Welcome everyone.

It's Thursday, May 14th, 2026, 5 30 p.m., and we are met in the chambers of the City of Huntsville, and this meeting of the Huntsville City Council will be called to order.

We welcome everyone who has joined us, is here in chambers with us, as well as those who are joining us on our many streaming platforms.

We will begin our meeting as is our practice with an invocation offered by one of our Huntsville, Alabama police safety chaplains, Chaplain Willie Hinton, who will be followed by Pledge of Allegiance given by Councilmember Michelle Watkins.

All those who wish to stand and are able to do so, please stand for the invocation and pledge.

I'm a father, and I'm a guy we come now.

Thank you for the city council.

We pray that that would be good than the wisdom to lead and to guide to work together and be concerned about the citizens of this city.

We thank you for all that they are doing and all that they're putting on doing, but let them acknowledge you so that you can direct their path.

Bless us all in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Thank you, Chaplain Hinton.

Thank you, Miss Watkins.

Council members, you have the agenda before you please note that item 18C has been deleted at the request of the sponsor.

Is anyone aware of any other changes to be made to the agenda.

Thank you, Mr.

Meredith.

That is noted.

Are there any other changes?

Is there a motion to approve the agenda with deletion of items 7A and 18C?

Motion from Mr.

Cling, second from Mr.

Little.

All in favor, please indicate.

Um I've been meaning to say this for a while now, but the um the time that the meeting is over should be reflected in the in the minutes and they haven't been as of late.

Thank you very much for that note.

We will move that.

Any other changes or additions?

Then those minutes will be approved as they have been presented.

We have no special recognition from the mayor, but we do have a question.

The way you stated is they will be accepted as presented and it'll be as a meeting.

We can do that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, we have no special presentations from the mayor.

We will move on to several recognitions from council member 6A is a resolution honoring the legacy leadership and community impact of all of our court number 181 of Huntsville, Alabama.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion from Ms.

Watkins, second from Mr.

Little.

All in favor, please indicate.

Any pose the motion carries.

Ms.

Watkins, would you like to make that presentation?

Good evening.

Can I get the fabulous ladies in white?

Don't they look lovely to come up on the stage, please, so I can recognize you with the resolution.

While they're coming up, I'm gonna talk about community service.

One of the reasons I recognize a lot of organizations is the community service and everything that they give back in the community.

A lot of times we see people in the community, and sometimes you come over on the side as well.

We don't give them their respect, their recognition.

We don't give them the opportunity to be recognized.

And so a lot of times when you see me bring people here, it's because I want them to get the recognition for working in the community.

So whereas the City Council and Mayor of Huntsville, Alabama has is honored to recognize Al Lazar Court 181 and Auxiliary of the Imperial Court Daughters for its long-standing commitment to service, leadership, and community empowerment.

Whereas Al Alzar Court 181 was organized in 1979 and officially chartered on August 18th, 1980, under the visionary leadership of Daughter Dorothy Lyons.

Whereas since its founding, the court has demonstrated a legacy of excellence by electing 24 daughters to serve as illustrious commandress, each contributing to the organization's growth, impact, and commitment to service.

Whereas Alzar Court 181 is currently led by illustrious commandress M.

Carlene Jones, the 24th Commandress, alongside Deputy of the OASIS, Daughter Linda Satterfield.

Setupin, sorry.

PC and advisory pass potent noble Barrington Dames.

Is Barrington here?

Okay, whose leadership continues to uphold and advance the court's mission and legacy.

Whereas a nonprofit, they are dedicated to the betterment and well-being of the community through meaningful outreach service initiatives and charitable contributions.

Whereas the court's mission is carried out through impactful programs focused on community service education, daughters of Imperial Court Mentoring Excellence, which is called Dime, First Aid and Health Awareness and Voter Registration among other initiatives designed to uplift and empower individuals and families.

