6, and property to the south is zoned R3, which is our single family district.

The city's adopted long-range land use plan does identify this parcel as mixed use low.

And it is allowed in the mixed use low district, limited to 1,500 square feet.

So the applicant would meet that condition.

There were no comments from the landscaping division from Stormwater or from the Department of Transportation.

I would note this property is located in the Southern Framework Plan area.

Their rezoning has not gone through yet.

It still has to go to the planning and zoning committee and to the council, but the current proposed rezoning map does identify this property as D5, which is multiple dwelling district.

The applicant met with the Forest Park South Avondale Neighborhood Association on March 3rd of this year, and they voted to support their request.

It was 14 votes to support and 12 votes to not support.

At its regularly scheduled meeting on March 17th, the zoning advisory committee had a split vote, so they did not recommend that this property be rezoned.

On April 14th, the planning and zoning committee reviewed this application and voted three to zero to recommend the request subject to two Q conditions.

And those Q conditions are number one, the property could only be used as retail or single family residential.

And with the retail operating hours would be restricted between 8 a.m.

and 5 p.m.

with an occasional special event related to the retail activity.

And then the second Q condition is that any existing or future structures on the property shall not exceed 35 feet in height.

And that is because the properties are adjacent to other residential properties, and mixed use low would allow you to go to 45.

So the 35 feet requirement would keep it with what is adjacent to this site.

That concludes the staff report.

Thank you, Kim.

Uh any questions from council?

Council.

Thank you.

Is the property to the left a residence?

Yes, sir.

That is one of the recommended queue conditions.

It would be retail or residential only.

No other uses.

That's not my question.

Is the property to the left a residential property currently?

Oh, it is residential now, yes, sir.

And then the property to the right is also residential.

Yes, that's correct.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor.

Any other questions from Council?

All right.

Well, thank you, Kim.

Um, I'm sorry, Council.

Um Vossa, I do have a question.

Maybe it's for you and Councillor O'Quinn, or somebody could ask, why did ZAC not recommend this item?

So the zoning advisory committee, we had four members present, and they were split two to two.

Two members felt like the rezoning would be intruding into the single family residential that's existing in the neighborhood, and then the other two members felt like because there are similar uses a few houses down, um, that it would not be obtrusive into the neighborhood.

So it was a split vote.

Okay, thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

And then my question is for either one of you.

Um what happened at PNZ as far as I know you guys approved it, but you also set limits for approval.

How did you get to that point of setting limits with approval um Council Smithman?

So in our packet, the uh applicant has provided a letter that really goes into detail um sort of some of the background and the the plans for the property.

So you know, one of the factors that the committee considered is the the property owner here also owns um a similar property, just you know, a few parcels down the street that um is retail, it's currently operating as a retail operation.

Um the you know, just some other uh I guess minor details.

Um you know, we felt like uh, or at least for speaking for myself, you know, I felt like um this could work, but uh acknowledging that you know we wouldn't want this type of property to um just be unrestricted mixed use low.

Um and actually the application uh was for rezoning to commercial, I believe.

Um, and and so the committee advised that rather than going to commercial, um, we you know, if we're gonna do this mixed use low or qualified mixed use low would be more appropriate because it would allow for the retail activities, but it would also preserve uh the use as a residence, and then the qualifications um being you know that it can only be used for retail with restricted hours and then the height restrictions.

Okay, I agree, because the neighborhoods should stay a neighborhood.

Um so my question, I guess in general, is this not considered spot zoning then?

It's in my opinion, it it's a unusual rezoning request.

Okay, because I just actually I feel like I heard Councillor Abbott in my head because I remember she was so against spot zoning for uh situations like this.

Um thank you.

And just uh as I'm reviewing this, uh uh recognizing that the the neighborhood didn't did vote uh in support of this um rezoning.

Um so uh that was part of the decision towards uh towards that well, I did have a question, but I see that the neighborhood it voted 14 four and 12 against.

So I did have a question about and I did also read the applicant's letter with the vision and the goals for the use of the property.

Um I just wanted to ask staff more about parking and the access within the neighborhood.

Um I know the it looks as if the hours would they would close at five, but I just didn't know daytime.

How does that affect that neighborhood?

Yes, ma'am.

So there is available on-street parking um down closer to the small commercial district, um, and and the applicant could speak more to their parking plan.

Um and the applicant could speak more to their parking plan.

I know that they do have access for some parking off the alley in the rear of the property, um, but they intended to utilize on street parking and then some of the available parking lots in the area.

Okay, thank you.

Mr.

Vossa, if we could hear from the applicant, I'd just like to hear a little bit of the vision.

Sure.

Is the applicant present today?

All right, thank you.

Please state your name and uh tell us a little bit about your business.

Thank you.

Sure.

My name's Amy Smith, and thank you so much for letting me speak today.

Um my icebreaker is that during this process, I wish I had hired a professional, and right now is the maximum wish I'd hire a professional, but I'm gonna get through this.

And I do appreciate you letting me speak because this is very near and dear to me, and it's very personal.

So I'm gonna read from my paper first and then um add lib some things.

So as I said, good morning, thank you very much for the opportunity to speak today.

My name is Amy Smith, and I'm here to share my vision for the property I own at 3849 Claremont Avenue.

This property houses a one-story 1300 square foot Craftsman Bungalow and is located at the end of the Forest Park commercial corridor.

There's no new construction proposed, and there will be no changes to the building's footprint, um, height, or exterior character.

Basically, the only improvements will be landscaping to close in the property.

And I would like to take this moment.

Um there was a dumpster at the end of my driveway at this property, and it is now enclosed with a cement block wall.

So if anyone in this room had anything to do with that, thank you.

It happened overnight, so I'm very appreciative.

Um, so the proposed use of this property is an antique store.

When I say it will be modest in scale, I am not kidding.

Uming day, I will be the one and only employee.

Um, but hopefully within due time, we'll probably have three to four, but there will be never more than one employee at a time.

Um, as we said, the hours will be Tuesday through Saturday, 10 to 5.

I also would like to stress that I have two daughters that play travel sports.

So if there's a Saturday that comes up where I need to be in North Carolina for a soccer game, there's a good chance that my store is going to be closed.

So when I say modest, I truly mean modest.

Um parking, as we just talked about, will follow the established pattern among c along Claremont Avenue, and so this will be a combination of street spaces, and then also with red or white, which is across the street, there are 45 spots in that parking lot, and it is free to anyone until after 4 p.m.

So basically, anyone that comes through my store can park in this parking lot free until 4 o'clock, and then I close at 5.

So really there's no issue.

And furthermore, to my neighbors, um, it actually is going to free up more parking for them because right now there's residents.

I currently have residents and they have three cars, so that's going to free up more spaces right in front of the house.

And then also I know that some people had concerns about deliveries and being blocked in the alley.

Um again, this is so modest in scale.

Um, the initial delivery will be coming directly from my parents' house where all of my antiques are stored, and then from that initial delivery on, it will literally be personal vehicles.

So nothing will be blocked.

We won't be in anyone's way.

Sorry, I'm getting very nervous.

Um, but I would like to say I appreciate Councilman O'Quinn bringing up the fact that I do own another property.

Five doors down, I bought 3831 Claremont Avenue and I purchased it in 2019.

Um, some of you might remember it as the Naked Art Gallery.

And um, while this was a beloved institution of Forest Park, the property definitely needed some love.

And so I have done that.

And managing this building has given me a deep appreciation for what it means to be a responsible historic homeowner.

And I do firmly believe that this is the best way to preserve this home.

And in closing, I would just like to say there is such a need for this in our little forest park village, and like the neighborhood depends on us, the merchants, the merchants depend on the neighbors, and when I tell you that my current tenant um knit Birmingham, she runs out of inventory, as does shop next door in general.

And when I tell you that my current tenant um knit Birmingham, she runs out of inventory, as does shop next door in general.

They run out of things to sell.

So I would love to be a part of this, and um at this time I would love to answer any of your questions.

Open it up to council for questions.

Oh wait, I do have a question.

Um you say that there are street spaces.

How many are there?

Um I used to know the exact number.

Um, right there from 3831 Claremont, which is right there at General, all the way down to 3849.

I believe there's 30 street parking spaces.

And I am so I do all of my own yard work at 3831 and 3849.

So I am at both places all day, every day.

And I will say there is a morning rush for coffee and breakfast in general, and so usually between 7:30 and 8:30, there might be people popping in and parking on the street for about 20 minutes, and then there's no one.

The parking lot at red or white is empty, plenty of street parking.

This is when everyone's at work.

There's another lunch rush that comes in from about 11:30 to 1 o'clock, and then after that, from one to four, um two weeks ago, I took three days and I counted, and between 10 and 12, and then one and four o'clock, at any given time, there is at least 15 spaces open on the street.

Okay.

Okay.

Yes.

Thank you.

All right.

Any other questions from council?

Council Gunn.

Thank you, Council of Oslo.

I just wanted to get clarification, and this may be a question for staff.

Uh, the future land use would accommodate.

I just want to make sure I understood correctly.

The future land use plan would accommodate this type of development or business.

Yes, sir.

That's correct.

The future land use plan identified this property as mixed use low.

Okay.

And that is the requested rezoning.

Okay.

And so when would that land use be adopted?

So the land use plan has been adopted.

It's the subsequent rezoning that has not been adopted yet.

Okay.

But the rezoning was recommended for D5, not mixed use low.

The mixed use low is still the recommended future land use category.

Should the existing commercial extend further into the neighborhood?

Okay.

Thank you.

Council Williams.

And then I have one more question for you.

Um, is was that is the house has that house been condemned?

Not to my knowledge, no, sir.

Okay.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh thank you.

Uh I think we want to open this up for any comments from the public.

Uh is any is there anyone here who'd like to speak?

Yes.

Please come up to the podium.

You'll have three minutes to speak.

Just state your name and your address, please.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, my name is Melody Lake.

I live at 3845 Claremont Avenue.

This is directly next door to the property in question, and I measured that we are 12 feet apart.

Um I wanted to begin by saying that this has this is not at all against Jeff and Amy.

They've been wonderful owners.

Um, they've done a great job of renovating the properties that they have.

Um, and really, this is not against necessarily a an antique store.

But I think that our primary opposition is that approving this request would set a precedent that gradually erodes the residential character of our neighborhood.

Um, this request, like I said, is not limited to uh to one antique store.

Potentially, if this property is rezoned to commercial, it uh opens the door to future commercial uses that would be far more disruptive.

Um I can say that uh our home is uh not only our home, but it's our greatest asset as well.

And we don't want to live next to a bar or convenience store or smoke shop with an increased risk of fire or other damage or hours that extend into the night, and opening this up uh at this level at this commercial use could eventually cause that to be an easier thing to happen.

Um about parking shortages, yes, there are parking shortages.

You all have heard about that from several people.

There's steady traffic.

Um I'm a massage therapist, and so my hours vary.

I come home sometimes during the middle of the day, and then I go back out.

So parking is is really important for me.

Um the alley space for parking we use quite frequently uh because of a lack of parking on the street.

And uh I'm afraid that deliveries and pickups uh in that alley would create a real risk of being blocked from entering or leaving property when I need to do that.

I think that's all I wanted to say.

Do you have any questions for me?

Ms.

Lake, thank you for your comments.

Uh any counselors have any questions for applicants?

Uh excuse me, not for applicant for the uh speaker.

Ms.

Lake, it's my understanding from numerous emails, and now my phone is blowing up, um, that the surrounding neighbors share your sentiment, and it's not necessarily anything personal, it's more so they live own a residential property and do not want a commercial use, as you said, 12 feet away from their uh residence.

Um is that your understanding of the sentiment?

That is my understanding of the sentiment, yes.

