Hello, Huntsville.

It is five thirty PM on Thursday, September twenty fifth, twenty twenty five, and I'd like to welcome you to this regular meeting of the Huntsville City Council.

For the record, all council members are present, and we will start our meeting tonight with an invocation led by Chaplain Zach Johnson and a national anthem performed by the May Jemison High School choir.

If you please stand if you are willing and able.

Roll us five or the rail parts we were so galaxy streaming and the kids are the bombs through the night that our flag was still there or say those that way or the land of the free and a home of the pray.

Yeah, uh she is a choir.

Um at this point in time, we'd like to honor the choir uh member with a presentation from our mayor.

Amazing.

Ladies and gentlemen, pull the micro tonight.

Uh for being part of our music month.

Uh we have a certificate of commendation and thanking you for uh sharing your gift with us and uh being here with us tonight, and thank you so much for all of you.

Uh thank you.

Thank you so much.

Right, that brings us to approval of the agenda.

Um tonight, item nineteen H and item twenty-two will be taken out of order.

Item fifteen V has been withdrawn by the sponsor.

The administration has requested action on item twenty-one C and twenty-one D, and that will require unanimous consent uh from the council.

Are there any other changes uh to the agenda?

Mr.

President, can we just ask where will uh nineteen H and twenty-two be on the agenda?

Can we announce that?

Twenty nineteen H will come at seven before before items nine, before the public hearings.

And uh twenty-two will be moved up till after item eleven.

All right, at this point, is anyone have any issues with the agenda?

Hearing none, the agenda is approved.

Um brings us to approval of the minutes of prior meetings.

Um is minutes of the regular meeting of the city council held on September 11th, 2025, regular council meeting.

All members have copies of the minutes.

Are there any changes or additions to those minutes?

Seeing none, the minutes are approved.

Brings us to special recognition uh from our mayor.

Um we have had five A, which is recognition of Macaulay full and wider, and our next one will be item five B, which is recognition of the Huntsville Youth Orchestra performers, Matthew Ng and Amelia Ing.

Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

If I could ask uh Matthew and Amelia to come come forward, please.

You were out front playing beautiful music, weren't you?

Yes, you were.

Okay.

But uh, we want to say thank you as part of music month.

We have a certificate of commendation for Matthew Ng and Amelia Ng from the Huntsville Youth Orchestra for significantly contributing to a more inclusive, inspired, and creative music environment enhancing the quality of life for our citizens and visitors.

Do you know that y'all just did that outside?

You enhanced our life and you helped out all of our citizens and visitors, and you created you were part of the creative music uh environment.

Thank you so much for coming and thank you for playing for us today.

All right.

Thank y'all.

Item 5C is a proclamation to declare the month of September is OBGYN Cancer Awareness Month.

Mr.

Mayor.

Ms.

Fettner and uh and some of the other folks coming in, would y'all please come forward.

Okay.

Thank you for being here.

This is a proclamation.

It says, whereas gynecology uh cancers are among the leading cancer killers of women in the United States.

And whereas the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation and their State of TIL initiative brings awareness to GYN count uh cancers to the people throughout the State of Alabama, and whereas the good health and well-being of women in our State and the City of Huntsville are enhanced by increased awareness of uh GYN cancers and their symptoms and treatments.

Whereas it is also crucial that all women in our State and the City of Huntsville take an active role in learning the symptoms and risk factors associated with GYN cancers, and whereas we reflect upon the memory of those lost to this disease and the bravery of those currently battling these diagnoses.

Now, therefore, Iatomi Battle, Mayor of the City of Huntsville to hereby proclaim September 2025 is gyneologic cancer awareness month through the city.

And we want to say thank you for all you do, and would you please give us some words on this?

Yes, yes, yes.

Um, my name is Betsy Thettner, and I am the program director at the Laura Crandall-Brown Foundation.

And what we do, our mission is threefold.

We fund research for early detection tests.

Um of you may know that there is there are five gynecologic cancers, and only one of them has an early detection test, and that is the PAP test for that detects cervical cancer.

Um we fund that research, we raise funds because we provide um financial support as well as emotional support for women who are going through treatment for these cancers.

And then not just in the month of September, but all through the year, I travel the entire state, and I will go and talk to anybody who will listen to me about awareness.

And that's what we're doing tonight.

We're really spreading awareness, and we want every woman here, we want everyone here to visit WW.think of Laura.org to learn the signs and symptoms and um to be sure that you are paying attention to your body and seeing your doctor if something's off.

Um I have Anna and Melissa here from Tennessee Valley Gynecologic Oncology with me.

I think this is the only clinic in a 200-mile radius.

And y'all have it right here in Huntsville with the amazing Dr.

Tyler Kirby.

And so you're very lucky for that.

And these women are amazing, and I just want to thank you for having us here tonight and being willing to do this for us.

Well, thank you, and thank you for all that y'all do for for our city, but also for our state.

Thank you.

Thank y'all.

We have no uh council special recognitions or resolutions that will bring us up to item 19H, which we are taking out of order.

19H is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a platform access and services agreement between the City of Huntsville and City Detect.

This uh item is currently on the floor, having a motion made by Dr.

Robinson and a second by Mr.

Little.

Mr.

President, at the request of the administration, I would ask that we withdraw this.

You don't need a second.

Are there any objections?

So done.

That has been officially withdrawn at this time.

Brings us to public hearings to be held.

9A is a public hearing for suspension of licensure for confidential tax related to case number 407.

Ms.

Smith.

Good evening, counsel.

Um, Penny Smith, Director of Finance.

Um, this evening before you as a request and the related case of 407 is before you to revoke a liquor bond.

Um, and um and the items are listed in the packet as to the how how that went forward and um and the request this evening, and y'all should have each received a packet on this week or prior week.

So um so that's before you this evening.

Are there any questions?

Um let's open up the uh public uh hearing at this time.

Is there anyone that wishes to speak to this issue?

Seeing none, the public hearing is now closed.

Chair will make the motion.

Second by Mr.

Klang.

Now is there any um discussion?

Questions of Ms.

Smith.

Seeing hearing none, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion passes.

Thank you, Ms.

Smith.

9B is a public hearing on the rezoning of 0.33 acres of land lying on the north of ZERT Road and west of Arnett Street 2.

Residents B, I'm sorry, residents 1B district, and the consideration of an ordinance pertaining to the same.

Good evening.

Umor, council members.

Uh this is for the zoning of.33 acres of land lying in the north of Zert Road and west of Arnett Street to residence 1B district.

So again, this is ZERT over here.

Our net over here.

You have Williams Elementary over here to the west.

This property was annexed June of 2025.

Residence 1B district will be consistent with this pink area over here, uh, which is to the western side of our net.

There is a single family existing on the on the property right now, so residence 1B district would be appropriate.

Um is there anyone that would like to open the public hearing at this time?

Is there anyone that wishes to speak to this issue?

Seeing none, the public hearing is now closed.

Move to approve the ordinance.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Little.

Any discussion?

Actually, I had a question.

Um you have identified the area in question.

It's it would not appear to be contiguous.

Um I'm assuming that it is contiguous somewhere.

Yes, sir.

So right across the street is yellow area is within city limits.

Okay, thank you.

Um any further discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Um brings us to 9C, which is a public hearing on the zoning of 121.73 acres of land lying on the north and south side of Little Cove Road and west of U.S.

Highway 72 east to residence 1 and residence 2 districts, and the consideration of an ordinance pertaining to the same.

This is for the zoning of 121.73 acres of land lying on the north and south side of Little Cove Road and west of U.S.

Highway 72 east to residence 1 and residence 2 district.

Um Little Cove over here.

And I'll remove that.

You have a portion over here that connects the property and makes it contiguous to city limits.

This area, green area over here is within city limits.

So Little Cove, and you have Highway 72 East over here.

So Little Cove stretches over to Highway 72 East.

Residence 1 in residence 2 district would be appropriate on this area, considering the big picture comprehensive plan uh where you have residence 2 district, which would allow for a robust housing stock uh in the area.

Your residence one district over here uh is mostly um in the floodway and in the flood zone.

So residence one would be also appropriate considering that residence one is the most less dense of the residential zoning that we have here in the City of Huntsville.

At this time, I would like to open the public hearing.

Is there anyone that wishes to speak to this item?

Seeing none, we will close the public hearing at this time.

Move to approve the ordinance.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Little.

Any discussion on this item?

Yes, sir.

Yes.

Just to just to clarify, the yellow section is the only spot where there will be residents.

Because the rest is in floodplain.

Yes, sir.

Residents do district.

Right.

And the rest is in the floodplain.

Gotcha.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Little.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed saying nay.

Motion carries.

Brings us to 9D, which is a public hearing on the zoning of 6.40 acres of land lying on the west side of Seegers Road and north of Hardeman Road 2, Planned Industrial District, and the consideration of an ordinance pertaining to the same.

This is the zoning for 6.40 acres of land lying on the west side of Seegers Road and north of Hardeman Road to Planned Industrial District.

This is again approximately 6.40 acre.

The area in purple.

We've annexed this and zoned this Planned Industrial back in the 2018.

This are just remnant portion of the property that is owned by the same property owner where my cursor is right now.

Planned industrial district will just match this area to this purple area over here.

Thank you.

At this time, I'd like to open the public hearing.

Is there anyone that wishes to speak to this issue?

Seeing none, the public hearing is now closed.

Move to approve the ordinance.

Motion by Director Robinson, second by Mr.

Kling.

Any discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

Brings us to 9E, which is a public hearing on the zoning of 572.48 acres of land lying on the north of Bib Wade Lane and east and west of Mount Lebanon Road to Residents 2, residence 2B, and Highway Business C4 districts, and the consideration of an ordinance pertaining to the same.

This is for the zoning of 572.48 acres of land lying on the north of Bob Wade Lane and east of east and west of Mount Lebanon Road to residence two, residence 2B district and highway business C4 district.

Bob Wade over here.

This is your memorial parkway.

This is Mount Lebanon over here.

Highway business C4 district is this area that is outlined in red, which would be appropriate considering that Bob Wade is a major highway.

The area outlined in blue would be residents to be district, which would be also appropriate, which would allow for that transitioning of density from your highway business C4 to your residence to B district.

And this area outlined in yellow would be residents to district, again allowing for that appropriate transition for your higher intensity of use in your highway business C4 going to your residence to district.

Again, this would be appropriate and in line with the comprehensive plan for the area, north sub-area of the city, which the vision for the area is to ensure that it is utilizing land so that it will promote growth as well in our North Industrial Park.

Again, your residential area would provide a housing stock for employees of our major employer over here.

Also, North Sub-area has not seen a large residential subdivision for decades, and so this will have newer housing development for the area.

Thank you.

This time I'd like to open the public hearing.

Is there anyone that wishes to speak to this issue?

Seeing none, the public hearing is now closed.

Move to approve the ordinance.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson.

Second by Mr.

Little.

Any discussion on this one?

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries brings us to 9F, which is a public hearing on the zoning of 1,013.96 acres of land lying on the south of River Loop Road and east and west of Vaughn Road, too.

Residents 1 District and Industrial Park District, and the consideration of an ordinance pertaining to the same.

This is for the zoning of 1,013.96 acres of land lying on the south of River Loop Road and east and west of Vaughn Road to residence one district and industrial park district.

This is a property that was annexed in June 2025.

Residence 1 district will be this area outlined in orange.

This area is part of the Sundance subdivision, which was platted in 2011 and was annexed into the city limits back in 2018.

So again, this are the remnant remnant lots of the existing Sundance subdivision.

This blue-green area outlined in blue-green will be Industrial Park district.

Again, this will allow for the property owner to conduct their operation on the site.

Thank you.

At this time, I'd like to open the public hearing.

Is there anyone that wishes to speak to this issue?

Seeing none, the public hearing is now closed.

Move to approve the ordinance.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Little.

Second.

Question.

Yes.

Just to clarify, because a thousand acres sounds like a massive annexation for the city, but the majority, vast majority of this, is in the quarry, and there will be no other development on that lot.

Is that really not developable?

But we do have that small residential piece, and I believe those are big estate lots.

How many houses do we anticipate will go into that residential piece?

The most would be five.

Again, although you see that it looks like a large track of land, however, there is also a huge amount that is in the flood zone in the floodway.

And so about five lots would be able to be developed by single family homes.

Thank you.

Just wanted to clarify that.

Any further discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

Brings us to agenda-related public comments.

This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the council on matters relating to the specific content of items on the meeting agenda.

You may sign up to speak on the public comments roster prior to the meeting when called, approach the microphone and state your name, home address, and city of residence.

Each speaker may address the council for three minutes.

Speakers shall refrain from entering into a dialogue with council members or city staff and from making uh comments regarding the good name and character of any individual.

For the record, um, the second roster of public comments will be immediately following this round of public comments.

So if you want to speak to something that is not agenda related, last chance to go sign up before we pull that uh that roster.

Our first roster will start with Dr.

Marissa Allison.

Good afternoon.

Um Marissa Allison, my address is on file.

I live in District 2 here in Huntsville.

Um I usually prepare a statement before I come up here, so just bear with me.

Um I was looking through the budget for this year and notice that we still have level funding for the library for the second year now.

Well, this will be the third year in a row.

I'm concerned about that.

We've, as concerned citizens, have been coming here trying to express to you all the sort of situation that is happening in our library with a push for censorship.

Right now, we're looking at the Alabama Public Library, the state board sending down another unconstitutional and now transphobic order to the libraries.

Um we're in the middle of a public comment period.

And if that goes through, then that is going to mean that our library is going to have to shell out a significant amount of funds to be able to remove materials that they're saying that have to be removed from the children's and young adult section.

Last year that cost our library over $60,000.

That was unfunded.

Our library staff did not get a cost of living wage increase.

And so I came into this meeting and wondering about the budget because we were told that you all were tight with money.

Um, yet somehow you are able to increase the HPD by $7.3 million.

That's a significant amount.

And we have things that are happening to our libraries as just one institution that are superbly concerning.

As a reference point, the City of Mobile in 2025 that has about the same amount of library branches as here in Huntsville, had an $8.2 million budget that they were given from the city of Mobile.

Ours is $5.6 million again.

The Birmingham Public Libraries, they have received over a $2.6 million increase since 2024 till their proposed budget right now.

That takes them up to $16 million that they are getting for their library system.

H MCPL has the largest service population in the state.

We have the most people that we serve, is what that means.

And we have the oldest library system in the state.

So I really want to push you all.

I you know, we've been coming here now for two years.

And I feel like we've had meetings, but yet somehow the nothing was done to help our libraries out.

I'm concerned because the IMLS, which is the federal office that gives money down to the libraries that would come through the state.

Um that funding is being cut because of the Trump administration.

So that provides the federal funding, and that is up right now in September.

So we are going to be in a situation here where this vital public service needs to be funded and needs to be addressed.

So I really hope you all think about what sort of stop gaps you have if you do pass this budget of how you can support our library better and support the citizens of the city better.

Thank you.

And thank you, Ms.

Allison or Dr.

Allison.

Um we'll now start the second roster of comments.

Uh we will begin with uh Jacob Morrison.

Uh good evening.

My name is Jacob Morrison.

I'm a resident of District 2.

I reside at 2001 Mylam Avenue Northeast.

Uh appreciate the opportunity.

Uh came to talk about the City Detect resolution.

