Huntsville City Council Regular Meeting – December 7, 2023
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Huntsville City Council Regular Meeting – December 7, 2023
The Huntsville City Council held its regular meeting on December 7, 2023, at 5:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. All five council members were present. The meeting included presentations, public hearings, discussion on naming policies, and approval of numerous resolutions and ordinances. The session lasted approximately two hours.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of the November 16, 2023 regular meeting were approved.
- Resolution (23-980) honoring the life of Dr. Mary Jane Caylor was postponed to the December 21, 2023 meeting.
- New Business items 20a–c, 20f–g, 20i–k, 20m–x, and 20z–ab were approved en bloc with no discussion. These included travel expenses, donations, contracts for road improvements (Old Gurley Road – The Commons, Periodic Drainage Projects 2024), design services (Miller Branch Greenway Phase I), sewer relocation (Pollard Street), roofing repairs, consulting agreements (Bold Agency, Lucy Berry, ELM Creative Works), affordable housing agreements with Habitat for Humanity (3129 Nassau Dr SW and 215 Lake Dr NW), professional services (Stanard & Associates for Fire & Rescue), Laserfiche software upgrade, firefighter cancer/long-term disability benefits, salary adjustments, GCPCA authorization, letter of credit invocations (Boarhog Subdivision and Riverside at Butler Basin), appointments of part-time municipal judges, bus modifications (Nova Bus and ABC Bus refurbishment), and a special employee agreement with Charles G. Hawk.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No agenda-related or second roster public comments were made.
Presentations & Recognitions
- Project Share Proclamation: Mayor Battle presented a proclamation for Project Share, a partnership with Salvation Army and Huntsville Utilities that provides energy assistance to qualified low-income residents. Gary Whitley accepted.
- Huntsville Museum of Art: Laura Smith, Director of Education, reported on the museum’s activities. Using $405,000 in ARPA funds, the museum added programming and exhibitions, including the upcoming Voices of Our Time speaker series. Attendance at museum camps exceeded 2,000, and school tours served over 7,000. The city provides $1.2 million annually (42% of the museum budget), and 60% of visitors are city residents.
- United Way of Madison County – 211 Program: Cathy Miller presented on the 211 helpline. Call volume increased from 9,000 inquiries pre-pandemic to 23,000 in the most recent cycle. 97.5% of calls originate from Huntsville zip codes. The Ride United program has provided over six times around the globe in trips since 2020.
Public Hearings
- In2Equity Freight & Logistics d/b/a Bumble Bee Promotions: Public hearing held for a special shuttle license. Approved unanimously (Resolution 23-981).
- Overgrown Grass/Weed Liens: Public hearing on assessing costs for 56 properties (31 inside city limits, 25 outside) totaling $16,773.79. Approved (Resolution 23-982). Councilmember Keith requested future data distinguishing vacant/blighted properties.
- Public Hearings Set: Council set public hearings for future dates on the following:
- Zoning of 94.57 acres (Swancott Road/Rabbit Lane) – January 25, 2024
- Rezoning of 23.51 acres (Swancott Road/Bilow Road) – January 25, 2024
- Rezoning of 40.02 acres (Meridian St./Mertle Dr.) – January 25, 2024
- Vacation of right-of-way (Pelham Avenue, Vista Huntsville LLC) – January 11, 2024
- License revocation (Case 390) – December 21, 2023
- Public nuisances at 3114 Stewart St. NW and 740 West Arbor Dr. NW – objections heard December 21, 2023
Discussion Items
- Naming of Road in John Hunt Park – Becky Peirce Drive SW: Ordinance 23-979 was adopted unanimously after discussion. City Administrator John Hamilton explained the history of street naming in John Hunt Park and the rationale for honoring Becky Peirce, a golf advocate. Councilmember Keith proposed creating a commission to develop a formal naming process to ensure diverse representation. Councilmembers Kling and Robinson expressed preference for council retaining authority. No final action on a commission was taken.
- District 1 Council Improvement Funds (20d): Ordinance 23-999 allocated funds for Eric Wade’s litter cleanup initiative and for revitalizing a property in Terry Heights through the Terry Heights-Hillendale Neighborhood Association. Approved 3–0 with Councilmembers Kling and Meredith abstaining.
- Bridge Street Town Center Lease Amendment (20e): Resolution 23-1000 ratifying operational lease transfer to new owner Tanger. No cost to city. Approved unanimously.
- Huntsville Northern Bypass Engineering Services (20h): Resolution 23-1003 with Garver LLC for up to $786,829 (100% reimbursable via state/federal funds) for construction administration. Approved unanimously.