And then I also was told that they were not aware that the neighborhood during the neighborhood that the neighborhood meeting was voting on this issue, and so they said, shame on me for not attending, however, my opposition is still what it is.

Right.

Yes, there are some who did not know about the meeting and some who just couldn't attend.

I couldn't attend the meeting.

Um I do believe that the the vote was so split at that meeting, being uh 14 in favor and 12 against that had the neighbors that that you're talking about been able to attend that that would have been a very different.

Oh, yes, ma'am.

Just based on my emails, I know that vote would not have passed.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay, thank you.

Yes.

Thank you.

Anything else?

Thank you, counselor.

Any other questions?

All right, seeing none, thank you.

Uh Madam President, I hand it over to you for vote.

Thank you, counselors.

At this time, if there are any other questions, we're ready for the vote.

I have a comment.

Yes, Councillor Williams.

You know, when it comes to things like this, I hope that we can respect those homeowners that have invested in their homes.

Um I know we talked about that there is retail, you know, down the road, and and there is, but you know, we have a situation where we have homeowners that said that they don't want to live next to a commercial use.

And I think that that's a very fair um expectation.

I know that I don't want my next door neighbor um to open up a shop, even if it is uh modest use like an antique shop.

I still don't want a um a commercial business next to my residence, which is why I live in a residential neighborhood.

If I wanted that, if that did not bother me, I would live in a mixed use somewhere downtown where that that was commonplace.

But you know, there these folks have bought houses with the expectation that their neighbors will be residents and not visitors, and then the idea that they will rarely host events at night, even is more concerning because what does that mean?

So anyway.

Thank you, counselor.

Yes, um, Ms.

Burrell.

Um the the city has you know, in the relative recent past created a new zoning designation called urban neighborhood that um allows some you know small businesses to operate within residences, taking this situation could you compare and contrast for me just quickly how urban neighborhood that designation would differ from what we're trying or what's been proposed here.

The the city has you know in the relative recent past created a new zoning designation called urban neighborhood that um allows some you know small businesses to operate within residences taking this situation could you compare and contrast for me just quickly how urban neighborhood that designation would differ from what we're trying or what's been proposed here so the urban neighborhood district is um kind of uh trying to address our missing middle um housing that we have in some of our neighborhoods, and it's to serve almost as a buffer between our residential district, our higher density residential districts and our single family residential districts.

An urban neighborhood does allow a small um urban grocery store and uh small restaurant or bakery cafe with a special exception by the zoning board of adjustment.

Um so the uses are somewhat similar in the mixed-use low, but urban neighborhood would be seen more as that transition zone between a multifamily dwelling districts like this and a mixed-use district, it would kind of serve as a buffer if that makes sense.

Okay.

Thank you.

Any other questions, Council of Mr.

Madam President, thank you.

I I just simply wanted to say uh uh Miss Lake, appreciate you coming and speaking in person.

I can certainly understand your perspective as as living sort of right next to uh the property at hand.

Uh I do want to say that um uh my colleagues may know that you know my focus in the last six months as a counselor has been to represent the voices uh and being an advocate for the residents in the district that I serve uh uh as case in point.

Um I know uh that this might be an unpopular opinion, but as we talk about short-term rentals in the coming weeks and months, uh, that my position is is heavily influenced by uh the residents and what they've spoken to me personally.

In this case, um uh I know that uh Miss Lake, outside of uh your email and presentation today, and one other conversation uh in all the uh neighborhood association uh visits that I've made this year at Forest Park South Avondale.

Uh it has been more in favor and support for this business than against.

Um, and that does heavily sway my opinion on the matter.

But just wanted to say for the record um that depending on how this vote goes, um, that of course feedback is always welcome as we move forward.

Um thank you.

Thank you, Council of Vasa.

No other comments, we're ready for the vote.

Council Member Smith, okay.

Vasa.

Um Council Member Woods.

Council President No.

Right, thank you.

That item does not pass.

Next item.

Should be item number 10.

I'm sorry, that one yes, uh-huh.

Item 10.

Yes, and can we bring up items 10 and 11 together?

Okay.

Thank you.

Item 10 in ordinance to amend title 8 municipal court chapter 3 fines and costs, Section 8, administrative adjudication of certain minor offenses in lieu of trial of the general code of the city of Birmingham to remove certain additional penalties for parking violations and an administrative fee for tickets more than 30 days overdue, subject to collections.

Item 11, an ordinance to amend Title 8, Chapter 3, Section 10, summary disposition amount of traffic and other minor offenses, a fine schedule to revise the fines for this uh summary disposition municipal parking offenses to add certain offenses previously omitted from the summary disposition schedule to provide for administrative fee to cover certain expenses for tickets referred to collection motional issues.

Second.

Thank you.

Uh counselors, these two items have been called together.

These um items were did not receive unanimous consent and were held over from 526 till today.

If um we could just allow for administration to give us just an overview of these particular proposals.

Uh yes, ma'am, madam president.

Um James Fowler, along with the Department of Transportation team is entering the chamber now.

Um Director Fowler will give an overview.

Well, Chief Fowler will give an overview.

Um, and then we'll pass it to the Department of Transportation.

But please recall this has been a multi-year conversation.

Um this is another um part of this overall um implementation we're doing uh to have a better and more efficient uh parking system uh within the city of Minnesota Birmingham.

That's exactly right.

Um good morning.

Uh again, my name is James Fowler.

I serve as the chief of public infrastructure for the city of Birmingham.

Um as the mayor mentioned, this is a multi-year reform effort, particularly focused on our on-street parking system, though it does relate to uh to some degree private lots, and then also our off-street system, which is managed by the parking authority.

Um but this effort is very much focused on our on-street system, which I think has a legacy of being perceived as not functioning the way that we want it to.

So uh, in some minds, uh essentially kind of a broken system.

What we want to do is create a system that is reliable and predictable, feels fair, feels like there's accountability because a system like that uh promotes quality of life, it protects safety and uh economic vitality.

One thing that we are not trying to do with this, but I think people's minds naturally jump to it is we're not trying to um increase revenue with this system.

That is a side effect of a well-functioning system.

The reason cities manage on street parking is because it actually promotes access and convenience, quality of life and safety.

One of the ways that we incentivize that and incentivized turnover is through price.

Um a well-functioning system in cities that have effective on-street parking systems, it does generate revenue, but that's not the goal of what we're trying to do.

And I'll even jump ahead and say that uh in cities where uh they have effective systems and it does generate revenue.

Ideally, we actually reinvest some portion of that revenue back into the zones where it's generated.

So things like sidewalk improvements and landscaping and potentially security cameras or even uh live officers, uh so helping to benefit those districts.

So what you have in front of you is just another copy of what we've considered our 12-step reform effort.

Uh what we're doing here today is focused on sort of the middle section of that.

Um so essentially items three through nine to some degree.

About a year ago, we passed a reform that allows for an accountability ordinance for unpaid meter violations and just unpaid violations in general.

Um, over the last year, we've been working through standing up the systems that are complex and interdepartmental that allow us to actually implement that system.

We're very close to the finish line on that.

Um Paija Schmill is going to talk through what these items are today and kind of what's next and how we're communicating that.

Um, but that's where this fits into the overall big picture of parking reform and what we're trying to do as again a multi-year effort.

So uh with that, I think Paige is gonna come up and talk about the two items today.

Slightly shorter.

Good morning, council.

Um we have a presentation to bring up.

Oh, that was so fast.

All right, I'm Paige Ishmel.

I'm a project manager with the Department of Transportation.

Um as Chief Fowler mentioned, we have been working on this parking reform initiative for uh about two years now, and it has been a citywide multi-department initiative.

We have been meeting weekly with the OCA, municipal court, IMS, BPD, and finance, just to let you all know how closely we are working with every piece of parking um well, parking touches every piece of the city, really.

So we have brought everybody to the table to make sure we're doing this the right way.

So just uh going off of what Chief Fowler said, what are the things we need to solve with our parking program?

We know we have a culture of non-compliancy.

Uh we know we have public safety concerns, and we have economic development opportunities that we are missing.

So because people are not following our parking regulations, they are um causing these public safety issues.

They're parking in crosswalks, they're blocking emergency entrances and exits, they're blocking fire hydrants, they're parking on sidewalks, they're hurting our city infrastructure.

Um, just to name a few of the common things that we see.

So it's um it's about paying for your parking space, but it's also about these public safety issues we need to address.

And the two items on the agenda today are just small components of the overall system, but they're necessary to really get us to that finish line.

So um the third thing here is increasing enforcement.

We know we need more parking enforcement, but enforcement can also take the shape of educating the public, letting people know what they can do, what they cannot do, and following up.

Right now, the city does not have a mechanism to touch base with people that have parking ticket violations.

We don't have that DMV information, so we don't have a way to mail a letter or make a phone call and remind people that they have these tickets.

So right now, the system is you get a ticket and we hope you pay for it.

Um next slide, please.

All right, Chief Fowler gave this overview, but uh where we are now is we we've procured this software that um lays on top of our parking enforcement system, and it is about to go live.

And uh, once that system goes live, you're gonna see an uptick in parking um enforcement measures, which is why we're here today to discuss um items 10 and 11.

If you go to the next slide.

So our next steps are public education.

We have a large public awareness campaign we've been working closely with OPI on, and we're gonna get to that in a little bit more detailed.

Uh, once the software goes live, we're gonna be able to offer improved customer service.

So people that are getting these parking violations, it will be easier for them to pay, they'll have an online system.

You can do everything in one spot.

You can even protest a ticket online, which you're not able to do right now, so we're hoping that'll take some lift off of municipal court staff as well.

Um, this software is going to allow us to have these notification letters, and we will also have the process of um sending violators that have overdue tickets to collections, which is not something we can do right now.

So we're hoping that altogether this is gonna help increase this culture of compliance that we're up against.

So on the next slide, you'll see item 10 that we're proposing today is an administrative fee.

This fee is three dollars.

It is a one-time fee.

It only applies to tickets that are past the 30-day mark.

So what that covers is a dollar fifty to pull the data from the DMV to get the mailing address to be able to send a letter to tell someone they have an overdue parking ticket, and then the other $1.50 uh covers the cost to actually print and mail the letter.

So the three dollars is what gets us to be able to reach back out to the violator and let them know that they have a past due ticket.

Um then item 11 is a fine increase.

So this applies to parking violation fees.

Um fees have, oh I'm sorry, not our fees, our fines have not been revisited since 2008.

And if you look across the United States and in the Southeast, we are lower on our fines than most other municipalities around us.

Um, so we feel that it's time to look at those while we are redeveloping this overall system, and we propose increasing those by 10.

So right now, um, just to give you a reference, our uh expired meter fee is $15.

That would go up to $25.

And really the point of this is that costs shape how people behave.

So we are hoping to get people on the front end of their behavior and let them really know that we mean business and to do the right thing at the start, so that this takes off more pressure from enforcement at the end.

Paint.

Yes, I apologize to interrupt Madam President.

I heard some of the response in the chamber as well as on the day as to that.

We want to remind people is that that's that's not a cost to you if you actually comply with the law.

You have a chance to pay your your meter calls as well as renew your meter by phone.

Um if you fail to actually comply with that, um, then that's the actual result of you not paying for your meter, which is actual reasonable price.

So the cost of the meter is not going up.

If you don't comply with the law, that cost is going up, which has not risen since 2008.

Um you include inflation as well as other cities that have 200,000 residents our size and or smaller cities that costs is for not failing to comply with the law is actually very reasonable because there are a lot of other cities that are well above $25 for a fine, actually.

Um reminding people that's for a fine, not for the actual use of the meter.

And this will only apply to tickets moving forward once the new system is live.

