Good afternoon, everyone.

We are calling in to order this session of the Huntsville City Council.

We are met on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in the chambers in Huntsville, Alabama.

Please note we will be excusing Councilmember Watkins, who is out of town, but a quorum is present with all other council members.

We welcome everyone who is joining us here in the chambers as well as those who are joining us virtually on our many streaming platforms.

We will begin our meeting as is our custom with an invoction from uh Lori McCauley, a member of our Huntsville Police Public Safety Chaplains.

It will be followed by Pledge of Allegiance given by Councilmember John Meredith.

All those who are able, please join us for the invocation and the pledge by standing.

Our follow.

We welcome you into this place.

Father, give our leaders the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job and the passion for justice is Amos.

Father, not let them forget about the least of these, because in Hansville, Alabama, there are no disposable people, there are no disposable families.

We will love our neighbors and do the best that we can to make Hansville a better place to live.

I do pray.

Amen.

Thank you, Pastor McCaulay.

Thank you, Mr.

Meredith.

Uh Council members, we will move on to approval of the agenda.

Please know that note that item 8A will require unanimous consent of the council for approval.

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

Seeing none, the agenda is approved.

We will now move to the approval of the minutes of previous meetings.

4A is the minutes of the regular meeting of the City Council held on February 26, 2026.

We have found that there are some challenges with the um the simple minutes.

So I'm going to make a motion to amend the minutes as they are presented to you by removing those simple minutes and just voting on approval of the narrative minutes.

Is there a second?

If I can interject.

Yes, they're two separate items.

Okay.

Yeah, two separate items.

Yes, ma'am.

So the amendment is on the floor.

Out.

Second.

Thank you very much.

Um any questions or comments on that?

All in favor to that amendment, please vote aye.

Opposed.

Motion carries, and now we will vote to approve the minutes as amended.

So really it's just a motion on approving the narrative minutes.

Um is there a motion to approve those minutes?

Moved to approve.

Second from Mr.

Kling.

Uh questions or comments.

All in favor, please indicate.

Imposed the motion carries.

And those minutes are approved.

We will move to 4B.

4B is the minutes of the work session of the City Council held on February 27, 2026.

Are there any changes or additions to be made to those minutes?

Could you hold a second?

Do they also have the mayor?

Okay, then we're good.

Basically, it's just the agenda for that meeting.

I think seeing none, then the minutes will stand.

Those minutes will stand approved.

We have no special recognitions by the mayor or by the council, but we do have a presentation tonight.

7A is a presentation from the Food Bank of North Alabama, and that will be presented by the CEO, Shirley Schofield.

Ms.

Schofield, welcome.

We're glad you're here tonight.

We're grateful for the work that the food bank does.

While Ms.

Schofield comes to the podium, let me also mention to you, Council Council members, we are going to resume our practice of having agencies make presentations, the agencies to who to whom we make allocations.

So this will be one of our first presentations.

Ms.

Schofield, welcome.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Good evening.

It's uh very nice to see all of you again.

And um it I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you in a more formal setting on behalf of the Food Bank of North Alabama, where I have the pleasure of serving as a CEO.

So the food bank, um, as you know, is um the beneficiary of some city funds, and um we wanted to make sure that we had an opportunity to speak today about how important the city cities financial support support has been for the food bank this year and some of the activities that we've been working on and some initiatives that we have going forward into the future.

Now, I couldn't even you know think about coming here and talking about this past year if we didn't talk about the government shutdown.

Um that was a um in the food bank's response.

The food bank responded as we do with any large scale emergency.

We got food out right away through as many of our partners as we could.

We set up massive drive-through food distributions in multiple areas, and we plan for longer term assistance through the recovery.

I want to really thank the city departments that worked with us on locations, traffic control, and even volunteering with us during that time.

Truly was a community that came together for this.

We had our largest distribution in the history of the food bank during that time.

Um we held it on Veterans Day because we knew that the people who were working but not getting paid would have that day off.

And also we knew that we have been seeing an increase in veterans coming for food assistance, and we wanted to make sure that um on the day that we're honoring our veterans, they didn't have to worry about what they were going to have to eat that day.

So we wanted to make sure we were doing it then.

Um we were able to serve 955 families within four hours on that one day.

Um while I was there, there was one young lady and she was worried about whether or not she deserved to be there, whether or not this was a distribution for her.

And so I asked her what had brought her to us that day, and she said, Oh, well, the government shut down.

And I said, Well, um, what was your what what happened?

And she said, Well, I didn't get paid.

I said, Okay, your paycheck then for this week was zero.

So you absolutely are for the people that we're trying to serve today.

Thank you for being here, and um we would really love to be able to help you.

So that's kind of something that a lot of people don't think about is the real emergency status of what we're doing.

It's helping people who really need us in that moment.

Um during that time we also worked with one of our partners to hold a simultaneous distribution at the Trash Panda field, and um they we were able to along with them serve another 200 families, all in that one day.

And I think it's important to remember that there's still a mini shutdown going on right now that is affecting some of our employees in our area.

It's um they've gone um at least without one partial paycheck and now without a full paycheck.

So tomorrow we have a distribution that is designed specifically for them.

And um we got an email earlier from their representative this week, and they said, Thank you so much for all your work on this.

Thank you to make sure for making sure that we're not forgotten.

And I think that was really important for us to hear as well.

Um, just to kind of give you some of the numbers, um, through um FY25, the food bank distributed five million five hundred and eighty-seven thousand five hundred-one pounds of food specifically in Huntsville alone.

And that's the equivalent to over 4.6 million meals.

Um, if you put a dollar amount on that, the value of that food, it would be over 11 million dollars.

Of course, to the families that are receiving it, it's a measurable.

To help reach the estimated 56,980 residents who are food insecure in Madison County.

One thing that we've done is we have um started operating our own food pantry at our old location at Vernon Avenue.

We're serving an average of 70 families a week there, and we know that now it's come to time for us to increase that.

And as soon as we have those resources available, we'll be increasing our time at that pantry.

We have continued to prioritize fresh produce and healthier food items when possible.

I think a lot of people still think of canned goods, and we do a lot of that as food assistants, but we also forty over 40 percent of the food that we distributed last year was fresh produce.

Another priority for the food bank is our partnerships.

The church food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, health care clinics, senior centers, and schools.

In 2025 and continuing into this year, we have been investing in our partners.

As you know, we moved into a new location in 2024, and we were able to increase the amount of food we are able to get out, our capacity increased.

But we know that our partners are going to need to increase their capacity as well, and it's a great opportunity for them to do that now that we have more food available to them.

So we've been providing equipment.

Everything from Wi-Fi thermometers to shelving to refrigeration and even vehicles.

As a matter of fact, you may see running around the streets of Huntsville a new truck, refrigerated truck for the Rose of Sharon.

They were one of the recipients of one of our grants that we provided.

Their previous um truck, they did have one, but it rained as much on the inside of that truck as it did on the outside during storms.

And that included where the food was.

So we were happy to be able to provide them another opportunity for picking up food safely.

Another program that we have been working with is University of University of Alabama and Huntsville's College of Nursing.

They have a pilot program called Neighborhood Nursing.

And it's a great opportunity to get different providers together in in all the different neighborhoods, all in one spot so that neighbors don't have to go to 10 different places to get their blood pressure checked and their screen for diabetes and things like that, so they can all go to one place.

And we're very happy that they are asking each of those neighbor residents if they are food insecure and if they need food assistance.

So that's one of their initial um intake questions.

So we're able to provide help right away.

We've been working with the schools a lot more.

We um over the past summer, we worked with over 40 different schools to help with summer meals.

And we know how crucial that is so that kids have the food they need to be successful, to be able to learn and come back to school refreshed and ready to go.

Um it's something that we're planning on increasing even more this year.

I want to again thank you for your support and all that you have done to help the food bank.

Um the food bank needs your support.

We need the support of other leaders as well.

We need the support of the community to ensure that we can continue to help provide assistance to our neighbors.

It truly is a community effort, and we appreciate all of your help with this.

Thank you.

Thank you, Shirley.

Thank you for your unique contribution to the community.

Council members, do you have questions, Mr.

Meredith?

If I can tell you are rearing to go.

Yes, ma'am.

Um like uh Dr.

Robinson mentioned, thank you so much for what you do for our community.

Um it's absolutely amazing.

I hear these numbers and I'm just floored by the need, uh, frankly, and the the fact that you are able to meet that need is even more astonishing.

Um but I a couple of of things though.

Um you mentioned the food pantry uh at your old site.

Right.

Um I would like to discuss with you and maybe uh even in conjunction with the UAH neighborhood nursing.

Um I I'm familiar with that program and and the good work that they are doing.

Um but I would love for there to be an opportunity for access to a pantry in your new facility because of the issues with uh lack of meals on wheels, particularly to the senior community, and for them to be able to come to your facility from, say, Jeff Road or old railroad bed is a much easier lift than coming all the way downtown.

Um I'm not trying to um make you spend a whole bunch of extra money, but if there's some way that we can work something out where they uh have access to it in the in the at an area that's a whole lot more convenient, even if it's uh uh a smaller amount of things that are there.

Um we actually do um have walk-in people who come to um our new facility and we um are able to take care of them right away.

Now, every time they do come, we always give them some resources available as well.

But anyone who is in new need of food assistance, we're not gonna turn anyone away.

We're happy to help them on the spot and then provide other resources as well.

Again, I'm not looking to break your back, but is that something uh that you would mind me promoting more uh to the folks out west to know that that is available to them?

Abs absolutely.

And I think it's it's good to kind of think about, we're always trying to come up with new ways that we can help.

One of the things that we're working on right now, we're doing a pilot of is um uh being able to deliver to homebo seniors.

We're going to start really small because it is very volunteer intensive, but that's something that we are working on.

We think is going to be a real help to the community as well.

That would be fair.

Yes, absolutely.

Please let people know.

Come to the food bank, make sure that they have our information.

And if they can't come to us, they can use our food finder, type in their zip code, and they can find the closest food pantry to them.

Thank you so much.

And again, I applaud your collaborative work with uh UAH's neighborhood nursing.

That's a great program that they have.

Um the school's summer feeding program.

Um I haven't looked in the last year or so, but the last time I looked, there wasn't a single one out west.

Um what can would you suggest we do to get one out west?

Because if you live west of Bridge Street and you fall into that need category, you're not getting your need.

Right.

So we have been um discussing with the school districts what the options are, um, the Huntsville City School District about what the options are for providing um summer meal help during that.

Um and I think um all we need is a location.

Um we just have to inspect it, and we've got a partner there, and then we can make that happen.