Uh I appreciate that resolution being withdrawn.

I'm the president of the North Alabama Area Labor Council, that is the regional federation of labor unions.

We represent thousands of members from grocery workers to rocket scientists in the Rocket City.

And my members came to me saying that they were very concerned about this.

And so you heard, I believe, from many of our members, and we appreciate that resolution being withdrawn in response to uh the comments from our members and from members in that are not members of unions.

Um I am concerned about some of the language that I've seen about a need to educate the public.

I feel like uh we're sufficiently educated on the matter, uh, and I believe that uh that's not something that we want.

Um so I do hope that it stays withdrawn and it does not come back.

Uh but I do appreciate the members of the city council and the mayor of Huntsville listening to residents at this time, and uh we hope that it stays that way.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Our next one our next speaker is Whitney Washington.

Good evening.

I am Whitney Washington, 3137 Gay Heart Drive in District 1.

Uh I want to um again agree with my colleague Jacob.

Uh, thank you so much for listening to your constituents and for honoring your promise to withdraw the resolution uh for the city detect contract.

And again, I would encourage you to consider uh ways of using that money to help uh fund low-income disabled and elderly residents to maintain their property.

Thank you so much.

And thank you.

Next is Mr.

or Ms.

Redding.

Hello.

Uh my name is Ryan Redding.

My address is correct on the sheet.

Um and I was here to talk about the.

Can you just say what city?

Huntsville District 5.

Thank you.

Uh apologies.

I'm not particularly eloquent, but I uh wanted to speak on the various surveillance measures that are being discussed.

I very much appreciate, as others have said, the withdrawal of the city toct contract and hope that it stays withdrawn.

Um but less publicized was the ClearView AI that is also up for discussion on tonight's agenda.

Um ClearView AI is in some ways different.

It's not the contract we would enter into with them would not increase the uh size of the database that ClearView has, unlike City Detect.

However, we would still be funding a database that is very invasive of privacy.

It's banned in the EU, largely speaking.

And though it has had great effects in the Ukraine conflict in terms of identifying aggressors entering Ukraine's territory illegally.

I would postulate that Huntsville is not in the same extreme situation that Ukraine is, and we don't need to support tools that go to that great of an overreach.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

I also support the library uh funding increase.

That would be a great use for the funds that would have gone to City Detect slash Clearview.

Thank you, sir.

Our next speaker is Malcolm Kruper.

Or Gopher, sorry.

Well, I think that's the first time there's been innovation before someone spoke.

Before Mr.

Gopher speaks, Mr.

President, might I ask our attorney to comment?

He sent us an email regarding um comments on pending lawsuits.

And uh I just would like to get a comment from him before Mr.

Gopher begins.

Yes, ma'am.

Mr.

Riley.

That is correct.

Mr.

Gopher is involved as a party in a lawsuit that is presently pending.

And our council rules provide that the council shall not hear public comment on formally filed formally filed claims or lawsuits.

So if there's to be discussion in that regard, it would not be appropriate for us to hear it under our rules.

I have a question, Ms.

Watkins.

I have a question.

This lawsuit is before is it circuit or district court?

Circuit court.

So the council won't have any involvement in it, right?

That's correct.

So if the council won't have any involvement, that does not mean that we're getting information prior to the fact because we're not involved.

So why can't we hear the comments?

Well the short answer to that question is because it is against our rules, and I can talk for a while about it.

Yeah, please, please, please.

First of all, uh Mr.

Gopher is represented by counsel, and his counsel to my understanding is not here.

I would not be able to ethically discuss that suit this situation with him.

Secondly, and most importantly, though, when things are involved in the judicial system and they are in a court, we expect to hear those things in the court and where rules of evidence apply and things of that nature.

And so it is inappropriate for the council to hear comment on this, firstly, and secondly, because it is not within the jurisdiction of the council.

It is the circuit court's jurisdiction at this point.

My guess is that the circuit judge would also not appreciate our intrusion into those matters.

Well, I'm not talking about the case.

As long as you're not talking about the case, that's fine.

I think that we'll honor what was said that we're not talking about the case and move forward from there.

So, Mr.

Gopher have at it, sir.

But do try to do try to avoid this the 708 situation as best you can.

Yeah, I don't have a job, so uh Malcolm Gopher 14 TM Quarry Street.

Um, I want to talk about it.

Thank you, sir.

Uh thank you, Ms.

Robinson, for shutting me down.

I appreciate you.

Uh I want to talk about the urban development.

Um Huntsville is growing at a rapid pace.

We have eight entertainment districts.

Not one of them have black businesses.

Um if they are, they're not successful, and I don't know anything about them.

What we're asking for is us to be included in some of these things.

You know, we hear about corridors going up, and we want equity within the city.

And I mean black owned equity, not just a business with inside of somebody else's district.

We want you to create a space for us because it seems as if we we're ostracized or kicked out of other spaces, you know.

So not going into talking about 708 business.

I just want to know when you're going to include us, because my business is not frequent by people that I feel uh or stature.

And when the city has a problem, I feel like the higher ups, if they dead high up, they should come see us.

We should be able to sit down and talk about it.

Mr.

Davis, Shane Davis has been to my establishment.

Ms.

Watkins, Mr.

Meredith, Mr.

Clean.

And I've sit down and talk to John Meredith.

And I beg for help to no avail.

This problem really ain't a 708 problem.

What I have is a hustle police department problem.

I used to be a street guy, and I changed my life over.

I was rehabilitated, and you're all you whoever allows the officers to put trackers on black men's cars and follow them to Atlanta and come back, and when they don't find drugs in the car, they're upset.

This is what this is about.

I'm a black man who went to jail, changed his life, and they can't accept it.

I've been having the same problem.

It ain't a 708 problem.

This is a Malcolm Gopher problem.

Since 2020, I went talk to Mr.

Hamilton.

Devin Keefe took me into his office.

I sit down.

I poured out my heart to him.

To no avail did this man leave me alone.

And I got receipts of the harassment.

And all I'm trying to say is it's really not about 708.

My family owns 708.

This is a Malcolm Gopher problem.

And I'm asking the mayor to please check on the police officers who are weaponizing our communities.

Our next speaker is uh Mr.

Julius Jennings.

Mr.

Jennings.

Julius Jennings, uh District 1, Huntsville.

Uh my topic was about 708, but I guess I'm not allowed to discuss that either, right?

Correct.

Correct.

You we we can't.

I can't.

No, sir, not on that specific.

If if if the if the if the audience could settle down a little bit according, and I'll let Mr.

Riley reiterate, but if you are going to discuss the issue at all, we can't hear it.

Um Mr.

Riley, if he's not in the case, can't you talk about it?

It doesn't matter if he's in the case, he's still discussing the I have a question.

Really, really gonna need the audience to really gonna need the audience to settle down.

We certainly understand the passion behind it, but we're really gonna need the audience to settle down.

Ms.

Watts, he's not involved in the case, and he's not talking about legal issues within the case.

He should be able to speak.

If he's not talking about anything legal to the case.

Again, really need the audience to settle down.

Um Mr.

Riley, what is your legal opinion?

Again, I will quote the rule, which is council shall not hear public comment on formally filed claims or lawsuits.

No, unfortunately, you you can't at this point in time goes to the city.

But I'm still confused because the issue is not going to come before the council.

It would be different if his business license or if we were going to revoke them, if he was coming before the council and they were speaking then, no, we're not supposed to hear them.

But this is in district court.

So maybe you can recuse yourself and leave out the room and let them make the comments.

Well I'm not going to recuse myself because I have a job and I'm supposed to be here.

And I have a job too.

Citizens want to comment, they should be able to comment.

It's not about legal issues, they should be able to comment.

We are really going to need the audience to settle down and stop being vocal, okay?

Um the only option that I see at this point, Mr.

Riley, correct me if I'm wrong, is uh a motion to suspend the rules.

And therefore we would be able to hear.

Right.

I would strongly advise against that.

It would be inappropriate to discuss.

And if we're going to discuss, I can't tell what these people are going to say before they call.

I knew that was gonna these people, this gentleman, right?

Anybody that excuse me, excuse me.

I'm probably excuse me, excuse me, okay.

The next time the audience erupts, we're gonna go into a recess.

We can't keep having the audience respond the way it's it's responding.

Okay.

Okay.

So ahead, Mr.

Riley.

The folks who are signed up here to make comment, if they are going to discuss 708 bar and grill, I will not know what you're going to talk about in regard to it.

But we do not need to discuss, excuse me.

You don't know what no one's going to say when they come up here, correct?

Well, that's true.

But when you are the first thing you say, Mr.

Riley, we can't, it's also against the rules to interact in the in in exchange with the speakers.

So I get what you're saying.

Um I'm gonna move to suspend the rules.

Um is there a second to suspend the okay?

Let's do a roll call vote, Mr.

Kling.

How do you vote?

No.

Mr.

Uh, sorry, Dr.

Robinson, how do you vote?

Mr.

Little, how do you vote?

Ms.

Watkins, how do you vote?

And the chair votes yes as well, but it does not pass, therefore, we're not going to be able to hear from Mr.

Jennings.

I am sorry about that.

You are certainly welcome to reach out to me.

I will definitely talk with you.

You can talk about the community, okay?

All right.

So we have uh establishment in our community that we feel that has been harassed and uh we're not happy with it.

And we feel like our area has been neglected for so many years and looked over.

Even the development of the city that is going on now, it's been so much uh spent in other areas where we see our side of town, the north side, uh on the parkways and stuff.

We don't see no new bill, no investment into that part of the city.

Uh even on down the parkway.

I was talking looking at AM now that y'all are working on that end.

I don't know if that's out of district or whatever, just seeing the development of it and seeing that it's no restaurants or nothing that you know, like we see when we go up university.

We travel to have a decent meal at restaurants.

We shouldn't have to go way on the other side of town to spend money in Madison or Bridge Street.

If we had that in our areas, we can keep it in our community.

So, you know, a Savage uh establish like the one that we feel has been harassed, or I feel has been harassed.

Uh it serves as a staplement in our community.

We support it, uh we socialize there, we watch games.

It's just like Twin Peaks.

Twin Peace that had uh shooting there not too long ago.

I don't see nobody shutting them down.

Uh Sammy T's.

Uh it's a lot of sessions downtown that gets a lot of support from the city that we feel we are discriminated against.

And we see other patrons, the other men go into, and they might have their shirts out.

But hey, you can't go in because your shirt is not tucked in.

So if us as Afro-Americans stay in our neighborhoods and support uh restaurant or establishment where we feel comfortable at, we deserve that, right?

And you know, this establishment feel like home to a lot of us, you know.

And to see uh things like this happening in community, and so much is going on in Huntsville.

I look up all the time and see stuff on the news about what is it, Space Command, uh a lot of stuff on Redstone Oshida, Toyota Mazda, and I feel like it's a lot of diversity in this city, but it's nothing carved out for us to say, hey, when new people come into this city and to Huntsville, where do they go?

They say Huntsville is dead for certain parts of the city or Afro-Americans in the city.

It's not a lot of establishments that we have to go to to enjoy a good time.

Where we have to travel to spend money in other areas of the city and even other counties or whatever, you know.

Thank you very much.

Our next speaker is Mr.

Peter Proctor Jr.

My name is Peter Proctor, Huntsville, Alabama.

I'm blown away.

I'm really hurt.

I was gonna speak about economics.

It seems as though that we can't even have a public court.

Everybody can't afford.

Everybody can't afford an attorney.

Everybody can't afford to pay to play.

But this is taxpayers' money.

And we can't even come in here and get our comments, heard from elected officials that we appointed.

Because I can't talk about a black man being denied an opportunity to participate in the free enterprise system.

I'm gonna talk about a black man who has been hurt, who have lost a twin brother.

The city told me in 2016 that they were looking to the death of Paul Proctor.

Paul Proctor died in a house where Hemsey, the fire department, stood down the road for over 45 minutes.

And they didn't come.

And when they did come, the first thing was said to me that they were going to call the police on me because I said the only thing I want you to do is knock that door down and get in there to save his life.

I did have enough strength to get an attorney.

I have the 911 tapes in the transcripts.

So I'm not telling any lies.

I don't know why the fire department, I don't know why an elected official did not step up and say what happened to Paul Proctor, who was serving for the city of Huntsville to send order for education.

And I feel like that the black community have really been thrown under the rug, and no matter how much representation or elected officials we have, nobody has the balls or the courage to just recognize human rights and life and liberty.

So I'm all right now.

But Mayor Battle, I wish you reach out, Webster, Hemsey, please reach out to my family and tell me why.

It took 45 minutes to come to try to save his life.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Proctor.

Our next speaker is Mr.

James Francini.

My name is James Franchini and uh I live in Huntsville and my address is correct, it's shown on the chart.

I've been here before and I don't have prepared comments this time because with regard to the opt-out policy for smart meters, we have uh successfully passed the board vote.

And I wanted to report that as I've been promising that I would give you updates.

That was the electric board that approved it.

Um the gas and water board that met the day before, it wasn't on their agenda.

However, Mr.

Um uh Wes Kelly, who is the CEO of Huntsville Utilities, said that his plan was to if the electric board passed it, which they did, um then he would re-approach the gas and and uh water board and see what their feelings were with regard to implementing a similar opt-out policy for their smart meter program.

So I'm hoping this is the last time that I come and speak with you folks.

Um but if not, I will I will again share uh what progress we might be needing help with with regard to the gas and water.

I'm I'm expecting they will probably accept it.

The next step is that it would be sent over to the TDA, the Tennessee Valley Authority for their uh oversight and um approval of the policy, and that should be in 90 days or less, and hopefully by then um Huntsville Utilities will be able to implement their opt-out policy for smart meters.

So I think that's a successful endeavor.

Uh we we started in July, thanks to Mr.

or uh President Meredith uh opening the doors for us to talk with Huntsville.

We had several meetings with uh multiple people within Huntsville Utilities, very productive.

Uh they took most of our I would say let me restate that all of our like higher priority subject matter uh topics that we would like to have had addressed, they included those.

Um and I think it's a very successful endeavor that we went through and we have a good product.

So thank you for your help.

Thank you to Huntsville Utilities for everything that they've done.

And hopefully um, like I said, this will be the last time I'll be speaking with you.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Our next speaker is Mr.

Kyle Jennings.

How are you doing today?

I'm Kyle Jennings.

I represent District One.

I want to talk about the policing in my neighborhood.

Could you just say that your city is Huntsville?

Okay.

Of course, my city is the beautiful city of Huntsville.

Thank you, sir.

Okay.

All yours.

But I'm talking about the police and in our my neighborhoods.

Um, how these police officers don't have anything to do with my community, but they'll come into our community and harass us, uh, pull us over uh for no cause.

Uh we get our vehicle search.

Um I have plenty of videos that I can show you just two weeks ago.

Um, I got harassed by a police officer, didn't do anything, but the video will show you that.

Um it's a lot of different things that uh I could talk about uh turn of affairs.

When you go to eternal affairs or whatever, it'll just sit on their desk, they don't do anything about it.

Um we just need some help, man.

Um the policing is just um ridiculous in my neighborhood.

I would like to see like uh more uh police officers from our community, not from not from Cumin or uh other decatur or whatever.

They don't know nothing about my neighborhood.

They'll come inside neighborhoods, pull us over, uh harass us.

Um it's just ridiculous.