And just to give you an example of how that plays out, we had a meeting yesterday with UAB's director of transportation, and we mentioned these items to them, and they really applauded the efforts, and they said we know that our students take the price of the citations and figure out if they're gonna park on the street and risk the fine or park in the deck that is provided to them with the monthly fee, and they've figured out they can risk up to four or five citations on the street rather than park in a deck where they should.

And UAB is one of our top hot spots for parking violations.

Um there are students in almost every crosswalk, they park in parking lanes.

Um so just imagine how many parking spaces you could have available if all the students of UAB actually utilize the decks because the pricing drove that behavior in the proper way.

Um the next slide is just going over our outreach plan.

Um so we've been working working very closely with OPI.

We have a new brand identity.

So we've been calling this parking reform, but um the new the new logo is Park Smart Birmingham, because it's really about education.

We just want people to park the right way.

Uh we have a new website, it is parksmart bhm.com, and um everything is consolidated to one site now.

So you can go here and find where to park, how to pay, um information about tickets, frequently asked questions on the new policies.

Uh you can pay your ticket, you can protest your ticket, you can do everything at this website.

Um next you'll see the communication rollout information.

So we are very focused on digital and print.

Um there's a gonna be social media outreach, e-newsletter, printed assets, um, paid media, and all of that is kind of starting to go out this week.

Um so the social media campaign is phase one on the next slide.

You can see some of the graphics that have started to go out showing that park smart branding.

Uh so that's Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok next door ease new letters everywhere that you can see an ad.

And um on the next slide, you'll see the timeline of outreach.

So we don't want anything to be a surprise to the public.

Um we think that our software will be launching later uh later this summer to early fall, and we're working closely with OPI, obviously, to get all these uh things out, and uh violators will be notified with a letter as soon as this uh launches.

Anyone that has an overdue ticket since the passing of our towing ordinance will get a letter that says they have an overdue ticket in the mail before enforcement starts.

So people should be very well informed about this initiative.

But um, so that's kind of the overall plan, but today we're just focusing on those two adjustments that will help us move forward with the whole overall process.

Madam President, just and council, just a couple other notes.

Um, one being that related to our parking meters and our central business district downtown and south side, it's not it's not the same as it was five use of it is not the same as it was five, 10 or 15 years ago.

Um I think just on the personal note, what I used to see I think at 5 p.m.

Um central business district became a ghost town.

No one was using that our parking um on-street parking, that is, and I think over the years five, ten, fifteen, definitely over the last 20, it's has significant change where not just during the day, but after five and on weekends, um there's heavy use of of our on-street parking in our central business district at all times.

Um, and so there needs to be a fair process attached with compliance, but the compliance piece has this we need the software to be able to do enforcement.

I know for this council enforcement's a big deal.

The software gets us to the point where we can do the enforcement.

I think the other thing there is a can there was genuine concern about is this anti-business or does this hurt business?

Um, based on all the research professional staff has done.

Um, we do not believe that again, we're not changing the actual fee for parking at a as it relates to on-street parking on the meter.

Um, we're changing um how we engage if you fail to comply voluntarily comply, which have you have easy access to uh by computer or use of a cell phone where it's not like it was 20 years ago or even 10 years ago where you had to walk out of whatever building you were in or meeting you were in to go feed the meter.

Um it's not like it was 20 years ago or even 10 years ago where you had to walk out of whatever building you were in or meeting you were in to go feed the meter.

Um so there's ample opportunity to be in compliance with this.

Um it wasn't mentioned a lot, but this is moving forward.

So three unpaid parking tickets.

If you have a fourth unpaid parking ticket, um, then that escalates um up to including tolling.

Um we think that's needed.

Again, um, if people just do what they need to do on the front end, this gets us to a point where everybody's just complying with the actual loan and it makes it easy.

Thank you.

Oh, one last note.

Um a B, uh, but we know for most of our employers and in talking with Andre over at BPA.

Most employees who work for their employers actually the combination of private decks, our public decks, and private parking lots, they use those.

Um, and so it's not targeting employers at all because their employees, majority of employees, don't have to use on-street parking throughout our city and or to the south side.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for bringing this information.

I want to tell you what um really I want to focus on, and I wanted to be sure, and you have sort of addressed that in the communication plan.

I don't want any resident to be blindsided by that this is coming or has a fear that um this will really affect their ability to come in and out of downtown in order to give uh do business.

Of course, we're talking about if you don't pay the parking fine.

So for the large majority of us who do pay our parking fines or feed the meter as we need, uh again, just want to keep in mind this is if you are violating one of the laws and and uh processes that we're putting in place today.

So with the social media campaign and the awareness, um, you do have certain timelines here or time plan of how you will communicate this.

Just tell me a little bit more about some of that strategy because it's important to me again that the public has an awareness.

And I also would like to go back and ask is this this will or will this not be retroactive?

This starts from the moment that we start this, correct?

So this is not retroactive.

Okay.

So go deeper on the comms plan, but social media is just one aspect.

There are other forms of um public communication channels, um, radio.

Um we'll engage.

Um we'll gauge every platform that exists to get this information out, and it won't be one time.

We'll continue to communicate this on all of our channels, our city's website.

Um I think um at one of our recent retreats, we showed you kind of some of the number of people on certain channels.

So the I believe the weekly we have of emails is as well over, I think I know it's a minimum of 70,000 people.

Um, so we'll be able to touch everyone, including those who are not on social media to communicate with them.

Um this is the new way moving forward um related to our parking system on street parking as well as um fees and up to tone if you don't do your part.

Did I miss anything?

Um I don't think so.

Um talking with OPI yesterday, they are going to be uh making a flyer to um go to all the CRRs so you can have it at your neighborhood meetings for handout.

Um I know that they're gonna add it to the mayor's mailer as well that goes out to all the residents.

Um they have uh paid media in print as well.

Um we have a uh Birmingham Now article out right now, and there's an ad running in the Birmingham Times currently.

Um also uh Rick Dirty and his team are working really closely with the software team.

So they uh you know we don't have any hard dates because it just depends on how all the engineering goes, but um they won't no one will be blindsided because they will know like week by week exactly when everything is going to go live.

So they're communicating really well internally and they're really well prepared to put everything out in a timely manner.

Thank you.

And I had one other question related to the administrative fee.

Uh but thank you.

You I think you broke it down.

The three dollars, can you just go over that again for us?

Yes, yes.

So it's one dollar or one dollar and fifty cents to cover the actual print and the mail.

So the piece of paper, the ink and the stamp.

And then the other dollar fifty covers the fee to pull the um mailing information from the DMV.

Okay.

Thank you.

Because I just wanted to be sure again that we're clear on the use of these fees.

I know we have certain surcharges and taxes that we put on people when they come and they rent a hotel room in the city.

So just wanted to see how that relationships to revenue generation actually looks like.

This is all administrative.

Correct.

Okay.

And the last thing, and this is for uh chief, and maybe anyone else who's worked with us before, I believe two years ago, we did make some changes to parking and well, you had a three and out, if you had three outstanding parking violations, and on the fourth one you would be towed.

And I just want to know how does that relate to this particular item and what has happened since we made those changes.

I believe that was in 24-25.

Um yes, ma'am.

So uh just to clarify, so it was actually uh almost one year ago today, so that was July 26th of 2025.

That's right.

That was my birthday.

I should have known that.

Thank you.

That's right.

Um and uh just uh clarify that ordinance one more time so that uh folks understand.

So if people have three unpaid violations on their fourth violation, uh not just after they have three, but on their fourth violation, they're eligible to be towed.

So we won't be driving around actively looking for people that have three unpaid tickets, we'll be out looking for violators, and so if we just pull up and see that somebody has improperly parked and they have three prior unpaid, then they can potentially be towed.

So um that should go into effect uh while technically it's you know we could enforce it today.

We're standing up the systems right now that allow us to do that.

So towards the end of this summer is when we'll actually have the software in place and the enforcement and the training and the tools to actually implement that.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Yes, Madam Person.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh, just quickly, um, I know Paige mentioned these two, just please make sure that we get the information on one sheet or um you can send it over, I guess, to all of us so we can distribute it um throughout the um to our neighborhoods and you know, like a lot of us specific libraries and uh places as well.

One key thing that you all see that was very key is it is a lot of sidewalk improvement going on throughout the district, and I think we hit on this yesterday when we had a conversation.

Um would love to see signage go into these neighborhoods where people are parking cars, obstructing the sidewalks, and forcing people to walk into the roadway to potentially be hit by a homecoming vehicle that may be you know traveling at a high rate of speed, which I've seen a lot myself.

So, you know, you're making these improvements, but people are still you know thinking the sidewalk is is is your driveway or whatever.

And so um I would love to see you know signage go up in these neighborhoods telling people hey, you cannot park on the sidewalk.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilor O'Quinn, and then I'll come at you, Council Smith.

Yes, thank you, Madam President.

Um Madam Proton's point.

Um I believe that's one of the uh citations that's being you know adjusted in this fee schedule.

Uh another one that's a common complaint for residential areas is parking of commercial vehicles in residential areas.

So that's you know, something that the transportation committee actually uh made some recommendations on.

I think you know, and even then it's it's pretty modest.

I think the citation is $60, which you know, if you're operating a business, um that's you know, you're gonna pay more for printing paper than for the citation.

So anyway, um question to mayor's team in general.

Um but it's it's my understanding that uh you know, up to this point, and and maybe even after this point, the uh operations of on-street parking and parking enforcement and everything related to you know this the parking that the city maintains and operates, you know, signage contracts with vendors, so on so forth.

That um the current status is that we operate all of that a significant loss to the city.

Uh otherwise um all of that does not pay for itself.

Is that correct?

That is correct.

Is there do you have any estimate of what the the difference between you know what it costs us to perform all of that versus you know what we take in um to compensate for that activity?

I I have an idea, it's just the estimate.

Um it is it's not a significant deficit, but what we really want to do here is at least break even.

We've had studies done in the past that show that if we were fully functioning um successfully, that we could be profiting by six to eight million dollars.

So that's what we're leaving on the table as a city that could go back into our infrastructure and help improve these things.

Um so I think that's that's really the important thing to focus on is this loss opportunity.

Yeah, so is to kind of build on that idea.

One of the things that's been uh discussed is potentially creating parking benefit districts where you know park side uh district um on street parking, you know, collections would go back into supporting the infrastructure in that district.

That that would be an example, right?

Yes, absolutely, yes.

That's really the next step, and we're hoping once we get a good idea of how this software works and if we really love it, uh we could expand its use to help us with those parking benefit districts.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Counselor Mitteman.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, will this when will this go into effect if this is passed today?

So we hope, like I said, we don't have a hard deadline because we're really doing a lot of engineering on the back end and programming all this historic data to bring it over to the new system.

Um, but we hope it'll be late summer to early fall.

Okay, so we have time.

So probably minimum at the minimum 60 days just to get everything.

Did I and the two items today would go into effect?

Two items would go into effect today, but to actually make sure everything's aligned where we should actually start being in a position to if a person gets through tickets to the entire actual implementation of the software that can take up the 60 days.

So um I think there may have been a question of well, could you give a if you don't go into a could we delay it going into effect?

But if we delay it going to effect, it delays more when the you can actually use the actual system.

So when I met with BDOT yesterday, that was my question, was to change the effective date because we're in the middle of amnesty month.

So I didn't think it was a good priority to increase fines, and we're having people lines down the street trying to get parking fines either waived or resolved.

So uh so a couple of things to that.

Um Paige's gonna correct me if I'm wrong.

Um part of that was to alignment.

So if you have outstanding things like to communicate now getting those in order.

So this is always about alignment before something new goes into effect, and all this is going to affect page correctly if I'm wrong still today allows you to actually go deeper into integrating this into our system so we can get to the point if somebody is past three violations, the system allows us to escalate our behavior towards them.