They continue to serve as a catalyst for positive change both locally and beyond, building stronger communities while leaving a legacy of service that extends beyond a lifetime.

Whereas the organization's unwavering dedication to service leadership and community engagement brings pride and recognition to the city of Huntsville and serves as an inspiration to others throughout the mid throughout the region.

Can we give them a round of applause?

And I'm gonna ask um Ms.

Colleen, do you want to say a few words?

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the City of Huntsville.

We are an auxiliary uh of women, and we consist of 69 ladies, and we just serve the community.

And if you want to check us out, check us out on Facebook, and it tells you what we do throughout throughout the year.

Um we do have uh balls and everything coming up.

We would like to have your presence there, but we do want to accept this resolution, and we do we just want to say thank you and thank you.

Thank you, ladies, for the good work you do in the community.

It is appreciated and noted.

6B is a resolution recognizing the month of May 2026 as ALS Awareness Awareness Month.

The chair moves for approval.

Is there a second?

Second from Mr.

Little, all in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Any posed motion carries.

Would uh Stuart Oberman, Marsha Oberman, Lauren Duaro, and is Miss Carrie uh Sherry Kosheshak here.

If y'all would come forward, please for the presentation.

It's my honor to present this resolution today.

Whereas the City Council and mayor of the city of Huntsville, Alabama wish to recognize the month of May 2026 as ALS Awareness Month, acknowledging the thousands of Americans who are affected by the fatal disease and advocating for increased awareness research and funding.

And whereas amotrophic lateral sclerosis, you can see why they call it ALS, also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease, and whereas thousands of ALS cases are reported each year.

Whereas on average, patients diagnosed with ALS survive only two to five years from the time of diagnosis.

And even though the exact cause of ALS is unknown, there is no cure for ALS.

It has been clinically proven that individuals who have served in the military are more likely to develop ALS and succumb to the disease.

Whereas due to this uncertain causes and undeveloped cures, securing access to new therapies, durable medical equipment and communication technologies is of vital importance to people living with AL ALS.

Additionally, clinical trials play a pivotal role.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council and Mayor of the City of Huntsville, Alabama, do hereby recognize the month of May 2026 as ALS Awareness Month.

May this resolution serve as a call to action to all Americans to join supporting ALS research, advocating for increased funding, and standing in solidarity with those affected by this relentless disease.

Mr.

Oberman, would you like to make some comments?

Thank you, Council President Robinson and Mayor Battle and City Council.

On behalf of my family, who uh lost our son from ALS back in 2010, who is 28 years old at the time, and Sherry Kosheshak is here representing the ALS Association's clinic.

We have a certified center of excellence here in Huntsville.

It was the first one in the state.

And we serve typically about 25 patients in Huntsville and Madison County at all times, about 250 throughout the state of Alabama.

As Jenny said, it's a fatal disease.

There, there's no cure.

People my age refer to it as Lou Gehrig's disease.

That's easier to say than a myotrophic lateral sclerosis.

But the this awareness is very important for people to understand the grave circumstances with which families deal uh after a diagnosis and helps us raise money, helps us uh get people involved to support those families because it's it's really not a disease that one person deals with.

It's a family and a community that comes together, and uh this resolution will be important for helping raise awareness, and we really appreciate your stepping up and helping us recognize that for the month of May.

Present that resolution to you then, and thank you all for the good work you have done in honor of your son, in memory of your son.

I've had several friends who have succumbed to ALS and one who is valiantly fighting right now.

So thank you for that work.

All of them have a sign.

That's right.

I'd like to meet you.

Sharing the scene.

Thank you all.

And then finally, six C is a resolution honoring the memory and legacy of Dave Gallagher, lovingly known by the community as Microwave Dave.

Move to approve.

The motion from Mr.

Little, second from Mr.

Kling.

All in favor, please indicate posed.

The motion carries.

Mr.

Kling and Mr.

Little, would you like to make that presentation now?

