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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Huntsville City Council Regular Meeting - March 23, 2023

City Council — Thursday, March 23, 2023

BodyHuntsville, Alabama

SessionCity Council

DateThursday, March 23, 2023

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:34:07

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:05

It's 5 30 p.m.

1:07

on March 23rd of 2023, and we are meeting in the City Council Chambers of Huntsville, Alabama.

1:14

Thanks to all of you who are with us here tonight, as well as those watching online.

1:19

Please note for the record that the only council members present tonight are Council members Bill Kling, David Little, and myself, John Meredith.

1:28

We are convening this session of the Huntsville City Council and the meeting will be called to order.

1:33

We will begin our meeting tonight with an invocation led by Pastor Troy Garner with the fellowship of Faith Church.

1:41

That will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mr.

1:45

Sterling McNeese with the Trail Life Troop Alabama 1613.

1:51

Please stand for the invocation and pledge.

2:11

God, in you we have hope.

2:14

In you we have help.

2:16

In you we have a hedge of protection.

2:18

In you we have our happiness.

2:26

So on tonight we pause to thank you for your blessings.

2:31

We don't take your loving grace for granted.

2:43

Bless each district, the homes and families therein.

2:47

And on tonight, may you be pleased with the discussions and deliberations.

2:52

In your strong and sovereign name we pray, Amen.

2:56

Amen.

3:02

Good evening.

3:02

I'm from I'm Sterling from Traillock Troops 1613.

3:06

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

3:28

Thank you, Pastor Garner.

3:30

And uh Mr.

3:32

McNeese.

3:33

I also want to uh formally welcome the entire troupe, or at least those that are here, uh, to the city council meeting and um it's a pleasure pleasure to see you here and hope um you get a lot of good civics out of this.

3:49

So um council members, you have the agenda before you for this regular meeting of the city council on March 23rd, 2023.

3:58

I'd like to point out that tonight we have an item for which unanimous consent has been requested, and that item is 21b.

4:07

In addition, items 15 D and 15E both require four-fifths votes for passage and therefore will be withdrawn tonight and placed on the agenda of the next regular session meeting of the council.

4:23

Item 20J will also be withdrawn tonight and placed on the agenda of the next regular session meeting of the council.

4:32

Are there any other changes or additions to be made to the agenda?

4:37

Is there a motion to approve the agenda?

4:40

So moved.

4:41

Motion by Mr.

4:42

Kling.

4:43

Second.

4:43

Second by Mr.

4:44

Little.

4:45

All those in favor, please say aye.

4:48

Any opposed?

4:49

Hearing none, this agenda will stand approved and accepted as presented.

4:53

Council members, you have a copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Huntsville City Council held on March 9th, 2023 before you.

5:01

Are there any changes or additions to be made to the minutes you have received?

5:06

Hearing none, those minutes will stand approved.

5:09

Tonight, the mayor has a special recognition.

5:12

5A is the presentation of a life-saving medal.

5:17

Mr.

5:18

Mayor, would you thank you, Mr.

5:19

President?

5:20

If I could ask uh Deputy Chief Hudson to come up and he's got some of his staff with them.

5:26

We want to present a life saving uh medal uh to Officer Alan Norman.

5:33

Thank you, Mayor.

5:33

City Council.

5:36

Officer Norman.

5:39

Huntsville Police Officer Norman was dispatched to a shots fired call on Bermuda Road.

5:44

When Officer Norman found a gunshot victim in the driveway and applied a tourniquet to his leg to stop the bleeding.

5:52

Officer Norman learned that the victim, who was the homeowner, had observed someone trying to break into his truck.

5:58

The homeowner and the offender got into a physical confrontation.

6:02

During the altercation, the two individuals exchanged gunfire before the offender fled the area.

6:14

While officers responded to the area and set up a perimeter.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural███████████████████████████27%

Community Engagement█████████████████████████25%

Public Health██████████████14%

Housing and Property Maintenance████████8%

Engineering And Infrastructure███████7%

Mental Health Awareness████4%

Public Safety███3%

Personnel Matters███3%

Miscellaneous███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Huntsville City Council Regular Meeting - March 23, 2023

The Huntsville City Council met on March 23, 2023, at 5:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. Only three of five council members were present: President John Meredith, Councilmember Bill Kling, and Councilmember David Little (Councilmembers Jennie Robinson and Devyn Keith were absent). The meeting included a life-saving medal presentation, two nonprofit presentations, five public hearings, numerous board reappointments, and approval of a $22.4 million expenditure resolution, a $5.1 million street resurfacing contract, and a $1.35 million sidewalk installation contract.