Now, another thing I want to talk about about the business.

It seemed like every time we get some of our own, and it's a it's history.

I mean, it goes way back.

Every time we start a black business, a black town, uh, either we get it burned down or get it flooded.

Uh we don't need that in Huntsville, man.

We can all get along.

Um Tommy Battle, all we ask, man, is just uh give us a fair shot, man.

I mean um 708.

708 is a pillow of our community.

Um before Mr.

Gopher came, that whole the whole block was like infested with drugs.

Um that part of the neighborhood was very, very like dirty, um, drug infested.

But when Mr.

Golfer came, cleaned up the neighborhoods, he's building.

Um he provided jobs in the neighborhoods on Wednesdays.

Uh he do a five dollar meal, help the neighborhood, the homeless.

And now that I speak on the homeless, let me say this or whatever.

You know where Crawford Street at?

I see how y'all y'all provided the tents for the homeless, right?

But if you notice that y'all got a big shelter for the narcotics, uh vehicles and stuff like that.

So I don't understand how y'all can have a big big roofing or something for vehicles, but won't put that over for the homeless or whatever and stuff.

It doesn't make sense.

If you ride through the street, I mean you could you can see all your vehicles, the city vehicles have shelter.

But you want to provide the homeless.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Come on now.

Let's get right.

All right, our next speaker is DeMarco Stewart.

Yes, DeMarco Stewart, Huntsville, Alabama.

Uh I got a couple of questions and concerns.

Is this public records to where the budget is being split up and how y'all determine which which amount go to where?

Because I saw that you passed a budget where you presented a budget, Mr.

Mayor Battle, uh, two days ago for $344 million and 80% 80 million of that 344 is going to to city police.

Another city 65 million is going to the fire department.

So that 80 million dollars that's going to the police.

Is this going to help protect black business on north side of Huntsville?

No saying where's that money gonna go to towards the police department?

That's what we want to know.

Another thing, too, is that we're not here tonight to ask y'all for permission.

We're here tonight to let y'all know we're here to stay.

You know what I'm saying?

We're gonna be consistent, we're gonna be consistent at these council meetings.

We're gonna be consistent, Ms.

Robinson and whoever.

We're gonna be consistent at these council meetings because we're letting y'all know we're here to stay.

Our voices need to be heard too.

We shouldn't be able to tell the difference when you come going to one side of town to another.

You going out of the parkway, you can tell by development what's our town you want.

You know what I'm saying?

You shouldn't have that's that's a racial discrimination.

You know what I'm saying?

Everything about this city is rest of discrimination.

No one said, but we're gonna fix that.

We're here to stay.

So that's why I come to say I ain't come to ask, I'm coming to you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sharon Smith.

Sharon Smith.

Hello, good evening to everyone.

I'm Sharon Smith.

I'm in District 4 with Mr.

Clean.

And um, I want to reiterate also on this one percent budget that y'all cut through the city.

What was that for?

Was that for um the police going into the schools, being able to have full access of our kids daily that they harass all the time?

Um, and I'm so glad now that my kids are out of the Huntsville City schools because they did get a lot of harassment when they were going to Grissom and Huntsville High.

Um, so I was just wondering with this one percent budget cut that y'all did across the board for all of the uh um the cuts was it for utilities because of course garbage has went up double.

Oh my goodness.

I was wondering if it because I had two trash cans or something.

I don't know, but that was my question for what what was the one percent cut your budget cut for everybody across the board, but all the money that y'all have that's supposed to be going into two city projects.

What are the two city projects on that budget cut also?

But that was the only question that I had for this evening now.

Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

Our next speaker is Yvonne Lasseter.

Okay, my name's Yvonne Lasseter.

I live in District One and City of Huntsville.

Um, yeah, just in general, we on our side of town, and all we asking is just for fairness, guys.

We do ask, I want to address the police because I personally know seen all the years of my life how police operate, and I just don't understand how we have police officers that cannot talk to us like we matter, like they matter.

Not that people matter, that we are somebody, that we are just as material, and we we respond the same way that people respond to us.

So, you know, when you get accused of being irate, mean, you know, when I interact with certain people, do we ever think about what was the cause?

Another thing we do on a place of business and on that property, we keep it clean.

We don't promote anything bad.

We don't want people to come in there acting a fool, and we all know that.

We we want everybody to have a good time and get along.

There's not one person in here that will promote that.

We don't we don't spend money to go out and have it ruined.

We we're not a nuisance.

That neighborhood is not a nuisance.

That neighborhood needs love and attention.

It's been overlooked for a long time.

I remember when um Mr.

Bowdy, you ran for mayor, maybe the first first time, I'm probably 17, 18 years old.

And I don't know, somehow another I put in a question, and I asked the question was how are you gonna make North and South Huntsville beautiful when we enter this city?

You know, we got people that come in from Tennessee, got people that come in from the south side.

You've done some work on the south side, it looks great.

North side needs some love.

It's always needed love.

It needs beautification.

We're building overpasses where we're just gonna ride over it so we ain't gotta see it.

But it's we just as beautiful this how we make this city beautiful.

All of us together make this city beautiful.

One can't function without the other.

We want attention, we want good attention, we want conversations.

We don't want it to be hectic, we don't want it to be heated.

And out of those conversations, we want actions and resolutions.

And once we can get on that page, I don't think we're gonna have any more problems.

When we come asking for help, we are prideful people.

We will try to figure it out ourselves as we have.

But when we come asking for help, don't ignore it.

I promise you, that's your pride off the shoulders.

I promise you.

There's many people that can tell you I'd do it myself, I ain't gonna ask you for nothing.

And there's plenty of people in here got the same sentiment.

So all of we asking is just to be heard, respected.

We don't want to be them and they and those people.

We want it, we have a name.

We don't all look alike, by the way.

Um my black men don't look like black women don't either.

So when y'all accuse us of something, please, please, please make sure that you're right.

But just think about giving the north side some love.

Think about when you're funding these police officers when you put them in office where they come from.

Our police don't know the neighborhood.

They don't want to know the neighborhood.

I know personal stories.

Oh, my time up.

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

Thank you, though.

Our next speaker is Karen Heislock.

No, hello.

My name is Karen Hislop.

I reside in District 2 of Huntsville, Alabama.

I own Therapy Achievements, which resides in District 4, right next to Walmart, uh, and to uh along LN.

Um and I want to thank the city and the city planners and uh Mr.

Bill Kling for helping me with my petition to get a sidewalk put in along LN.

Um every day I drive to work uh and see people walking to Walmart, walking to the bank, um, taking the city bus, there's a bus stop at Walmart.

Um, and there is no sidewalk.

Uh so for people who are able-bodied, they are able to walk along the railroad track um on the um uneven ground.

But if you have disabilities, if you have difficulty with mobility, um, you can't walk on the along the railroad track.

Um, your only option is to walk in the road.

Um, and I uh have a video tape of one of my patients leaving therapy in her power wheelchair, trying to get to Walmart.

Um, and on LN there are three lanes.

Uh there are no shoulders.

And so as she's trying to get to so you can um see the light at Drake.

Uh and so if you time it uh where the light is red, and then she takes off, uh, but the light turns green before she can get to Walmart.

And so cars are coming at her.

The only way to avoid hitting her is they have to go into the oncoming traffic lane.

Fortunately, in the video I took, there was no traffic in that lane.

Um, however, when there is traffic in all three lanes, the traffic must come to a standstill.

Um Friday, I was leaving work and a woman was leaving Walmart pushing her grocery cart, um, and all three lanes were full.

Uh, and so uh traffic had to stop.

Um traffic backed up into the intersection of Drake.

The light changed.

Um, there is traffic stopped in the intersection.

Um it was very dangerous, both for the pedestrian and also for the uh drivers.

Uh and so I greatly appreciate that the city has listened to my concerns and uh are uh working on a way to find an option to put a sidewalk on LN so that the safety of people, uh, my patients, uh, people at Walmart, uh, people who are using the bus are not going to be endangered by trying to uh traverse that area.

Thank you so very much.

And thank you, ma'am.

Our next speaker is Dr.

Seanetta Boone.

Bone.

Um, good afternoon, it's Dr.

Chanette Bone, Huntsville, Alabama.

I just want to say um we come in here, we know we all know a man that fed two people two, we fed 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread.

So we all we asking this for you to feed the community.

We don't need one side of the community looking better than the other.

We all need to fish.

Because you give a man a fish, you'll feed them for a day.

You teach a man of fish, you'll feed them for life.

I'm with Chill Huntsville, stop the violence, also with Faith in Action Alabama.

So I'm trying to bring violence, trying to bring down the violence in the community.

She talked about the sidewalk.

See, the streets ain't made for everybody.

That's why they might made sidewalks.

See, I come from the streets, but now I know what it is to walk on the sidewalk, right?

So in life, we don't get but three yards.

There's all y'all at the graveyard and a prison yard, and one is invented.

We know we gotta go, but we don't got to rush it.

You understand?

So I'm saying we gotta get together and get on one accord.

We cannot have division in the city.

We can't say Huntsville is the rocket city, but we rocking each other all from one side to the other.

Anything that is divided can't stand.

Either we stand for something or we fall for anything.

I'm coming counsel me not to council me because I stand.

I know y'all see me across the news across the nation, because again, I made a bad impact, but I got to come back and make a if a great impact because it's all about influence, right?

Because it's all about bucks, balance, and bodies, right?

The three B's, Bucks, balance, and bodies.

We voted y'all in, don't make us have to vote y'all out.

You know what I'm saying?

We we we tax players, we play we we taxpayers, we have to pay money.

So uh either either money talk and bullcrap walk.

So we gotta learn how to walk together.

The same sidewalks they got, we need them too.

They'll say kids that got good schools, we need them too.

All my children went to school, went to college, so I'm talking I'm talking for other people's kids because see, I'm the voice from the moon to the tomb and for the voiceless.

But I'm just saying we gotta stand for something, y'all.

This is ridiculous.

We can't even have a council meeting without the vision.

We can't even we can't even discuss certain business.

Everybody want a business, right?

We already 400 years behind the eight ball anyway.

Put us in front of the eight ball, and then we'll see if we'll see if the if we'll see if it's an even playing field.

Right now, the plan fail ain't even.

The playground is unfair.

So we gotta get in front of the eight ball and get together.

We can't say we're the best city in the world and we're and we're lacking, and we're slacking, and we all need something, because we all in here suffering from some type of trauma, whether we admit it or not.

From childhood to adulthood, we all suffer from something.

So you can't trade one addiction from the other without making some compromise again.

We have board meetings for City, Chill Huntsville.

We ask the police, the councilman, whoever to come.

Because guess what?

Our kids, our community need to know the police, police need to know us, and we get together, and we we solve these problems because the crime is not gonna go down.

I don't care what business you shut down.

The crime ain't going down because the crime is all the way around the board.

And I don't know if anybody in here know, but I know one thing.

Anytime somebody is murdered in the state of Alabama, it could cost taxpayers 1.5 million dollars.

And if you get shot and you live, that's 500,000.

Do y'all speak statistics?

Do y'all tell them that?

So y'all talking about everything else, let's talk about that.

Thank you, ma'am.

Our next speaker is Susan Stewart.

Hello, I'm Susan Stewart, District 3 in Huntsville.

I'm from Indivisible Fifth District.

The resolution and statements we presented to the City Council on September 11th had several purposes.

To inform the city and its residents about the enormous positive economic and cultural benefits of Huntsville's immigrant community and to give the City Council an opportunity to affirm their support and appreciation to that community, to ask that the city and Huntsville Police Department study the new anti-immigrant state laws, such as SB 53, and to use caution and restraint in their enforcement.

We believe that adopting the resolution will bring clarity and comfort to Huntsville's immigrant community and to all who believe in human rights.

It will increase trust between the immigrants and HPD.

In response to some comments at the last City Council meeting, Indivisible wants to be certain there is no misunderstanding about our knowledge of local law enforcement activities.

We know that HPD does not currently have a formal agreement with Federal Immigration Authorities.

They do not intend to enter into one, nor do they have the resources to do so.

We know that HPD and Huntsville have no control over activities by ICE or other Federal immigration authorities within the City of Huntsville.

We know that once someone is transferred to the Madison County Metro jail, that Huntsville does not have any control over what inquiries are made into that person's immigration status.

But, as we said at the last meeting, HPD does not need a formal agreement to become entangled with the activities of Federal immigration authorities.

An L.com article from September 13th reported that State troopers allowed ICE agents to be present at a driver's license checkpoint, resulting in the detention of 28 people.

The article said that a number of municipalities across the State are working with ICE to do roadblocks, while state and local law enforcement in those cases did not arrest the immigrants.

They made it possible for ICE to systematically identify and detain them.

We want assurances that HPD will not allow ICE to be present at HPD roadblocks, and that they will not allow ICE to be present when serving warrants.

Awareness and proactive action are needed to protect residents.

At the last meeting, we heard statements from a translator who has witnessed families torn apart, a teacher whose students have lost parents, a woman whose husband was picked up in Huntsville and held almost two months and is still waiting to alert if he will be deported.

A man who, like over 70 percent of detainees, has never been charged or convicted of a crime.

There's an organization in Huntsville who wouldn't let us read an anonymous statement on their behalf because it would further erode trust with their immigrant clients who are already afraid to show up for service.

That was the time for courage.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Tremaine Johnson.

Good afternoon, Tremaine Johnson, Huntsville, Alabama.

I come here today to support my friend.

He's been a mentor to me since 2015.

Ever since I met Malcolm, he's been nothing but a developer.

What has happened to his business is catastrophic.

But what is his recourse?

What happens to his employees?

What happens to the food that's in his restaurant?

Is there a development program where the City of Huntsville says, if I shut you down, here is where I correct you.

There's nothing.

I used to own big shakes, hot chicken and fish.

I was two weeks late from my business license expiring.

It expired two weeks prior to my knowledge.

City of Huntsville came in military style, shut my business down, never gave me any kind of direction.

I had to ask them all sorts of questions.

They damn near wanted to slab me to the floor when I asked them certain questions.

My thing is in the City of Huntsville, if we're going to donate dollars like the $343 million budget that was set aside for public safety capital projects in under-served communities.

Why can't we have that same support for black business owners?

Where is the support for us when we have to take our life savings just to build something in the community for all of these beautiful people to enjoy, just for you to come in and say, okay, we're going to shut you down because of this.

There's nothing in place, no structure, no nothing.

I went out of town two months ago and bought a food truck, 45,000 cash, brought it back here to the city of Huntsville to operate, got my business license, went through this uh health department, got all my certifications just to come to the fire department to say you got to spend another 6,000 to get it refurbished because it's not in accordance to the safety laws of Alabama.

But I bought it out of Texas.

So safety in Texas should be the same thing as safety in Alabama, right?

Safety is safety.

If you're gonna die, you're gonna die.

Right?

So my thing is there was no knowledge of me prior to buying this food truck that was in place.

I had to go down and talk to Trent to get him to thoroughly explain, which he couldn't produce no pictures.

He couldn't produce no kind of jargon, he couldn't produce anything.

So the focus of small businesses in Huntsville, it blows my mind because we're spending fifty million dollars on a sky bridge.

What does that sky bridge serve?

What purpose does it serve to the small businesses in Alabama?

Nothing.

It's fifty million dollars being spent to where you want it to go.

So I encourage everyone.

Thank you very much.

