Huntsville City Council Regular Meeting - December 1, 2022
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Huntsville City Council Regular Meeting – December 1, 2022
The Huntsville City Council convened on Thursday, December 1, 2022, at 5:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. All five council members were present. The meeting included proclamations, public hearings, numerous consent agenda items, a lengthy public comment period in support of the police chief nomination, and a contentious discussion on the process for appointing department heads. The council voted to confirm three department heads: Tara Sloan (Cemetery), Nick Nane (Traffic Engineer), and Kirk Giles (Police Chief).
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the agenda and minutes of November 17, 2022.
- Proclamation declaring December 2022 as Project Share Month, recognizing a program that has assisted 29,435 families with $5.2 million in utility assistance.
- Public hearing on vacation of a right-of-way in Old Town Subdivision (Clinton Avenue and Monroe Street) – adopted.
- Public hearing for suspension of licensure for seven confidential tax cases (numbers 381-387) for failure to remit taxes – licenses suspended for 12 months.
- Resolution to set a public hearing for January 26, 2023, on rezoning 24.86 acres at County Line Road and Old Highway 20 from Commercial Industrial Park to Highway Business C-4 District.
- Finance Committee Report: Expenditures totaling $13,180,488.65 approved.
- Board appointments: Shane Stewart to Huntsville Ice Skating Complex Board of Control (approved 5-0); Kristin Wilson to Huntsville Tennis Center Board of Control (approved 4-0, with Councilmember Kling abstaining).
- Board appointment nominations: James Splawn and James Ledbetter to Solid Waste Disposal Authority – referred to future meetings.
- Legal Department items: Resolution and ordinance vacating right-of-way in Old Town Subdivision (both approved unanimously).
- Unfinished business: Amendments to Classification and Salary Plan and Budget Ordinance (both approved unanimously).
- New business items for consideration (consent agenda): Travel expenses, donations, procurement (with one bid removed after protest), change orders for Aldridge Creek Greenway, First Stop CDBG-CV funds, Legacy Park construction, Joe Davis Stadium renovation, agreement for John Hunt Park Recreation Center engineering, W.H. Councill Memorial Park paver replacement, firearm purchase agreement, and three special employee agreements. All approved except two items held for separate discussion (procurement and Legacy Park change order).
- Introduction of ordinances: (1) Increasing open burning permit fee from $100 to $250; (2) Amending council rules regarding order of business for public comments. Both introduced and due back December 15, 2022.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Agenda-related public comments were dominated by speakers supporting the appointment of Interim Chief Kirk Giles as permanent police chief. Eleven speakers addressed the council, including former Police Chief Rex Reynolds, attorney Billy Bell, citizens Victoria Guerrero, Mary Jane Kaler (Giles’ second-grade teacher), Larry Sharp, Leonard Jefferson, James Gilbert, Bobby White, Brian Williams, Jerry Cox, Gary and Sherry Sloeb, Dr. Ronnie Najar, Rika McRoy, and former news anchor Lee Marshall. All voiced strong support for Giles, citing his 45 years of service, integrity, community relationships, and leadership. Several emphasized the importance of promoting from within and the message it sends to city employees. No speakers opposed the appointment.
Discussion Items
- Appointment of Department Heads (Item 19C): The mayor presented three nominees: Tara Sloan (Cemetery), Nick Nane (Traffic Engineer), and Kirk Giles (Police Chief). The mayor noted that all three had served as interims and been “test-driven” over the past year. Councilmembers shared positive experiences with each nominee. However, Councilmember Devyn Keith raised concerns about the lack of a transparent, replicable selection process, stating that the appointment appeared to be a “practice” rather than a “process.” He noted that the police department is 82% male and 80% white, and argued that without a formal process, it is unclear how other officers could aspire to become chief. Councilmember John Meredith echoed concerns about the process, stating that the council had been publicly told the appointment was a “done deal” before the vote. Councilmembers Jennie Robinson and Bill Kling defended the appointments, praising the nominees’ qualifications and the mayor’s prerogative to appoint. After extensive debate, a motion to close discussion was defeated (2-3). The final roll call vote on the resolution to appoint the three department heads resulted in: Ayes – Robinson, Kling, Little; Abstentions – Meredith, Keith. The resolution passed, confirming the appointments.