Um it's something that we've noticed that there was a true um lack of assistance in that.

And a lot of times when the school districts, if they have summer programs going on, they can provide it during that, but then when those end, there's at least one full month where there's not really a lot of anyone providing summer meals.

So we want to make sure that we're filling that gap.

We don't want to duplicate, but if we can fill that gap, we're happy to.

Is that something that I should work with you through, or do I need to reach out to uh the school board and see if we can get Williams uh engaged in this this process?

So deal with you or should are you or should I deal with uh the school system?

You can deal with us.

Like I said, they've already reached out um saying, hey, we'd like to know more about this, and we're just kind of trying to make sure we can get those meetings to take place and convince them.

Now, if we need to have need help with convincing, then I'll come see you.

Thank you very much.

That's all, Madam President.

Any other questions or comments from anyone?

Mr.

Clink.

Uh I just want to just say thank you for what you do.

I try to put my money where my mouth is from time to time, but uh you help a lot of people, and uh I think you know it's very much appreciated in all corners of the city.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you again.

Before we move on with the rest of the agenda, I have a note here that uh Facebook Live is not streaming.

Um so uh we are really sorry about that.

We're trying to figure out what's causing that interruption, and we'll get it fixed and get bring that back online as soon as we can.

We'll move on to item eight, uh, matters with outside legal represent representation.

Uh Council members, this is the item I introduced or let you know at the beginning, we are going to require unanimous consent for this.

So let me just start by introduct uh by introducing the item.

8A is it introduction?

Point of order.

Um who is requesting that we do the UC?

Who wants it considered?

Uh and why do we need to do the UC?

Let me introduce it first, okay?

Well, uh by Robert's rules, you are supposed to do all that before you read the actual Okay.

Um before we vote on it.

But but that's okay.

We can talk about it.

So this is a request from the administration that we um that we uh consider this item uh tonight.

It will take unanimous consent of the council.

And um Ms.

Ms.

Smith, would you like to come to the microphone and and let us know what uh why we are going to require consideration tonight?

So we went into the markets today as y'all have been made aware, ongoing um for four different series and four different issuances.

Pricing was taken this morning, and we'll fill you in on all of that as we go through throughout the evening.

But in order to secure the pricing that was given this morning, the because we do it by competitive deals, um, which gives us a lesser rate on our on our underwriters and things like that that we have, um, we come before you this evening in order to get that passed.

If we wait too long, we lose those bits.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Madam President.

So we'll go on now and actually introduce the the item.

8A is an introduction of an ordinance authorizing issuance of the City's general obligation warrants, Series 2026A, general obligation refunding warrants, series 2026 B, general obligation school warrants, series 2026 C and general obligation, school refunding warrants, Series 2026.

Um as I mentioned previously, the administration has asked for consideration of this item at this agenda at this meeting since it is of a permanent nature.

So the Chair will move for a unanimous consent of the Council for consideration of the item.

Second by Mr.

Little.

Now at this point, does anybody have any questions regarding why we're considered point of order?

No discussion before all in favor say aye.

I am sorry, you are in roll call vote, Mr.

Little.

Aye.

Mr.

Mayor.

Aye.

Mr.

Kling.

Chair votes aye.

We had unanimous consent of the council to consider.

So let me again make the motion that we approve an ordinance authorizing issuance of the City's general obligation warrants, Series 2026A, general obligation refunding warrants, Series 2026 B, General Obligation School Warrants, Series 2026 C and General Obligation School Refunding Warrants, Series 2026 D, is there a second second by Mr.

Meredith?

Thank you.

We have with us tonight Rod Cantor, our board at uh our board uh bond counsel, as well as Josh McQuay, our City Financial Advisor, and Ms.

Smith, our financial director.

Ms.

Smith.

And I will not really delay us.

Um again, this has been introduced, and thank you for unanimous consent and order for consideration this evening.

Um but I do want to give some time to um to both Rod Cantor and in explaining what is before you, this very thick packet that you received this evening, and then also through um when our closing will be and things like that.

And then also to Josh McCoy, who will tell you about the markets this evening and um and how are this morning and how we experience that around around when what happened.

Okay.

Who wants to go first?

Yes.

Rod said the numbers are more exciting than the documents.

So we had a very successful competitive sale this morning.

We received nine bids from street firms and regional firms offering to buy the bonds, or the warrants, excuse me, um, and awarded uh verbally the bonds to Wells Farter, who provided the lowest all-in true interest cost at a roughly a three-spot six five yield.

So the four series of warrants being offered are new money for both the city and Huntsville City schools, and then also refinancing of warrants for both the city and Huntsville City schools.

In aggregate, we are refunding just shy of $60 million in warrants that will result in an economic net present value savings of $5.9 million in benefit to the city.

Um that is for the city, and then three point um just shy of $3.5 million of that savings will be the benefit to Huntsville City schools.

So the new money uh bonds, the new money warrants for both the City and Huntsville City Schools are issued over 20 years, which has been the city's past practice level debt service.

We are very happy with the results of the sale today and the and the um the uh rates offered by the market.

Um the rates today, even after our sale have gone up about 10 basis points, and so that's if we were pricing this tomorrow, it would probably be a million point three or so higher in interest cost on a net present value.

So we have a really good rate today in recommended that the city accept the um the purchase offer and recommend that you do the same with the ordinance.

So I am happy to address any questions that you have.

Mr.

Mayor.

Madam President.

Um I know I should know this.

I used to know this, but what's the how much is the basis point in in percentages?

So the value of a basis point changes with the bond issue depending on the size and duration.

Um on this issuance, the value of a basis point is a little over 135,000.

Okay.

So that is the math I was giving you.

If we are 10 basis points higher tomorrow, then that would have an economic cost of just over a million three.

So, Madam President.

Other questions?

Um could you, Josh, you and I had a quick conversation before the meeting.

Could you go through the documents are showing 5 percent?

Um but our interest rate actually is 3.6.

Yeah, thank you.

Um great question.

The um the actual interest rate is 3.65 percent with cost of issuance and underwriters discount the all-ins 3.68 percent.

And that is a rate that we quote as your cost of funds.

If you are an investor, that is the investor's internal rate of return.

Should the bonds be held to maturity.

Within our sources and uses, we are issuing just over 192 million, 192.15 million in warrants to receive 214,781,000 in proceeds.

And so the warrants do have a coupon rate of 5 percent.

And so since you are paying a coupon rate that is higher than market, the investors are paying you a price that is greater than par.

So that is what generates the premium.

And so rather than keeping that premium, we will downsize the bond issued just to get the amount of funds that you need for project costs and for refinancing.

We are so grateful that there are people like you that know that stuff.

Mr.

Cantor, is there anything you would like to add?

You and me both.

Before you is the ordinance, and this ordinance authorizes the four series of warrants.

It approves an escrow agreement for the refunding and payoff of the warrants that are being refinanced.

A continuing disclosure agreement where you agree to upload financial information about the city on a public website known as EMA, which you'll do every year.

And you it is an agreement you'll enter with any public financing.

And it also authorizes the offering statement that gives all investors the information they need to know before deciding whether or not to purchase the warrants.

And I have to compliment this council, Mayor Battle, his office, all the work, every department you all have, Penny Smith.

Uh this sale, it's been kind of difficult, I think, for some of my clients to sell debt, not for Huntsville.

I have got a lot of bids, and I think it is a really strong compliment to just how well run the city is.

So this was a this ordinance includes that document, and you know, it is a good thing to read every now and again carefully because it tells a really great story.

It discloses all the material information about the city, and when you read it, it it from my perspective at least, it shows all the amazing things that have been going on under your leadership.

Mayor Battle's leadership and the leadership of you know everyone, everyone here at City Hall.

So that's the terms of the ordinance and what you are authorizing.

If there is any questions about it, I am here to answer them.

We do have a great team, and you are a great partner on that team.

Other questions from Mr.

Cantor or Mr.

McCoy?

Thank you.

All right.

All in favor, please indicate.

Any posed?

The motion carries, and um go out and do good things with all that.

Thank you, everybody who was who was involved.

Uh we have one public hearing to be held.

9A is a public hearing on authorizing community development to assess the cost of cutting overgrown grass and/or weeds against certain properties and consideration of a resolution pertaining to the same.

Public hearing is now open.

Mr.

Irwin.

Yes, good afternoon, Mayor Battle, Council members.

This is the public hearing authorizing community development to assess the cost of putting overgrown grass and weeds against certain properties.

The resolution will cover 50 properties per total assessment value of $16,511 and 94 cents, with an average per property assessment of $330 and 24 cents.

Of the 50 properties, 20 are local owners inside the City Limits of Huntsville, and 30 of the owners are outside the city limits.

We are outside the State also.

The public hearing is open.

Is there anyone here who wishes to comment on this item?

Is there anyone here wishing to comment?

Seeing none, the public hearing is closed.

Move for approval?

Second.

Motion has been made to approve the resolution by Mr.

Meredith second.

Is that right?

No.

Mr.

Mr.

Kling, second by Mr.

Meredith.

Thank you.

Is there any conversation, any comments on this?

All in favor, please indicate.

Thank you, Council Members.

Thank you, Mr.

Irwin.

We have a number of a couple of public hearings to be set.

10 A is a resolution to declare a public nuisance located at 4313 Shallet Drive, Northwest, Huntsville, Alabama, and to set the date for when objections will be heard.

Is there a motion to set the hearing?

Motion to approve.

Oh, I am sorry.

Motion to set the hearing.

Have you given the date?

For March 26, 2026.

Yes, ma'am.

Motion has been made to set the hearing for March 26, 2026.

Is there a second?

Second.

Second from Mr.

Little.

All in favor, please indicate.

Opposed motion carries.

10 B is a resolution to set a public hearing on the zoning of 2.80 acres of land lying on the south side of Capshaw Road and east of Balch Road to the neighborhood business C1 district and introduction of an ordinance pertaining to the same.

This should be set for the April 23rd, 2026.

Motion to approve.

Motion from Mr.

Meredith.

Is there a second?

Second from Mr.

Little.

All in favor, please indicate.

Motion carries.

10.

10 C is a resolution to set a public hearing on the rezoning of 59.21 acres of land lying on the west of North Memorial Parkway and south of Bob Wade Lane from residence one and residents to be districts to the highway business C4 district and introduction of an ordinance pertaining to be saying this is to be set for the April 23rd, 2026 regular council meeting.

Motion from Mr.

Little, second from Mr.

Meredith.

All in favor, please indicate.

That concludes our public hearing section.

We will move on now to agenda-related public comments.

We have two persons wishing to comment.