Well, I believe uh, based upon what we have been told by members of the family and the foundation that they wanted us to wait and do the presentations of the resolution, as well as we have two other things later in the agenda, 19 AE and 19B.

And all this is supposed to be officially presented at a very special graduation ceremony that's gonna be going on at the Von Braun Center this coming Sunday from four to eight.

And so uh I'm gonna just basically hold back until then.

But we've got a beautiful street sign, four feet long that we're gonna be presenting at that time.

All right.

Well, I see members of the foundation here, they are nodding their heads, so we will hold presentation of that resolution until um the special graduation ceremony.

Um that concludes then our uh resolutions for adoption and presentation.

We will move on to announcements and presentations.

Item 7A has been withdrawn at the request of the sponsor.

Item 7B is presentations to the Council on International Education Exchange, CIEEE high school students, sponsored by the United States Department of State, Cindy James, and Jim Powers, local coordinator leaders.

This does not require action, but we will simply make the presentation at this time.

So, Mr.

Powers, Ms.

James, would you like to come forward and bring your students with you?

And Mr.

Powers, if you would please um share with us a little bit about the exchange program, how it works, and the benefits to our community.

Bringing the world closer together.

So I have sons and daughters all over the world, and it's it's a very rewarding thing.

Um today we have uh a number of students.

Some of them are with the Council on International Educational Exchange, C-I-E-E, and then we have one student who is with the Pan Atlantic Foundation.

There are others uh organizations that bring international exchange students to the country, but these are the two that are represented here today.

You've spent many years doing this work, and we thank you for it.

These students have been here all year attending various schools.

I as I call your name, I'm going to present you with a certificate, and if you would please tell us which school you were associated with this year.

Can we do that?

Uh first is Sina.

First, Den Monsiref from Germany.

Thank you.

Oops.

I'm in Hartstall and I go to the Hartzla High School.

Very good.

All right, we're gonna try this.

Uh Tunia Tron Suana Prosith.

He told me just to call him Pon, is that right?

Penn?

He is from Thailand, where apparently they really like vowels.

Uh I go to Lee High School.

Pronounce your name so they get it right.

Tanya Tron's the one president.

And you went to where at Lee High School.

Yeah.

Very good.

Natanial Weichmann from Germany.

Um I go to the James Clemens High School here in Madison.

There you go.

Thank you.

Paravarajata and uh Nita Yavard.

Yeah, you know.

Introduce yourself, please.

Hi, my name is Palawat Nita Yahweh.

But you all can call me if you're uh I'm live in Falkville, but I'm going to Hazel High School.

Huntsville High School.

Hartzall High School.

Very good.

Amy O'Maier, Germany.

Yeah, um I live in Decatur, but I also go to the Hartsa High School.

Adriane Bo.

From France.

I am uh Proud Petriot from Bub Jones High School.

So good, Jim Smith.

Very good.

Leah Schultz, Germany.

Oh, Leia had to leave.

And what school was she at?

Hartzall, very good.

All right.

Well, we are grateful for the work that you all do.

We hope you'll present this to Leia.

Thank you, and safe travels home.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, sorry.

I was thinking about the rest of the meeting.

Yes.

Note that Mr.

Little took everybody, the students on a tour of City Hall before the meeting began.

So thank you, Mr.

Little, for helping with that.

All right.

Now we will go on with the rest of the meeting.

Um we have no matters with outside legal represent representative.

We have public hearings to be held.

9A is a public hearing on the proposed creation of a tax increment financing district, tentatively named TIF 9, pursuant to Alabama Code Section 11-99-1 established and set on the this was set at the April 23rd, 2026 regular council meeting.

This is a little different, Council members, from most of the public hearings we have, but it's required by state statute.

This is the first step in creating a TIFF district.

He will make the presentation for us.

We will open the hearing, have comments from anyone in the public who would want to ask comments or questions, and then as opposed to our normal order of business, we will have council members who can make comments, ask questions.