Yes, that is correct.

So we wouldn't the two things that are on the table today, uh we couldn't actually enforce them until the software goes live.

And the software can't go live until you approve it.

Okay, um, I know you have a question, but uh what was that I'm trying to frame trying to put this in line with my thoughts because my my thought is okay.

I look in the budget every year, and I could plainly tell we do not generate a lot of revenue from collection of fees.

Um my issue has been as a counselor, and it may seem negative, but I've also heard this from residents in general.

We pass these ordinances, which is our job, but there's a lack of enforcement.

And I'm telling you is the lack of enforcement because I was in a meeting with BDOT and I was looking at cars that were violating the parking ordinances.

And you know, I work downtown, so I see this every day, like there isn't any enforcement.

Like there aren't we'll go through waves, honestly, where I'll see parking tickets on people's cars, but there isn't any enforcement.

And so I guess my issue is shouldn't we focus on enforcement and collecting the revenue before we start another ordinance?

And also the economy is horrible right now.

What does that look like increasing the fines right now without also making sure people understand uh their payment systems, et cetera?

But I feel like we just need to focus on enforcement first before we increase these fines.

I feel like if we can show that we can increase the revenue for one year, then we can increase the fines.

Because we if we don't enforce this ordinance, it doesn't matter.

We can increase these fines $30.

But if we're not collecting the maximum amount of revenue we can from these tickets, it doesn't matter.

So my question, based off of my statement saying economy is bad, will the low-income waiver still apply, and was their requirement to qualify.

Um I'm gonna speak to the first part of your question, which is the need for enforcement.

So uh one of the reasons why we're uh restructuring the system and going through all these steps is because the enforcement that we have been doing has not actually been working.

So there's a reputation in the city that if you get receive a ticket, then you actually don't have to pay it.

So we have over 700,000 unpaid tickets on the backlog.

So we've been writing those tickets over the last 10 years and even recently, um, but people just don't take them seriously.

So until we have a structure of accountability in place, then the enforcement almost is ineffective.

So right now, people are choosing just not to pay in the first place, and then when they do get a ticket, they choose not to pay their ticket.

Um so we're starting on the structure that makes you know the ticket matter in a sense.

Right.

Um, and again, the two items today that go into effect, uh, it's only if you violate from today going forward will they impact you, so none of this is retroactive.

Uh so ideally if somebody shows up and they parks, they do the right thing, then this won't affect them at all.

So if it goes into effect today and we haven't notified the public, that's not fair.

It's not because if they don't watch the news and if they don't watch city council meeting, they won't know.

But it sounds like I don't understand why we can't use the system for enforcement, get that in place first without increasing the fines.

Can you can you explain um can you explain what is this what it's taking to build the system?

Uh and just won't you and Peggy just won't do what it's taking post and passing this new ordinance, like what's been happening to get to the point where the system can be in place.

I think I'll speak to that globally.

Um one of the reasons why we have a dysfunctional system today is because of how complex and interdepartmental this system is.

So it touches more departments than most initiatives that I've dealt with since I've been at the city.

It's like nine different departments that it it touches.

And so the these 12 steps that we've outlined, um, and they may not be worded perfectly, but they're essentially kind of a snapshot of these different touch points that we're having to work through, and each one has layers of complexity behind it.

And so I guess to the mayor's question of um what we've been working through over the last couple of years, really, is working with our partners in the police department on enforcement, working with our partners in the municipal court to make sure that their systems and and their processes and policies are and their staffing is accurate and in place and ready to be stood up, uh, working with OCA to make sure that what we're doing is is legal and appropriate and working with um Office of Public Information to make sure that we are providing notification.

Um I feel like in general, globally, we've done a pretty good job of that.

So since we um started last year with passing this ordinance, we've been notifying people that our policies are changing and that there is this system of accountability that we're trying to stand up.

Um so the reason it hasn't been fixed until now is just because of all of that complexity, and that's what we're working through and ironing out uh right now, and uh this step today gets us uh a lot closer to being able to having that effective system.

So I just want to make myself clear.

I'm not against the system.

I think getting a new system is good, but unless I'm just not reading right, I just don't see where it says we have to pass this in order to have the system.

Like there are so many issues, and I brought this up to B Dot.

For example, I'm not gonna tell which restaurant it is, but there is like valet parking where they literally have put cones down, and it doesn't allow residents to be able to park, or I see them you know, reverse um reverse driving back down the street to go into the parking day.

I'm just saying, like I don't understand, I do understand, but why can't we just focus on enforcement getting the system in place without increasing the fines?

That's all I'm asking right now, just right now.

So this has never been just right now.

It's been over a series of time where we're trying to do these 12 things.

Um like what's before you today is part of a series of reform conversations we've been having with you for over a year.

No, I'm not saying I'm not aware.

Um I'm for this, Mr.

Mayor.

I think this is a great plan.

Because I will say something about now.

I'm just saying because we're still where is the enforcement part?

We're still trying to, we're still working on enforcement that I haven't seen with my my own eyes is still needing work.

I'm just saying, when I say right now, I meant okay, we probably do need to increase our fines.

I'm not saying I'm against that without notifications of the residents.

I'm saying why can't we have the system first and then look down the line after we do some enforcement and get the revenue and informing people before we increase the fines.

Okay, I can speak to that.

So the two items today, the reason that there's specifically important uh steps in this process.

So the first one, the administrative fee that allows us to notify people with a mailer that they have an outstanding violation that's over 30 days old.

So without the fee, we can't pull the address and we can't send out the mailer.

So it allows us to pull their address and then send out the mailer.

So that first fee is important for implementing and giving notification.

The second one, the $10 increase, it may not seem like it's important to the system, but the reason that it's important is because, as Paige mentioned with the UAB example, but there's other examples as well.

Our fines are so low that people are actually choosing to just opt out of the system entirely because the price incentive just doesn't make sense for them to comply.

And so we actually have to have relevant pricing that makes it work.

So I think they're opting out because it's not enforced.

Like if I'm getting tickets and nobody's enforcing them, it doesn't matter if you make them 50 dollars.

If I know I'm not going to be required to pay them, I'm not gonna do it.

That that's that's my thing.

It's it goes back around to enforcement.

Like my issues in for it, but I'm uh I know other colleagues have questions.

I just have an issue with the case.

Can we enforce this without the software why is the software attached to this ordinance?

Because it's not in the ordinance if we're just going by paper, it's not in the ordinance that we like it's not in here.

But like I said, I'll I'll drop it for now.

Madam Madam President, yes, Mayor.

Can he be allowed to answer that question?

Um, why does software is linked to this and enforcement?

Yes, please go ahead.

Um, so after we pass the ordinance, we went through a procurement process to procure uh software that'll allow us to implement the system.

What the software does is it allows us to stitch together the various departments and information that allow it to be effective.

So, for example, if you can imagine a parking enforcement officer being out on the street and they see that somebody has an infraction, they need a way to know uh from a live database that that person has three unpaid tickets.

So today we don't have a system that allows the parking enforcement officer to know that there's three unpaid tickets, so they have no way to actually enforce the ordinance and tow the vehicle.

So the software allows them to do that, but it also is tied into our police department and municipal court that allows the users to go in and pay those fees, and and it also allows uh the notice to be generated when somebody uh accumulates three or more tickets that mailer goes out and notifies them that they're at risk of being towed.

So it stitches together a really large database of information and technology and allows it to be utilized.

So we do have to have a software tool that puts real-time information out into the street into the hands of the folks that are making those decisions.

Short version, Madam President, Council Smith here, every concern you have, but we get to enforcement with the but the use of the software.

So it's in the agreement that in order to use this software, this has to be passed.

Like I'm I'm not I'm I'm still not.

I don't believe so.

I I don't think it's okay.

It's okay for right now.

Um just gonna ask my little question later.

Well, do you not want to answer from the no, because I don't I still don't think it's fair to have an effective date if it's passed today without telling the public that's not fair.

It's really not.

I mean, I just I just know if I get a parking ticket today and the fines have increased, I'm just not getting those of it.

I don't think it's fair to the general public.

So I just still request for a later effective date, but that's all.

Thank you.

So let's go back, be sure I have clarity.

If this item passes, the fines go into effect today.

Let me check with our city attorney.

So um Miss Bernard.

Good morning.

Um Julie Bernard, I'm a service assistant city attorney in the office of city attorney.

Um by state law, when an ordinance is passed, um, and it is signed by the mayor or not signed by the mayor and becomes law without his signature, it becomes effective when it is published.

Um, and that's published in a newspaper general circulation.

The city's general practices to publish it.

It gives the mayor his full to give the mayor his full 10 days um to consider the ordinance.

Um the the clerk's office usually automatically sets it to publish um 10 days after it's passed, which will be a week from this Saturday, um, unless somebody asks for it to be expedited.

So that is technically when it legally becomes effective.

The council does have the ability to put an effective date into the ordinance.

If you see at the end of the ordinance, there's a uh you know what I call one of our boilerplate sections that says this ordinance will become effective when published is required by state law.

We have done other things where we've put you know a later date because of implementation.

Um I mean, in my opinion, you can have the ordinance published and be effective.

That means that B Dot can move forward with the communications that they have to have with the software vendor and get things in place, and then you could have a date that the the increased fines would become effective, you know, more um in line with when the plans are to have the implementation ready to completely roll out.

Uh that gives some of the time for the education uh public education piece to go forward.

Thank you.

I think you have other questions now.

Pro Tim, yeah, quick question.

Um how are people because I'm I hear what Council Smithman was saying, how is people notified?

Okay, just say hypothetically if I got an unpaid parking ticket, which I don't, I'm just using it as a scenario.

Um, when people get these tickets, it's no notification.

Is it anything indicating when you need to pay this this parking fine?

Other than what's on the ticket.

Let me get clarification of what's written on the exact tickets.

People just say for instance, like I've used went to the bank and I've got on my car and I've used the park mobile, you know, to set my time and pay for me to run it to the bank.

Like if people like how will the old parking tickets assess?

Like, how will people get any old parking tickets?

Where was the parking enforcement people doing it and they proved this little thing that I've got this ticket is on your car?

So the citation should have a date, the date you got the ticket and when you have when do you supposed to pay these this this ticket?

Which people are choosing not to do that.

Right, right.

So today there's a court date that's auto applied.

It's about 30 days out from the violation date, and that ticket is put on the windshield.

Okay.

So next question.

Everybody that has a ticket can mouse you over to Amnesty and go through that process since that that is available to them, correct?

Right.

So uh yeah, it's just a good time while you're paying for anything else you might be in violation of, it's a great time to take care of any parking tickets that are outstanding.

And if you go to that parksmart bhm.com website, you can also look up your information and see if you have any outstanding tickets.

Because you know, because what I'm understanding, it seems like you got all these systems that we're not intersecting and working collectively together.

So what you're proposing today is something to kind of get a to bring everything online and on course.

Is that correct?

Yes, yes, that's it.

I'm trying to show you what we're voted on.

No, that's that's not what I said.

I said if they're saying that that's not what we're voting on.

We're voting on increasing fines, not collect not connected systems.

I yeah, I I understand that, but I'm asking some questions that Council Smithman raised, like people don't, you know, you got people that are getting tickets that are ignoring paying tickets, and I think her question was how are people being notified?

Is that is you know, is it fair to say that?

Yes, but also my my this is what I'm saying, how are they being notified?

Like if I get a ticket today, how am I being notified?

I mean, do I know that I need to pay these tickets?

I know I got it, but what tells me or tell me when where I need to go, when do I need to pay, how long I have to pay it?

So right now the only thing that tells you that is the physical ticket itself.

That's on your shell.

So if you lose that ticket, so you don't read it.