Key Outcomes
- Confirmed Appointments: Tara Sloan as Cemetery Director, Nick Nane as Traffic Engineer, and Kirk Giles as Police Chief (vote 3-0-2).
- Bid Protest: A protest regarding TJM Tire LLC was acknowledged; the bid was removed from the procurement resolution. The remaining two bids (James R. Hall towing and Tree Professional Inc.) were approved.
- Legacy Park Change Order No. 1 approved for $92,628 (part of a $4.6 million project), to cover an unforeseen electrical subcontractor change and structural steel adjustments; timeline remains on schedule.
- Public Hearing Set: Rezoning of 24.86 acres at County Line Road and Old Highway 20 set for January 26, 2023.
- Open Burning Fee Increase Introduced: Ordinance to increase permit fee from $100 to $250, due back December 15, 2022.
- Council Rules Amendment Introduced: Ordinance to modify the order of business for public comments, due back December 15, 2022.
- Project Share Month Proclamation: December declared Project Share Month to encourage utility bill donations.
- Tax License Suspensions: Seven businesses had their licenses suspended for 12 months for failure to remit taxes.
- Right-of-Way Vacation: Approved for redevelopment of the former Coke site, with the developer to provide new streetscape improvements.
Meeting Transcript
Well, it's 5 30 p.m. on December the first of 2022, and we are meeting in the City Council Chambers of Huntsville, Alabama. Thanks to all of you who are with us and also to those who are watching online. Please note for the record that all council members are in attendance. We are convening this session of the Huntsville City Council, and the meeting will be called to order. We will begin our meeting tonight with an invocation led by Dr. Sprite E. Simpson the third, who serves as the Huntsville Public Safety Chaplain's Director and is affiliated with the West Maston Lake Baptist Church. That will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Little. Please stand for the invocation and pledge. As our city grows in populace and we welcome new citizens into the fold. Dear God, you know how hard our city council has worked to ensure our safety, our comfort, the education of our children, and our general welfare. We thank you, Lord, for their diligence, and we thank you for the excellent results of their efforts. As tonight's meeting progresses, we ask that the agenda be accomplished, that all discussions continue to be civil and considerate, and that the outcome of this meeting benefits the City of Huntsville and its citizens. Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing on each council member and their families, and on each citizen that is in attendance this evening. And Project Share is um has affected 29,435 families and contributed 5.2 million dollars in helping pay their utilities for people who can't pay their utilities. And it's a great program that is has been used for a number of years here in this city to make sure that we take care of everybody. And uh Wes, we want to say thank you to Huntsville Utilities. Thank y'all for uh for the you know kind of be taking the lead in this along with the Salvation Army and making sure that people are taken care of. And tell us a little bit more about the program. Well, thank you very much and appreciate this proclamation and opportunity to talk about Project Share because it is really an an untapped resource for many that don't realize that you can help customers that are elderly on fixed incomes that are struggling to pay those utility bills, especially in these cold winter months. It we make it real easy. You can just add a dollar, five dollars, twenty dollars, as many dollars as you want. We can automatically tack that onto your utility bill, and that money doesn't stay at Huntsville Utilities, it gets put in a separate account. It's administered by the Salvation Army to help those low-income, fixed income elderly folks that are having trouble paying their utility bill. Makes it a piece of cake. As you mentioned, Mayor, a lot of money has been given over time. But to put it in more tangible this year numbers, uh about 150, 160,000 usually comes out of this program each year. That helps six, seven hundred families. That's pretty direct. It could be more. We could help more families. And um, we want to do what we can at Huntsville Utilities to make people aware of this program. This proclamation helps. We're reaching out to various churches, and we've got a great website, Project Share HSV.org. It makes it real easy for you to sign up, do a one-time donation, sign up on your utility bill. It's a great opportunity. We have the privilege at Huntsville Utilities to serve everyone in Huntsville Madison County. And not all those customers are as well off as they might like, especially during this time of year. So anything we can do to help relieve that burden will be a blessing. Thank you, Wes, and thank you for all y'all doing. Thank you, sir. We're on budget. Thank you, Ms. President. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The council has no recognitions or resolutions for approval this evening. There are no announcements or presentations tonight, nor do we have any matters with outside legal representatives to be considered. That brings us to public hearings to be held.
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