OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Huntsville City Council Regular Meeting - January 11, 2024

City Council — Thursday, January 11, 2024
BodyHuntsville, Alabama
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, January 11, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:46

Good evening, everyone.

0:47

It is 5 30 on January 11th, 2024, and we are meeting here in the city council chambers of Huntsville, Alabama.

0:54

And please note all council members are present.

0:56

We welcome everybody that's here with us today in person and those that are watching online.

1:01

Um we are committing this meeting in the city council chambers, and it will now be called to order.

1:06

We will begin with a moment of silence, and that will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Bill Kling.

1:12

Please stand as you are able.

1:28

Thank you.

1:28

Mr.

1:28

Kling.

1:29

Please face the flag.

1:32

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic.

1:39

For which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:50

Council members, you have the agenda before you for this regular meeting of the city council on January 11th, 2020 24.

1:58

Please note that tonight we have an item 17A authorizing debt issuance for Huntsville utilities that will require unanimous consent to be considered tonight.

2:06

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

2:10

Hearing none, the chair makes a motion to accept.

2:14

Second by Dr.

2:15

Robinson.

2:16

All in favor say aye.

2:17

Aye.

2:17

Any opposed say nay.

2:18

Hearing none, the agenda stands approved.

2:22

Uh you also have a copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Huntsville City Council held on December 21st, 2023 before you.

2:29

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

2:34

Hearing none, those minutes will stand approved.

2:37

And that brings us to the mayor's special recognitions.

2:40

First one is 5A's a present presentation of mentoring month proclamation to Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

2:46

Mr.

2:46

Hamilton.

2:50

Oh, yeah.

2:50

Let me just real quick, please note the mayor is traveling.

2:52

He might be coming in here on two wheels in a little while.

2:56

Good evening, Council members.

2:58

Uh, and to the public, John Hamilton City Administrators an honor to be able to represent the mayor here and really recognize a couple uh different organizations that do great work in our community.

3:06

I want to start with asking Michelle Lindville to join me up here from Big Brothers Big Sisters.

3:14

And I will tell you that uh what we're gonna present uh here is a proclamation with lots of whereases, and I'm not gonna bore you with all the whereases.

3:22

They say they say great stuff about all the work that's being done in our community.

3:25

I would tell you that you know our elected officials and leaders throughout the community ask everybody to find a way to contribute to our community, find a way to pour into other people's lives uh and mentoring somebody who uh who's growing and in and trying to improve is a great great way to do that.

3:39

Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of those organizations that does a phenomenal job of that type of work and really makes a difference in the lives of a lot of people in our community.

3:47

And so one, we say thank you for that.

3:49

We want to publicly acknowledge that and give you an opportunity to talk about that great work.

3:52

Okay.

3:53

Um biggest thing I need to say, especially to the men behind me.

3:58

We have 18 little boys who need mentors in this county alone.

4:03

And we serve seven counties, and if we can't even get the most populous county to have enough men to mentor a child once a week, we're gonna have a hard time getting it everywhere else.

4:14

Can we say anything else?

4:17

Okay, so we will say again thank you.

4:29

Congrats.

4:30

And our second one is uh in recognition of our school system, but specifically uh our school board.

4:36

I don't think any of them were able to be here.

4:37

They actually have a meeting tonight, so they're doing the very work that we want to acknowledge them for, but I do want to take just a moment to to acknowledge the work of the the superintendent and the school board and the other leaders within our school system, talk about pouring into people's lives, coming to work every single day, uh, and helping little kids grow into productive adults is a challenging, challenging business to be in.

4:56

Uh and they do a great, great job uh for our community in that.

5:00

And so uh this is uh school board recognition month, and so this proclamation, which we will get to them, uh talks about the great work that they do and thanks him for for the efforts in support of our community.

5:09

So thank you.

5:10

Thank you, Mr.

5:10

Hamilton.

5:14

Now we have uh council recognitions, and the first is a presentation honoring Councilmember Meredith in appreciation of his services, council president for two terms.

5:23

Mr.