The person that gets the ticket, they know what they need to be doing.

Yes, yes.

And moving forward, it'll be the same system, but then they'll receive an additional letter.

Thank you.

Counselor Williams Vasa Williams, and then we'll go to Councillor Vice.

Okay, thank you.

Um what's quick?

I apologize, sir.

Please forgive me.

But then you can you can stay up there because then I was this is very quick.

Go ahead, Mayor.

But I want to make a note as this conversation continues, Madam President, to colleagues.

Um I've spoken with legal and B Dot as well as um the chief of public infrastructure.

Um that's a valid note, um, Councillor Smith, and I think the administration um is more than willing.

Um legal has confirmed this um attached to Amnesty and communicating for people to rectify their past issues we can make the effective date July 1.

Thank you.

All right.

Now you may have to do that.

Yeah, we're saying my time.

I want to Mr.

Mayor, you mentioned that the biggest changes that you've seen are overnights and weekends.

Are you going to change enforcement time to include nights and weekends, or is this still during business hours?

Um Paige, if you can come up here and verify what I'm about to say.

Um, but the system is the system, meaning for those after five, if they don't pay their parking tickets.

Um, what we do have to do before that is the personnel piece.

There's still a personnel piece we got to solve for.

Um part of enforcement is attached to personnel, and we know that one of the things we did from an enforcement standpoint is change um that group of employees from the finance department to the police department.

How many years ago did we do that?

Five, maybe seven years ago.

Um that gave them some enforcement teeth.

Um, but we also probably actually have to hire more people for APRA five um to actually do that.

That's an honest answer.

So let me get just a straight answer from you.

So are we going to have nights and weekends enforcement or not?

Yeah.

And legal just confirm we'll have to amend our ordinance to do nights and weekends.

Okay, so that's not on the table.

We're talking about as it sits today, business time enforcement.

Correct.

Other than if you're parked in front of a fire hydrant uh sidewalk or station.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay, okay.

So okay, so we're that that's that's helpful.

Okay, so my question is this has been stated a few times.

Why can the software not go into place without us raising fines?

Because the ordinance item 11, as I read it, is to raise fines drastically by ten dollars for an infraction.

So why can there not be software in place without raising fines?

Let me answer that um plainly as I can by saying it could go into effect.

I'm just I just want to present to you, each of you.

Um there's no motivation to pay the fine because it's so low.

It's like it's it's not at a at a level that makes people wanting to comply on the front end or on the back end for that record.

We do believe that um, and they've done the research.

Like I don't I don't want to take away from professional staff the work they put in the research they put in about what our what our what the fine is when you don't voluntarily comply.

I don't want us to miss that, like repeating this.

This is not a money grab.

This is not to be overly penal, it is actually in a an alliance with what you desire um with enforcement, but a part of enforcement um before enforcement is voluntary compliance, and what we believe is $15 doesn't motivate people to comply on the front end, or when they get a ticket, it's just like $15, I'm not gonna pay.

But we do believe if people knew that the ticket was the if you did not voluntarily comply on the front end, and that you had a $25 ticket on the back end, it will incentivize people to do their necessary part on the front end, which includes up to renewing their actual payment of the on-street parking when the meter is about to run out or actually runs out.

Okay.

Um here are some aggregate thoughts that I have on, and this is not directed at you in anymore, but you you stole my time, so you ended up up there.

But here's some aggregate thoughts I have on this.

Since this meter enforcement moved into the police department, there has been less enforcement than there ever has.

Here's the data.

In 2019, approximately 107,000 citations were written.

That number decreased over year over year to 2025 last year when we only had 37,000 citations issued.

So let me repeat that.

Every year for the past seven years, citations have drastically fallen for parking violations.

The amount of people that have paid the tickets is actually somewhat steady in the 20 to 30% range every year.

Now we went from 2019 to having 107,000 citations written with approximately a $2 million balance owed if those citations were actually paid.

And we we collected $1.4 million of that.

In 2025, we only had an opportunity to collect $900,000 because enforcement was almost non-existent, but we still collected $118,000.

Um excuse me, $218,000 from that.

So in 2025, this council collectively, because we're a collective body, passed changes that the that BDOT wanted so that they could enforce parking.

That the main thing, and I was actually hesitant of this, but I voted for it, was that on after three times of an unpaid ticket that BPD or the city, I don't, you know, some could tow the vehicle for over three unpaid parking violations if you are then parked illegally as well.

We've towed zero cars.

So my thing is that why would we would the council be asked to increase fines and fees if there is no enforcement there?

I don't think that that's fair to the council.

I don't think that that's right to the public either.

Because I know that park mobile can be challenging to use.

But we also don't have a cohesive parking structure in the city.

We have metered parking spaces that have a little business-sized sticker on two-thirds of them.

Um some of them have been scratched off, some of them are still there.

Um we have some areas that just have park mobile signage, like a street sign where you put in the number and you pay.

But when you do pay, you pay a convenience fee and a transaction fee on top of what the city parking is, and the city parking, I think is reasonable.

I think that it's important to keep cars moving in and out so that someone's not just staying in that spot so that retail and our businesses has an opportunity to keep customers and visitors to the city consistently being able to move in and out.

But it gets to a point where you know we're hosting an amnesty month for parking tickets, and yet we're being asked to increase the fine for the tickets.

And it's sort of like, why don't we have enforcement and have people pay the actual fine?

Why are we being asked to increase the fine by a significant percentage-wise, a very significant amount when we could just go ahead and have the enforcement part?

I also enforcement can you curious for you both?

Can define enforcement.

We we issue tickets, and then how do we enforce a person to pay a ticket?

Well, let me answer that.

A year ago, you came to you collectively, not you, I'm not saying you mayor, but collectively, this administration came to us and said, in order for enforcement, we really need to be able to tow vehicles after the third citation, and they're still violating.

Correct.

How many have we towed?

None on purpose.

None on purpose, your point.

We've talked about this, so let's talk about it publicly.

There's a reason why we haven't towed any cars yet.

They the professional staff literally is just explaining detail to this council how it takes time to align all these inner departments to make sure everyone has the exact same information.

Starting from the actual person who's in a non-sworn officer who's employed with the Birmingham Police Department to know when they go to a vehicle how many actual unpaid parking tickets they have.

If they don't have that information, you can't tell.

Then has to go somewhere to be able to pay, and somewhere in this case would be the municipal court.

Municipal court has to have the same data information from the same system as the person from the police department, which also includes the finance department having to have the same information.

BDOT is literally just playing the team that makes all these things work.

That's taking time.

That's it.

That's there's an intentional reason why we have not told cars yet, is because we have to have the self, not only the purchase of the software, that the software has to be implemented to our system, and that within that system has to be implemented for several departments to be interfaced with the same information, and then we have to actually then be in a position to make sure that the green light works and that we have the accurate information.

Not to mention in the system, we have to have access to the DMV, which has a cost.

So which was also explained today.

So, okay.

So everything that you just said, I completely agree with, which is why I don't think that we should be passing an increase in fines.

But we have can we separate these two things for many?

We keep bringing these things together.

Well, what no, it's the item on the table.

I mean, it's the one thing we've been asked to vote on, is the increase of we haven't been asked to vote to acquire software.

That's the administration's ability.

They y'all could have done it 10 years ago, five years ago, one year ago.

We're being asked today for one thing, and that is to have a drastic increase in fines.

You're defining drastic you're defining $10 as a drastic increase, and we're also sharing with you from all the research we've done that $10 is is not drastic, and here's why.

The $15 has shown that it's not only below smaller cities, it is below cities that are $200,000.

It also shows that we haven't done anything related to that compliance piece since 2008.

Now the number wasn't randomly picked, and a number could have been higher.

But professional staff chose a recommendation of $25 because nobody believes on the front end that that's any form of incentive to make people voluntarily comply with feeding the meter, and they don't believe on the back end, even if I get a fine $15 or nothing, I don't have to pay it.

So we believe if you even keep it at $15, some of the behavior will be the same.

But it probably actually goes to what you're saying too, as far as the enforcement piece.

But a significant amount of sworn officers are retired too.

And so in the same window you are referring to where there's been a decent decrease of tickets.

So not the police department, but over here in the transportation department in that same window, we changed our meters.

In the ideal world, you would expect tickets to go down when you have smart meters because less people should be getting tickets because as I stated earlier, you don't have to necessarily run down out of your office or leave your meeting.

You can just renew your meter fee literally by your phone.

So we would expect with having smarter meters that are more efficient that people would have less tickets at the exact same time.

Now that may not be tracking the actual decrease number for number, but the combination of things as far as our police force sworn and non-sworn being shorter in the same time period you mentioned, as well as on that same window having smart meters, we would expect for there to be a decrease.

Um a decrease in actual people getting tickets, not to mention one last thing.

You can track it all.

I know I got I I get to speeding emails.

So my point is this the $10 is significant, and this is why it's significant.

Because the plan is to send people to collections after their first unpaid ticket.

And I think that that is wrong.

It's my it's not my decision.

It's actually not really this council's decision.

That's an administrative function of the city, and it's not our decision to make.

But to send somebody to collections after their correct that.

It's going to collections or is a notice.

It goes to collection.

Is it a notice or a collection?

It goes to collections at 70 days.

It goes to collections at 70 days overdue.

Exactly.

And that is why I believe that a $10 increase is significant, because it goes against someone's personal credit if they misplace or accidentally fail to do their ticket.

Not a parking violation, sir.

That's not true.

It's just not true.

What goes to collections?

It does not go towards their credit, sir.

So collections is being done differently in the city of Birmingham than everywhere else.

Yeah, we we we at minimum, Madam President, we just want to state factual things on the record.

So I'm not trying to debate you, but we we want to make sure we get factual information out.

But you but you are because you just said it doesn't go to collections and it does go to collections.

It goes to collections, it does not affect credit.

That's a federal law for parking tickets.

Okay.

So these items, so one infraction, one time that you have a ticket and you forget to pay it.

One time you go to a restaurant downtown and someone talks too much for five minutes too much.

Well, based on these numbers, you couldn't get a citation.

But theoretically, then all of a sudden you have something going to collections, and I think that that makes ten dollars significant if you fail to pay.

And I do think that that makes ten dollars significant.

And I, you know, but that's not the council's decision whether things go to collections.

That's not a function of this council.

But what is what's before us, and that is an ordinance to increase this all of the citations in the city of Birmingham.

And my overall thought is this, and this is not a question.

You y'all can keep rebutting me if you want, but I'll all I said is I have some thoughts.

So y'all can argue, but these are my just thoughts.

Why don't we try some enforcement first?

Why don't we try to see if we can mail a notice to people to pay the ticket?

And then if it's and then see what's working, and then come back to the council and say this isn't working because the price of the citation doesn't fit.

But there has been no effort to date to have people pay the citation.

None.

We don't even mail them a letter.

So why would we increase fines without first trying to do that?

And that is my thought.

I don't I I don't, it's not a question, it's a thought.

And so that's why I can't support it.

Now, if y'all want to keep going back and forth, I'll keep going back and forth.

But it's not a question.

Thank you.

I think we we do have another question from another counselor, counselor would been in line so long.

I did have a question, so it's been a long time since I've gotten a parking ticket, probably like 10 years.

So it's been a long time since I've gotten a parking ticket, probably like 10 years.

But I well, I remember at the time there was an escalator.

So if you paid it by a certain, I don't know if it's two weeks or 30 days, whatever, but if you paid it quickly, it was cheaper, and then it escalated after a certain point.

Do we still do that presently?

No.

Oh, OCA, you correct me if I'm incorrect.

But no, we don't do that anymore.

But that is one of the things we are amending as a part of this proposal for item 10.

Right now, our ordinance still states that there's a $10 fee, and I think maybe even a doubling.