I shouldn't go.

Our last speaker is Mr.

David Snyder.

Mr.

Snyder.

What happens in three minutes?

Read them a speech.

Hello, my name is David Snyder.

Um information is on the sheet.

I live in Huntsville.

Thank you.

Uh it seems I walked into a whole thing.

Uh I will say that to anyone with eyes, there's two Americas, right?

And a lot of what we're talking about here is don't allow for there to be an apartheid in Huntsville with our schooling systems, with our fundings.

I think a lot of the development that's happening, that money is going, like with what happened to Foodmart and what's happening with the mill, uh, Milk Creek, I think it's called.

Uh the master plan, as it's called, is involving a lot of uh big businesses and not enough small businesses and not enough small businesses for people that have lived here and particularly uh redlined uh areas that have been cut off from that type of funding in Baltimore.

The Baltimore mayor uh took uh funding from the police and funded uh the local economy, funded uh exactly the way I believe we're talking about here.

And what that resulted in was a plummet in crime and an increase in the local economy.

So it is a very possible thing.

It is something that we absolutely must do.

It is a moral imperative to do, right?

Um I want to talk about the city detect program.

One thing that I would like to say about City Detect is I would like a commitment from the council to not bring it up six months from now and then give people two days to organize or try and think about it and pass it in two days.

We need some kind of commitment there.

And on that note, what we need is to be able to see uh resolutions that have been submitted.

So I understand that from the move from City Hall from where it was to where it is now, we're now um digitizing all those documents.

They're not available.

I can't go to the city clerk's office, and I can't go and look at that.

I don't even know from before because I'm new here.

Um I don't know what would have been even available to me, but I need to be able to see the resolutions, I need to be able to see the agreements we've made, and I need to be able to uh you know have have eyes on the city like that.

Everybody does.

That's transparency.

We need that, and we need that now.

We needed that yesterday.

Um we talked about the public defenders uh here too.

I like I think uh we do have some good public defenders.

We need an office for them.

They should get their own office.

Our uh public defenders are a good team.

I would also say on the topic of the uh Huntsville Police Department, um, we need so we have a lot of boards here, and what I noticed uh at the budget meeting is nothing that there were no reports from I don't see where what the boards that we have and the decisions that they make and the insights that they have, I never really see those here.

I never see them come into consideration.

I don't feel like our boards, particularly HPCAC, the uh uh community accountability uh uh uh committee um has fangs.

I don't think that they have the ability to really do a whole lot, and I believe a lot of it is for show.

And they need to be able to do things.

I know uh um Bowden got uh Bowden got kicked out of HPCAC for standing up.

I think that it's possibly uh uh uh a reflection on me that I have not been dragged out of one of these meetings yet, right?

We need change.

We need for things to change, and it is not unusual, and it is not a bad thing for people to have that kind of passion to be demanding that change.

This is these are real people with real lives that are really getting affected, right?

Um thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I'm still looking forward to these FOIA requests that I've submitted.

Brings us to comments from our mayor, Mr.

Mayor.

Uh with the business we have tonight, I'll I'll pass on comments.

Yes, sir.

Um brings us to Councilmember comments.

We will begin with Mr.

Little.

Yes, sir.

I'll be brief.

Uh I had a great town hall with uh uh Holly McCarty a couple of weeks ago.

Uh talked a lot about schools.

It was good to have her there and uh other cities business and concerns from neighbors, and then was uh with the mayor up at the Monte Sano Civic Association earlier this week to talk about some things in their community.

So it was real good.

That's all I've got.

Thanks.

Thank you, Mr.

Little.

Uh Dr.

Robinson.

Bluegrass and Barbecue will take place on October 11th, one to 7 p.m.

at South Side Park.

Uh admission is free, sponsored by Commissioner Phil Riddick and South Huntsville, Maine.

You all join us.

Thank you.

That it, uh, Dr.

Robinson.

Thank you.

Um next, uh Ms.

Ms.

Watkins.

Okay.

Last Tuesday I had the District One drop in.

That's where you come and talk to me one on one about issues, concerns that you have in your community.

I want to thank the department heads that I reached out to after the residents left talking to me.

I sent out several emails.

I thank you for your responsibility response time.

It is really quick.

I appreciate it.

Last Thursday, uh Jemison High School is the first high school in the city of Huntsville to receive a Redstone Federal Credit Union.

And I am so proud of that.

The kids are going to get to work it, and when they're out during the summer, they get to go to work at Redstone as well.

So I'm extremely proud of that.

Um Saturday, Northwoods will have a reunion.

Um let me tell you a little bit about Northwoods where I grew up at.

Northwoods is a community where I got my foundation, where I learned.

I had neighbors, I had a village.

I had people who would correct me when I went down the street.

If I was doing something I wasn't supposed to do if another kid was.

You do have to register.

We have limited seating.

So if you want to attend, I would encourage you to register online.

We're going to talk about the things going on in District 1, things coming up.

Um things are looking bright for District 1.

You might not see it right now, but things are changing.

And uh it's about time.

Thank you, Ms.

Watkins.

Mr.

Kling.

Thank you, everybody, for that nice round of applause.

Uh Mr.

President, uh a couple of things that uh have really come out to me recently.

Um we have not had a meeting with the city school board and superintendent in a long period of time.

And I would like to ask if within the next two months we could schedule a time where we could have a public meeting where the public can sit in and watch, observe, but that the city council and the school board can have a chance to have dialogue, to talk.

Um a lot of issues, some of them related to budget, others just with policies.

Uh we are all elected officials, and uh I would like to ask that we get something scheduled uh by the end of November at the very latest.

Um I think we could get everybody together with the uh mayor council, school board, superintendent, and uh open up the agenda with the office staff to whatever uh individual council members or board members want to put down.

Uh and uh I just think that would be something we could do.

We've had a overall a good relationship with them, but uh we've contributed money, but I think this would be a step that we that we need to take because we hadn't done it in a in a while.

Something else, and uh I would express my concern.

Uh very significant issue uh has to do with shootings taking place at Benford Court.

I know that there have been some uh bad things that have happened over there.

Uh the citizens over there are entitled to a safe, quiet, peaceful neighborhood, just like any portion of the community.

Uh I know police department, housing authority, and other folks have been working uh concerning that.

Uh I certainly want to make sure that every possible resource is done to provide the citizens over there with dignity and a safe, quiet uh place to live.

And uh we're gonna not let our neighborhood over there get taken out of control.

Something else uh has happened that uh I would like to have the appropriate ordinances looked at.

Uh for a long period of time.

We have been told that whenever coyotes appear in neighborhoods, nothing can be done by animal control to pick them up or to have uh wildlife uh come over to trap them.

Uh there's a situation that took place recently over on Homewood Drive, and that's probably not the only one.

Council members may also have similar situations they know of, but coyotes have been spotted, and I know that's part of all the growth and everything we've taken place, but when individuals, small pets, cats, uh, puppies, small dogs uh go missing, uh, that is very significant.

Uh coyotes certainly should be treated humanely, they can be trapped humanely, but at the same time, people in those neighborhoods have a right to know that their pets are being uh more or less uh protected from wildlife as much as possible.

So uh I would like to ask if the animal control department could take a look at the ordinances and see uh what could be done about that.

Uh something else, uh you know, we've had some pretty significant uh dialogue, and believe it or not, you had six elected officials up here that were listening to members of the public.

We have a lot of issues that come up here, and I like being on the city council.

We're on the front lines.

We're not isolated uh in Montgomery or Washington, D.C.

We shop at the same grocery stores, we walk in the same neighborhoods, uh, and we're here, we're up front, we're not pretty, but we are here and we do listen.

Uh over the course of the last several months, we've had a lot of concerns come up, some very significant concerns.

Not saying everything's perfect, I'm not saying that everything is wonderful, but there have been some steps that have been taken in you know to follow up on citizen concerns.

We had people who were here who were upset about uh certain books that were placed in the children's uh section of the library.

Uh council members listened.

Uh, there was contact that was made with the library board.

Uh other people did not want to have those books removed from the library.

Well, those books were taken and moved uh to the adults section uh where uh those who wanted it and could uh could get it, but uh at least it was taken out of the children's section.

But that was in response, not a perfect solution, perhaps.

Neither side is happy, but uh I think that was a compromise situation that took place because of listening to uh the public and then council members contacting the library board.

The opt-out process at uh utility meters.

We heard a gentleman say it's been going on and it's not completely done, but people expressed concerns about they didn't want to have uh the new uh digital meeting meter.

So we came up with a process.

Uh we communicated with Huntsville Utilities and the manager about coming up with a process where people could opt out of having a digital utility meter.

So that's process is being worked.

Homeless camp.

Gentlemen talked about a lot of issues over the over the last several months with concerning the homeless camp.

The Derrick Street homeless camp, it's not perfect.

I've been out there, there have been steps that have been taken to make it more humane and more dignified for the uh people out there.

It's gotten a lot of attention.

We have homeless agencies that we fund that go out.

Again, not perfect, but I think improvements have taken place.

It's a cleaner, more sanitary place, and uh it's getting more clean up attention.

So that's one step.

Um garbage truck cameras, a lot of people are concerned about that.

Okay, that was it, that has been addressed.

Uh for a while there were people who were concerned about drones or drones being used to spy on you.

No, I checked they're not being used to spy on you.

Yes, Orion uses drones out there.

That's done by their security, and that's what they do for their crowd control, and that's that's fine.

The police department drones, I've solved them, they are used to go after crime.

They're being used like if somebody robs a store, if somebody uh shoots a weapon out in public, and someone is abusing their spouse.

So somebody had a concern that has been eject into.

People who have spoken at the boards out here have had the opportunity to serve on boards.

There's one person who speaks on a regular basis that I know served on a city board.

There's another person who speaks on a regular basis.

She was offered the chance to serve on a board, but she declined.

That's her right, of course.

But I'm just trying to say we're not perfect.

No, you didn't like the uh the ruling that was said from the city attorney.

For whatever is worth the whole time I've been up here on the council, uh, we have never defied the city attorney.

We've never suspended the rules before.

So we're not perfect.

We're trying, and some things we can make happen, but at least we're listening to you, and again, we're all part of the same community.

Overall, it's a good community, but yet we've got challenges, and uh I like working on those challenges to see if we can make them a little bit better.

So that's it, and I hope just want to my two cents worth at least we're listening, and uh I'm around.

Thank you, Mr.

Kling.

The next Council President's forum will be on Tuesday, October 7th here in Council Chambers at 4 p.m.

The topic of discussion is how the City embraces its stewardship and sustainability in managing the community's natural resources.

As always, the public is encouraged to attend and participate in an open discussion of the issue.

My guests will be Mr.

Jesse Horton, um, Tree Commission President Troy Bowman, who is a Huntsville Tree Commission member, Mr.

Mark Byers, who is our City Arborist, and Mr.

Dennis Maston, the manager of urban and long-range planning and Huntsville Environmental Sustainability Committee member.

I will also be attending the Lanier Lakes Homeowners Association meeting on Monday, September 29th at 6:30 p.m.

at the Good Shepherd Methodist Church at 1418 Old Railroad Bed.

I did also want to give my two cents in on what I believe came out of Mr.

Proctor's comments regarding, and it's not a quote, but the the notion of the people's voice not bearing being heard.

I understand exactly why you said what you said.

It's something that I've been trying to actively address from this center seat.

When I was made president this time, the first thing that I did was turn the feed on to the second public roster, which had been terminated.

So I have tried to make sure that the public comments are broadcast to anyone that wants to see them.

I have moved them up in recent weeks to further facilitate that, make sure you don't have to stay till the end of everything, and then half of you left before you got to say what you wanted in the first place.

So the clapping from the audience.

Those are things that are within my power from this center seat to accommodate, to make sure that the public's voice is heard.

When I ran for office, I ran because my city councilperson didn't hear my voice, didn't answer an email, didn't return a phone call, and that didn't work for me.

Since day one of being elected, I have empowered the District 5 constituents to tell me what they want out of their government.

I venture to say 40 percent of the stuff that's actually happened in the district came from a constituent at a town hall meeting or at a meeting that suggested why don't we have a uh a stop sign here?

Why don't we have street lights here?

Why don't we add a turning lane to this center section to make it move better?

In District 5, those voices are definitely heard and acted upon.

Even when there are things I don't necessarily believe are even possible, like a left-turn lane on trademark onto Waltrana Highway.

I didn't think that was ever going to happen, but I had a constituent ask for it.

I took it to traffic engineering, and lo and behold, they got it.

My father got shot three times with a shotgun.

Encouraging citizens to get involved with government.

I'm not going to be one to go against that legacy and then cut off the voice of people.

Watch out.

Is the election coming up next year?

Watch out.

See who pays you lip service and see who actually advances your cause.

Keep that in mind in the ballot box.

Not just municipal, but when it comes to Congress, when it comes to the State offices, when it comes to the County Commission.

Be an informed voter.

Don't vote for someone just because they said something.

See what their voting record is.

See what they have done within their constituency.

See how they are respected or not respected by those people in their districts.

This is your job.

That is what you have to do is to hold us accountable and hold our feet to the fire.

If you don't hold us accountable, you're not going to like what you get.

Thank you.

That's all I've got.

That brings us to 14A, which is a resolution authorizing expenditures for payment.

Ms.

Watkins.

Mr.

President, I would like to make a motion to approve 24,792,396 and 45 cents of expenditures in the City of Huntsville.

Chair will make the second on that.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

Brings us to, I'm sorry.

Well, Penny did her thing last time, so I am sure there's not an additional thing.

Okay.

14B is an ordinance approving, excuse me.

Approving appropriations, goods or services for District 1 council improvement funds.

Move to approve.

Motion by Dr.

Ms.

Watkins, second by Mr.

Klain.

Ms.

Watkins, would you care to tell us what you have going on here?

Yes, I have appropriations going out in the amount of $11,000.

5,000 is going to the Schools Foundation.

Schools Foundation supports teachers in our community.

And one of the things they do is to National Board certification.

If we want to be the number one city, we got to have the number one teachers, and that means supporting them to go and take this test.

So I am appropriating 5,000 to the Schools Foundation, and then I am appropriating 6,000 in May Johnson High School, 5,000 for football, 1,000 for volleyball.

I am not sure if you all know that.

Sometimes it is difficult when you are trying to operate a sport and you have several players, and it gets expensive over time.

And I believe in investing in the community, and one of the major investments you will always see me do is with students.

Thank you, Ms.

Watkins.

Any further discussion on this one?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 14C is an ordinance approving appropriations goods or services for District 5 Council Improvement Funds.

I will make the motion.

Second.

Second by Mr.

Kling.

This allocation of $5,000 would go to CNI Solutions, which is a District 5-based nonprofit that does an awful lot of service within our community, not just within District 1, but they reach out to District 1 as well.

Generally speaking, throughout the city, but they have programs at some of the schools in District 1 and support entrepreneurship within the city.

And the appropriation for $5,000 is for them to continue advancing their financial literacy programs, particularly those that are targeting the teens through the high schools.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries, and thank you.

Brings us to board appointments to be voted on.

15.

There are three of these that will need four-fifths vote for passage.

I will identify them as we get to them.

15A is a resolution to reappoint Lindsay Perry to the Burrett Memorial Committee, place 16, her current seat for a three-year term to expire October 1st, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Little.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 15B is a resolution to reappoint Melissa Musgrove to the Burrett Memorial Committee, place six, her current seat for a three-year term to expire October 1st, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Little.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 15 C is a resolution to reappoint George Cannon to the Byrd Memorial Committee.