Consent Calendar

Approval of the agenda and minutes of the March 9, 2023 regular meeting.
Public hearings and related resolutions: 9A (rezoning 3.47 acres at Winchester Rd. and Bradford Ln. to Highway Business C-4 District), 9B (grass/weed abatement lien of $370.06), 9C (junk nuisance cleanup lien of $5,763.49 at 902 Cole Dr. SE), 9D (demolition lien of $18,018.29 at 4801 Aubrey Cir. NW), 9E (demolition lien of $26,330.52 at 4602 Whitehall Dr. NW).
Resolution to set a public hearing on April 13, 2023 for Bama Limousine (two limousines).
Finance Committee Report: Resolution authorizing expenditures for payment in the amount of $22,376,348.07.
Board reappointments: Todd Howard and Marlena Primeau to the Madison County 310 Board (six-year terms); John Beard to the Bingo Review Committee (two-year term); Sidney White to WellStone Inc. (six-year term); Richard Godwin, Noel Castellanos, and Bonita Gill to the Community Development Citizens Advisory Council (three-year terms).
Nominations and appointments: Janice Johnson and Tharon Honeycutt to the Health Care Authority of Huntsville (six-year terms); Carlos Mendoza and Brad Garland to the Huntsville Public Library Board (to fill vacancies).
Legal Department: Vacation of utility/drainage easements for Laksmhi Property and Huntsville Logistics.
Unfinished business: Ordinance amending Von Braun Center Board of Control; annexation of 56.75 acres (east of South Memorial Pkwy, south of Hobbs Island Rd.); multiple surplus property/equipment ordinances (auction, donation to Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering, sale to unspecified vendors, recycling, donation to Madison County Communications District).
New Business introduced: Ordinance modifying Bridge Street Arts and Entertainment District hours; ordinance amending Classification and Salary Plan (approved with unanimous consent); surplus property near old J.O. Johnson High School to Stanley Developers LLC; equipment surplus for auction and donations to Huntsville & Madison County Railroad Authority and Crime Stoppers.

Public Comments & Testimony

Lateisha Scott (101 Lewis Lane, Madison, AL) spoke on public hearing 9E (4602 Whitehall Dr. NW). She stated she was a new property owner and was unaware of the pending demolition lien, expressing concern about being held responsible. The City explained that the public nuisance action was recorded in probate records months before her purchase; the council approved the lien.
Dr. Cubeon Washington announced a free mental health awareness walk (Freedom Walk) on April 15, 2023, at Robert Shirney Legacy Center Park, featuring counseling, fitness, and family activities.
Joy Johnson (West Arbor Dr.) praised the new water refill station outside the chambers and questioned the use of single-use plastic bottles in the presence of youth.
Andre Wilson (District 1 resident) gave a lengthy speech advocating for modernization of city facilities and proposed renaming Huntsville from "Rocket City" to "Rocket and Incursive Proposing City."
Jerry Cox (4029 Tale Star Circle) expressed concern about the planned closure of Redstone Arsenal Gate 8 and its impact on his neighborhood. Shane Davis (Director of Urban Economic Development) clarified that the East Arsenal Connector project is still in corridor study and years away, and any gate changes are not coordinated with that project.