This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the council on matters relating to specific content of items on the meeting agenda, and they have signed up in advance.

When called, for those who have signed up, when called, please approach the microphone, state your name, home address, and city residence.

Each speaker may address the council for three minutes.

Speakers will reflame from entering into dialogue with council members or city staff and from making comments regarding good name and character of any individual.

The first person to sign up is Juliana Bowers.

Subject is the hemp ordinance.

Is Ms.

Bowers here?

Apparently not.

We will move on to Nick Friedald.

Subject is item 271.

Mr.

Friedold.

I'm Nick Freivold, 3903 Cypress Avenue, Southwest Huntsville.

I am happy to see the work with Alta Planning to study safety along Governor's Drive since I ride my bike across that street pretty much every week.

But according to the document, it could take up to 15 months to study for the study to be complete.

What is the process that makes this take over a year and not something closer to like four or six months?

I would just like to see safety plans be given a priority and not just be stuck in planning for years.

Thank you, sir.

Appreciate you being here tonight.

I guess we're going, it's Mr.

Madsen's here.

Are we going to address this question or will you?

Mr.

Madsen, would you like to come and comment on that item?

Dennis Madsen, uh City Puncil Planning.

Um we were just talking about that.

So it is a fairly extensive project.

It's eight and a half, actually almost nine miles.

Um it is also uh predominantly federal funding.

This is uh the result.

The reason we're able to do this study is it's a result of a Federal Highway Administration grant.

It's one of the SS4A grants that I think you have seen in front of you on a few occasions.

They include funding for the PARC project.

They include funding for construction on homes.

Um, and the Federal Government has certain level requirements for community engagement regarding the use of their funds.

So that protracts it, plus the fact that it is a fairly large project.

There's a lot of data to collect uh with regards to traffic activities and uh pedestrian information along that route.

Um, a lot of uh potential stakeholders to engage.

Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville Housing Authority, Huntsville City Schools, Aldot.

Um there is a lot of homework to do on that.

We are not slow rolling this by any means.

It's just going to take that long to gather all the data, process it, meet with the stakeholders, and come up with a blanket book of recommendations.

Thank you, Mr.

Madsen.

We should note this is item 20 P on the agenda tonight.

Thank you very much.

Uh we will now move on to uh comments from the mayor to be followed by council member comments.

Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you, Madam President and Council.

Um you might have noticed a lot of fans in in town right now.

The C USA conference is holding their tournament uh basketball tournament end of the year basketball tournament here at the Von Braun Center.

That includes Jack State, Kennesaw State, uh Mitsu, uh FIU, Houston State, and about four other colleges.

So if you get a chance to go over, uh you can see some great basketball, and um I'm going over right after council tonight to see Western Kentucky.

Uh who my parents are both uh alumni of so uh go cheer on the old alumni for for your parents.

Um this weekend is St.

Patrick's Day Parade uh starts at 11 on Saturday.

And uh this this week we've had uh been honored by having some uh regional HUD officials in uh to talk about issues that are uh very important to uh to HUD and growth issues that we can work with.

And uh we we had some great conversations with them about uh where to go in the future.

Uh also Alabama leadership uh is in town right now.

Uh over 60 members of the Alabama leadership class, the leaders from across the state get to see our city, and um their their comments have all been uh just superb.

Uh they are very impressed with what they've seen uh thus far and uh the cleanliness of the area of the of the parks and the beauty of the parks and the beauty of the city.

Um it's been nice to hear those comments coming back.

Uh that's all I have, Madam President.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor Battle.

Uh, Mr.

Kling.

Thank you, Madam President.

Well, I hate to start off on a negative note.

There have been some wonderful citizens in this community who we lost since the last meeting.

Uh Charlene Cody, who lived over in the West Lawn neighborhood.

Uh, her and her husband were very active in the citywide community watch organization, and they had a lot to do with uh working to uh get uh the neighborhood organized to clean up and uh we uh are certainly going to miss her.

Also in the same neighborhood, uh uh Deborah Barnhart, who I think many of us know, she was the uh CEO for the uh Space and Rocket Center.

Uh she was born and raised over in the West Lawn neighborhood.

And uh one thing that was very important to me, and I'm glad her legacy in a way will kind of live on.

She was the person who the Arts Council had selected to do the uh sculptures for the uh newly uh created West Lawn Park between North Rose and South Rows.

So people can go over there and they will see her four sculptures that Deborah had done.

Uh wonderful person, and I know all of us in this room are really appreciate the great work that she had done.

Gary Fincher, Huntsville former firefighter, uh passed away this past week.

Uh Betty Gaylor from Holiday Homes, very active in the community watch and the civic association over there.

We lost her, and again, um I think we're just very fortunate with the wonderful people that we have in this community, and those four individuals will be missed.

On a uh more positive note, uh I want to commend uh the uh police department.

Uh they have been stepping in and they're still working on a more permanent solution, but uh there's been an issue with uh children uh crossing without uh uh control, I guess you should say, or without listening to the crossing guard, but crossing Bob Wallace Avenue to get to their parents' cars over on Cresswood Drive.

Uh some of those cars are literally uh parked also in the uh middle of Bob Wallace Avenue.

And uh a very dangerous situation.

The police department's had uh officers over there, and I think they're in contact uh with the uh principal to see about working out uh a more permanent solution for Morris schools so that we don't have the danger that we uh uh could have.

Uh we don't want anybody to get injured uh out there.

And uh I've been continuing my neighborhood walks as I've been doing, calling in everything from trash that needs to be picked up, needed for street sweeping, road resurfacing, road repair, cable TV wire that's dangling on the ground, and uh went over largely uh in the western portion of the city uh over at Merrimack, uh went over also Holiday Homes, West Lawn, Triana Village, and Bailey Patton Estates.

And again, appreciate great things that have been done.

One time I called in something to uh um the uh natural resources department, and by the time I had circled back to my car, that area had already been picked up, and I looked and saw the truck driving away in in the distance.

And also, Madam President, I believe that uh we've had a lot of interest from people concerning the sale of Huntsville Hospital by Huntsville Hospital of purchasing Crestwood Hospital, and I believe we have a briefing session with Huntsville Hospital officials set up for the April 23rd uh council meeting.

So I'm sure we're gonna be getting a lot of valuable information from the leadership of Huntsville Hospital at that time at the April 23rd meeting, and uh uh I think that will be a very important uh for communicating to the community.

And that's all I have, Madam President.

Thank you.

Mr.

Kling, we will proceed now to Mr.

Little.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh be brief.

I just want to give shout-outs to our engineering zoning, public works, and police department for being responsive to citizens' needs the last few weeks.

I appreciate them.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

And Mr.

Meredithan.

Thank you, Madam President.

Along those lines, I want to give that shout out to uh traffic engineering.

I know uh some of my constituents have had some uh very interesting questions for in the last couple of weeks, and they have bent over backwards to make sure that all of the individual inquiries have been addressed.

So thank you guys very much over there.

Um again, condolences to the family and friends of Dr.

Barnhart.

Uh her legacy will live forever and all those she has ever touched over the years through Space Camp, Space and Rocket Center programming, or is in my personal case, social interaction, just strictly on a personal level.

She was a friend of mine and a very dear friend of my wife for many decades.

She will absolutely be missed by those in this community and beyond.

I also had the pleasure this week of attending two wonderful ribbon cuttings in District 5.

The first was to celebrate the downtown rescue mission's opening of its newly completed Owens House expansion.

This greatly adds to the mission's ability to serve the women and children of our community who find themselves in need of this support.

Then today, the ribbon cutting was for the latest and greatest branch office of the Redstone Federal Credit Union, located on Zert Road, just north of Martin Road and very near, I believe it's Gate 7 to the Arsenal.

This branch is a game changer for those of us calling West Huntsville home.

No longer will you have to go into the city of Madison, or worse, get on 565 and travel three times as far to get your banking done downtown in Huntsville.

This will save families and businesses in our area not only time, but given the rising cost of gasoline, they get to uh save those expenses in order to uh fulfill their financial needs.

Um we will be having our first ever spring fest at West, which will be located at the new uh West Huntsville Rec Center on Martin Road this Saturday from 9.30 a.m.

to 1230 p.m.

Um all ages are invited to explore the recently opened Rec Center and enjoy interactive games and activities and fleetables, face painting and hands-on recreational experiences.

I hope to see you guys out there.

And then finally, hold on, Mr.

Mayor.

Kudos to Mayor Battle for arranging the absolute perfect weather for kite day.

Uh my family and I joined what I have to think are hundreds of other families out there that afternoon, and it was just a wonderful time, and folks were just uh meeting.

You didn't meet a stranger that day.

Everyone was was locked in and very friendly, and the uh the fire truck being there, and uh I know my grands and many others love being able to sit in that fire truck and get those pictures of apparently, especially behind the driver's wheel.

Uh most kids wanted to be uh their their picture captured driving that that truck.

Um and then I believe also um uh Huntsville Hospital had a um one of their uh mobile units out there as well.

Missed the the HPD.

They they've had vehicles out there before, and they might have been there this time, but they weren't in the part of the park I was at.

Um I look forward to next year's event and sure hope the mayor can dial up that perfect weather again.

Thank you, Madam President.

And we will have to report.

We only lost three kites to the telephone polls that have been put up for the um poll lineman rodeo.

Thank you, Mr.

Meredith.

Um and again, Ms.

Watkins is not here tonight.

Uh so I was also there for Kite Day, and you would think perfect weather for Kite Day would be like beautiful sunny skies.

It wasn't, it was the storms were coming in, and that turned out to be perfect because it was the outflow from those storms.

I would if there were hundreds of kites in the air, and I think all of us can remember kite day days when it was sunny and beautiful and no wind and everybody's trying to run and get their kites up there.

This was a whole different whole different thing.

It was really marvelous.

Uh congratulations to Mountain Gap School for a great 60th anniversary celebration.

PTA President Jordan Gibb, along with principals Warren and and Bardwell just put together a wonderful celebration, and it was really a treat for me.

All five of my kids went through Mountain Gap Elementary, and it was really a treat to see teachers and principals from long past and for everyone to come together as a community there to celebrate the great work that's gone on over many years at Mountain Gap.

I also had the opportunity to attend a ribbon cutting for Thompson Gray and Gray Analytics at the Freedom Umice building in Hayes Farm.

Uh Bill Rourke and Brenda Conville have done a great job pulling an absolutely beautiful building together.

And Ron Gray and his companies have taken up residence there, have taken up most of the building, uh still left a little space for Starfish for um for Bill Rourke and and Brenda and and their um colleagues.

And it's a beautiful to go upstairs and look down at Hayes at the park at Hayes Farm and see the water features and the lagoons.