Place 5, his current seat for a three-year term to expire October 1st, 2028.

Chair will make the motion.

Second.

Second by Dr.

Robinson.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

15D is a resolution to reappoint Ahmad Brown to the Byrd Memorial Committee.

Place three, his current seat.

For a three-year term to expire October 1st, 2028.

Move to approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson.

Second by Mr.

Kling.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 15E is a resolution to reappoint Jeffrey Blackwell to the Burrett Memorial Committee.

Place 2, his current seat.

For a three-year term to expire October 1st, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson.

Second by the chair.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 15F is a resolution to reappoint Charles Below to the Burrett Memorial Committee.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Little.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

15G is a resolution to appoint Tracy Gillespie to the Bird Memorial Committee, place 9 to the seat previously held by Paula Cushman for a three-year term to expire October 1st, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 15H is one that will require four-fifths vote for uh passage.

Is a resolution to reappoint Cindy Griner to the Burrett Memorial Committee, place 10, her current seat for a three-year term to expire October 1st, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Little.

Let's do this as a roll call vote.

Mr.

Little, how do you vote?

Aye.

Ms.

Watkins, how do you vote?

Abstain.

Mr.

Kling, how do you vote?

Aye.

Dr.

Robinson, how do you vote?

And the chair votes nay.

So that does not pass.

15.

Aye is a resolution to appoint Amy Kemp to the tree City Tree Commission to the seat previously held by James Peters for a two-year term to expire October 8th, 2027.

Move for approval.

Motion by Mr.

Kling.

Second by Dr.

Robinson.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

15 J will require four-fifths vote for passage.

15J is resolution to reappoint Troy Bowman to the City Tree Commission.

His current seat for a two-year term to expire October 28, 2027.

Chair will make the motion.

Second.

Second by Dr.

Robinson.

Do it by roll call vote.

Mr.

Kling, how do you vote?

Aye.

Dr.

Robinson, how do you vote?

Ms.

Watkins, how do you vote?

Aye.

Mr.

Little, how do you vote?

Aye.

And the Chair votes aye as well.

So that passes.

15K is a resolution to appoint Matt Burke to the City Tree Commission to the seat previously held by William McBride for a two-year term to expire October 8th, 2027.

Chair will make the motion.

Second.

Second by Mr.

Kling.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 15 L is a resolution to reappoint James Cochrane to the beautification board.

Place 8, his current seat for a three-year term to expire September 30th, 2028.

Chair will make the motion.

Second.

Second by Dr.

Robinson.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 15 M is a resolution to reappoint Michelle Lomanski to the beautification board, place 11, her current seat for a three-year term to expire September 30th, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

15N is a resolution to reappoint Alexis Quinn to the beautification board, place seven, her current seat for a three-year term to expire September 30th, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

150 is a resolution to reappoint Laurel Miller to the beautification board.

Place 12, her current seat for a three-year term to expire September 30, 2028.

Chair will make the motion.

Second.

Second by Dr.

Robinson.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion passes.

15 P is a resolution to appoint Zachary Hester to the beautification board, place 15 to fill a vacancy due to the resignation of Celia Wetstein for the remainder of a three-year term to expire September 30th, 2026.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 15 Q is a resolution to reappoint Ethan Walker Jones to the beautification board, place 10, his current seat for a three-year term to expire September 30th, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Little.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

15R is a resolution to reappoint Billy Lennox to the beautification board, place nine, his current seat for a three-year term to expire September 30th, 2028.

So moved.

Motion by uh Mr.

Kling, second by Dr.

Robinson.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 15S will require four fifths vote for approval.

And it is a resolution to reappoint Mark Seely to the Board of Elections and Appeals for Construction Industries.

Examinations.

Sorry.

15S is a resolution to reappoint Mark Seely to the Board of Examinations and Appeals for Construction Industries.

Place 4, his current seat for a three-year term to expire September 21st, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair.

Mr.

Little, how do you vote?

Aye.

Mr.

Kling, how do you vote?

Aye.

Ms.

Watkins, how do you vote?

Dr.

Robinson, how do you vote?

And the chair uh votes no.

So that one does not pass as well.

Uh 15T is a resolution to reappoint Josh Steele to the Board of Examinations and Appeals for Constructed Industries, place three, his current seat for a three-year term to expire September 21st, 2028.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

Brings us to 15U, which is a resolution to reappoint LaFreda Jordan to the Huntsville Madison County Airport Authority.

City Place 5, her current seat for a six-year term to expire October 24th, 2031.

Move to approve.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson.

Second by Mr.

Kling.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

And all those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

And again, uh 15 V has been withdrawn by the sponsor earlier.

Brings us to legal department Adams and Transactions.

18A is an ordinance authorizing the vacation of a five-foot utility and drainage easements between lots 124 and 126.

The Heritage of Montesino, Darlington Road.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

18B is an ordinance authorizing the vacation of an of a portion of a 60-foot utility and drainage easement.

Lot 23, Creek Stone Subdivision, Phase 2, 5006.

Willow Creek Drive.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

Brings us to 18C, which is an ordinance authorizing the vacation of two utility drainage easements between lots two and three.

Carroll Creek subdivision, Winchester Road.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson.

Second by Mr.

Kling.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 18D is an ordinance authorizing the vacation of utility and drainage easements lots 15 through 21.

Creekside Commons Gallows Code.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson.

Second by Mr.

Little.

All those in favor say aye.

Any opposed say nay.

Motion carries 18E is an ordinance authorizing the vacation of a utility and drainage easement.

Lot 1.

Shrimpshire Willowbrook subdivision at Grove at Indian Creek.

Moved approved.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson.

Second by the chair.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

Motion is approved.

Brings us to unfinished business items for action.

19A is an ordinance to adopt the City of Huntsville annual budget for fiscal year 2026, beginning October 1st, 2025.

Dr.

Robinson has the second.

And let's open this up for some discussion.

Okay.

You can go first.

Yes, Ms.

Yes.

Ms.

Watkins.

Okay.

Councilmembers, I had the copy that Mr.

Well Attorney Riley provided to us.

I want to talk first about ordinance 25-744, which is City of Huntsville Annual Budget for United Cerebral Palsy.

I want to recommend that we give them $36,000 for mental health services.

And I want to recommend that that money comes from Wellstone.

Instead of them getting $900,000, they'll get $864,000.

And the reason why I'm asking for this is because mental health access is a growing crisis.

And 50% of individuals with disabilities have a diagnosable mental or behavioral health concern.

Caregivers of individuals and mental health experience higher rates of isolation, trauma, grief, and burnout.

And children with disabilities are four times more likely to experience abuse or neglect linked to caregivers because of stress and coping strategies, lack of coping strategies.

In Huntsville, we have clients who do not have insurance and have high deductibles.

UCP can strengthen the wider disability network by supporting other local nonprofits and groups such as Parkinson Dynamics, Phoenix, Targog, and Studio 360.

UCP provides mental health services regardless of insurance and status or ability to pay.

And the reason I'm asking for this for UCP, because it's in my district.

And one thing that you do not want to have have happen in your district is you do not want someone having a mental breakdown trying to get on a bus to go down South Parkway to Wellstone.

We need something located within the district that's close by as well.

A growing number of homeless in District 1 as well can benefit from those services, but we have got to address the mental health epidemic.

And right now we just don't have anything in North Huntsville.

So I'm asking for your support on this for $36,000 to go to UCP.

Okay.

So we have a motion to amend ordinance number 25-744 City of Huntsville annual budget for fiscal year 26 by assigning the United Cerebral Palsy of Huntsville and Tennessee Valley Incorporated $36,000.

The source of said increase shall be a reduction in the same amount to Wellstone, bringing the fund down to $864,000 from $900,000.

The amendment goes on to state that further upon adoption of this amendment, the finance director shall be authorized without further action of the City Council to make budget amendments to appropriate accounts for proper accounting of the amounts approved herein.

Is that correct?

Did I state that correct?

Okay.

So the motion is made by Ms.

Watkins, and I will second that.

Is there any additional discussion on this item?

Yes, Dr.

Robinson.

Absolutely.

Ms.

Smith.

Did UCP apply through our grants process?

Yeah, they did.

Yes.

UPC.

Yes, UPC did apply through the grants process.

And but they were not selected for an allocation.

No.

They were not.

So my concern is that we are subverting the established process for grants and as finance committee chair, Ms.

Watkins.

I know you understand that process.

So no, ma'am, I'm not subverting.

I'm asking for assistance in my district.

And Wellstone gets over $900,000 from the city, and they also get several hundred thousand dollars from Huntsville City Schools.

I am asking for something within my district where mental health needs to be addressed.

Wellstone is located, is it not in your district?

No, it's in the case.

But it's so close to yours, it borders, right?

Real close.

Yes.

But that is why I'm asking.

And not only that, because caregivers, I I was a caregiver, if anyone is not aware, prior to my husband dying for five years that he was battling cancer, I was a caregiver.

And after he died, I did have to get counseling because it is a lot of stress when you're taking care of someone that is sick.

And I can only imagine UCP with the number of clients they get and with the needs that they have that the caregivers need this because you need that support.

You need someone to talk to, you need someone to vent about because it's frustrating when you're the caregiver day in and day out and you don't have any assistance.

So that is why I'm asking for the money for them to be able to give mental health counseling.

And I have no argument with that, and I certainly understand the need for caregivers to have that kind of support.

My concern continues to be that we have a grants process in place.

And UCP went through the process.

We have a grants process in place, but I see a couple of questionable organizations that's getting money that's supposed to be doing things within the community that I don't see them, and I'm not questioning that.

The only thing I'm asking is for $36,000 out of 900,000 to go to the same thing, mental health counseling, but within my district.

There's no way anyone in my district can get transportation when they have a mental health episode, because you're not going to let them on the bus if they're having a crisis.

You're just not going to do it.

Could I ask a question, Mr.

Chairman?

Absolutely, Mr.

Claim.

Mr.

Dr.

Robin, were you still Okay?

Just so I can understand.

And again, I just got this right when the meeting was started, and you know, and any contact.

As everybody knows, and of course, you know, the finance chair knows, when we appropriate something, we don't just give it to them.

There is a contract that we do with the city and the agencies.

And uh I think our finance director can explain that just in general how that process works.

Where we do a contract, when we have an agency that we provide funding for.

Certainly.

So there is a process.

I mean, the the grants is the grants committee is part of that.

It is the mayor's budget.

The mayor selects from the rec from different recommendations based on the grants committee.

But um, but there is also once once grants are laid out, or I say grants, this is really not grants, these are appropriations.

I'm sorry, I need to use my correct terminology here.

So the appropriations, um, we enter into an agreement with those um those different agencies, and they produce they need to produce six ways six months through that process of utilization report based on the programs that were laid out in in that um grant application in that in that appropriations application.

Okay.

Um I guess let me uh go to Councilmember Watkins.

Um I will be willing to support this if you know, just like other appropriations.

There is a contract that says that this would be used primarily for mental health counseling and the areas you were talking about.

I am absolutely sure that um that will be used for that purpose only.

Okay.

That's that's in the minutes of our meeting here.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Kling.

Any further discussion?

All those in favor of this amendment say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries it.

It's outside of the process, so I have to vote no.

Okay.

Do it by a roll call.

Uh Mr.

Little, how do you vote?

Aye.

Ms.

Watkins?

Aye.

Ms.

uh Dr.

Robinson.

Mr.

Kling.

Aye.

And uh the chair votes aye as well, so it does pass.

Um want to hit the next one?

Yes.

Ms.

Matt.

So I have another amendment request.

I move to amend ordinance 2574, City of Huntsville Annual Budget for FY26 by increasing the amount of time to Huntsville Ballet by $25,000, taking the allocation from 40 to $65,000.

The source of the said increase shall be a reduction in the same amount to North Alabama Home Building Academy, bring that fund down to $175 from $200,000.

And the reason that I am asking for this is because they have not had a raise in several years or increase to their budget.

Um several other organizations have the Symphony Orchestra, not to call people out, as well as the Arts Council.

But they are doing some ballet in my community, and I want the kids in my community to be exposed to different things, not just sports, but arts.

And ballet is one of the things that I would love to see and see them practice and participate in.

So I'm asking for this increase because they pay when you go see the nutcracker and all these different uh productions that they put on, they don't just hire local people that dance.

They hire them from across the country.

And they have to pay expenses, and they were doing a lot of things at the Civic Center, but the cost went up and they could no longer afford it.

And I just want to make sure that that's one of the things that children in my community as well as around the city can be exposed to, and that this amount would not be significant, but it would be able to assist them in some of their expenses and hiring other dancers.

Thank you, uh, Ms.

Watkins.

I know it's repetitive, but I have to read it, but make sure it's right.

Um has been a motion to amend ordinance number 25-744, City of Huntsville annual budget for fiscal year 26 by increasing the assigned the amount assigned to the Huntsville Community Ballet by $25,000, taking the allocation from $40,000 to $65,000, the source of said increase shall be a reduction in the same amount to North Alabama Home Building Academy, bringing that fund down to $175,000 from $200,000.

Furthermore, upon adoption of this amendment, the finance director shall be authorized without further action of the council to make budget amendments to appropriate accounts for proper accounting of the amounts approved herein.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Excellent.

Ms.

Watkins has made the motion and the chair will second it.

Any further discussion?

Yes, Ms.

Dr.

Robinson.

This did go through the right process, and so I'm I'm open to discussing this.

I had communications from Huntsville Ballet as well.

The concern is taking it from the North Alabama Home Builders Academy.

I believe we have an agreement with them or an understanding with them that we will fund them at $200,000 every year.

Is that correct, Mr.

Mayor?

And let me say that they do a great job for the that $200,000.

They train a lot of people.

And you can't argue against the ballet either.

The ballet does a great job in our community.

I wish we could uh we could fund them all, but we can't.

Um I would say that if this is one that passes, that we look for some way uh mid-year or quarter year to put back in the $25,000 uh back to the home builders uh association, uh they are training uh citizens from throughout the city how to be uh uh how to work in that industry, that construction industry.

And uh they have provided a lot of jobs.

I um last time we were there, I think it was they they had run um their class that had you know three or four hundred people uh have come through and gotten jobs in the area.

So if if this passes, I would hope that council would watch, and we will also watch as uh uh trying to find a way to um get this back to even uh if if uh you know ifs and buts if if budgets work right and everything else.

Might I make a suggestion that we we could take 25,000 from council improvement funds and and fund the ballet with that.

That would be a good thing.

No, Mr.

President.

Yes, I'd be willing to kick in some count some of my council improvement funds to make it, was it 15,000?

Uh 25,000.

20 five.

So, yeah, I would be glad to try to make up the shortfall for the community ballet that reached out to meeting.

I would do that also, uh kind of piggybacking, and I have seen what they have done.

The um building academy, it provides job, and it's it's literally it's taking people who live in cars and has trained them, and now they are making 40,000 plus jobs uh annually.

So it's a job training program.

At the same time, it's providing labor uh to help in the construction industry because we got a lot of housing construction taking place.

And conversely, if you look around, you'll see a lot of home builders that we have got are getting older and older.

Uh I would be willing to kick in 5,000 in support of community ballet to do that.