5:23

Meredith, would you join me up front?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Utilities Management█████████████13%
Historical Preservation█████████9%
Budget Equity Analysis████████8%
Governance Structure███████7%
Community Engagement██████6%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Miscellaneous████4%
Space Exploration████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Huntsville City Council Regular Meeting - January 11, 2024

The Huntsville City Council held its regular meeting on January 11, 2024, at 5:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. All five council members were present: President David Little, Councilmembers Jennie Robinson, Bill Kling, John Meredith, and Devyn Keith. The meeting included special recognitions, a public hearing, approval of multiple resolutions and ordinances, and a significant procedural discussion regarding the Sustainability Commission.

Consent Calendar

The following items were approved in a single motion (with items D, F, and K withheld for separate consideration):

  • Resolution 24-07: Travel expenses.
  • Resolution 24-08: Agreements with low bidders.
  • Resolution 24-09: Fixed Price Agreement with Turner Construction for Von Braun Center Concert Hall and Back-of-House Renovations.
  • Ordinance 24-11: Budget amendment.
  • Resolution 24-13: Second Lease Amendment with Square Properties 200, LLC.
  • Resolution 24-14: Agreement with ALDOT for Miller Branch Greenway Phase I (Project No. 71-23-WP03).
  • Resolution 24-15: Contract with Rogers Group, Inc. for various construction projects.
  • Resolution 24-16: Agreement with Geo Solutions, L.L.C. for construction materials testing for Old Gurley Road Improvements.
  • Resolution 24-18: Acceptance of a 0.46-acre sanitary sewer easement from Lost Boys Land Company, LLC.
  • Resolution 24-19: Agreement with Garver, L.L.C. for Engineering Construction Administration Services for Martin Road Roadway Improvements Phase II.
  • Resolution 24-20: Modification No. 1 with REV Construction, Inc. for Periodic Bid for Sanitary Sewer Projects.
  • Resolution 24-21: Agreement with Alabama Historical Commission regarding the NAPC FORUM.
  • Resolution 24-22: Agreement with TKE Elevator Corporation.
  • Resolution 24-23: License Agreement with Master Gardeners of North Alabama, Inc.
  • Resolution 24-24: Salary adjustments in certain positions.
  • Resolutions 24-25, 24-26, 24-27: Authorizing city clerk to invoke letters of credit for three subdivisions.
  • Resolution 24-28: Special Employee Agreement with George Daigle for Fire and Rescue.

Discussion Items

Lydia Drive National Register Nomination (Item 20F) Councilmember Meredith used District 5 Council Improvement Funds to support a survey and nomination of the Lydia Drive neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places. Donna Castellano, Executive Director of the Historic Huntsville Foundation (HHF), presented that Lydia Drive was plotted in 1961 and is historically significant for its role in Huntsville's Civil Rights Movement and as the first subdivision for black property owners developed with black capital. HHF will manage the project for $12,000—faster and cheaper than a CLG grant—and will also conduct oral histories with residents. Over one-quarter of Lydia Drive property owners have attended an informational meeting. Councilmember Keith expressed support and noted similar efforts for other neighborhoods. The ordinance was approved unanimously.

Pratt Avenue Streetscape Improvements (Item 20K) Shane Davis, Director of Urban and Economic Development, presented the project from Russell to Maysville Road. The low bid by Grayson Carter & Son Contracting, Inc. was $789,490.52; 80% is funded by ALDOT TAP grants, leaving a city share of $157,890.10. The project will include new pavement, drainage, improved on-street parking, and lighting. The road will remain four lanes. Councilmembers expressed support, noting long-standing resident demand. The resolution passed 5-0.

Carry Forward Budget (Item 20D) Penny Smith, Finance Director, explained that the resolution carries forward $33 million in budgeted, committed funds for multi-year projects. John Hamilton clarified that any unencumbered balances are already accounted for in the approved FY24 capital plan, covering items like fleet and equipment already ordered. Councilmembers Robinson and Kling questioned whether any surplus existed; staff confirmed all funds are encumbered or budgeted. The resolution passed 5-0.