And we can't wait to see it this summer when it's when it's all green.

It will really be beautiful.

So great work there.

One of the things we did become aware of at that ribbon cutting was the need for a crosswalk at Hazeland Road leading to the commercial businesses at the market at Hayes Farm.

And also became aware of need to get to work on that middle town center piece.

We really look forward.

That's going to be the finishing piece in that whole project, and we look forward to seeing that go forward.

After I left the ribbon cutting, I went to Bell Mountain Park and met with representatives of the Liberty Lee Board.

We did a walk around with Scott Stapler from our Parks and Rec department to look at needs there at the park, and I came away with a good list of action items that we will be following up on.

And I'm grateful for engaged individuals, parents who step up and really take ownership of the park and look forward to partnering with them on some those improvements.

As Mr.

Kling mentioned, we will have uh Huntsville Hospital CEO Jeff Sam's here on April 23rd in Council Chambers to give us a report on the acquisition of Crestwood and how that's going to impact our health care system here in the city.

And then also on March 26th, we will have Huntsville Utilities CEO Wes Kelly, who will be here to break down the billing, and some concerns have been expressed, including for my own husband, about billing and understanding how that TVA fuel charge and winter storm fern have impacted all of our utility bills.

So that's March 26th, and then the Huntsville Hospital briefing will be April 23rd, and they will all be here in Council Chambers in the public.

That concludes our comments.

We will now turn to the Finance Committee report.

14A is a resolution authorizing expenditures for payment.

Mr.

Meredith, would you like to make that motion?

Absolutely.

I move for the authorization and approval of expenditures and the amount of 32 million two hundred and eighty-six thousand two hundred sixty-seven dollars and thirty-one cents.

The chair second.

Mr.

Kling seconds.

All in favor, please indicate.

There sure is.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Penny Smith, Director of Finance.

Come to you before you this evening, actually, a little bit late for my for our quarterly report, but we are also able to get in mark get in February numbers.

So I was excited about that and show you some of the trends that are happening with our financials for our city.

So a couple of economic indicators tonight before I get into the city finances.

We are looking at some uncertainty around the Middle East conflict.

So for inflation, that is a risk of rising.

But the current number still holds steady at about 2.5, so that is good news.

Labor markets kind of remain soft with unemployment climbing nationally to 4.4.

But as usual with the City of Huntsville, we're less than half of that.

So we remain steady in that department as well.

We continue to watch the energy sector with get rising gas prices and what's going on around that, both for our own budgets locally and to see how that fares within our local economy.

But broadly, um according to to all that I have read, the economic there is economic resilience in our markets nationally, and we have seen some better numbers on the sales and use tax trends as well, which you'll see a little bit like later.

With the exception of DHS, the federal budgets for continuing resolutions have been adopted, which always provide stability in our regions.

And um and the Federal Reserve rate remains steady right now.

So we don't expect another change until the second half of 2026.

So looking at our usual charts, um, you'll see that sales and use tax for this month is way up.

Um this chart is through February.

Um remember that sales and use tax support the general fund, the Huntsville City Schools operations, and our two large capital projects funds.

Year-to-date collections are slightly ahead of prior year collections at 1.8%, and um and we are 1.3% ahead of budget with five months elapsed.

So the number, that 6.46 number is a little bit deceiving.

Um I will take the wind, of course.

Um 6.46 is nothing shabby.

Um, but there are two anomalies that need to be factored out of this number.

So we had some some timing differences and some misalignments.

So excluding the anomalies, the increase would have been around 2.8% over the prior year.

It is still a nice showing, and it actually stabilizes that curve.

So that we now have positive for three months in a row, and I really hope that that trend continues.

So this is a look at the larger general fund revenue overall.

And just want to point out a few things.

So SSUT or sales tax from the state, what the state shared has is up by 12 percent from la over last year, and we are at 46 percent of budget.

Our pilot revenues, which is also part of our large larger revenues are at 44 percent of budget.

I do there is some timing issues between last year and last year's numbers.

So that 33 percent isn't quite right.

Um it is actually 8.6 percent or 1.2 million dollars ahead of budget, still in good shape for this year and holding its own.

Property taxes.

Remember that most of this is already collected.

Um but um but basically at this time of the year, we are we are up over prior year.

This is both reflects the the um the assessed value and the closure of the TIFS.

Also, our total is at 50 percent.

This is expected as remember some of our revenue, both not not just property taxes, but also licenses are received early in the year.

Um, but it is still um it is still generally looking good overall for our general fund.

Flipping sides to the general fund expenditures on the other side, we are um this is all of this at the end of February again.

Personnel is at 40.6 percent of the budget, with the total departments being 39, 38.9 percent.

Um we have tightened our budget margins between revenues and expenditures, so those are going to be a little bit closer on our personnel.

Um, however, there is longevity in this number, so we expect that to more flatten um over time as we get further and further away from December when our longevity is included.

And then for appropriations is at 67 percent.

So remember that um this always stays a little bit ahead of budgets due to the payment cycle.

We pay quarterlies and annual lease up front to those agencies that we have contracts with.

And then overall, we are at 39 percent, and which is about 2 percent under budget, and this is a savings of approximately 7 million.

Lodging taxes are a little different right now.

Um so we have come up in the last two months looking at those.

We did have some fallout in December that reflects collections from November, so the uh the government shut down and affect these numbers is part of it.

Um but collections are 6.6 percent behind the prior year and 4.9 percent behind the budget.

So we hope to look towards that trend that of the last two months continuing as we move further and further away, and our budgets are stabilized in general.

Any questions?

Does anyone have questions for Ms.

Smith?

Mr.

Meredith.

Not necessarily a question related to this, but um if you could track for me uh the impact that the rise in gas prices have on the amount of additional money we have to spend to put gas in the fleet vehicles.

It can be uh done uh at a committee meeting would be fine.

But I just want to track that.

We shouldn't be affected too much by a fleet because we buy um we buy our our fleet purchases are through a through a contract, and um and while that will move basically to markets, a lot of times we are buying in bulk, so that does help us um over time.

So but we will look, we do still buy at the pump a lot too for police and other other vehicles that are out there, but definitely I will get you some trend numbers for that.

I really appreciate it.

And because of that bulk in the fleet um guests, not what we buy from the pump.

Um, unlike correct me if I'm wrong, but unlike um normal consumers, we're not seeing that huge increase daily.

We we've already locked in on what we had in the tanks for a portion of our fleet.

Excellent.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you, Madam President.

Other questions?

Ms.

Smith, as always, thank you to you and your team for the great work you do.

Thank you.

We will move on.

14B is an ordinance authorizing appropriate approving appropriations, goods or services for District 2, Council Improvement Funds.

Moved to approve.

Second.

Motion from Mr.

Little, second by Mr.

Meredith.

Mr.

Little, would you like to tell us about the good work you've got?

Yes, ma'am.

This is a $5,000 appropriation to the Huntsville Sports Commission for their 2026 Twilight at PRville cross-country race coming up, I think, later in the spring.

Any questions from Mr.

Little?

All in favor, please indicate.

Opposed, motion carries.

We have no board appointments to be voted on.

16, we have several board appointment nominations.

These are nominations only, and they will be voted on at the March 26, 2026 Council meeting.

16A is a nomination to reappoint Walter Lee Ellenberg to the Air Pollution Control Board to his current seat for a five-year term to expire, April 11, 2031.

Is it crazy that we are talking about 2031?

16B is a nomination to reappoint Paul Wyland to the Air Pollution Control Board to his current seat for a five-year term to expire April 11, 2031.

16C is a nomination to appoint Jackie Bellamy to the Community Development Citizens Advisory Council, place 10 to the seat previously held by Brazil Ruellis for a three-year term to expire, April 14, 2029.

16D is a nomination to reappoint Richard Godwin to the Community Development and Citizens Advisory Council place 12, his current seat for a three-year term to expire, April 14, 2029.

16E is a nomination to appoint Alton Conwell to the Community Development Citizens Advisory Council place two to fill a vacancy due to the resignation of Belinda Hampton for the remainder of a vacant three-year term to expire, April 14, 2028.

16 F is a nomination to appoint Jeremiah Dameron to the Community Development Citizens Advisory Council place 7 to fill a vacancy due to the resignation of Becca Schmidt for the remainder of a vacant three-year term to expire, April 14, 2027.

16G is a nomination to reappoint Benita Gill to the Community Development Citizens Advisory Council, place 5, her current seat for a three-year term to expire, April 14, 2029.

16H is a nomination to reappoint David Driscoll to the Bingo Review Committee to his current seat for a two-year term to expire April 8, 2028.

16i is a nomination to reappoint Patricia King to the Bingo Review Committee to her current seat for a two-year term to expire, April 8, 2028.

Are there any nominations Council members would like to add?

Seeing none, we'll go forward.

19A is an ordinance amending.

Chapter 2, Article 4, Division 1 of Ordinance 96-864 to revise Section 2-181, 2-184, and 2-188, updating the provisions governing small dollar purchases and establishing a purchase threshold that automatically aligns with the competitive bid threshold set forth in the State of Alabama's competitive bid law.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion from Mr.

Little, second.

I'm sorry, motion from Mr.

Meredith.

Motion from Mr.

Mayor, don't make me read this.

Motion from Mr.

Mayor second for Mr.

Little.

I'm just going to give it to you guys.

Could we please have an explanation of what we are doing here?

Certainly.

Penny Smith, Director of Finance.

So for this item this evening, what we are doing is be in the past so that the Department of Public Examiners can request an adjustment to the competitive competitive bid threshold every three years.

In the past, every time that that has come before you, we have to come back to you to request that us to move in accordance with that.

This actually brings this into they have recently done that.

So right now we are at 10.

We will move to 15 with this adoption.

But this will also automatically make us move along with the State.

So we are able to actually, in conjunction with them, instead of coming back to you every time they they move, we move with them.

Questions?

Will this make less work for you and your team?

Yes.

Then we like it.

All in favor, please indicate, motion carries.

Thank you.

19B is an ordinance declaring certain property surplus and to be disposed of by trade and allowance toward replacement equipment.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion.

So move.

Motion from Mr.

Meredith, second from Mr.

Kling.

Is there any discussion?

All in favor, please indicate.

19 C is an ordinance declaring certain equipment surplus to be sold at public auction.

Motion to approve.

Motion from Mr.

Meredith.

Second from Mr.

Little.

Any questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Motion and any of the opposed?

Motion carries.

19D is an ordinance to declare certain real property previously used for a pump station as surplus and authorizing its conveyance to Chimney Creek Owners Association.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion to approve.