- MPO Bicycle Plan (20l): Resolution 23-1007 with ALTA Planning + Design for a comprehensive bike plan covering over 1,000 square miles. Funded fully by MPO planning funds. Approved unanimously.
- Part-Time Municipal Judges (20y): Resolution 23-1020 appointing substitute judges for two-year terms. Compensation rates remain steady. Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- All public hearing items and resolutions were approved as listed.
- Finance Committee authorized expenditures of $58,557,317.92 (including two payrolls and longevity checks).
- Board appointments: Nominations for Advisory Commission on Accessibility (Frances Akridge, Carolyn Rhodes, Daniel Miller) and Solid Waste Disposal Authority (Steve Hettinger) were referred to December 21, 2023 meeting.
- New ordinances introduced (to be voted on December 21, 2023): declaring property surplus for conveyance to Parkway Vesta LLC, amending classification/salary plan, amending budget for authorized department strength, and donating surplus property to Oakwood University.
- Councilmember Meredith raised concerns about the mayor’s appointment of the Sustainability Commission without council input; no resolution was reached.
- Council recognized the departure of Henry Thornton, External Relations Officer, with thanks.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Good evening, everybody. It's uh five thirty on December seventh, twenty twenty-three, twenty twenty-three, and uh we're calling this meeting of the Huntsville City Council to order, and please note all council members are present. We will begin our meeting tonight with an invocation led by Dr. Sprite E. Simpson the third with the West Maston Lake Baptist Church, and he's also one of our public safety chaplains, and that will be followed by the pledge led by council member uh Dr. Robinson. So please stand as you're able for the invocation and the pledge. Let us pray. Our father and our God, while the memories of family gathering and thanksgiving are still fresh in our minds, we come with thankful hearts for our larger family, the people that make up this great city of Huntsville, Alabama. Thank you for our leaders for their contributions and their sacrifices, and bless their families as they humbly lend us their loved ones. Bless our citizens from the oldest upon whose shoulders this city was built to the youngest who will one day inherit the accomplishments of those who came before them. As we continue in this season of giving and cheer, Lord, please bless this gathering with productivity and a fulfillment of your will. Um the presentation honoring Dr. Kayler will be postponed until the December 21st council meeting. Any opposed say nay. Gary, we have a proclamation that talks about Project Share and its partnership with the Salvation Army and Huntsville Utilities and how we're providing funds to qualified applicants to lower and fixed incomes and making sure that their power stays on. Can you tell us a little bit more about it? Thank you, Mayor. Since 1988, Huntsville Utilities and Salvation Army have been in partnership during the winter time and also during the cooling season to ensure that our friends and neighbors here in our community stay warm and they have power during the winter season. So through donations from the public and all of our friends and loved ones, we're able to help our friends and neighbors. Thank you so much for what y'all do. Thank you. Thank you, buddy. There are, or thank you, Mayor. There are no council special special recognitions tonight. Um so that brings us to announcements. Uh 7A will or announcements in her presentations, excuse me. It's 7A is a presentation from the uh Huntsville Museum of Art. And there'll be uh Laura Smith, the director of education up front. Good evening, Mayor Battle and the Council. Thank you for having us this evening. The Huntsville Museum of Art is a nonprofit municipal corporation established by the City of Huntsville in 1970 and governed by the city-appointed HMA board. The HMA seeks to foster understanding of the visual arts and appreciation for artistic achievement. The mission of the museum is to bring people and art together through acquiring, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting the highest quality works of art. HMA is located in Big Spring Park, the epicenter of the dynamic and evolving city center that is downtown Huntsville. HMA works as a magnet for cultural activities and tourism, augmenting the already blossoming downtown atmosphere of Huntsville's HMA's vision is to engage the community by inspiring all generations through art. Our core values create creativity, relevance, excellence, accessibility, trust, and education. Through the appropriation ARPA funds, we received 405,000. We've been able to add additional programming and exhibitions at Huntsville Museum of Art. We have our five after five program on Thursdays offering docent-led tours, live music, fine wine, and more. Has gone very well. We've had a great number of attendants with this program. Also celebrating Black History Month, co-chairs Bobby Bradley, Diana Reynolds. One of our most significant works of art, as you see here, is by Luigi Luciani, Ethel Waters. It will be on loan to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, an exhibition opening on April 10th, 2024. In addition with our education programs, we have a very active academy located downstairs in the Art Museum building. And as you can see here, our attendance and Museum Academy camps classes and programs, over 2,000, as well as over 7,000 attending school and group lesson-led tours throughout the year. We offer many classes, workshops, and camps with all different media, including exhibitions and this year and next year. In addition, through ARPA support, Ronnie Imatar, she currently on view until February 11th.
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