We will then close the hearing, and then in the future course, we will have several agenda items that will come forward for us to take action on.

But no action will be taken today.

That's correct.

So we will begin with Mr.

Davis's presentation.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh good evening, Council members and the public.

Shane Davis Director of Urban Economic Development.

So council members wise, before you, I want to go back to the previous council meeting, most recent.

You've set this public hearing that we're conducting now tonight.

You also passed one other resolution per the Alabama Constitution directing the administration to present a project plan for this proposed uh district nine TIFF district, and that's what the administration is presenting both to you and to the public tonight.

So since 2000, as you're well aware, the city of Huntsville has established TIFF financing districts as permitted under the Alabama Constitution to finance public infrastructure investments.

The creation of TIFF district is a tool that allows municipalities to promote economic development and redevelopment due to public investments made within a TIFF district.

The principle is very simple.

City makes public improvements to entice the re uh development of areas or the new development areas to increase the tax base that would not otherwise be seen without these type of improvements being made.

In a nutshell, it says that this district without the inducement of these public improvements would stay relatively flat from a tax-based perspective.

We've been very successful.

This would be TIFF number nine.

Most of those have been closed out.

They've closed out early and brought new significant tax base both to us, Madison County, and our school systems.

People commonly misunderstand what a TIFF district means.

A lot of times when you hear tax district, you think your taxes are being increased.

That is not the case.

So what happens in a TIFF district is the taxes that are being produced in that district as of today continues to go to the tax recipients, predominantly being state of Alabama, Madison County, City of Huntsville, and our education system partners.

That tax base will continue to flow to all tax recipients.

Those who are paying taxes, citizens, businesses on property taxes, their millage rate stays unchanged.

Their assessment remains unchanged.

So it is not a tax increase.

What the TIFF district does is capture any new taxes within that boundary that would be created, and those new tax base as a result of these public improvements has induced redevelopment or new development within the district.

Those new taxes that are created are temporarily diverted to pay off the public improvements.

Once the public improvements have been paid off, all that new tax base gets divided up and goes to the tax recipients.

So we've seen that multi-million dollars of new tax base when we pay these off that goes to our school system, Madison County, and certainly to the general fund of the city of Huntsville.

So if this proposed district nine that uh we are bringing before you as requested in that resolution last council meeting, would primarily consist of the central portions of the city, the downtown and and a little north and south of what we've referred to as a central business district where we stand tonight.

It would encompass about 3,000 uh 89 acres, which is pretty typical of our last two TIFFs TIFF 6 and TIFF 7.

That acreage is very similar to that, and is similar to uh previous TIFF districts, are now closed.

All the proposed activities and public work projects within the project plan would take place within the corporate limits of the city of Huntsville.

That work cannot take place outside our corporate limits uh per state law.

Uh the proposed TIFF 9 district uh contained areas under the TIFF statute that are we believe currently undeveloped or underutilized.

It's highest and best use, hasn't been seen yet.

Uh and the city believes the creation of this district, along with the project plan we will present to you, uh, will stimulate that redevelopment and more private investment area, which will elevate the tax base for all tax recipients.

Uh, furthermore, you know, the redevelopment of these local areas and project will not be fully realized.

What I mean is new private investment without the project plan in these projects we're going to show you.

So this is a geographical boundary of what we are bringing to you is the proposed TIFF district.

You can see the northern boundary is just a little north of Oakwood Avenue, the southern boundary around Drake Avenue, the east boundary at California, and then the western boundary being I 565 14th Street, kind of that stovehouse district, if if you will, that is uh had some investment.

We believe there's a lot more investment to be made or can be made in that general area uh includes the low mill area and the central business district of the city.

So the project plan.

Uh the proposed district plan would capture, as I mentioned before, property tax millage under the state constitution of all new development or redevelopment properties within that district boundary I just showed you.