Yeah, an a doubling of it if you don't pay it on time.

But um state legislature after that ordinance was passed, um, deemed that that was invalid.

So we no longer apply that rule.

Yeah.

So I can correct it.

Uh, if you look at the amendment to section 838 that's before you, what's being struck is a doubling of the parking fine if it's not paid within a certain time and adding a late fee.

There's an opinion of the attorney general that was issued probably about 20 years ago that uh said that there's not there are some uh fines that a late fee can be applied to, but the attorney general is opined that a late fee can't apply to a parking ticket.

So that is part of this correction.

The an amendment that is before you were striking that late fee, that automatic penalty, and only putting in the three dollar fee that allows the city to collect you know uh a reimbursement for the costs that it takes us to do the administrative process of notifying that person that they've got a ticket.

So that doesn't exist, that hasn't been enforced to my knowledge for a number of years.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Yes, Councillor Vassan.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh my question is pivoting but still related to parking reform strategy.

I see item 12 that involves expanding zones into residential areas bordering uh the commercial business district.

Uh could you speak a little bit more about what that expanding zones look like?

Uh and this is through the lens of uh a few neighborhoods within the district that are adjacent to big and bigger institutions.

So we're thinking of St.

formerly St.

Vincent's UAV Medicine location, um, UAB as a whole, approximate to five point south, uh, and other commercial business districts as well.

So if you could walk me through what that looks like, sir.

Um so essentially what we're trying to do is fix the foundation of our parking management system because right now um people as mentioned earlier opt out because they just don't take the enforcement or the follow-up seriously.

So another important data point that we've heard is that uh only one in five tickets get paid currently.

So one in five tickets get paid.

So people don't take those tickets seriously.

So if we're able to effectively implement sort of this foundational system, so starting with just during the weekday, normal uh system that everybody's used to, then that gives us the foundation to then consider creating zones around some of our biggest demand areas like uh UAB or St.

Vincent's or the amphitheater, but it really doesn't make sense to create those controlled zones if we have such low compliance today.

So um what we're doing today creates the foundations where we can consider doing that.

It does not require us to do that.

That's something that the council would would vote on, and and you know, that's policies we would work through in the future, but this creates the foundation for us to consider that.

All right, thanks, James.

So we're not voting on that directly today, uh, but that's as part of the reform strategy.

That is something that we would vote on later in terms of item 12, the expansion of zones into residential areas.

That's correct.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Yes, Councilor Smithman.

Well, okay.

Well, can we revise the ordinance to include everything but the increase some fines and still have the system in place?

Especially since Attorney Bernard said we still have to revise it to take off the um the addition of the fines.

Well, the the fee, sorry.

So I think in listening to this conversation, Madam President, and to your colleagues.

Yeah, we can on the day.

Um what the administration proposes we would like to move forward number 10 today and delay number 11.

10 includes that backend um fee for the the three dollars, but I think that's been explained.

And uh if there's no more questions to that, then we can move forward with 10.

And if it pleases this council, we can delay that and then get it back before the council at a later date.

I'm good with that.

Thank you, Mayor Whitman.

We have one more one more question, uh, Mayor.

So this 10 would and I think uh counselor Williams, I think I've because I've heard it multiple times.

When people and I say it when people get tickets, they it's printed out, they are aware.

So this would give extra mechanism.

If you get a ticket, then you're gonna get this notice in the mail career.

So you got this piece of paper, but you got that parking ticket telling you, hey, you need to pay this ticket, you got a certain amount of time to pay it.

So now this gives you a system where this violator who has gotten his ticket, not only have you gotten this sheet of paper, that you know you got a ticket.

Now I'm about to send you a letter, right?

Yes.

Okay, thank you.

It does.

Just a note.

Um moving violations are always attached to the owner of the vehicle.

Moving the violations are attached to the actual driver of the vehicle.

So just a note.

All right.

Thank you, Mayor Whitman.

Counselors, what we have before us.

We did call both items up together.

So any action we want to take, we need to make some changes in the way we're calling up the vote of what we're voting on at this time.

Mr.

Clerk, can you help us out here?

You can just uh vote on them separately, that's all.

All right.

Um, the only thing I'm um was asking a question about is somebody mentioned July first is affected dates.

Do we do that as well?

I'm sorry.

Is that a consideration we have?

But that was for the increase in the fines.

Not sorry for item number eleven, not item number ten.

Is that correct, Mayor?

July first, affected day, and still for both or just one.

For item eleven.

So ten as ten is as is, sir.

Thank you.

Okay.

So that clarification, we're voting now on item number ten.

It will stay as it is, and then a delay is being asked for item eleven.

So Mr.

Clerk, you want to call it the items first of all?

Okay.

Item 10.

Yes, hold on one second.

I have to convert something with these departments.

All right.

All right, Madam President.

Please please forgive me for the deliberation while in the middle of a meeting prior to a vote.

I know we don't usually do that, but we needed to confer something with the legal department before you voted to make sure from an implementation and launching standpoint we didn't set ourselves back.

Um what staff and legal just conferred upon me as mayor that I share with you what I want to share on the public record because we want to be transparent is that if we delay 11, it does set back what we're attempting to do.

Since the actual fee is in the purview of council and the $25 additional is just a recommendation, you can set what you believe the fine should be.

If you want it to remain at $15, then this body, your body can recommend it remain, or you can increase it by five dollars only a 20-year option.

In addition to that, that will go into uh a lot of what we suggested, which is a July 1 date for the notification.

Or you don't need the July notification if you're not gonna change the fine and keep that 15, but they are suggesting that the council does vote on a number 11 today, including if you do not want to increase the fines to just put it on the record to amend that so this can launch in a timely way and the conversation can move forward with an efficient program that gets this council what they want, bottom line, which is enforcement.

Counselors, yes, counselors.

And so I am unsure what I'm voting on because I don't have a red line copy of fines.

Councilor, we can get you that, but a red line copy was provided on uh three the clerk's office.

I don't I did not look to see what was on directly in, but there should be um actually there the way that we're putting the table in now will have the six the city code section that's associated with the violation in the center, which we currently don't have, you just have a description.

We have also broken out some of the violations specifically.

I apologize I picked up a folder this morning and it was the wrong one, so I don't have the draft in my hand.

Um but you know, but I can get it if you've got questions.

But there was a strike version that was provided with the submission to the council, and that should be before you.

We are striking the table as to parking fines.

There's still that whole section deals with a whole lot of other violations.

We're not touching those.

We're only touching the parking violations, which is the last part of the table.

In the table the way it currently appears in the city code, there's a violation that says no parking anytime.

There is not really a section of the city code that says no parking anytime.

That subsumes the state law violations, which by the way, parking on the sidewalk is a state law violation.

Um there's several things that are in state law where nobody's allowed to park at any time.

There are some places that we post signs that nobody's allowed to park at any time.

What we have done in that table is we have broken those out individually, so it is clear to the public, it is clear to the parking enforcement officer.

All of that will be loaded into the G Techno system, which they will use to drop down as they issue the parking tickets in the field.

It will be clear to everybody as to what the fine, you know, what fine is associated with what violation.

Um I worked with um the attorney basquare on it.

out individually so it is clear to the public it is clear to the parking enforcement officer all of that will be loaded into the G Techno system which they will use to drop down as they issue the parking tickets in the field it will be clear to municipal court it will be clear to everybody as to what the fine you know what fine is associated with what violation I worked with um the attorney Basquier on it we went down because there were some there's some parking ordinances that the council had not associated a fine with in this table for you to be able to walk in and pay a parking violation this council must state the fine this to be paid so we have added in some violations that aren't currently in that table so there are some things that nothing's being increased because there wasn't a fine there before so you know saying we're just gonna go back or whatever it it's gonna be unraveling something that's pretty complicated it will be giving antiquated information to G Techna but as the mayor stated what that fine should be is the legislative decision of this council the ten dollar increase is a recommendation the adding the other violations in is a recommendation but ultimately it's the decision of this council thank you attorney Bernard my question is um counselors I'm gonna ask what you like to do I would like to see the red lines or to see the changes to have clarity on what was been presented to us to be considered and so we can either table this until we get the red line or we can delay both items can we get the red lines in a certain amount of time yeah it look it just to Ms.

Bernard just to clarify it's 10 there's never an increase over $10 in these I mean there it looks like there's like 50 changes in fees but there's never an it looks like from what I have skimmed that there is never over a $10 increase.

There should not be except for where there was no fine existing at the time in that case we tried to where we identified a code section that was not either not clear in the table previously or it was just not listed I'm trying to think of one of them off the top of my head for example parked on the left hand side of a one-way roadway of a divided roadway went from no fine to fifty dollars I think it may have been in there one way but uh it one time as I said the old table of fines it's hard to figure out what was associated with which I say my first assignment in the door in December 2002 was to go through the council had just amended the whole table of fines and I was asked to sit down and associate a city code or a state code section with each one it was not easy because they are not all written exactly the way the laws are written so we had to figure out so that's one thing we did was we tried to improve the language improve the descriptions so that it is more clear which code section is being discussed and actually went in and put the code sections that are associated with it there in the table of fines to make it more clear but that's correct there was one there were there were some violations on the existing table that relate to parking on a one way and that one's confusing it is legal to park on the left hand side of a one-way street unless it's parked as no parking the one you mentioned if you've got a divided roadway with a median it's illegal to park on that left hand side of that divided roadway unless it's posted that you can so it's very confusing so that's why we tried to break it out and associate it specifically with the ordinance with the code sections okay thank you it has been clarified counselors um we do receive those written lines I think we're all looking at it now in the email on in May and it's also available online with the packet that we received with the agenda packet so we can have it for review.

So councillor Williams all right I'd like to make a motion that we pass items 10 and 11 with the caveat changes to it of 11 of zero increases in fines when there where there has been a 10 dollar increase that is notwithstanding new fines for clarifications in the code meaning that if there was for example parking in an alley did not has it have a designated fine this new section has a designated fine which is appropriate because you have to have a fine with the citation so my motion is to pass it however change all of the $10 increases in the version that we got back to their original amountwithstanding where there is a fine where there has not been one along with just how let me done okay along with a July 1st effective date so let's do this I would like to go ahead let's take them separate we'll come back to that motion on the item 11 when it comes back to us but I'd like for us to consider the items separately all right so do we need a motion a second now to go back or do you have to read them again we're on 10 we do okay so we're on item number 10 so counselors

Along with just take how many done along with a July 1st effective date.

So let's do this.

I would like to go ahead.

Let's take them separate.

We'll come back to that motion on the item 11 when it comes back to us.

But I'd like for us to consider the items separately.

All right.

All right.

So do we need a motion in the second now to go back, or do you have to read them again?

Oh, we're on 10.

We do.

Okay, so we're on item number 10.

So counselors, we are now considering the ordinance to amend the municipal court fines and costs the administrative education of certain minor offenses in lieu of trial, and that's part of our general code.

And now we're ready for the vote.

All right, this is for item number two.

I'm in item number ten.

Councillor Smith is out.

Councillor Vasel.

Uh Councillor Williams.

All right.

Councilor Pro Tem Tate.

Council President Alexander.

Aye.

All right.

Item number 10 passes.

Okay.

Now we'll take up item 11.

Just let me get a new motion.

And we need new motion and second.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Any questions regarding this?

Now you'll make your statement.

Did you want to amend that?

My motion is to pass this with the two following changes, one of which is to not do a ten dollar increase in all of the areas where there was a ten dollar increase.

That is notwithstanding where there is a new fine attached to a violation where there previously was not a fine, as well as an effective date of July 1st.

Um second to those.

Okay, so we're gonna vote on the case.

All right, now there are no questions we can.

You want to vote on the amendment?

Yes.

Okay.