Motion from Mr.

Mayor is second from Mr.

Little.

Any questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Any opposed, motion carries.

19E is an ordinance to declare certain real property as surplus and to negotiate terms and conditions of its sale.

Isn't there a motion?

Motion to approve Mr.

Mayor, second from Mr.

Kling.

Any questions?

All in favor.

Oh.

Any questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Motion carries.

That brings us to 20 new business items for consideration or action.

These items will be approved in one motion unless any member of the council wishes to remove an item for discussion.

The reading of each item will be waived unless the council member requests other mice.

Council members, what items do you wish to hold?

Item 20 D as in dog.

Okay.

And Mr.

Meredith, I think you had some.

Would you like to?

Yes, ma'am.

20 C.

Twenty Q.

20 R.

20B.

And 20Y.

Okay.

Anybody have anything else?

Then Chair moves for consolidation approval of items 20A and B.

20 E through P.

20 S.

T U.

Twenty W and 20Z.

Second.

Second by Mr.

Kling.

All in favor, please indicate.

Opposed.

Motion carries.

Okay, let's go take a look at these then.

We'll start with 20 C.

20 C is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a lease agreement between the City Council and Pitney Bowes Incorporated.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion from Mr.

Clink, second from Mr.

Meredith.

I just wanted to ask do we know exactly how many parking places will be coming out of that?

I'm item C with Pitney Bowes.

Yeah.

Okay.

That's the mail stuff.

That's the mail thing.

Oh, excuse me.

If you would thank you.

You did want to hear about it.

Okay.

Excuse me.

I'm sorry about that.

Thank you, Sandrika Edwards, City Clerk.

The item before you, this will be an agreement between the City of Huntsville and Pitney Bowes.

They currently provide our postage service already in half or a number of years.

This will be an addition to allow for online certified mailing tracking.

We have been currently utilizing what you may be familiar with, the green certified card where you have to manually handwrite it.

And my goal for the departments was that we streamline that process.

We've had significant mail delays, and what this will do is this will allow the departments to now have a more streamlined process to handle all certified mail electronically.

And how does that work?

How is I mean it's still dependent on the postal service, so how do we what's the advantage of doing it electronically?

Well, currently we pay, I don't know if you are aware, we pay $10 for every piece of certified mailing.

With this process, it will save us about $4.40 for each piece.

This was actually driven from our planning department.

They came to me and they said, you know, we're having serious issues with the mail.

And with their notices as well as community development, it's very important that we track.

And we see real time where it is, if it's been delivered, who signed for it, and this software will allow us all of the users to go online, see if it's delivered, the proof is there along with who signed for it, and they can go online real time and see that.

Yeah, the the reason I held it, I mean it's not a lot of money, but I was just wondering why we did anything because we pay our own postage, we pay our own way in this world.

So that's why I was wondering what we're getting from Pitney Bowes to warrant any money their way.

Uh but certainly this sounds like it's paying for itself.

Yes, we believe it or not, uh we spend 40,000 a quarter on postage.

Wow.

Wow.

Regular postage.

We haven't even gotten into certified.

Well.

So it's 40,000 in addition to certified mailing for all the departments.

And where we can save, even if it's $4.40 apiece, it was important to me that we save the city some money.

And it's in our best interest, especially with the mail delays.

Just today, Congressman Strong's office contacted the city and said, are you all experiencing some of the same concerns as the county?

And we went through all of our issues that have been going on since October.

This is another way for us to better serve our departments.

Wonderful.

I know I come down hard on the clerk's office a lot, but this is awesome.

So thank you very much.

Thank you, no problem.

Madam President.

I I appreciate it as well because I have been in some of those planning commission meetings when during the hearings, people have complained about not receiving timely notices.

So this is not just about saving money, it is ensuring that it's a more efficient process and ensures timely notices.

Yes.

Thank you.

All in favor, please indicate.

Motion carries.

20 D.

I think this is the one you were interested in, Mr.

Kling.

Twenty D.

Is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a contract between the City of Huntsville and Low Bidder.

Grayson Carter and Sons contracting Inc.

for Clinton Avenue Surface Parking Lot Base Bid and Option 1, Project No.

71-26-SP19.

Is there a motion to approve?

So moved.

Motion from Mr.

Clink, second from Mr.

Mayor.

Madam President, again, short and sweet Shane.

Do we know how many parking places are going to be coming from this?

Absolutely, Councilman Clean.

Good evening, Shane Davis, Director of Urban Economic Development.

So, Councilmembers, you may remember last year we entered into a ground lease for five acres of property in the downtown to secure more public parking.

This is the construction contract that will deliver that.

And Councilman Kling, to answer your question, will we will deliver 350 new surface lot parking spaces that will be under control of parking and public transit.

Thank you.

Thank you, Matt President.

Mr.

Mayor.

Mr.

Davis, this one, whereas the clerk one seemed like a small number.

This seems like a huge number to resurface a lot.

Yes.

But there is a lot of things addition.

We're not just laying asphalt.

So if you could talk to some of the other things that are included in this, like the lighting.

Yeah.

Great point, Councilman Mayor.

So to break this down, the actual cost to the city for 350 parking spaces is 1,495,168.75 cents.

The construction of that also meets all of our zoning, so it's lit, it's landscaped, it has secure pay to park if transit and parking wants to implement that, just like all of our other uh downtown parking garages are surface lots.

So there's there's a lot more than just asphalt there.

Uh but it like I said, it's uh irrigation, lighting, landscaping, everything meets our zoning.

So we are complying to our own regulations to put this lot.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Madam President.

Any other questions?

All in favor, please indicate the motion carries.

Thank you, Councilman.

Uh the next item is 20Q.

20 Q is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a sales agreement buying between the City of Huncil and higher ground inc.

There are a motion.

Motion to approve from Mr.

Meredith, second from Mr.

Kling.

Mr.

Hamilton, will you please shake give us some information here?

So what is before you is an agreement with higher ground for our NAMAC and what this uh will allow them to do, oftentimes when there is uh a 911 call for an emergency, uh, where we need to get uh the appropriate services, generally law enforcement, but also kind of assist with other emergency services getting to the right location.

Uh more and more people are calling 911 off a cell phone.

Uh and oftentimes are uh they're in a situation where they cannot accurately describe their location.

And unfortunately, like if you if you call, if you have still have a landline in your home, a lot of people don't even have land lines in their home, but if you call off of that the 911 system, they know exactly the address associated with that hardwired telephone.

They don't have that for your cell phone, your cell phone can work anywhere.

Uh and so they are having to try and determine your location off of how it triangulates on cell towers.

This software system will uh help them get more precise locations.

So if you are in a situation where you are unable to tell uh the dispatcher or uh or folks exactly where you are, they can help find you and come in and assist you with whatever you need.

So this is uh will assist NAMAC in that process.

Questions?

Mr.

Yes.

Um there are also some issues with landlines, depending on where you are, because um maybe it is the annexation and they're not having the latest um maps of what is City of Huntsville.

I know when I uh my son's truck got broken into and the and the radio was stolen.

And we called and we're City of Huntsville.

They they routed us to the City of Madison.

Really?

Then they routed us to the Sheriff Department, and then they routed us to the City of Huntsville.

I can only imagine it being much worse with the cell phone usage.

But part of the problem we have out west is some of us have a Huntsville address, but I personally and many others have a Madison address.

Some to the north, still in District 5, City of Huntsville, have harvest addresses.

So it's a nightmare when we pick up the phone to call uh for uh first responders.

And the 911 system operates off of CAD system, so all of the you know, the call takers and the dispatchers have a CAD systems provided by the 911 Center that should.

So we really need to kind of make sure our JS department of them are talking to see if there's if there is an error in their mapping that when you get that error corrected.

So they they should be able, you know, they should not be relying on the name in your mailing address because of the issue you are talking about.

There's a lot of Huntsville citizens whose mailing address has some name other than Huntsville in it when they are in fact inside of the City of Huntsville, and their CAD system should appropriately identify the city limit lines regardless of mailing address.

So we need to check on that.

I will make sure that Ernie Blair is aware of those concerns.

Greatly appreciated.

And admittedly, our issue was I wasn't even on council.

I wasn't even thinking of running for council when that happened.

So it's it's been a while, but it did happen.

Okay.

Yes, sir.

Other questions or comments.

All in favor, please indicate.

Thank you, Mr.

Hamilton.

All in favor, please indicate.

All right.

Opposed.

Motion carries 20R.

Is the resolution authorizing the mayor to execute amendment number one to the agreement between the City of Huntsville and unmanned aerial systems information sharing analysis organization?

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion to approve.

Second from Mr.

Kling.

Mr.

Hamilton.

Council members, this item in there is actually kind of a what I'll call a sister item that you you have also held for discussion later.

And so we will you know we will talk about that there.

But I do want you to be aware that essentially what you are doing here in this modification is terminating this contract and replacing it with the item that will come later.

So we can we can talk about that when we get there.

The issue is you know, as we started our drone program, uh we contracted with this company to provide services and getting that program up and running, advising us on the equipment we need to purchase and those kinds of things, uh, and actually coming in in person and helping assist run the program uh over time that has now evolved into an employee of that company really operating most of the systems.

Uh and this really kind of ties back into Federal and State law around uh employment law.

Uh that the our requirement, that service has evolved to the point where this is really uh this position, the service that really meets the qualifications or the or the characteristics of what has to be an employee of the city.

And so we've it's now evolved to a point where we can't contract for this.

We need this person to be an employee just based on based on uh employment law.

And so what you are doing here is canceling this contract.

What you'll do later on the agenda with your approval is replace it with the exact same person doing the exact same thing, but as a special employee so that we remain compliant with uh employment law.

Much better.

Thank you.

Um what is the overall dollar amount of the full contract and how much would we be saving by terminating it now?

So it is actually a one-for-one because this contract is the point of essentially paying for a person, a full-time employee, the amount that we're paying them for that employee is what we will pay the employee.

So it's it's a it's a one-for-one swap.

So it is a net zero in terms of the change.

But what was the dollar figure on the contract?

Well, does that make sense?

Am I wording it right?

It is now at uh now at 103,000 per year.

And that is the amount you see that in that, the employment piece later on in the agenda.

And how much of the contract has been in effect?

Meaning when did we start this?

Did we start this three months ago, two days ago?

That was actually multiple years ago.

I don't know the exact date, but it's been it's been in place for a while.

Uh and so now we're essentially we are canceling it and then picking up, you know, and so his his agreement as a special employee be for one year, and it is at the amount that uh that we would have paid for one year.

So the one year ends on the 15th, is that why 15th, March 15th is specified?

