Birmingham City Council Regular Meeting – June 16, 2026

The Birmingham City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in City Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by approval of minutes from March 3–31, 2026. Chief of Staff Cedric Sparks delivered announcements on behalf of Mayor Woodfin, including the closure of city offices on June 19 for Juneteenth, upcoming events, and a proclamation declaring June 2026 as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. The council considered a consent agenda, several individual ordinances and resolutions, and heard public comments.

Consent Calendar

• Items 1 and 2 were withdrawn: resolutions for a beer/wine license transfer (Graymont Foods) and an off-premise beer/wine license (Pike Road Market & Meats).
• Items 3–5 (liquor licenses for Sticks & Bourbon, Lucky Stranger, Chelsea Blues Liquor) were approved.
• Item 6: Operating authority permit for Stella Shuttle Service.
• Item 7: Towing service license for Magic City Towing.
• Items 8–14: budget amendments and appropriation ordinances, including a $1,400,000 transfer for capital improvements, a $250,000 transfer from a Trane settlement for Public Works deferred maintenance, $199,026.83 for Fire Station improvements, $26,000 for Library ADA water stations, $25,000 to Arlington House, and $1,200 for Harrison Park youth basketball. Item 14 was amended from $2,500 to $3,975 (adding $1,475 from District 3 discretionary funds) for lacrosse events.
• Items 17–18: agreements with Birmingham Board of Education ($5,700, amended to include Huffman High School cheerleaders with $5,000 from District 1 discretionary and $700 from Killough Springs) and East Lake United Methodist Church ($1,200).
• Items 20–21, 23, 25–43: various resolutions including software agreements, project funding (Sixteenth Street Baptist Church), insurance settlement ($201,826.25), fire protection repair amendment, change orders, payments, employee expense/advance accounts, public purpose determinations for events and beautification, and weed abatement for 168 properties (public hearing set for July 21, 2026).
• Addendum items 44 and 45 were added and approved: operating authority for April Budget Taxicab Service and an advance expense account for Councilor LaTonya Tate.
• Items 19 (Greenlining Realty) and 22 (Small Magic/Birmingham Talks) were pulled by Councilor Smitherman and voted on separately (see Discussion Items).
• Item 24 (weed assessments to tax collector) was pulled by Councilor Gunn for discussion and later approved with a commitment to route future weed abatement items through the Community Development Committee.
• The consent agenda was approved with Councilor Williams abstaining.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Rev. Eric Hall (Black Lives Matter) and DeCarius Blevins criticized conditions at Birmingham City Jail, citing three deaths in one week, including the death of Kalina “Peaches” Crossing, a transgender woman. They called for care rather than incarceration for nonviolent offenders and demanded accountability.
• John Meehan (3001 Avenue D) inquired about the mayor’s proposed budget for recycling, noting past programs and requesting more information. Council President Alexander directed him to the city website.
• Dr. W. Harris (lead pastor of an LGBTQIA-affirming church) focused on the death of Peaches Crossing, highlighting failures in mental health care for transgender inmates and urging the council to advocate for reforms and engage with the LGBTQ community.
• Terri Michael (629 Ridge Top Circle) requested safeguards for data centers, including independent baseline testing of water, soil, air, and noise, ongoing monitoring, public disclosure of chemical treatments, and enforceable penalties, noting current closed-loop systems still use chemicals.

Discussion Items

• Item 15 – Electronic Attendance Ordinance (Ordinance 26-70): Council President Alexander introduced an ordinance to amend the city code to allow council members to attend meetings electronically when unable due to illness, in compliance with state law. The ordinance was read, and after unanimous consent, it passed unanimously (9-0).
• Item 16 – HABD Interlocal Agreement (Ordinance 26-71): An ordinance authorizing a two-year agreement with the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) for a law enforcement task force at housing communities. HABD will provide up to $2,368,516.32 for personnel, expenses, and vehicle costs; the city will provide up to 8 police officers, 1 sergeant, and 1 lieutenant. The ordinance passed unanimously (9-0).
• Item 19 – Greenlining Realty Amendment: Resolution authorizing an amendment to extend a pre-development agreement for a 35-40 unit residential project in Druid Hills, with 10% of units reserved for residents at or below 100% AMI. The term extends to September 30, 2026, at a cost not to exceed $167,245. Councilor Smitherman inquired about the nature of the amendment (term extension only). The resolution passed (8-0, Williams absent).
• Item 22 – Small Magic/Birmingham Talks Second Amendment: Resolution authorizing a second amendment to the agreement with Small Magic dba Birmingham Talks, adding $371,500 in additional funding (total not to exceed $750,000) for a 10-week early education program using wearable devices to address the “word gap.” The term extends to December 30, 2026. Councilor Smitherman requested success metrics; representatives reported serving ~1,700 families in 2025 and 1,400 so far in 2026, with kindergarten readiness data expected from the first cohort of third graders. The resolution passed (8-0).
• Item 24 – Weed Assessments: Councilor Gunn pulled this to clarify the committee process. After discussion, the council agreed to have future weed abatement items come through the Community Development Committee. The resolution was then adopted (8-0).

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda Approved (with one abstention) – All routine items passed except those withdrawn or pulled for separate votes.
• Ordinance 26-70 (Electronic Attendance) – Adopted unanimously, allowing remote participation for ill council members up to six times per year, effective 45 days after adoption.
• Ordinance 26-71 (HABD Task Force) – Adopted unanimously, authorizing a two-year interlocal agreement for enhanced police patrols at HABD properties.
• Greenlining Realty Amendment (Resolution 1311-26) – Adopted 8-0, extending the pre-development contract to September 30, 2026, for Druid Hills housing.
• Small Magic/Birmingham Talks Amendment (Resolution 1312-26) – Adopted 8-0, adding $371,500 for continued early literacy programming through December 30, 2026.
• Weed Assessment Resolution 1313-26 – Adopted 8-0, with future abatement items to be routed through the Community Development Committee.
• Meeting Adjourned at 10:44 a.m.