But again, uh if there's a sacred cow along with community watch, I would say that uh with what the home builders are doing that uh that would be an agency I think they have done real well, and I wouldn't want to take money away from that.

And I would suggest I take 5,000 from community improvement funds as well.

So they've got 15,000.

Well, let me just say this.

We have a lot of builders in this area.

Houses are booming everywhere.

Every day a new subdivision is going up.

Some of these builders should be contributing to the home building.

They should be contributing.

And if they they come in here and they take advantage of the workers because they make the profits.

Even though the workers get a job, they should be contributing as well.

It's gonna be kind of hard for me to give it out my 5,000 because right now I got so much going on in my district that needs help.

I am pulled at every scenes.

It's my district is a little different from everyone else's district.

It's not as lucrative.

Some of the sporting events in my district requires my support.

Like I supported bringing tackle football back to my district because the city doesn't do it.

And now we have to pay referees.

If the city was doing football, the referees would be paid by the city.

This is the inconvenience that is going on in my district and the handicap that's going on with the players.

If they don't have tackle football, they don't know how to play football, and that's why the county schools, and I keep saying it, run over the city schools when we go to play them, because we have taken tackle football out of the city.

So my funds right now, I can't afford to give it.

But the city has the money to give it, and we could take it from other uh areas and transfer it.

And if my council members don't want to support it, I totally respect your decision.

But I still say we could take that money from the home building.

Could we spread it out among other organizations?

You mentioned some you didn't sound like you were too happy about.

Is this one of them or is there others?

It's not that I'm happy with this.

I have nothing against them.

No, no.

No, you you express some concerns about some of the organizations getting appropriations, so um, but I I mean I'd be willing to do some math with you to see if we is that a hitting the community uh the builders academy so hard to find the money.

I'm happy to kick in some too to help the ballet to keep them whole.

So my suggestion would be that instead of finding $25,000, however, you come up with it for the ballet, come up with it for the home builders.

At this point, give the ballet the X 25 and find your way to discovering $25,000 to go to the home builders to make them whole.

I'll I'll put my $5,000 into whichever way we can get something moving on this.

Well, I'm like Ms.

Watkins.

I I my council improvement funds aren't going to go to this.

I mean, I've got other um pressures on me, and this is not one of them.

Um frankly, I I don't think 25,000 out of their funding is substantial.

Um I believe we have an understanding, and it's actually the permits that the contractors pay, that that money is used to to pay that uh for the home builders academy.

Unless something has changed, I think that's the way it works.

We could just gotta set them out.

So at this point, um, is there any further discussion?

No, this until the next meeting so we can go through and look.

We can amend the budget any time.

Well, right.

I mean, we amend the budget just about at every meeting in some form or fashion, don't we?

I mean, I'm happy to sit down with Michelle, or excuse me, Ms.

Watkins and figure it out.

I've got I've got some uh discretionary funds, so I've got a couple of big things I need to do, but I haven't been spending a lot of my money, so I'm happy to help the ballet.

Um that keeps us from doing an amendment.

Well, I mean, we can we can do that now.

We don't have to punt it.

I mean, if you if we can come up with 25,000 out of council improvement funds, we can have this solved right now.

If districts two, three, and four want to pony up to that amount, meaning twenty-five thousand dollars, we can amend this and use the uh council improvement funds to augment the ballet.

Oh, that's what I said.

Like we just won't vote on this amendment, and then I'll I'll send money to the ballet.

And Dr.

Robinson will send money to the ballet, and Mr.

Clink said it's in money to the ballet.

I think we'll get dang close, if not 25.

I'm sorry, I misspoke.

I think I'm fully committed to that.

So that's the same.

I meant ballet.

Take it from the home builders and then make up the money to the home builders.

But I I see what you are saying.

And if I mean who's gonna who's gonna pony it up?

How much, who's gonna give what?

And let's figure out who where this 25 is coming from, and we can amend this.

I should be able to do 10 and maybe more.

I need to get my math, uh, get my list of what I've got.

We're getting a hundred today in the budget and council improvement funds.

I have got one big commitment, but I should have money to make up, you know, if Mr.

Kling and Jenny or Dr.

Robinson want to do five, you know.

I am happy to look to see if I can get us closer to the twenty-five, and then we don't have to worry about an amendment.

That's my commitment.

Well, I I think if we all spread it across the board, you're not going to get it from District 5.

Well, Ms.

Watkins, would you be willing to do that?

She said she's not good.

She had other pressures.

I really appreciate your consideration, but my district is a lot different from yours.

They have funds for athletic sports.

My district does not.

It just does not.

You don't know how many calls I get on a daily basis.

I mean daily.

I can show you my call log.

I can show you the text messages and the emails.

And I wish I could give it to them out of my discretionary fund, but I really need it to support my district.

Well, I'm willing to commit 5,000 to the ballot.

Well, thank you so much, Ms.

Robson.

I I know I can do 10.

I probably can do 15.

So I would be glad to get that on the next agenda, and then we'll be done.

Okay, if Councilman Little has got 15.

Uh Robinson's got five.

Uh I got five.

And in addition, I'll waive my talent fee for serving as uh a grandparent in the nutcracker ballet.

Can I say thank you so much to my council members?

I appreciate that.

So the sentiment of the council at this point, I am asking this question, is to pass the amendment, and you guys will in your next uh at the next meeting, put the money in to make the home builders uh whole or the other way.

The other way the other way is the way you want.

Okay.

So I would say you will withdraw this and then you guys will work it out.

Okay.

That that sounds perfect.

Um thank you and thank you for withdrawing it.

No objections to her withdrawal, I assume.

Okay.

So we're good there.

Um Mr.

Chairman, are you going to bring up one?

Or could I I am?

I would like to bring up an amendment to ordinance uh 25-74.

I move to amend ordinance number 25-744, the general fund budget under revenue sources at simplified sellers use tax or SSUT to provide that from any SSUT revenue received in excess of 20,750,000, that 30 percent of said excess shall be distributed to the 1990 school support fund for Huntsville City Schools with said excess funds to be used by Huntsville City Schools exclusively for new construction or capital improvement for existing structures.

Furthermore, upon adoption of this amendment, the finance director shall be authorized without further action of the City Council to make budget amendments to appropriate accounts for proper accounting and timely distribution of the amounts approved herein.

What this would do would finally, I know it's been a three-year process for me, to get Huntsville City Schools a portion of the simplified sellers use tax.

This particular proposal has zero impact on the fiscal 20-year budget.

The floor, the ceiling, uh whichever is the correct terminology of 20,750,000 accounts for the proposed uh SSUT funding for next fiscal year.

So there's no impact, you don't have to take something from someone else because there is zero impact.

Anything over that, obviously 30 percent will go to Huntsville City schools, but that is not that that's a neutral effect on our budget.

It it affects no line item on this budget.

But it it puts it routinizes, as we used to say in D.C., the fact that once we hit 20,750,000 in SSUT, every dollar after that will have a 30 percent allocation to HCS for new construction or capital and improvement.

With our development going the way it is, with Space Command coming, with the FBI uh growing seemingly daily, not to mention just the general uh influx of people to our community, we need schools, and we need to be able to take better uh repair of the schools that we do have.

So I feel that this is very much needed.

Um I hope my colleagues will support it as well.

Yes, Mr.

Clay.

I uh if if I can stop you just for a sec, is there a second?

Okay, second by Ms.

Watkins.

Now, Mr.

Clay.

Okay.

Mr.

Brighton, I would like to commend you on this.

I would like to offer what I hope would be a friendly amendment to or modification to tweak it.

If we could keep that exactly the way you have it, we get to the part about funding the city's schools, I would like to ask you if we could delete the portion that deals with being exclusively for new construction or capital equipment and or capital structures.

And the reason I would uh offer this as an idea, and hopefully maybe it's a tweaking we could do.

Uh as I had said earlier, I want us to meet with the school board, and obviously when we do, hopefully with the next two months, uh this could be one of the things we could talk about.

Uh my thinking is the school board, since they are elected and they have authority over the school system, we would take the President's plan, but we just keep it at this point unairmarked so that the School Board could determine whether it would be capital, whether it would be operating, and uh let them make the decision.

I like the concept that you have.

This takes the budget that we had and it doesn't impact it.

And uh, you know, with the potential for new revenue coming in, uh, you know, get that would certainly certainly support the school system, something we want to do.

So I I think by doing that you create a poison pill.

Um you you you destroy what this is about.

This is about the ability for them to have money coming in that they can then leverage for large-scale capital projects like building new schools and keeping up with the infrastructure.

I have been working on this for three years.

They don't have a problem with it being for new construction or capital and improvement.

I would differ a little bit, Mr.

President.

Um we meet with the school superintendent with the uh finance officer on a regular basis, monthly basis.

And in our conversation with them, you know, uh we ask about the money for um for new capital, new schools.

They have a ten-year, $600 million plan that is fully funded.

Uh they said we're good.

Uh and when we asked them about the money for operating, they said we're good.

Um I think Ms.

Smith could probably back that up.

She's had conversations with the CFO uh with the schools uh system.

And the whole idea that this doesn't affect, this does not affect the budget as such that we are talking about, but it does affect our year end.

Remember, this year we are using $7 million that we saved through uh through expenditures with revenues coming in over in some areas or expenditures coming in under in some areas, and we are using that $7 million to fill a gap this year.

If we go ahead and take uh what may be an overage uh in that area uh and go ahead and take it away, then we won't have the luxury of having a savings that we can use to make sure that we can balance budgets next year and the next.

It's just one of those things.

We're we're kind of throwing money to something that uh, as I talked to the superintendent and to the uh Chief Financial Officer of the Schools, they say, you know, their exact words are we're good.

Uh and I would like for Ms.

Smith to kind of address it too.

No, from what she's saying.

No.

Um you are going way too far afield.

Uh and there is definitely a discrepancy between the superintendent, the financial officer, and the actual school board members.

I have never had a school board member tell me we're fine on capital and new construction.

Do we have a resolution from the school board?

Normally, normally in a situation like this, when the city establishes an earmark for the school system, we receive a resolution from the approved by a majority of the school board saying, here's how much money, here's what we are going to do with it, and here's the period of time that it will cover.

We don't have any of that this school.

You don't need that cover.

I think the taxpayers need it.

I think we need that accounting.

They're tired of their kids riding a bus for 45 minutes to an hour each way in traffic.

It is no quality of life for the people that live out west that have to go all the way from the furthest Western development to send their kids to Williams, Columbia, or Providence.

Okay.

None of our kids walk to school, or very, very few of our kids walk to school.

We need schools.

We need school construction.

We are building thousands of rooftops out in Limestone County without a school anywhere in the county.

So no.

Don't tell me and my constituents that we are doing just fine on schools.

Mr.

President, we have TIFF money that is now going to be going to the schools estimated.

I don't know, do we have an estimate, Penny, on how much money is going to go to the schools this year from now the TIFFs have closed?

$3.7 million will be coming back into the schools will be a check that is given.

But then when you look at the amount, the availability that it puts money back into the coffers of the school from those TIFFs going out, it's almost $7 million a year that comes back in.

And that's $7 million annually that will go.

And so that money is already going.

So I'm I guess what I want to do.

No, no, no, that's not yet.

So it is now.

This is new money.

This is new money that is coming.

That we are not going to have be receiving anymore.

That's going to be going to be a good thing.

Mr.

Davis has been working with them on Swancott to get free land for them so that that will work.

We are working with them to see if maybe we can uh do some other kind of help to make it make it work.

If you remember, we have been great partners with the school.

We gave them a million dollars on the new administration building.

That administration building is one of the things I would argue with people that shows our emphasis on education, but also shows our emphasis on North Huntsville.

That is uh Center for Technology that we built there, we paid for the land on it $3.5 million, and we did it because we needed to do that for education, and we needed to do that for schools.

Let's just make sure that the needs that we meet the needs, that our revenue that we're going to provide them meet the needs of what they need in that school area.

They, you know, as our conversations have been, they have the money there for the Swancott School.

They have the money there for improvement of other schools.

This that is to me is one of the most important things.

We need to be flexible over this next year, though.

And we need to be very careful as we are as we go into this next year.

We need to be flexible.

And I would venture to say that that smoke and mirrors is irrelevant.

But go ahead, Ms.

Watkins.

Respectfully, the city should have built a tech school since you took the other tech school and mowed it down to build soccer fields.

You cannot expect industry to come in here and have skilled workforce if we don't have the facility.

And I was part of that school board that approved the $600 million capital plan.

And let me just tell you, every board member was in the room fighting for what they want in their district.

And we all had to come out and compromise and take what we could get.

So when you say they got a $600 million capital plan, yes, they do, and that is over ten years.

But since that was approved last September, guess what?

We have had developments after developments after developments exploding in this city.

And we have got to have schools that are not overcrowded.

We have got to have new schools.

We have schools in my district that really is utterly embarrassing.

Let's just be real.

Kids have got to go to a school where they are proud when they walk into the building.

And I'm not saying that something new and shiny is educating them, but you treat people the way you feel about them.

And you tell them that they have something that they can be proud of, then they love that.

They want to work hard.

But at the end of the day, that $600 million capital plan that was done, it was just touch nuggets.

It didn't touch everything that we needed to touch in the district.

So I don't see anything wrong with supporting the school system, kids having long commutes.

It is ridiculous when I was on the board, they would call every day complaining about the commute to Williams and the traffic and the overcrowding and how long their kids had to get up at six in the morning, and then they get home at 4.30 and 5 o'clock in the evening.

That's unacceptable for a child.

It's just unacceptable, and we have to put our money and investments into our schools if we want the best and the brightest to come out of this city.

Please don't misunderstand.

I absolutely agree that the schools have needs, and that $600 million plan is there to address those needs.

I was not saying we have TIF money.

I would also venture to say that this amendment, there may not be a single dollar going to the school system.

Are we really going to get that bent out of shape over the uh earmarking it for new construction and capital improvements?

It's such a small amount.

It's not you're not going to be able to build a school with the SSUT that comes out in 26.

Why are we arguing over this?

If we have got all of these millions of dollars flowing that they can use any way they want to, why does a couple of hundred thousand potentially a couple of hundred thousand dollars make you so whatever that you want to pull out the language for new construction?

Why are you fighting over the pennies when you're bragging about the dollars that you are giving generically without an earmark?

Why can't we have all of those millions going into a general fund and a few hundred thousand going into new construction?

Why are you scared of the verbiage of new construction?

It it it I don't understand, Mr.

Klein.

I have no question that whatever money we send in for capital be used for capital, that it will be used in a good manner.

We approved this, and it's going to be several months way down the line before anyone would come from this.

But if we meet with the school board, can we get their consensus about capital operating?

I'm not cutting your ledge out of money, Mr.

Chairman.

I think you have a good proposal in that it doesn't impact the budget that we had by making last minute changes.

Microphone bill.

Yeah.

You mean I'm saying nice things about you and it doesn't get picked up?

Yeah, I know.

That's why I asked you to do that.

Okay, let me go back.

Seriously.

Uh I like the concept, this doesn't this doesn't impact uh you know the budget that we got.

Hopefully, if there's extra money that comes in, it's a good thing because we still get 70 percent of it.

But if that extra money does come in, uh I don't have any problem with capital money because I figured it will get used for capital, at least for this one year.

That's not a problem.