That's it specified.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is how much have we spent in this current year of this contract before we terminate.

I don't have those precise numbers in front of me, but what what we are doing is that the you know the per and per year amount that uh that we're paying to the contract will now go to the contracted employee.

Totally get that.

I'm just trying to figure out how much sunk cost we have in to the contract we are about to close.

And I don't have a number in front of me.

I understand what you are asking, but we're not we are not double paying if that is your concern.

We will pay the company through March 15th.

I am just curious as to what it costs.

But in that is fine.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

But the bottom line is it is net zero.

Yes, that's what we other questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

I pose motion.

I'm going to abstain on that one.

Okay.

Well, uh let the record show that council members Little Robinson and Kling voted in favor of the council or of the uh of the of the resolution, and Mr.

Meredith has abstained.

20 V, and the motion passes.

20 V is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement between the City of Huntsville, Alabama, and Garver LLC for engineering design and bid phase services for Western Area WTP Influent Pump Station Improvements, Project No.

71-26-SP23 is the motion from Mr.

Meredith.

Second from Mr.

Little.

Mr.

Mr.

Davis.

Thank you, Madam President.

Shane Davis, Director of Urban Economic Development.

So Councilmembers, this is with our sewer department water pollution control.

So this project is at uh just as described, the Western Area Wastewater Treatment Facility.

There's an existing pump station and equalization basin that all of the incoming flow from the Western area and actually reaches all the way up into North Huntsville, comes into the treatment facility.

Those facilities were built in 1980.

So they are quickly approaching almost 50 years old.

This was one of the projects that was listed in the sewer adjustment of the capital improvements that were needed throughout the system.

So this is for the design to replace that O pump station upgrades on the EQ basin.

Just prepare for future growth for the mainly the Western Corridor and North Huntsville, because both North Huntsville and the west side of the city all flow to this treatment facility.

Questions for Mr.

Davis.

Mr.

Meredith.

My question is, and you kind of addressed it.

Okay.

The service area that this that is going to benefit from this is outwest in North Huntsville.

I am going to assume the new, I forget the name of it, but the big center that is being done in Ms.

Watkins district will benefit from this.

Will the water be pushed to this new area?

Okay.

And also out west.

How about the sewer?

Are we only talking about existing sewer or are we going to be bringing in sewer that is then going to be treated by this plan?

So both.

So the replacement of this pump station at the treatment facility will increase capacity, but also take care of the existing capacity.

So what water pollution control is doing is, you know, replacing outdated equipment and outdated infrastructure.

But this design will take into effect future growth so they will size and construct it, not only handle the existing flows, but future flows.

Future flow.

We have got Westmore, Westmore Landing project.

Is that going to be a private sewer or is that going to be fed or serviced by these improvements?

So they would be serviced by these improvements.

So for like Westmore Landing, the sewer interior to the subdivision or the community, the master plant community, will go through all the same process where the developer has to build that to city standards.

It gets inspected and tested, and then it comes into or donated to the city as a public sewer system, but that will connect to an existing sewer we have along I-565.

Okay.

And I presume that there is ample capacity for the big swath of West Huntsville, like between, say Green Bar Parkway, the Interstate, Mooresville Road, that area where we have identified, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, that we're going to have a mix of commercial as well as some industrial.

But this will be able to accommodate that growth.

That's right.

So from the master plan that the Sewer Department does, they look at growth patterns, they look at uses and they come up with future flows, if you will, over the next 30 years.

And then that helps them start sizing equipment such that they are not constantly replacing.

In those general areas that you just described, we are working on master planning some new sewer that you will be seeing through City Council.

We are considering a possible TIF district to fund some very well.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

So a lot of improvements coming through there in the future.

I think probably in the next 30, 45 days, you will be able to bring some of that to the City Council.

But this does not have anything to do with the future water tower that is going up somewhere out west at some point.

No.

So Huntsville Utilities has partnered with some of the industrial partners out there.

I know Amazon, I believe Players, Mazda Toyota all contributed.

And they are in design and quite frankly may be in construction.

I don't want to misspeak, but for a new water tank along Green Bar Parkway.

So it will be along the parkway.

Yes, just north of the railroad.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Around the Amazon facility generally, just south of Old Highway 20 and just north of the railroad tracks, right in that little small area there.

That was the highest point to put that.

Thank you very much.

You are welcome.

Thank you.

Good project for West Huntsville.

Any other questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Motion carries.

This brings us to item 21, and this is the item that Mr.

Hamilton was referring to earlier.

20Y is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a special employee agreement between City of Huntsville and Chad Tillman.

Is there a motion to approve the motion to approve?

Mr.

Mayor, in a second from Mr.

Little.

Mr.

Hamilton.

Yes, Councilmember, we obviously talked about this a bit before, so Chad Tillman is the gentleman that has been being provided to us for this program under the prior contract, and so we just now need to bring him on as a special employee in order to stay compliant with employment law.

Questions?

Yes.

In a previous meeting, I noticed that the special employment employee contracts had jumped from a cap of 39,000 to 40,000.

And I thought that was a hard cap.

This is 13,000, which blows 40 out of the water.

My question is why the term or why the designation as a special employee?

Why is this person not just a regular employee of the city?

So we uh we have a couple are actually you know really kind of three main different ways in which we uh bring people into employment in the city.

Obviously, you know, there is a small number of appointed officials like myself and Mr.

Davis and appointed officials, then the vast majority are merit employees.

Uh so those are the typical uh, you know, most of the employees where we have advertised it, you know, they come in and uh get their position, and then there's you know pretty significant rights uh around uh a merited employee and they go through the promotion process, and a lot of the most of the personnel manual is all about uh the emerited employees.

But we have also uh for quite a few years uh had the ability to bring in special employees.

They are uh it's it's probably more analogous to a temporary employee, uh so because they are on one-year contracts.

Uh and so we we are typically bringing them for a very specific purpose, a very specific skill set.

Uh and in most cases, like this one, I'm gonna come back to the dollar value because that is two different groups of people that is is a res because of that.

Uh it's generally where we have a very specific set of skills that we need for potentially not forever, it's temporary.

When we go get a merited employee, they are there until they choose to leave essentially, right?

So those are those are you know 25-year employees.

Oftentimes we have what we think to be maybe a few years or a short period of time requirement.

Uh and so it is better to bring in a special employee, we can cancel that contract, or you know, we always have them on one-year contract, so at the end of that year we could not renew uh and that position is not protected the same way it would be for a merited employee.

Okay.

Um the difference in the dollar value you are seeing there, the majority of our special employees, the ones that you see on lots of council agendas, are typically retirees who we're bringing back on a part-time basis uh to assist with transitions, or maybe there's specific things.

Well, we need their skill sets, but only on a temporary on a part-time basis.

We don't need them as full-time employees.

Uh and that dollar cap is actually set by the retirement system.

They cannot earn more than that amount.

So that's why I always says not to exceed you know 39,000 and now 40,000, uh, is because that is an RSA rule.

If they earn more than that, then they actually start uh it starts affecting their pension.

And so when they are when you are a retiree within the RSA system, you can come back on a part-time basis and cannot earn more than that amount.

And so that is what that cap is.

And so most of most of our special employees are retirees, and they they are coming back on a part-time basis.

We do have some, and this is in Mr.

Tillman here in this case will not be the only special employee who is not a retiree who are bringing back on a full-time basis and are seeking to pay them a market rate based on their skill sets, their knowledge, their ability, and based on the resume.

So he is not a retiree, he is being paid as a full-time employee, and the salary is set based on the market rate for the type of skill sets we are bringing in here.

As a special employee, um, are they going to be entitled to the benefit package?

Yes, because they are full-time, uh, he will also be contributing into the the things we have to we offer them the same benefits package because he is still a full-time employee.

Uh but he is on a one-year contract, and uh he is he's being able to hire into our system as a special employee as opposed to a merited employee.

But it that is full-time status is what qualifies him for for benefits under under Federal law, we are obligated to offer him medical insurance, those kind of things, he will contribute into the retirement system like any other employee would be.

Okay.

I really wish you would have used a different term than special uh employee, temporary employee or something to that effect.

I I am not going to cut the ordinary time here.

I'm not going to cut the fine.

I am not at liberty to use a different term.

It's an ordinance that sets this system.

This is based on our personnel manual, which is an ordinance approved by the city council.

So if if it's the will of council to find a different title for a different class of employee, we could do that, but that will be an ordinance amendment we'll have to bring it up.

And I'm not uh for me it was confusing.

And that's why I held it because it's like, wait a minute, you said special employees were capped at 40,000, and I'm looking at 103, and now I'm finding out who's gonna get benefits on top of that.

And it's like, wait a minute.

So it's special employees are not capped.

Retirees that are special employees are capped because the RSA rules, not because they're a special employee.

So thank you for the uh clarification.

Absolutely.

Mr.

Meredith, you have all your questions if you have a chance.

I've got all my questions to be able to do that.

Very good, thank you.

Anybody else have any comments or questions?

All in favor, please indicate any opposed motion.

I'll abstain on this one too.

Okay.

You may you made the motion, but you would like to abstain from voting on the motion.

I will so that let the record reflect then.

Mr.

Little Robinson Kling have voted in favor.

Mr.

Meredith abstains.

Just as clarification for me in the future.

Um if I do make a motion, is that locking me in to an affirmative vote?

I didn't think so, but just wanted to make sure because if I was breaking a rule, then I would change my vote.

Thank you, sir.

Um that's fine.

We'll move on to new business items for introduction.

These will be uh for introduction only and will be considered at the March 26, 2026 regular council meeting.

21A is the introduction of an ordinance to amend and rename Chapter 3 of the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 3 Alcoholic Beverages and Consumable Hemp Products, to amend Chapter 1, Section 7 of the Code of Ordinance's general penalty, continuing violations, and to amend Chapter 15 Section 85 of the Code of Ordinance's license schedule to add provisions relating to consumable hemp products.

21B is introduction of an ordinance declaring certain property surplus to be disposed of in auction.

20 C 21C is an introduction of an ordinance to declare certain real property as surplus and authorizing us of utilities.

It's sale and conveyance to Madison Utilities.

21D is introduction of an ordinance annexing 1.33 acres of land lying on the north side of Winchester Road, west of Shields Road.

21E is introduction of an ordinance to declare certain property surplus and no longer needed for municipal use.

21F is introduction of an ordinance to declare certain property as surplus and authorized the mayor to negotiate terms involving the lease of the property for Project Gemini.

That concludes our items for introduction and also can includes all of our agenda items for consideration.

We will move on to it to Section 22.