Sustainability Commission Procedural Debate Councilmember Meredith raised a point of order regarding the Sustainability Commission. He stated that Ordinance 23-768 (authorizing the commission) was introduced on September 14, 2023, a motion to postpone to October 12 was made and seconded, and the item was under council jurisdiction. However, it did not appear on the October 12 agenda. Meredith argued the administration improperly removed it, violating council rules. He called for the commission to be formally disbanded until legally established. Mayor Battle responded that he has authority to create advisory councils and that the item was withdrawn as a routine administrative action. City Attorney Trey Riley cited Rule 92, which allows a sponsor to remove an item from the published agenda before adoption. Councilmembers Robinson and Keith urged placing the item back on the January 25 agenda for proper resolution. After discussion, consensus was to include the Sustainability Commission item on the next meeting's agenda.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous Approval of Electric Revenue Warrants: Ordinance 24-03 was considered under unanimous consent. The city issued $50 million in electric revenue warrants at a true interest cost of 3.35%, significantly below expectations, to fund a new Systems Operations Center, substation improvements, and a solar project. All council members voted aye.
  • Water Main Replacement: Resolution 24-04 authorized an additional $675,000 for water main replacement along Alabama Highway 20 (Greenbrier Parkway to Wheeler), total project $3,325,000. Passed 5-0.
  • Expenditure Approval: Resolution 24-02 approved expenditures of $30,216,402.83, presented by Penny Smith.
  • Easement and Right-of-Way Vacations: All four legal items (24-05, 24-06, 23-990, 23-991) passed unanimously.
  • Unfinished Business: Annexation of 3.66 acres (Ordinance 23-1080), property donation to Calhoun Community College (Ordinance 23-1081), and surplus equipment auction (Resolution 23-1082) all passed 5-0.
  • Board Appointments: Nominations to reappoint Garfield W. Boone and Carla Clift to the Huntsville Public Library Board were referred to the January 25 meeting.
  • Warming Centers Announced: For upcoming cold weather, three locations (Downtown Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, The Living Room) will provide shelter, with police offering transportation on Monday.
  • Next Steps: The Sustainability Commission item will be placed on the January 25, 2024, agenda for further consideration.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. It is 5 30 on January 11th, 2024, and we are meeting here in the city council chambers of Huntsville, Alabama. And please note all council members are present. We welcome everybody that's here with us today in person and those that are watching online. Um we are committing this meeting in the city council chambers, and it will now be called to order. We will begin with a moment of silence, and that will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Bill Kling. Please stand as you are able. Thank you. Mr. Kling. Please face the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic. For which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Council members, you have the agenda before you for this regular meeting of the city council on January 11th, 2020 24. Please note that tonight we have an item 17A authorizing debt issuance for Huntsville utilities that will require unanimous consent to be considered tonight. Are there any other additions or deletions to be made to the agenda? Hearing none, the chair makes a motion to accept. Second by Dr. Robinson. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. Hearing none, the agenda stands approved. Uh you also have a copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Huntsville City Council held on December 21st, 2023 before you. Are there any changes or additions to be made to the minutes that you have received? Hearing none, those minutes will stand approved. And that brings us to the mayor's special recognitions. First one is 5A's a present presentation of mentoring month proclamation to Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Mr. Hamilton. Oh, yeah. Let me just real quick, please note the mayor is traveling. He might be coming in here on two wheels in a little while. Good evening, Council members. Uh, and to the public, John Hamilton City Administrators an honor to be able to represent the mayor here and really recognize a couple uh different organizations that do great work in our community. I want to start with asking Michelle Lindville to join me up here from Big Brothers Big Sisters. And I will tell you that uh what we're gonna present uh here is a proclamation with lots of whereases, and I'm not gonna bore you with all the whereases. They say they say great stuff about all the work that's being done in our community. I would tell you that you know our elected officials and leaders throughout the community ask everybody to find a way to contribute to our community, find a way to pour into other people's lives uh and mentoring somebody who uh who's growing and in and trying to improve is a great great way to do that. Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of those organizations that does a phenomenal job of that type of work and really makes a difference in the lives of a lot of people in our community. And so one, we say thank you for that. We want to publicly acknowledge that and give you an opportunity to talk about that great work. Okay. Um biggest thing I need to say, especially to the men behind me. We have 18 little boys who need mentors in this county alone. And we serve seven counties, and if we can't even get the most populous county to have enough men to mentor a child once a week, we're gonna have a hard time getting it everywhere else. Can we say anything else? Okay, so we will say again thank you. Congrats. And our second one is uh in recognition of our school system, but specifically uh our school board.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com