The only thing I would ask is symbolically, should we tell the school board, or should we, since we're hopefully going to be meeting with the next two months, let them tell us capital or operating, or how do you want how they want to send it?

I mean, I can take it one way or I can take it the other way, but it just seems like the courtesy would be to let the school board do it.

But uh, it's not, you know, again, I don't think it's gonna be that major amount, but still any way we can help, I'm glad to help.

You know, you asked about meeting with the joint meeting of the school board.

That was one of the first things I did when I got presidency again.

That invitation has been out there for over a year, or just under a year.

It hasn't been for lack of effort to have this meeting.

It's just never happened.

I can't unilaterally call a joint meeting.

Otherwise, it'd happen.

It's not the council just lack of reaching out to the school board.

The school board powers that be have not accepted the offer.

I have in the Lou for three years now, been working with school board members on SSUT and how to get them some of the funding on the one sales tax that they don't have any at this point right to.

And and I just don't understand why something that is obstencally bringing in zero dollars in fiscal year 26, why the verbiage of built of using it for schools and capital improvements is such a foreign thing to you.

You know, I mean, you use the verbiage earlier, it's the mayor's budget.

Yeah, it's the mayor's suggested budget.

The council, we are the ones that allocate where money goes.

It's not the mayor says this is it and this is where it's going.

No, it's our job to go through the budget and decide where money goes.

It's not the school board's rey-in that tells us that we have to do it that way.

We are our own entity, and we are giving up so much of our power for things that are just ridiculous.

And we need to stop doing that.

I think Mr.

Kling's point, and I appreciate it, is that the school board needs to be part of this conversation.

The school board has been a part of this conversation.

I have been talking with them for three years.

But we've never given it to the government.

At this point, there could be millions of dollars in this account for the schools.

That ship has passed.

I have been forced to water it down so that there is no potential money coming into it just to get it started, just to get the ball rolling.

And even though there's really no money associated with this, you're still giving it a hard time trying to push off getting this thing done.

And we don't need it.

You're asking for things from other entities that we don't need.

And I just think it is a way of not supporting the school system.

You're going to say, oh, well, no, we we support them because we want them at the table.

Well, you know what?

They're not going to turn the money down.

What happens?

And you're and it's not not that much money at all, anyway.

It's not going to be able to school or anything, so it is smoke and mirrors.

So why are we doing that?

So why so why are we going through this routine of we have to have this joint meeting with so and so and we have to do this, that, and the other.

The reason I am moving forward with this, knowing that there may not be any money that goes to the school system is so that it is that in 27, fiscal year 27, it's done.

They know that after 20, 750,000 that they are going to start getting something.

Right now they get nothing with a formula that gives them nothing in the future.

If we pass this, they will get something moving forward.

And they want that.

That is what they want is the security of knowing that some of the SSUT money is coming their way.

That is what they have been asking for for three years.

Mr.

President, may I ask a question?

Yes.

So what what I just heard you say gives me some more pause.

So this is not a one-time allocation.

You are suggesting that this will be in perpetuity.

I am giving them what they have asked for.

Okay.

They asked for this specific language.

Can I see that?

Can I see a resolution from three members of the board that says that?

You have had conversations with a board member.

He does not say that.

Okay?

Your assumption is I'm talking to one person.

You don't have any clue who I'm talking to.

So don't sit here and pass judgment that I'm talking to one particular person.

I am not.

We received an email from one board member.

So that is what I'm saying.

I've been having these conversations.

So tell me who I've been talking to, because you got an email from somebody.

My apologies.

I did not mean to imply that, but I have spoken to one board member.

I have received an email from one board member.

I think he has been leading this.

Have you heard from any that don't like this?

I have not received anything from a three members of the board, that no single board member has any authority, as you know.

And you are asking for something that is irrelevant.

We don't need it to do our jobs.

That is always how we have done business as a city.

It's a responsible way to do it.

A request from the school system for when I served on the school board.

That's what we did.

And you as a school board member should have never voted against giving the SSUT three years ago, certainly not high-fiving someone else at the day is when you did it.

You can't not fund schools and say you are about Huntsville City School.

I believe in funding sidewalks that the children walk on to school parks that they play in and the roads that their families drive on.

That's what this money would be funding.

And potentially funding for that.

That is why it says for new construction and capital improvement.

What I am suggesting is the city's money that also supports children would not might not be available in an economic downturn or in a disaster if it has been diverted to the school system, even though the school system is now getting an extra $7 million in TIFF money.

You say it's an extra.

It's not an extra.

It's what they get to them.

It is, but it's not been in their budget.

It is and I'm not suggesting that.

It was not a good thing.

It was not in their budget previously.

It will now be in their budget.

And that can pay a lot of debt service.

So again, I I haven't even heard a number.

What is the number the city will not have in their budget if this is diverted to the school system?

What do you mean what is the number we won't have?

The 30 percent.

How much of that will not be available to fund city services?

The proposed level of SSUT funding expected by the city in fiscal year 26 is 20,700,000.

Okay.

Anything under that needs to be offset.

So if if that's what we're talking about, there is no offset.

That's why that number is there.

Because that was the proposed impact for fiscal year 26.

There is none.

Okay?

Because that is the level of their funding.

So they're proposed what they think they are going to get in revenue.

So anything over that is not negatively impacted because you are not taking it from somewhere else.

So I don't understand what you what you are asking.

Because there is no loss.

Mr.

President.

Yes.

So I I certainly admire the spirit of this.

I know something's been going on, or y'all have been talking about for a long time.

Certainly want to support the schools.

So my question, I think is kind of what Dr.

Robinson is saying.

You know, let's just, for instance, say SSUT is a windfall this year, 26.

Let's just say it brings in 22 million.

But our sales tax, our brick and mortar sales tax is down.

Without this, we would be using that overage and SSUT to make up for the shortfall on the brick and mortar sales tax.

So if we go if we were if we approve this, we could be very well, and I'm and I'm certainly confident on the economy next year too.

But what if something happens?

You know, what if something falls through?

What if consumer confidence continues uh to be an issue and we're sitting here in August, like gosh, you know, we're short.

You know, what do we do when we need a new fire truck?

What do we do when we need to hire Tennity police officers or whatever?

And but we're guaranteeing an amount to the school.

You know, my first obligation is the City of Huntsville and our budget, you know.

So that's that's my concern is like where, if there's a shortfall on the brick and mortar side, how are we making up?

That's the question I think Dr.

Robinson was asking.

You know.

So does that make sense?

It makes sense, but I'm not an economist.

What happens if SSUT holds steady and there is a drop in brick and mortar?

Who is responsible for that?

Uh, you you you can't say that this is subject to a shortfall in brick and mortar.

That's apples and oranges.

Uh you just hold the love of one child because the other one is acting up.

I do that at home sometimes.

Well, you you're you you you run a different household than I do.

Well, I mean, there's the I think the the issue here is that there are just there's too many unknowns over the next 12 years.

12 months.

There are no we've been rocking and rolling for three years, and all of a sudden we are having to cut our own budget.

Any budget proposal is an unknown.

Right.

Every single thing that Ms.

Smith proposes is unknown.

So why is this unknown one that we can't tolerate?

Because I don't want to shortchange the city.

If it comes down to it, that's all.

That's all I'm saying.

You're just talking in circles, Mr.

President.

You're just talking in circles.

I think part of the question is.

No, I no.

No, I'm not going to recognize you.

Um I don't have to.

So the only people entitled to speak up here are the five council members.

So no.

Um You are asking me to administrate a budget, though, so I shouldn't be able to have some input.

Mr.

Burr.

Yes, Mr.

Kling.

I would like to ask that we take a five-minute just to kind of catch our breath in a bit.

We we don't need to catch our breath at this point.

Um I would ask for recess as well.

I think that's a good idea.

Okay.

We'll take a recess.

How long a recess would you like?

Five minutes.

Make it ten.

No, make it twelve.

We'll we'll come back at 8.25.

Better you than me.

All right.

It's 825, and we are back in session.

Mr.

Kling?

Sir.

Did you or are you going to make a formal amendment to strike?

Okay.

Mr.

President, I would move that the amendment that had been introduced shall be modified to have the words, quote, exclusively for new construction or capital improvement for existing structures deleted.

Okay.

Motion by Mr.

Clang.

And I'll second it just to give the school system the flexibility they need.

Yeah, that's that's the reasoning.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Well, actually I'll oppose.

So roll call vote, Mr.

Little, how do you vote?

Ms.

Watkins.

Aye.

Ms.

Robinson?

Mr.

Clang.

Aye.

And the chair votes nay.

So it does pass.

And if there's no more discussion, we will take a vote on the overall amendment.

Well, I want to see if I could uh ask uh Ms.

Smith about our projected um regular sales tax revenues.

I I I left my budget upstairs.

Hold on.

What why do you need to know that?

Because if I don't I I just would like to know the number.

I don't have it in the top of my head.

Do you have it?

Go ahead, Ms.

Pitt Ms.

Smith.

So our sales sales and use sales tax number for the general fund is um 138 million, 138, 380 million, and for use taxes 28,630.

And um and so I'm sorry, 138.

138,380.

Okay.

And then SSUT is projected to be 2750.

Right.

And this is all in the general fund.

Right.

Okay.

So back to my original question.

If this 138380 number or the 28630 number doesn't come in, and it's lower for whatever reason in this year's revenues.

But SSUT is up a million.

Under normal circumstances, without this, we would have that revenue to offset the shortfalls and others.

So my question is, what do we do if that happens?

Does that make sense?

I mean, I don't know how that's.

It's a moot point.

What happens when lodging tax goes down?

I mean, it's you're you're you I don't understand where all of this is coming from.

It makes no difference to what we're talking about.

Yes, Mr.

Clang.

If I could respond, I'm not trying to play it, I'm not trying to play a shell game about uh Councilman Little's uh concerns.

I mean, you know, it's we uh we want to look at everything and I agree with that.

Uh this budget that was put together, I think it was conservative.

I think it's responsible.

Um I think the revenues that uh have been used for sales tax uh by the finance department have been responsible over the years.

And I certainly understand uh what you are talking about.

I like the idea that that we have a budget.

This is basically the original budget, pretty much uh from what we what we got.

If there is a circumstance that comes up, not a shell game, but we do have a fund balance that could be used.

That and also uh administration or city council together, you know, can do within the budget, you know, transfers to take care of you know the normal management.

Uh so this is not I'm not saying this is a shell game.

I'm just saying the fact that if there is this extra money that comes in of the SSUT, then we can do some support for the school system.

Uh but I'm not saying this is a cure all, there is always a risk, but even if we pass the original budget without any changes, no amendments, no SSUT adjustments, even with that original budget, there you know there's always that potential that uh sales tax doesn't come in as it should be.

Even with that original budget, there you know there's always that potential that uh sales tax doesn't come in as it should be.

Again, I like the I like the budget that we got.

I think it's responsible.

Step back.

I know we've been yelling and screaming a little bit.

It's a good, it's a good budget, a lot of emphasis on roads, lots of emphasis on city services.

So in a nutshell, uh, Mr.

Little, there's nothing magical.

I think it's a responsible uh estimate for the City Council to make, because basically when we pass a budget, anything potentially could have a risk, and we're just making an estimate, and we're following what I think are responsible guidelines from from the administration on this.

I agree it's a it's a conservative budget, and hopefully it's better.

You know, hopefully next year is great.

I mean, brick and mortar, I think we get about four and a half percent, and SSUT, we get one and a half.

I mean, that pie is getting divided up an awful lot anyway.

Um I'm just trying to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars.

You know, I want to support the schools.

Um, but I'll but my first responsibility is the City of Huntsville, and I don't want to find us in a spot next July or whenever June when we're going through our mid-year review that we have to take from something else when we would have had the money anyway.

I mean, we can amend the budget any time.

I've said that already.

We could do this next month, we could do this in January, we could do it in June.

You know, is would it be unreasonable to say let's look at this in June and see how the numbers are project are coming in to see if you know?

Mr.

President, I can tell you don't have to be a good thing.

Is that a out of line?

I mean, is that a reasonable question to ask?

To what end?

Anything that is projected could be off.

So why are you why are you making an issue for this little amendment?

That's what I don't understand.

Everything you have asked, it happens every single year.

And you are making it seem as though if we pass this, then all heck is going to break loose.

No, it's not.

I didn't say it was going to break loose.

And I Mr.

You work with finance.

I don't get it.

I just don't get it.

Yes, Mr.

Kling.

I'd like to call the question, I guess.

Thank you.

That's where I was going is you you we have um struck that language out about the uh for new construction and capital improvements.

Can't we just go on to moving on the overall amendment now?

Okay.

You've got your question answered right.

Okay.

So, Mr.

Little, how do you vote?

Aye.

Ms.

Watkins, how do you vote?

Yes.

Ms.

Uh uh Robinson, how do you vote?

No.

And Mr.

Kling, how do you vote?

Aye.

And the Chair votes aye, so it does pass.

And thank you, Ms.

Watkins and Mr.

Kling for giving a hoot about the schools.

Okay.

So 19A.

The vote on the ordinance to adopt the City of Hunsible annual budget for fiscal year 2026 beginning October 1st, 2025, does include the amended SSUT amendment as well as Ms.

Watkins's allocation of money or appropriation of money to United Cerebral Palsy also passed.

So they are a part of the overall budget now.

And we will vote on the overall passage to include those two amendments.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed say nay.

Motion carries and the budget is passed.

19B is an ordinance amending ordinance number 89-79 to provide all eligible employees of the City of Huntsville a cost of living adjustment as reflected in the first pay period in the fiscal year 2026 budget effective October 13, 2025.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

19C is an ordinance to declare certain property surplus and no longer needed for public or municipal purpose.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the Chair.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 19D is an ordinance, annexing 9.93 acres of land lying on the east of Highway 431 South and south of Wade Road.

Move through the ordinance.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the Chair.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 19E as an ordinance, annexing 14.62 acres of land lying on the east of Green Briar Road and north of I 565.

Move to prove the ordinary.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair.

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say uh nay.

Motion carries 19F is an ordinance to change the name of a portion of Avalcent Way to O Monrovia Road Northwest.

Move to approve your ordinary.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Lew.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries 19G is an ordinance to change the name of a portion of Dunlop Boulevard Southwest to Town Madison Boulevard.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by the chair.

All those in favor say aye.

Um all those opposed say nay.

Motion carries and 19H uh was already acted upon.

That brings us to new business items uh for consideration or action.

Are there any items any council member wishes to hold for a separate consideration?

20A and 20 B.

20 A and 20 B.

And 20 K.

And 20K.

That it?

I was gonna ask for A and B as well, but Q.

Q, yes, ma'am.

Q.

Okay.

In that case, the chair moves for consolidation and approval of items 20 C through J.

20 L through P.

20R through T.

Are you need a second?

Yes.

Second.

Second by Mr.

Little.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries, and those items are approved.

Brings us to 20A, which is a resolution approving the city uh approving the City of Huntsville's 1990 capital improvement plan for fiscal years 2026 through 2035.

Move to approve the resolution.

Second.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Clang.

Uh any uh discussion on this one?

It's just the the capital plan, and that's I felt it needed separate consideration.

Well, I I want to say something.

I sure I guess I'm still kind of reeling from everything.

With everything we've gone through, I mean there's a lot of good things in this budget.

You know, sometimes we just need to step back and look at it.