Our second roster of public comments.

This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the council on matters relating to the city business, whether or not such items are on the meeting agenda.

You may sign up to speak on the second public ros comments roster prior to or during the meeting.

When called, approach the microphone and state your name, home address, and city residence.

Each spake speaker may address the council for three minutes.

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

We have nine people who have signed up.

When I call your name, please come to the microphone.

I will also call the name of the person following so that you can be ready and this process can move smoothly.

Our first person to sign up is Karen Hackinson, subject to Huntsville Utilities.

Ms.

Sackinson will be followed by Daryl Schmidt.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for hearing me.

Welcome.

You'll give us your name and your address for the rest.

Karen Hackinson, 3519 Bermuda Road Southwest.

Thank you.

I'm an apartment manager over there near my home.

And it's a lower, lower area.

These people are trying to make it.

And speaking of cost savings at Redstone Federal Savings for cost of gas, how about utilities?

The new system has increased my small one-bedrooms who are paying 175 dollars a month to 300 and more.

People are bringing in four and five and six hundred dollar utility bills.

I personally pay the bills for the property.

We have uh utility bills for our vacants.

We have some people who can't get their own electricity, so they're still listed as vacants, and we bill them.

But when we get our bills, there's six thousand and something dollars.

And it's automatic debit.

But we get charged late fees.

And uh we don't get them back.

And we just uh, let's see, they turn off people's utilities for no for no reason, no notice.

There's like, oh, we wouldn't turn anybody's utilities off for three months, and now we're doing it.

Well, that was a vacant then, or somebody moved out, somebody knew there.

We have to pay $70, and they have to go without electricity until we can get it turned back on.

Um they go in to set up an account and they're saying, Oh, you owe us a thousand dollars.

Well, they've never had an account before.

So we have to put it in our name, then they have to put it in their name.

It's a nightmare.

I don't know what they're gonna take.

We're on auto draft, you never know what they're gonna take out.

They take out a different amount, they send you bills in the middle of the month with a whole different draft date on them, and they just take those out.

So we've got an off automatic draft.

Um, you can imagine a late fee on a six thousand dollar bill that you pay on time that's on automatic draft.

We don't get it back.

Um it's impossible to get sewer charges reimbursed.

I have an apartment complex that has two buildings, one meter, I mean one meter each building, so there's one bill for the water.

It's included in the rent because they're not individually charged.

We put a laundry room in one unit rather than making money on that unit, we did it as something for the tenants.

We don't make enough money to pay for the electric and water.

We do get a little bit of money.

But we turned it off because of vandalism, closed the door.

I told them we got a bill, five hundred dollars.

They said, Oh, that's just the you know, usage, that's your ability to access our water and electricity and some electricity, because probably the lights are on.

Then we get it again, and then last month they sent me a bill for 97,000 gallons.

And I'm like, okay, there must be a really big leak somewhere.

So can you show me the meter so I can backtrack and see where the leak is because it must be underground.

Well, there's only two meters.

There's only one for that building, so they read the meter, they charge us for our water and sewer, and then they charge us again ninety-seven thousand dollars for our laundry room.

So I'm wondering if we've been like scammed for I don't know how many years.

Mr.

Henk or Miss Hankinson, your your time is up.

Okay, I'll but I see Mr.

Gertis from Hudson Utilities um back there who handles um customer uh responses for from the utilities.

If you would like to go out in the hall and meet with Mr.

Gertis, he may be able to address your your comments specifically.

And and then and then again, Mr.

Um Kelly from Huntsville Ut CEO of Huntsville Utilities will be with us on March 26th uh to give a a public briefing on a lot of common questions.

The next meeting, March 26th.

Same place, same time.

Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

Uh the next person to speak will be Daryl Schmidt.

Mr.

Schmidt will be followed by Howard Ross.

Oh, all right.

Gentlemen and gentlelady.

My name is Daryl Schmidt.

Uh my address is 107 Minden Hall, Madison.

Thank you, sir.

But my family has uh long time span in Huntsville since my young father when he was very young.

Uh his family moved into the town to work for the mills.

My father actually graduated from Lincoln High School.

I still have lots and lots of cousins uh in Huntsville.

I married a girl from Huntsville.

Welcome tonight.

So I I I come today to talk about a particular sport.

Okay, one that has been growing rapidly.

What might you think it is?

No, I'm not talking about pickleball.

I'm talking about the game of futil, and to remind you that's a contraction of like Spanish football sala, um, Italian football, it's a lot, and Portuguese football, and I may have some of those wrong, but all of them become the contraction futsal.

And it is the international method of playing soccer in indoors.

It's the standard.

I've been involved with soccer for as a certified referee for 26 years.

I've been involved with the game of futsal first was introduced to it 16 years ago.

Uh I'm a do-er, not just a talker.

Uh thirteen and a half thirteen years now, I have been running the North Alabama Foods League here in town.

And it's terribly exciting and uh thrilling and warming that we have two actual foodsel courts now at the Johnson Legacy Center for five years now.

That that is great.

Those two.

Otherwise people play on basketball courts, which is uh small and confusing.

Well, my league has been growing, and there's also volleyball at Johnson Legacy Center.

They're frequently rented out to volleyball and foodselves can't play at the same time as volleyball.

So the whole point of me talking to you tonight is in time.

We hope as the Foodsal League grows, not just mine.

I'm also the State admin for U.S.

Foodsal Federation.

There's another sanctioned league in Birmingham that I administer.

So I'm just asking that in time we can look at more days given to the foodsel community.

This past winter, we were limited to one day in the week, and we had to go off and rent gyms elsewhere to play the game of foodselves.

And that's kind of sad when we have these two food school courts, real legitimate lines.

And we have probably close to a hundred volleyball courts in town.

So my point is just to have it in mind that more access to the foodsel courts at Johnson Legacy Center would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

And I believe we're also renovating a foodsal facility at McGuckin Park.

It's an outdoor.

I am familiar with that, thrilled with that.

And that will be great for all interactive and pick up games.

Appreciate you being here.

We will now hear from Howard Ross.

Howard Ross will be followed by Tanya Stolton.

Howard Ross, 2167 Excalibur Drive.

That's Huntsville 35803.

I'm here because I've been trying to get some information on a police action.

That was Monday at uh 6016 X Cal 6016 Ellington Road.

Uh we called the police because there was a break and entering by someone uh who had filed an eviction against a co-worker of mine.

The co-worker is out of town, uh, visiting relatives, and the eviction was answered and is set for trial.

But apparently the plaintiff decided to enter and start removing items, and we called the police to come over there to stop it.

And instead of stopping it, the police said that because they were they had given been given a notice for eviction that the uh plaintiff was allowed to go in and remove the items, and we were told to leave.

And it's not only a problem with their stuff being removed illegally, but the police have encouraged the plaintiff to go into the property, and I guess they have given it a legal opinion, and the these folks are going to be coming back in a few days, and I don't know what's going to happen when they come back and they're in the house, and these people are trying to remove them from the house, and the police have told them that they can do that.

Uh someone's going to get killed over this, and the police department is quite aware of it.

And I've been trying to get, I was given this blue card, told that that would be able to get a uh incident report, and I called just before the meeting, and there is no incident report, and I don't know why I can get an incident report and get this matter resolved before something something bad really happens.

Anyone here from the police department?

Thank thank you, sir.

Is that your does that finish your comment?

That's it.

Thank you, sir.

Madam President, um.

Perhaps if Mr.

Hamilton is still here, um, I admit I am completely um ignorant on that subject, but I always thought it was the sheriff that evicted people.

So we'll have we'll have Mr.

Hamilton.

He'll join you, Mr.

Ross outside if you'd like to talk with Mr.

Hamilton.

Thank you, sir.

Uh the next person to speak is Tonya Stolting.

Uh Stolting will be followed by Molly Cluck.

All right.

So I'm Tanya Stolting.

I'm at 105 General Jackson Court.

Thank you.

Um, some updates since the last time I spoke with you.

We appear to have temporarily won the fight to move inappropriate materials out of the kids' section of the library, at least until the library board gets taken over by more liberal people, so that's good news.

I'm profoundly grateful for any part this body played in that.

Then there's the incident where my daughter was spit on at a library board meeting last summer because she dared to question the wisdom of putting graphic sex in the kids section.

This person spit on her and then ran away because people like that are cowards.

They don't act like that unless they have a mob at their back.

They can run away and hide, or they don't think there would be any consequences for what they do.

So we didn't have this person's name.

Investigators were supposed to get her name from the library where she signed up to speak that day.

My daughter teaches middle school in Alaska and was only in town for another few days after that incident happened.

When we went to the police station to file charges, we were told there wasn't an appointment available until after she had already gone back home, but that we had a year and a day from the day of the assault to file charges.

We set an appointment during her Christmas break when she would be back home.

But when we went to the police station on that date, we were told, after we had waited half a year to file the charges, that they weren't able to find the name that this person had given to the library when she signed up to speak in their police database.

So there was nothing that could be done.

What this tells me is if I want to go around assaulting people, all I have to do is give a fake name and nothing will happen to me.

Of course, a part of this is personal for me because I want justice from my daughter.

She was trying to reach across the aisle of those people that day because she cares about them.

This incident broke her heart and she didn't deserve it.

But I'm mainly just deeply concerned about the behavior I've started to see around here.

People have started showing up at these library board meetings with t-shirts that have guillotines on them that say the perfect platform for fascists.

We know who the fascists are in these people's delusions.

They're anybody who doesn't want their children reading about graphic sex in the library are being taught to hate their own bodies.

The fascists are me and you.

I get that the officer investigating my daughter's case probably has a lot more pressing things on his plate.

And I know Saliva never killed anybody.

But if we don't start nipping this behavior in the bud now while it's just a trickle, I guarantee you it's gonna turn into a waterfall.

This city is growing really fast, and if we're not very careful, we'll find ourselves turning into some of these cities around the country that we've been seeing on the news.

Places where the law abiding are held hostage in their own city by criminals that law enforcement refuses to punish.

Terrorists who can't seem to get it through their heads that if you need to resort to violence to advance your ideas, they're probably not very good ideas.

I'm not naive enough to think this lawlessness can't come here.

It's already here, and it's only going to get worse.

The behavior of these people toward me and others like me started out with screaming, moved on to cyberbullying, then spitting, and has now progressed to threats of execution.

And for what?

For peacefully making our concerns about our children known to the people in authority.

If things are allowed to continue down this path, someone is going to get hurt.

I don't know if there's anything y'all can do about any of this, but I thought our leadership should be aware.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Next person to speak will be Molly Kluck.

Molly Cluck will be followed by Susan Stewart.