Discussion Items

Life Saving Medal Presentation: Officer Allen Norman received a life-saving medal for applying a tourniquet to a gunshot victim, which the emergency room doctor credited with saving the victim's life.
Presentations:
- The Legacy Center, Inc. (Chandra Crutcher) described its mission to provide health and wellness support for older adults, disabled individuals, and cognitively impaired populations. Highlights included an intergenerational adult day program, Legacy Academy, and a planned Legacy Clinic. The center served over 6,000 families weekly during the pandemic.
- Partnership for a Drug Free Community (Wendy Reeves) reported on its 35-year history of youth substance use prevention and its Recovery Resource Hub, which has conducted over 500 clinical assessments and referrals since 2020. The agency is implementing a new Charity Tracker tool for outcome tracking. It also operates a medication take-back program (over 32,000 pounds collected since 2011) and a youth vaping prevention program (1,600 students taught in the first six months of 2023).
Councilmember Comments:
- Councilmember Kling noted the passing of former city employee Tommy Biles, expressed concerns about the absent Councilmember Robinson (family health issues), and requested a future budget work session for council input.
- Councilmember Little reported meetings with UAH President Chuck Carr, the VBC, and the Huntsville-Madison County Railroad Authority. He also noted the VBC set a record meal service of 4,500 for the AKA sorority event.
- President Meredith praised the new VBC food and beverage director, thanked departing staff member Kathleen Bernal, and highlighted the National Child Advocacy Center symposium, the Civic Engagement Academy, and upcoming town halls.
20E – Street Resurfacing Contract: Resolution authorizing a $5.1 million contract with Wiregrass Construction Company, Inc. for FY2023 Phase 2 residential street resurfacing (51 streets). Approved unanimously.
20I – Sidewalk Installation Contract: Resolution authorizing a $1,346,748.27 contract with SJ&L General Contractor, LLC for approximately three miles of new sidewalk at ten locations requested by the community. Approved unanimously.
20K – Norfolk Southern Crossing Agreement: Resolution authorizing a $15,000 preliminary engineering services agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway for review of plans for the Holmes Avenue streetscape project, which includes a railroad crossing near Heart of Huntsville Drive. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

All motions and resolutions passed unanimously (3-0) with votes from Meredith, Kling, and Little.
Items 15D (William Tumminello reappointment to Bingo Review Committee) and 15E (Joyce LeDuc-Hampton reappointment) were withdrawn because they required four-fifths votes and only three members were present. They will be placed on the next regular meeting agenda.
Item 20J (special employee agreement for Kelly Jo Gunn) was deleted from the agenda.
Item 21B (Classification and Salary Plan amendment) was approved with unanimous consent to expedite the reclassification of the administrative assistant to the city clerk position.
The council confirmed that board appointments for the Health Care Authority of Huntsville (Janice Johnson, Tharon Honeycutt) and the Huntsville Public Library Board (Carlos Mendoza, Brad Garland) were nominated and will be voted on at the April 13, 2023 regular meeting.
The council directed staff to schedule a budget work session ahead of the upcoming fiscal year budget.

Meeting Transcript

It's 5 30 p.m. on March 23rd of 2023, and we are meeting in the City Council Chambers of Huntsville, Alabama. Thanks to all of you who are with us here tonight, as well as those watching online. Please note for the record that the only council members present tonight are Council members Bill Kling, David Little, and myself, John Meredith. 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 Pastor Troy Garner with the fellowship of Faith Church. That will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mr. Sterling McNeese with the Trail Life Troop Alabama 1613. Please stand for the invocation and pledge. God, in you we have hope. In you we have help. In you we have a hedge of protection. In you we have our happiness. So on tonight we pause to thank you for your blessings. We don't take your loving grace for granted. Bless each district, the homes and families therein. And on tonight, may you be pleased with the discussions and deliberations. In your strong and sovereign name we pray, Amen. Amen. Good evening. I'm from I'm Sterling from Traillock Troops 1613. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, Pastor Garner. And uh Mr. McNeese. I also want to uh formally welcome the entire troupe, or at least those that are here, uh, to the city council meeting and um it's a pleasure pleasure to see you here and hope um you get a lot of good civics out of this. So um council members, you have the agenda before you for this regular meeting of the city council on March 23rd, 2023. I'd like to point out that tonight we have an item for which unanimous consent has been requested, and that item is 21b. In addition, items 15 D and 15E both require four-fifths votes for passage and therefore will be withdrawn tonight and placed on the agenda of the next regular session meeting of the council. Item 20J will also be withdrawn tonight and placed on the agenda of the next regular session meeting of the council. Are there any other changes or additions to be made to the agenda? Is there a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Motion by Mr. Kling. Second. Second by Mr. Little. All those in favor, please say aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, this agenda will stand approved and accepted as presented. Council members, you have a copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Huntsville City Council held on March 9th, 2023 before you. Are there any changes or additions to be made to the minutes you have received? Hearing none, those minutes will stand approved. Tonight, the mayor has a special recognition. 5A is the presentation of a life-saving medal. Mr. Mayor, would you thank you, Mr. President? If I could ask uh Deputy Chief Hudson to come up and he's got some of his staff with them.

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