Uh the two amendments, I'm sorry.

Councillor Gunn.

Councillor O'Quinn.

No.

Councilor Smith.

Out Council Smith.

Aye.

Councillor Vastel.

Council Williams.

Aye.

Council Woods.

Aye.

Council President Pro Tem Tate.

Aye.

Council President Alexander.

Aye.

Okay, so now we'll vote on the whole item as amended with the changes.

All right.

We're ready for the vote.

Already?

Okay.

Should be over.

And Councillor Vossel.

All right, item is adopted as amended.

All right, thank you.

Item 11 passes with the amendments that were placed in motion before the present vote.

And yes, Mayor Whitman.

Very quickly.

Thank you.

I know that was a very long discussion.

Probably needed discussion.

We want to share two things with this council and the public in general.

One is this still will take Ms.

Page has said share with you.

Now that you pass this, it's still going to take us probably a minimum minimum, but possibly more to get everything aligned before we can actually move this new system forward attached to enforcement, which brings me to my second point.

With this vote today, which we're very grateful for, thank you.

And I want to thank the staff for all the hard work they've been putting in the last two years to get to this point too.

I think you can yield the results this body desires, which is actual enforcement, because the system will no longer be broken, everything will be aligned.

And then talking with Deputy Chief of Patrol along with the team members here, we feel that we can deliver and yield the results this body wants, which is enforcement.

Well, thank you, Mayor Whip.

And I do want to thank you and the staff, um, B Dot, OCA, and um for in the discussion we've had today.

I want to thank you, counselors.

I know that there was a lot of passion and desire to want to be sure that what we were doing today not only made sense but it reflected the needs and concerns of our residents.

And I thank you all for also staff making those considerations.

And we just want to be sure that people respect the city of Birmingham when they come to visit when they park, and um, but again that there's fairness to it.

So thank you all so much.

Appreciate you.

Next item.

Okay.

Um item 60.

Did we do 12?

Uh 12.

I'm sorry.

Okay.

My bad.

That's okay.

All right, item 12.

An ordinance authorizing the mayor upon receipt of payment and the amount of eight thousand four hundred dollars and fifty-five cents to execute a quick claim deed to LC Willow Solutions, LLC for the sale of property legally described as lot three and north half court of um lot four and block twenty-four according to the DWARE survey.

It's according to map book three, page 79 in the office of the judge appropriate Jefferson County, Alabama, parcel ID 220261022 10, city amount 2112 and located at 1526 17th Street North, Birmingham, Alabama 35204, which was required by the city upon foreclosure of municipal improvement liens in accordance with section 3-1-4C of the General Code of City of Birmingham.

This is an item of permanent operation that you see to pass it today.

Second.

Councilmember Gunn.

Council Member O'Quinn.

Council Member Smith is absent.

Council Member Smithman.

Council Member Williams.

Council Member Woods.

President Pro Tim Tate.

Council President Alexander.

Aye.

Motion on the item.

All right, Councillors.

This item is an ordinance authorized second.

Okay, got it.

Okay.

Now this is an ordinance authorizing the mayor upon receipt of payment in the amount of $8,455 to execute a deed to LC Willows Solutions LLC for the sale of property.

Any questions regarding this item?

We're ready for the vote.

All right, voting should be open.

Council member Voss.

All right.

Thank you.

That item passes.

Next item.

Now we're at 60.

Yes, ma'am.

A resolution accepting the lump sum proposal car development LLC 8351 Kermit Johnson Road.

Pence in Alabama in the amount of 93,786 for 2025 citywide inlet top repairs project located in Birmingham.

This being the lowest responsible and responsive proposal submitted and authorized the mayor to enter to a contract with car development LLC and substantially the form contained within the proposal documents and in accordance with said proposal, providing that the total compensation payable under the contract, not exceeding the appropriation motion.

Item is before you.

All right.

Councilor Smithman, you ask the design to be removed from consent.

Yes, thank you, madam president.

Um I just have like I do have a few questions, but let me make the statement.

When I write out with my staff, and then they write out independently, and honestly, this is throughout the city, not just district six.

I see inland tops that are broken that need to be fixed.

Um pull this off because madam pro tim, you probably have a better recollection of the inlet tops we saw in Tuscaloosa and DC.

So it's gonna be one of my questions, but why are we still using as a concrete inlet tops and why haven't we converted over to more efficient and effective inlet tops?

Uh yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

Council Smithman, your question.

Which is a great question.

Um I want to make sure I read this right.

Capital Project has a current list of inland repairs that just based on how we built our city are literally built into the sidewalks that DPW cannot fix.

Um so that's I think a major reason why this is before the council is because of that.

This item um will allow us to bundle those requests and other 311 cases going forward to repair.

And how many inlet tops will be repaired citywide?

Um if you will allow me, um I know this is item 60.

Uh, we'll provide a list of the council, but don't let me make up a number.

Okay, I'll get the I'll make sure you all get the list.

Okay, can the public is that something the public can know?

Oh, yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

I mean it's okay.

Public record, absolutely.

Okay, I'll get the list.

Do we still have the system?

What was that?

We I feel like I've seen that where we was it because Trina showed us that there is an inventory or some type of system that shows all the inlets in the city.

Um, do we still have a citywide inventory and condition assessment of all of our inlets?

Yes, yes, we do.

Okay, and we'll make sure it relates to item 60.

You all get the list um less than 24 hours ideally today.

Okay.

Um, and I ask that because a lot of you say this and we say this because when the inlets aren't properly repaired and they're not cleaned out, it causes flooding.

Um, and you know, I just see so many inlets that need to be repaired.

And have we done I feel like we sorry, I need to do this better.

We need like a stormwater plan, and we've talked about this, but is there in place?

Have we made any progress since the last time we talked about this?

I think we were maybe in the batwell, like with a stormwater plan, how we are going to address it.

Is there a better method for repairing the endless than us running around turning it in or constituents calling us to tell us it needs to be repaired?

Yeah, and you know, um, I don't think uh Mr.

Yates is in the building, but I will tell you they've been very aggressive at inland repairs.

Um I think you all took a significant step forward um with our next steps and strategic planning to address these issues with the surplus funding that included uh million dollars towards the actual supporting actual investable plan.

You know, that's the basin study plan.

Um, and I I can see a screenshot of this, but I just know there are other cities that have good methods around addressing it.

So DC has a dedicated stormwater fees for a consistent funding stream.

Uh Atlanta has um conducts regular assessments of their stormwater assets.

Charlotte has a comprehensive stormwater services program.

Nashville, you know, they use predictive maintenance and long-range planning.

I just want to know, and this may not be answered today, but I just want to put in front of the mayor's office that we need a plan to really help out with this, especially since the rain has increased in the last five years.

Yes, ma'am.

I will make sure through Chief Fowler that DPW provides in writing how we are attacking this and the planning to not only fix inlets, but all things related to our engagements around inlands in our city.

Okay.

Thank you.

I do appreciate you for bringing this item and asking those questions, Councillor Smithman.

I don't know if this is just all across the city.

I know we have problems.

I think I get signed up is that it's a citywide issue.

And um, so Mayor Whitman, I would like to see the list just because we have certain ones that we're calling in all the time, um, that people are driving over the concrete ones and just really damaging cars and that area is a nuisance.

So just um I think the list would be helpful to us and as well as helpful to the public.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, one question.

I don't think I asked it right.

Why haven't we moved away from concrete inlets?

It's a great question.

I'll get you an answer.

I I literally don't want to make up an answer at all.

Okay, and then I I would it'll be a part of what the information we share.

Okay, I would like a cost analysis or I guess the pros and cons versus us keeping concrete inlets and then going to another inlet and how this can help the city.

Can you text me at an email and make sure I get one?

I'll I'll text it to you.

Can you repeat that?

I'll just put it in the notes right now.

Let me finish.

Uh let me remember what I just asked.

Um, a cost analysis of remaining with concrete inlets versus going to another type of inlet top.

Um, and if we moved away from concrete inlets, how would this save the city cost-wise in the long run?

And if we moved away from concrete inlets, what would be the cost?

Basically, trying to see if we can make it more effective, if if that would help us out, because that the zap pulls away staffing from having to do it, um, drive-down complaints, flooding, just trying to see if there's a benefit to doing this.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

No other questions.

We're ready for the vote, Mr.

Clerk.

Uh Council Woods is out.

And I'm a yes as well.

All right, that vote should be up.

All right, thank you.

Item number 60 passes.

Any other items, Mr.

Clerk?

No, ma'am.

All right, thank you.

All right, at this time, counselors, we're ready to entertain your updates from your various districts.

Councillor Gunn, can you go first?

Yeah.

Absolutely, madam president.

Here are my announcements for today.

Uh, I want to thank Black Warrior River Keeper and everyone who came out to our community uh cleanup in Englenook uh this weekend.

We had over 218 pounds of trash that was collected at that event.

Uh special thank you to the Hudson K through eight school for having me as their eighth grade commencement program.

Uh it was a privilege to celebrate the achievements of these outstanding scholars at Birmingham City Schools and to witness the promise of our next generation.

Uh this Wednesday, Mercy Deliverance Ministries will be having a mobile market at Brownsville Heights Community Center from 10 a.m.

to 12 p.m.

Uh this Saturday, the Robuck Robuck Springs and Southeast Lake neighborhoods are having a community fund day at New Beginning Christian Ministry from 2 to 6 p.m.

Uh here are my neighborhood and outside or neighborhood association meetings that are taking place this week.

Uh June the 8th, Ingle Nook uh will take place at 5 30 p.m.

at the Ingle Nook Neighborhood Recreation Center.

Woodlawn will take place also on June the 8th at 6 p.m.

at the Willow Wood Recreation Center, Airport Highlands, the same day at 6 p.m.

at Pleasant View Baptist Church, Roebuck the same day at 6 p.m.

6 30 p.m.

at the Birmingham Police East Precinct.

Uh Keelow Springs will take place on the 9th at 6 p.m.

at Smith Middle School and Pennfield Park will take place at 6 p.m.

at the Brownsville Heights Community Center.

And that concludes my announcements.

I do have announcements for Councillor Smith as well, Madam President.

All right, thank you.

Okay.

Neighborhood meetings for uh district eight.

Uh Tuesday, June the 2nd.

We have the Thomas Neighborhood Association at 5 30 p.m.

at the Greater St.

Thomas uh Community Church.

Uh Fairview has been postponed until Tuesday, June the 9th.

Uh their neighborhood meeting will take place at 6 30 p.m.

via conference call.

Uh Tuxedo is Monday, June the 8th at 8 p.m.

at the East Ansley Public Library, Ansley Highlands, it's Monday, June 8th at 6 p.m.

at the Five Points West Branch Library.

And then Rising West Princeton is Monday, June the 8th at 6 p.m.

at the Rising West Princeton Corporation.

A couple announcements that she had for board meetings.

Uh park and rec board meeting will be June the 3rd, 9 a.m.

at Legion Field, and then the Arts and Parks Committee meeting is Monday, June the 15th.

Please submit any agenda items to D8 Help at Birmingham AL.gov by Wednesday, June 10th at 5 p.m.

And that concludes those announcements.

Thanks so much, Councillor Gunn.

Councillor O'Quinn.

Thank you, Madam President.

If you live in Birmingham, you live in a neighborhood, and that neighborhood has a neighborhood association that meets usually once a month.

So if you're in East Lake, Forest Park, South Avondale, Whoma, Gate City, or Oak Ridge Park, you have a neighborhood association meeting this week.

Call my office if you need the dates, times, and locations.

The next transportation infrastructure committee meeting will take place on Monday, June 8th at 2 p.m.

here in the council chambers.

Please submit agenda items to Kimberly Phillips at Kimberley.phillips at Birmingham AL.gov.