My name is Molly Kluck, and my address is correct on the form.

Thank you.

Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and advisor to the Department of Homeland Security, has privately expressed an affinity for the Camp of the Saints.

A book much beloved by neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

Fortunately, in this chamber, I can't use the specific terms that Stephen Miller's beloved book uses to describe non-white people, but trust me that they are foul.

Last August, the DHS posted an ICE recruitment ad on X with the caption, which way American man?

I would hope that none of the council members would recognize that particular phrase, as it's the name of another white supremacist book written by a neo-Nazi.

This is one of many racist dog whistles used to recruit ICE agents.

Now Stephen Miller also has, in hundreds of leaked emails, trafficked in a white supremacist conspiracy theory called the Great Replacement Theory, which imagines a grand narrative by minorities to wipe white people off the map.

In public, he has engineered a fix for this eugenicist delusion.

A quota of 3,000 arrests per day, each ideally leading to deportation.

That's over one million immigrants per year, a number 16 times as many as were incarcerated for any crime in 2023, let alone a violent one.

And while the DHS attempts to remove temporary protective status from Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, the White House expands immigration programs for white South Africans.

If it needs to be made explicit, the purpose of ICE is ethnic cleansing, not public safety.

How do you make sense of the case of Diana Crespo, a seven-year-old girl detained in the parking lot of an urgent care center?

Is she a criminal illegal alien?

Is she the worst of the worst?

And what about the thousands of other children held and dying in ICE detention?

To make sense of it, let's turn to the words of a spiritual ancestor to this movement, John Chivington.

He said, quote, Damn any man who sympathizes with Indians, kill and scalp all big and little knits make lice.

Knits make lice.

That is the racist logic of ICE, and it is ordered top down by men like Stephen Miller and empowered bottom up by men who hear the racist dog whistles and know exactly what they mean.

Now you might suppose that not every ICE agent is a committed racist ideologue.

Um but in May of 1963, when Sheriff Bull Connors unleashed police dogs against 1,000 black children march against segregation in Birmingham, the dogs didn't understand the violent system that they were upholding, but they knew who to bite at and who to bark at, and they did what they were told.

I stand here and I truly cannot understand why my city council is not doing everything in its power to protect our neighbors by committing in writing to your public that municipal resources won't go towards assisting ICE in their ethnic cleansing.

Whatever you think this action will cost you pales in comparison to the collective present and future suffering of the victims of this ethnic cleansing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We'll be followed by David Snyder.

Hello, I'm Susan Stewart.

My address is on the sign-in sheet.

I live in Huntsville.

I'm here again to talk about why I personally believe, and I speak on behalf of individual Fifth District, and I know there are many other people and organizations that agree with me.

Why why we think Huntsville should speak out in support of our immigrant residents?

You'll notice the dramatic sweeping ice raids aren't the top story on the news anymore, largely because we're bombing school girls and spending billions of dollars on a war of choice in Iran.

But also because ICE finally recognized that these particular illegal practices were so wildly unpopular that they were going to lose extremists on the right as well.

But they are no less determined to make life hellish for immigrants through other targeted practices.

And what it looks like in Alabama is like this.

I have a contact in the city school system who said their families there are getting letters of deportation now, and they don't even know what to do with this.

These are people who have been in the system, or you know, they have a lot of documents and things.

There may be a technicality they're not completely documented, and they're getting these deportation orders.

And they come to people at the school and say, Well, what do we do?

Who do we speak to?

How do I find legal help with this?

And uh I was at a community meeting a couple weeks ago, targeted toward the immigrant community, and someone there who is um a member of the community and very active, and it said that the reason it was so poorly intended is because right here in Huntsville, Alabama, people are afraid to congregate anywhere where they know that there will be large groups of immigrant because they are afraid they will be targeted by ice there.

Um another eyewitness was telling me about going to check-in down in Gadston, Alabama, and that went away.

Oh no, here it is.

Um today we had to go to Gadsden to check in, and a woman was taken from the back of the building while her toddler and husband watched her being driven away to a detention center.

Honestly, all I could do is hand a toy from my truck to the poor little gore and offer prayers for her father as he was crying on the sidewalk.

I also saw a young mother and infant daughter go back for her check-in.

They never came back out.

A couple weeks ago, I heard from someone who uh the regular cleaning crew didn't show up to clean their building, and they learned that the women, three or four women, were they were in Marshall County and detained.

They were stopped for not using a turn signal.

I've never been stopped for using a turn signal.

It's it's I've got stories about that.

Anyway, um they um have last heard they were in Louisiana.

They had small children in the car.

One was an infant, and they are with some um unrelated sitters, and and one of them is an aunt.

Uh and this is this is how it looks.

This is happening right here in our area in the Huntsville area.

And if you think things are going to get better, if we just lay low, I invite you to look at the news and to take a look at history.

This administration will stop at nothing to distract us from the Epstein files and the cost of living while they line their pockets with as much cash as they can grift.

And at some point things may get bad enough.

And the time to speak is now.

Thank you, Ms.

Stewart.

Uh we will now hear from David Snyder, who will be followed by Andy Metzger.

Hello.

My name is Ms.

David Snyder.

I live in Huntsville.

Uh my information is written correctly on the sheet.

And um, thank you, sir.

First of all, I am overwhelmed by the breadth of corruption and evil happening in this country and across the globe to talk about.

Um I'm going to start by just saying, you know, I I went to uh the um civic engagement course under multicultural affairs, and I brought up there um that I'm an abolitionist, right?

As an abolitionist, I seek the uh the abolition of you know slavery as a punishment of a crime, all forms of convict leasing, and the financial barriers of um pretrial detention, right?

Um of the things that specifically I mentioned there that I'm interested in doing is finding out what our city's relationship is with the people that we have in Juvie over there uh on memorial, and even though it's the county jail, we own that land in that building, I believe, and the people that we send there are people.

I'm interested in um, you know, uh advocating for I used to term their expansion.

This is why I'm bringing this up.

Because I want to clarify that I'm not talking about an expansion of the jail or an expansion of the police state, which this live 911 system may be, um, but I'm talking about the expansion of services that can pull people out, right?

Um I also need to bring up the ceasefire resolution.

Um we are in the wake of about uh which which was just mentioned about 175 people that were bombed by America and Iran and was not just a bombing, it was a double tap.

So when people went to go and rescue those people, they were bombed again.

Most of these people that were killed are, you know, children.

I know that uh might not be as important of a topic to some people as you know books in our library, um, but it seems like the 4,000 kids in detention facilities in this country and the 170 we just blatantly murdered don't seem as quite as important.

Um I would like to bring up that um I've been coming here for years.

Things like first uh housing first solutions, the ceasefire resolution, which would mean so much to the young Palestinians of Huntsville and certain community members, right, that are having to experience the violence of what's happening right now, indivisibles resolution, right?

Um the ADUs, so many things have been met with just stony silence that are all revolved around protecting people's human rights, right?

And none of that has really been appropriately addressed.

And I'm gonna use the rest of my time to um just have a moment of silence for the 170 mostly children that we murdered.

Sir, you can use your time to address the council.

If you're finished, we'll we'll turn turn your time off.

Are you finished with your comments?

I'm not turning my time over.

I'm not finishing the comments.

I'm not asking you to turn your time over.

Are you finished with your comments?

Not anymore.

Um I just want to uh make positive the council that my big question for all of our council members is why are these lives not as important and the agenda to protect people's humans' lives not as important as other uh items that fly through this council.

We will now hear from Andy Metzger.

Hi, cancel.

I'm Andy Mescar in District Floor at 2319 14th Street.

Thank you for joining us.

Um I'm really really frustrated.

I've seen people parking over their walkways in front of their homes.

I don't think it's right.

I think it's destroying everything.

It's destroying their sidewalk and it's uh they're driving over the water meters.

And the other thing I have is that people uh my neighbor across the street, she has her boyfriend come over.

He parks on the City Easement side, which is the fence to the street that is causing some problems because I've seen cars get real close to his car almost hit it.

And I've also the reason I'm bringing this up is because this neighborhood, I love my neighborhood.

I had a real nice friend, he was real nice to me.

He is now gone.

I appreciate all your time.

Thank you.

Thank you for joining us.

Madam President?

Yes, sir.

Uh this gentleman has, I think, been diligent on this issue, and he's communicated with council members.

I'd like to ask if he could talk to that nice gentleman next to him, Dennis Madsen from the planning department, at least to exchange some let him know about your concerns and maybe we could see if there's some things that can be done.

Uh it's a lot of things to look at, but at least I'd like to get the two of you to talk and uh compare notes.

Great suggestion.

Thank you.

But I respect Mr.

Metzger because he's been very diligent and contacting me and uh President Robinson and possibly other council members, and at least we can get somebody to at least look into uh the situation that he's talking about.

Great idea.

Thank you.

And our final speaker will be Liliana Pandier.

Good evening, Council members.

Good evening.

Um, my name is Liliana Painder, and my address is correct on the sheet.

I'm a Huntsville resident, an educator and a parent.

And first I want to thank you for your service.

I know governing a rapidly sitting city like Huntsville is quite complex, and I appreciate your time and responsibility that comes with that work.

I have a few questions tonight regarding planning, education, and public engagement.

First, city planning and the role of advisory boards.

Huntsville often describes itself as a smart city, and we have many boards, organizations, and coalitions intended to guide thoughtful development.

However, conversations I've had with some board members, um, several have shared that they were not consulted during the planning stages of projects.

For example, the Big Spring Project expansion uh presents an exciting opportunity.

Huntsville has the natural landscape to support creative ideas like pollinator corridors or even a butterfly sanctuary that could bring environmental and educational value to our community.

So my question is this what role do our advisory boards actually play in the planning process?

If board members feel that they are not being asked for input, residents deserve clarity on how their voices are being incorporated into the decisions that are shaping our city.

Second, education and educator retention.

At the last meeting, we saw a positive presentation from Huntsville City Schools, and it's encouraging to see continued advancement in our schools.

However, as someone who works within the system, I see that we're facing a real retention challenge among educators.

Funding and facilities matter, but working conditions, culture, and long-term sustainability for educators matter just as much.

So I would appreciate understanding how these investments are also connected to strategies that support educators and improve retention.

Third, public engagement and respect for the process for the process.

With rising utility cost and expansion projects that may carry environmental impacts for nearby neighborhoods, these discussions matter to the people who live here.

Residents risk reasonably expect those conversations to receive the full attention of city leadership.

Finally, many residents return meeting after meeting to share concerns and ideas from the public's perspective.

It can be unclear what happens with those comments.

Thank you for your time.