I mean uh the roads, the the parks and recreation, quality of life in in different places.

Uh with everything we've gone through, I think sometimes it's it's nice just to step back, take a deep breath.

Uh you know, sometimes we can't see the force for the trees, but uh there is a lot of positive going on in this city.

And these two A and B, I think are good examples.

And Matt.

So I I do have a question.

Yes, ma'am.

So I know that um the shower center uh last year it was appropriated for architect agreement, correct, to go in and do an analysis of the building.

And uh they came back with it, but it hadn't been finalized.

So there's no money allocated right now to shower center being uh renovated or be rebuilt.

So how is that gonna factor into the budget once we do agree upon the plans?

So actually the uh the shower center renovation design is on the third page.

Uh there's monies allocated in both FYs 26 and 27 that will fund the design contract.

Yep, but uh and then uh a little bit lower down, you see a separate line because it'll be funded, funded from the a different source of funds uh would be construction.

Uh and so yeah, just to kind of reiterate what you were saying.

This this last year we hired architect firm to go in and do an overall facility assessment and put together uh just conceptual ideas about some of the things that could be done.

They also uh help lead the public input sessions uh that we conducted in order to get input from the community on some of the ideas for for the recenter.

So we will bring to you.

On the third page of uh of the capital plan.

If you that the last section, I know I know where it's at one second.

The the last section of the capital plan addresses parks and recreation facilities.

And within that section, the fifth line down uh the account is titled shower center renovation design.

So that's just not the money for renovate.

That's what I'm saying.

But that's what I am asking.

Right.

And that's what I am answering.

So what we will start right now.

If you didn't answer it, because if you would have answered it, it's not going to take $500,000.

It is going to take much more.

Right.

Maybe you misunderstood.

No, I don't misunderstand.

Yes, you did.

Because I asked specifically.

I said how much?

Is it factored in the budget for the renovation of the shower center?

And it is.

How much is it?

So if you go to the next section down, is the construction, which is then funded in FY27.

Right now, the estimate is $12 million.

As you and I have met recently with General Services, I believe that number is going to go up as we go through design.

But as we go through the design process, that will be determined.

The source of funding for construction is proposed, assuming y'all propose it proposed to approve the capital plan, is to be debt funded.

And I would expect to go to market in FY27, even though construction will have started prior to that.

So that's what I am asking because I asked, where is it at in the budget?

You are saying it is projected at $12 million, but you and I both know it was $18 to $21 million when we met the other day.

Depending on the study of the U.S.

I want to be clear, because this is one thing in the book.

But we both know it is going to be more than $12 million.

So that's that's the clarity that I am looking for.

Yeah, and that's then that's what I am explaining.

So what will we bring to you probably within about the next 60 days or so is the design contract.

The architect has already been selected.

It is the same firm that did the assessment, so they are very familiar with the facility.

And they have done a lot of that type of workforce previously.

They do that very, very effectively.

And so we will bring you the design contract, which is funded with a cash source of funding in the capital plan.

This capital plan relies both on what when we say cash, we are talking about the sales tax direct collections, and some projects are then also debt funded.

And then this capital plan would pay the debt service on the on whatever debt is borrowed.

So we will bring you that design contract, and you will be as active in that process as you as you choose to be for the.

I fully expect to, absolutely.

Uh as well as we want members of the community and the other occupants and users of the facility.

So we will go through that process.

And so what was laid out for us the other day was a range of potential scopes.

And so there is a number of decisions that we will make as we go through the design process.

And so that number that we saw could fluctuate up or down depending on the decisions that we make together as we go through that design process.

And in the end, ultimately, we will bring a construction contract to council that covers the full scope that we have agreed is the appropriate scope for that facility.

Twelve million may not be enough money, and that is okay because you will have the opportunity to affect that through not only the approval of that construction contract and also next year's budget approval, but then also when you approve the debt that we borrow in order to fund it.

And so you have multiple decisions coming up where we will get to the exact right number.

There is no doubt in my mind, having done this a bunch of times, that 12 million is not going to be the exact right number.

It will be a different number.

That will be determined.

That will be determined during the design process.

To a million is not going to be the number.

That's why I am specifically asking.

And all I needed was just a brief explanation.

And I thank you so much, Mr.

Hamilton.

Absolutely.

Any further discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries brings us to 20 B, which is a resolution authorizing, I'm sorry, resolution approving the City of Huntsville's 2014 capital improvement plan for fiscal years 2026 through 2035.

Move to approve.

Actually, Mr.

Klain got the second.

I was trying to move to approve.

Oh, okay.

Mr.

Kling beat me to it.

Awesome.

Well, we're good to go.

Any discussion on this one?

Again, a lot of mods we have presented.

And I think with everything that has been taking place earlier this evening, we just need to take a moment to reflect that this is a very good capital plan.

And if I could take a person of personal privilege, I we have neglected in this entire budget process to recognize Ms.

Smith and her efforts with the budget.

So I just want to thank the entire finance team for the work they did on the general fund and on these two capital contents.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Motion carries.

Brings us to 20K, which is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a fixed price agreement between the City of Huntsville and Chorba contracting for the John Hunt Park Military Museum expansion.

Move to approve the resolution.

Second by Mr.

Kling.

Let's hear from Mr.

Wilkins.

Yes, sir.

Ricky Wilkinson, Director of General Services and Fleet.

So this is a construction services contract with Chorba contracting for the John Hunt Park Military Museum project, expansion project.

The amount of this contract is $9,984,000.

This project will include a new standalone pre-engineered metal building constructed just north of the existing facility, much needed room for expansion for the military museum.

The project will also include an expansion of the parking lot.

Of course, new displays, uh areas, offices, conference rooms for the staff, and we'll include some minor modifications to the existing facility, roof repairs, and some exterior uh renovations, excuse me, renovations there.

And it's uh slated to be about a 16-month construction contract.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Mr.

Dr.

Robinson.

So the existing building will stay, and how will it be used?

Yeah, it will still be utilized by staff.

There's some discussions about potentially having some displays in the existing facility, um, and also using it as kind of a work area or shop for them to be able to uh renovate and you know spruce up some of the uh artifacts that could then be moved to the new facility as well.

How does the size of the new building compare to the existing building?

Uh I would say it's roughly about three times larger.

I don't know, I don't have the exact square footage uh on hand, but it's roughly three times the size.

They have stuff crammed in every nook and cranny, so they need the extra room.

And they they do, and they actually um have some space on Lehman Ferry that they have, you know, for storage that's not on display, so this will give them some opportunities to store some additional artifacts as well that are not currently on display.

I am asked frequently by people who have an interest in the military museum about relocating it, rebuilding it, whatever.

So this is a great opportunity for them to get the answers and the assurance that we're going to move forward with this.

Thank you.

Thank you, Dr.

Robinson.

Mr.

Little.

Yeah, thanks uh, Mr.

President.

I I had an opportunity to tour it, I don't know, a few months ago, and prior to that it had probably been 10 years since I'd been there.

And it's interesting to think that that museum was kind of out in the middle of nowhere at one time.

I mean, I think the building that it's in might have been a hangar of some sort or some sort of aviation something uh back when the old airport was there.

And uh the artifacts they have in there are truly remarkable.

And now it's in the middle of John Hunt Park.

And I couldn't help but think of somebody that's taking a break, you know, Durham Beach volleyball or some other event that has this beautiful museum, new museum to go check all that great history, not only just kind of national history, but a lot of local war history there too.

So I think this is going to be a real fine addition to John Hunt Park.

Um I'm just really happy about this.

Yeah, it's uh it's a hidden gym.

I'm I'm kind of ashamed to say, you know, I've been born and raised here and driven by that place so many times and never knew uh the value that it had and what it means to the to the local um local community and uh it really is a hidden gym.

Yeah.

I uh it'll uh I think it will continue to tick up the list of uh visited uh museums or what are they called tourist attractions in the State, too.

So it's gonna be great.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Well, I'm glad we live in a community that recognizes and appreciates the uh contributions of the military.

Good job.

Thank you.

All right.

Um all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say no.

Motion carries.

Thank you, Ricky.

Um brings us to 20Q, which is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement between the City of Huntsville and Clearview AI Incorporated for the purpose of providing law enforcement with a more effective and less expensive subspect recognition search engine.

Motion by Dr.

Robinson, second by Mr.

Little.

Mr.

Hamilton.

Councilmember, what is before you is uh an agreement for software package that supports the police's investigative uh processes, uh specifically uh assists with facial recognition as leads as they conduct investigations.

So uh for a number of years, uh our investigators have had access to uh software package that had done that.

So this is not a new thing.

Uh unfortunately, the uh the software package that we have, that company is no longer supporting it sufficiently, uh which oftentimes happens with uh with software.

Uh you know, many times we're bringing new contract for software because the old one was no longer supported.

Or we have to go to newer versions.

And so uh as our ITS department uh search for the alternative, uh this uh present itself as a good alternative.

I completely understand questions around the name of the company.

Uh you know, it seems like everybody is wanting to put AI in their name.

Uh and obviously there's been a lot of discussion about other uses of AI recently.

That is not uh this is in no way related to some of the things that you have looked at recently with City Detect or others related to uh related to AI.

But what I want to do is talk to you specifically at how about how this assists us in solving crimes.

Uh so this is not tied to any kind of active surveillance.

There's obviously a lot of discussion about you know what surveillance looks like in America now and across the world is as more and more camera systems and things in private business as well as in public areas.

Uh this is in no way linked to any kind of active surveillance.

So let's say, for example, Mr.

Meredith, you are the victim of a crime, somebody breaks into your home, and your ring camera gets a gets a picture of the person who broke into your house.

Uh obviously when the police come to investigate that crime, you're going to give them, hey, this appears to be the guy who did it.

But just having a picture doesn't really get you anywhere if you have no clue who he is.

Uh what this system allows them to do.

It goes in and searches, you know, all the databases full of mugshots and things like that, publicly accessible pictures.

Uh, you know, obviously we uh we all go to jail view and view when something somebody gets arrested here in Madison County.

So those kinds of things that are publicly accessible, uh it can go search and say, hey, it appears to be this person, or here's three or four people that might be them.

Now we have absolutely no ability, no authority, cannot uh affect an arrest uh or really move forward based solely on a system that says this might be Joe Blow.

Uh we uh still have to have human interaction, that process it gives the investigator a lead of somebody that might be.

Uh it also helps clear away people that it is not.

Uh and so it does that much, much faster.

So the example is I have talked to investigators to get a you know, get a real better understanding of how they use this on a daily basis.

They say we would do the exact same work manually, going through mugshots and stuff, and it would take us six to seven months, and this can do it in 15 seconds.

So it's the same work that we are doing.

It's just using technology to do it much, much faster, and they are able to solve crimes very quickly, particularly in the case of property crimes.

The faster they solve it, the more likely we are to get your property back.

Uh so speed matters, uh, but ultimately that is what this supports, and it's not a new thing, it's not a new capability, it is a different company uh because the old one is no longer supported.

Um we had you know, obviously somebody who spoke uh earlier expressed some concern about something they have seen related to the war in Ukraine.

I absolutely have no idea how the what software package the Ukrainian Army may be using.

Uh no, I I can't I can't speak to uh to the gentleman's concern of like I say this is something that is again not new to uh to Huntsville or to the investigative process, but that's that's how it's used, and that's how it uh it supports their efforts in solving crimes.

Thank you, sir.

Any discussion?

I do I have a question.

So I think the software works that you upload a photo and then it matches.

Is that correct?

It gives you potential matches.

And so it cannot uh and that we cannot use it as a definitive absolutely it's this person.

It's it gives you and oftentimes they will bring back several results.

It may be one of these people, and so then it still requires the investigator to do the work of the investigator to go determine uh who the person might be, but it saves them a lot of time and kind of narrowing that down.

Who is gonna store the data?

They're gonna store the data?

Yeah, it does not it does not get stored.

Uh we we retain that and they cannot use the pictures that we have.

So we are retained it.

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you.

Real quick, this real quick would this be considered uh generative AI or predictive.

Uh it's it you know, maybe I should maybe I shouldn't have made that joke.

We were talking earlier about the difference.

Uh Dr.

Lowe and I were talking about the differences in generative.

That's the I'm gonna make a movie and I need a huge data center this big.

And predictive is like the uh like our spam filter on a on uh on our email.

You know, the yes or no answers.

So I think it's yeah, I was just curious.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

All those opposed say nay.

Nay.

Okay.

Um, how do you vote?

Aye.

Ms.

Watkins?

Nay.

Ms.

Robinson.

Aye.

Mr.

Kling.

Aye.

And the chair votes aye, so it passes 4 to 1.

Thank you.

Um brings us to 21A, which is the introduction of an ordinance declaring certain equipment surplus and to be sold at public auction.

21B is the introduction of an ordinance to amend ordinance number 89-79.

Classification and salary plan ordinance.

Okay.

Um The next item is one that it has been requested to be considered at this meeting, and it will require unanimous consent of the council.

Uh Mr.

Riley, at this time, could you tell us why there is a need uh for UC on this?

Well, briefly, uh this the this item.

Thank you, Mr.

Little.

This item and the next item is uh our are both sister items related.

Unity Group is the parent company of Southern Light, which is a which is a fiber provision company that we have been doing business with since 2015.

Unity Fiber Gulf Co.

is another new product coming in, again, uh part of the Unity Group.

So they are in the process of closing what's called an asset-backed securitization, which they mercifully refer to as ASB.

And that's a fancy financing transaction.

We have Mr.

Gallagher, who is an attorney from Montgomery who is here in behalf of Unity, and he's working on that.

This transaction is supposed to fund intermediate and long-term future growth and fiber build out for unity.

As part of that transaction, Unity is this transaction that we've talked about.

The ABS, Unity is required to transition ownership of certain assets, including their fiber infrastructure here in Huntsville and other cities in Alabama, from Southern Light, who we've had since 2015, to Gulf Co.

In order to close that transaction, Gulf Co.

needs to have the right to own the facilities in the city's right-of-way, which is the need for a right-of-way agreement in favor of Gulf Co, which would be the second item.

You're actually starting to talk about actual issue.

What I mean is why can't this wait two weeks?

Why is it necessary for us to consider it now?

But closing for that ABS transaction is October 1, 2025.

Well, I don't know the full extent of it, is my understanding this involves fiber facilities and things in as many as 14 or 15 states.

Let me stop you.

It's because they've got a date certain closing date that they need to meet.

That's one.

Right.

And we will not meet prior to that closing date.

Absolutely.

That would be the reason.

Okay.

Now, my concern is that the closing date was known for weeks and weeks and weeks.

It would have been nice, even if all the legal work hadn't been done for the council to be aware that this was coming, so that it wouldn't have been two days.

We need this done right now.

So in the future, I would just say let's be a little more diligent in letting council know that this stuff is coming so that we wouldn't necessarily have to then go for UC.

But I get it and and I get what you are saying, and I understand the need to go ahead and deal with it now.

But I just wanted to get the reason why it had to be dealt with.

And it's that closing date that they need to meet.

Correct.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Um given that scenario, um, let's uh I'll make a motion to do the UC.

Um is there a second?

Second.

Second by Mr.

Little.

Uh let's roll call vote at Mr.

Little, how do you vote?

Aye.

Ms.

uh Watkins.

Aye.

Dr.

Robinson, Mr.

Klain.