Uh, the increment tax or uh tax capture would be 13 mills of the city of Huntsville Millage, 27.5 mils that goes to education and 11 meals from Madison County.

That's the same of all the previous eight TIFF districts we've ever done.

Okay, that that is designated by state law.

Upon the creation of TIFF 9 district, we would start the full implementation of the proposed public improvements, and it's anticipated uh based on our modeling that upon completion we could see 15 to 17 million dollars of a new tax base created within the district.

So I want to say that's not the private investment, that is the net new property taxes within the district that these projects would create.

Naturally, that 15 to 17 million dollars gets distributed across the tax recipients, being the city of Huntsville or education system in Madison County.

So the five projects uh expansion of the Von Braun Center North Hall expansion uh estimated cost is 200 million dollars.

North Huntsville Belt Line Greenway project at five million dollars, a new Mill Creek Park that would be part of our choice neighborhood initiative in partnership with U.S.

HUD and the Huntsville Housing Authority at $5 million.

Uh Low Avenue improvements to support the new Huntsville Middle School.

Uh, that's five million dollars of public improvements that would ordinarily would be borne by that school project.

Uh Adams Street, Low Avenue, the redevelopment, the repositioning of that school, there's a lot of pedestrian to make sure we've got public safety for for that school as it opens.

Uh, renovations of the former for uh federal courthouse uh in conversations with Madison County Commission.

They are looking to see what the future of the existing courthouse site looks like.

Uh what they do know is they'll need a temporary location regardless of what that project uh final scope of work looks like.

Uh so in partnership with that is to make renovations of the federal courthouse that GSA provided to the city such that it meets ADA and operable standards for the general public to conduct business in that.

At the end of the day, those improvements are an asset to the city of Huntsville.

By state law, with this project plan uh all project costs shall not exceed the total of 220 million dollars.

Certainly it can be less, and that will be our goal.

Is these are estimates, they're conservative estimates.

We we will uh should you uh vote on this not tonight, but as we get into probably next month, you know, our goal will be to do this most effectively and efficiently from a cost standpoint.

So this starts to show in a little more detail uh these five projects.

Naturally, they got to be designed.

Uh so you know, we we don't have engineering drawings and and schematics.

We you know, we would get into that upon the adoption of the TIFF district.

So uh the Von Braun Center North Hall expansion, uh, the general scope of work would be construction of a new North Hall exhibit area, upgrade to food service areas, new meeting rooms, conferences, exhibit space, uh upgraded uh parking and new South Hall entrances, access bridge to uh off Heart of Huntsville Drive to accommodate people coming and going with the expansion of the North Hall, and then other infrastructures needed to complete the project, whether that's utility modifications and the like.

The North Huntsville Belt Line Greenway, as you can see, that project would start in the central business district downtown, so it would connect to our ongoing park project and carry uh north to Oakwood.

Uh that project will continue actually to Alabama AM over multiple phases.

Uh, and we believe that project will do a lot as what it did for the city of Atlanta belt line.

So we know that uh North Parkway has been challenged due to its widening of being able to bring commercial development there.

Uh we believe this project will allow that frontage not so much to front the parkway but front uh Washington Street, Meridian Street, and in this uh belt line greenway, such that we can see uh a various mixed use income type developments on the east side of the parkway as we get into uh North Huntsville.

Um so that would be the design and construction, uh acquisitioning right-of-way or easement acquisitions, uh public green space, lighting, landscaping, hardscape, safety equipment, uh, and the like that would go with the project.

That that project's not just the greenway.

If you know anything about the Atlanta Belt Line, it has pocket parts, has places for people to gather.

So that's what that project was started, that first phase of what we're calling North Huntsville Belt Line Greenway.

Uh three would be the new Mill Creek Park, which is the redevelopment uh in partnership with U.S.

HUD and the Huntsville Housing Authority to bring new housing uh to the residents of Mill Creek, but also uh various price points of mixed income housing.