The annual District 5 Health Fair will take place on Saturday, August 8th, 2026 from 9 a.m.

to 2 p.m.

at Parker High School.

We are very proud to partner with Alpha Alpha Phi chapter of Omega's Sci-Fi Fraternity Incorporated to make this event possible.

The Health Fair will offer free health screenings, community resources, back to school supplies, and a blood drive.

Please contact the District 5 office for additional details and opportunities to participate.

And that concludes my announcements.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Councilor Vasa.

Thank you, Madam President.

District 3 Summerfests is happening Saturday, June 20th from 10 a.m.

to 2 p.m.

We're very excited about this.

It will be a day of music, food, family fund and community celebration.

It is a free public event.

We'll have live performances from several artists, including including DJ Swayze, Canoe Babbel, Gabriel Tajou, Shaheed and DJ Supreme, and Aaron Mitchell.

We will also have a kid zone and uh reminder that this is a school supply drive to benefit our D3 Elementary Schools, Epic Elementary, Avondale Elementary, and Glen Iris.

So we're excited about that event again Saturday, uh January 20th from 10 a.m.

to 2 p.m.

at George Ward Park District 3 email address.

We have a an easier email address now.

It's uh district 3 at Birmingham AL.gov.

District 3, that's the number 3 at Birmingham L.gov.

Tonight we have Forest Park South Avondale, 6 30 p.m.

at Avondale Library.

Uh Planning and Zoning Committee meeting is Tuesday, June 9th at 3 p.m.

in Council Chambers.

And lastly, we are accepting applications for the ZBA zoning board adjustment.

Send resume to District 3 at Birmingham AL.gov.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you so much.

Yes, thank you, Madam President.

You know, I was thinking during Council O'Quinn's announcements.

Has there ever been a survey of the residents on why they don't attend neighborhood meetings?

I'm you know, and I'm just asking because I know sometimes it's usually the it's not an oxen neighborhood association.

I'm trying to help increase the attendance.

I know I've heard like the time isn't good, or um I'm just wondering if there was ever a survey.

Do y'all know?

I don't remember one.

I don't know if one.

I think Dr.

O'Quinn's been with us.

Um you know I don't believe that there's anybody uh a survey of that type, at least not, you know, to that I'm aware of.

Um the neighborhood associations themselves set the time, location, date.

Um but you know, um other than that, I don't say the simple answer to your questions.

I don't think so.

Okay.

Oh that's just maybe that's a good idea.

We we can talk with our people to see because you know a lot of times they've all so many important issues like liquor licenses, etc.

And it's just a few people that determine a lot for hundreds of people in one neighborhood.

So maybe that's something we can talk about with helping them.

I don't mind helping out my neighborhoods, but I think that's a good thing.

Um, and also maybe trying to see how would that help encouraging younger people to attend neighborhood associations as well.

Exactly.

Um that's a good question.

But as far as my neighborhood meetings, Oakwood Place is today at 4 p.m.

at Harrison Park Recreation Center.

Mason City will meet today at 4 30 p.m.

via teleconference.

And then Westland Manor is on this Monday, June 8th at 5 p.m.

at New Hope Baptist Church.

This Saturday, June 6th from 9 to 2, uh there will be a community initiative giveaway, which will be held at First Baptist Church Mason City, located at 2020 13th Place Southwest, Birmingham, Alabama, 35211, free baby items, shoes, bed linens, food, and other essential resources will be available.

For more information, and if you would like to volunteer, please contact Pastor Mann at 601 968-2583.

And then on Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m.

at Rural Park, there'll be a free celebration to kick off the summer.

And also happy men's mental health month.

Um, I would like to say to all my men and Session My Black Man that you do matter in your mental health is matter, your mental health matters, and you do not have to suffer in silence, and there are people for you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Counselor Williams.

Thank you.

Um this weekend is the annual fishing rodeo, and it will be from 7 a.m.

to 1 p.m.

All you have to bring is a rod reel and bait.

Uh we're gonna have uh DJ bounty houses, all the kind of giveaways that we usually have.

First come, first serve on shirts.

So if you make it out there at in the 7 o'clock hour, you will get one of these awesome sun uh screen fishing shirts.

Um, and so we're very excited about it.

Economic development will be happening um well, was going to happen at 11 30.

It's gonna happen directly after this in conference rooms DE.

And also great news parking citations will be $10 cheaper as of today.

Thank you, Counselor.

Madam Pro Tim, thank you, Madam President.

Wallam Neighborhood Association meeting this tonight at 6 p.m.

at the Wylam Library.

Thomas Neighborhood Association Association meeting has already been stated by Council Gunn.

It's tonight at 6 30 at the Greater Saints.

Thomas Community Church, a Cipico Finley Neighborhood Association meeting is Wednesday, June the 3rd, 5 30 at a Cipico Plant Community Room.

North Birmingham Neighborhood Association meeting is Monday, June the 8th at 6 p.m.

at the North Birmingham Library.

Sherman Heights Neighborhood Association is also on Monday, June the 8th at 6 p.m.

at the Morningstar Christian Church.

The next public safety meeting will be held on Tuesday, June the 9th at 1 p.m.

in the council chamber.

Please submit agenda items by email.

Wednesday, June the 3rd, no later than 12 noon to the following recipients.

Gregory.gov and Ashanta.little at Birmingham AL.gov.

If you have questions or concerns, feel free to call our office at 254-2302 or 254-2096.

That concludes my announcement, madam president.

Thank you so much.

These are announcements for District 7.

First, I'd like to thank Brenda Brown Bosom Buddies for holding their community wellness forum in District 7 last week.

We're very excited to host that with them over there at the Oxmore Valley Rec Center.

That program, Brenda Brown Bosom Gut Buddies, they do so much work in our community.

And so we're very glad to support them at all times.

And her community help forum is just another great way to pay attention to community health and wellness in our district.

So we're very grateful to her.

I think she has a sold-out pink pink uh hat and tie luncheon coming up on Saturday.

So it's sold out, so we thank everyone again.

That's the way to support that particular uh organization.

On Friday, June 5th, the Jones Valley Neighborhood Association will meet at 4 p.m.

at the Powerley Library.

That's at 3301 Jefferson Avenue Southwest.

On Saturday, we're very excited.

The Roosevelt City Pool will be opening along with the other uh pools that are opening in the city.

Uh they'll open on Saturday at 12 noon.

The regular operating hours will be Tuesday through Saturday, 12 noon to 6 p.m.

For more information, you can call Park and Rec at 205-2542391.

We also want to thank the UAB and uh Cooper Green Hospital for presenting their wellness event that was held at Roosevelt City Rec Center last week, and so a lot of great information.

A lot of people had a chance to check up on their health, blood pressure screening, and those type things.

So we thank them for bringing that to Roosevelt City.

On Monday, June 8th, the West Goldwire Neighborhood Association will meet at 5 p.m.

via conference call.

And on Saturday, and I believe you may have already announced this, Councillor Gunn in Councillor Smith's announcements.

But the West Side Community Wellness Expo will take place at 9 a.m.

to 12 noon at the Pearl Center.

This is again being um held by hosted by the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Omacron Omega chapter, their Cultural and Educational Advancement Foundation, as well as the Kappa Alpha Side Fraternity, the Birmingham Alumni Chapter.

So that's from 9 a.m.

to Saturday, June 12th.

That is in District 8, but we're very excited to bring that to the West Side.

And we're looking forward to Father's Day, a little bit early announcements, but the D7 Summers, Safe Summer Series will return to the Birmingham Ottawa Gardens.

That'll be on Father's Day, and so that'll be at 4 p.m.

on Sunday, June 21st.

So you have more information about that, but we'll get those dads out there and have a lot of great fun, okay?

And those are all our announcements for District 7.

Thank you, counselors for bringing us your announcements.

This time, Mr.

Clerk will entertain community voices in our speakers' list.

Mr.

Malone.

Joseph Hope.

Morning, Mr.

Holt.

Three minutes.

Some of the parents get on me because I don't see enough about the whole foundation.

We had like 15 kids that wanted to learn about trades and stuff like that, but now we're up to 50.

And I'm doing all this out of pocket because of my passion, but God always provide for me to be able to take care of them because last year I spent like uh 10 grand on all the kids traveling and stuff like that in trades, but it's paying off because uh we got several kids' internships at our HVAC companies.

Uh to my surprise, a lot of them went to a barbering uh because they want to cut hair.

And so I uh we have a film crew coming from California to actually now follow me to see uh the pros and cons of what it takes for foundations to do work in the community, how hard it is to raise money, and um interview some of the kids about their struggles from when they get out of high school to from high school to find their career path, how they fall to the streets and you know, just and now they're they have trades and skills and they're learning to work with their hands.

So I just want to share that we're doing in the community.

We got 30 kids out of district four.

Uh we got some kids coming from East Lake and District 2, and so whoever comes, we're accepting them.

And so we're just having a great thing.

I just want to share about what we're doing in the Hope Foundation.

It's just uh thank you for the time.

Thank you for that update.

We're always excited for public private partnerships and the way that we can work with our communities.

So thank you for the work that you do.

Appreciate that update.

Next speaker.

Should be Mark Haynes.

Good morning, sir.

You have three minutes.

How are you?

Madam Pro Town and Honorable Council members.

I'm honored to stand before you this afternoon to express my sincere appreciation and commendation for your leadership and your service to each of you that each of you provide to the residents of Birmingham.

Too often the hard work of public servants go on notice today.

I believe it's an important to pause and recognize the meaningful progress that this uh that has been made in several areas that directly impact the quality of life for our citizens.

First, I commend this council for the continual commitment to economic development through strategic investments, support for local businesses, neighborhood revitalization efforts and initiatives designed to attract new opportunities.

You have helped position Birmingham as a city of growth and innovation.

These efforts create jobs, strengthen our tax base, and provide pathways for families to achieve economic stability and prosperity.

Second, I want to acknowledge your dedication to public safety.

Ensuring the safety and well-being of residents is one of the most important responsibilities of government.

Your support for law enforcement, firefighters, emergency personnel, and community-based safety initiatives demonstrates a commitment to creating neighborhoods where families can live, work, and thrive with confidence and security.

Third, I applaud your your investment to education and youth development.

Strong communities are built upon strong educational foundations.

By supporting programs that enhance learning opportunities, workforce development, mentoring, and youth engagement.

You are helping prepare the next generation of Birmingham leaders.

Your efforts today will produce benefits for decades to come.

Finally, I want to commend council for recognizing the importance of addressing food insecurity and hunger within our city.

The partnerships with uh established with nonprofit organizations, Faith Community Schools, community stakeholders reflect Birmingham's spirit of compassion and service.

Providing access to nutritious food for children, seniors, and families in need strengthens not only the individual household, but the entire community.

As the co-founder and executive vice president of the Mothers United Against Gun Violence, I stand understand the importance of collaboration and addressing community challenges.

Meaningful progress occurs when government, nonprofits, business, and residents work together toward a common purpose.

I am encouraged by the council's willingness to engage community partners in advancing solutions that improve improve the lives of Birmingham citizens.

In closing, I extend my gratitude to each member of Council for your service, your dedication, and your commitment to moving Birmingham forward.

While challenges yet remain, your efforts demonstrate a vision for a safer, stronger, and more prosperous city for all.

Thank you for your leadership.

Thank you for your service to the people of Birmingham.

May God continue to bless the city of Birmingham and all those who work diligently who serves its residents.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

That concludes our speaker's list.

We want to thank our officers on duty, Officer Pinkert, Square, and Campbell, and our fire inspectors, Inspectors Shaw and Gris.

At this time, we'll entertain a motion for adjournment.

Some of thank you.

All those in favor, please say aye.

All right, we adjourn.

Thank you all.