Uh that master plan has a public park, uh what is now right now a drainage ditch to enclose that and to do a really first class park in and around, not just for that neighborhood but uh for our downtown.

Uh low mill improvements, as I as I mentioned, this is in support of the new school, Huntsville City Schools is working on uh for Huntsville Middle.

Uh that's to uh improve a portion of Low Avenue from its current configuration to accommodate increased vehicle traffic and turning movements, but also improve pedestrian facilities for safety and any necessary public drainage improvements uh to help support the school system with that project.

And then lastly, renovations to the former federal courthouse that we were uh that was donated to the city uh regardless of its long-term use.

Uh Madison County Commission believes they can use it temporarily, but uh we were charged by the government services agency to uh uphold and take care of that that facility.

Uh so this is the way to do that and put that uh to use.

So, what do we think the results and where those results would occur from a private investment area standpoint within this TIFF district?

Uh, the shaded circles that you see are properties that we have identified that are prime for either they're vacant, and we believe these projects would stimulate uh private activities and interest in those and areas that we know that would be induced due to these amenities to see some redevelopment.

Uh as you as you can see north to south uh is predominantly west of the historic district uh residential areas of our downtown uh but goes as far north as far south, excuse me, is Bob Wallace and Drake Avenue area.

Uh a lot of redevelopment activity in low mill and certainly in and around the Von Braun Center, and then as we get uh north of Holmes Avenue, in that area, you actually see along Holmes Avenue.

Uh we believe uh new development will occur out just outside the district, which is which is great.

Um, that would be uh immediate new tax base to all recipients.

The district would not capture any of that new development outside this boundary.

So that would be an immediate new revenue stream.

So what are next steps?

As I said tonight, you want to take no action.

Uh we are bringing you the plan as you asked for the last council meeting.

Uh so after this meeting uh or the next by state laws we will uh provide notice to designated representatives uh for future meetings to be conducted by the local governing body that goes for embodies the city of Huntsville toward deferred tax recipients.

There's two of those, it's Huntsville City Schools, so that uh represented that we would contact would be Dr.

Clarence Sutton, the superintendent of schools, and then the Madison County Commission, which would be Chairman Rex Vaughan.

Uh those meetings would then get set and scheduled between those two uh tax recipients.

Uh, you see, I've got two be determined, but those would happen rather quickly.

And then uh somewhere in the May 25th uh week timeline, uh Huntsville City Council present by state law presents a mail copy of this project plan to those recipients in its final form.

Um and what that would be is if there's any changes to amount of funding you want to put on these projects or new projects that we want to add to increase the limit.

Uh our modeling shows that we are comfortable at this amount such that we can get these projects completed and start working to get this TIFF closed out and move on and let the new tax base go back to the tax recipients.

Uh May 28th meeting.

If we stay on track, you uh adoption by resolution by this city council certifying the plan, meaning this plan is final.

That doesn't mean you've approved the TIF, it just means there's no changes.

This this would be the plan to be voted on.

Uh after you've certified that, the first group that would vote and approve this TIFF district is actually the Madison County Commission.

And then after their approval, this body would take this up for a vote, currently scheduled for June 11th.

Uh, upon your approval of the district, uh, the last remaining item was our finance director would make application of this TIFF district to the Mass County tax assessor, which would define and identify all parcels within the district that would be in in the new tax increment financing district.

Uh after that, uh on June 15, the district would be active and ready for any tax increment obligations to carry out these five project plans.

The general public may have, madam president, or this body.

The public hearing on the proposed creation of a tax increment financing district, tentatively named TIF 9, is now open.

So again, we will offer the public an opportunity first and then council members.

So the is there anyone from the public who wishes to comment on this item?

Good evening, Joy Johnson.

I am the resident of Huntsville.

Um in general uh opposed to the idea of a TIFF because it bakes in the necessity of growth, which is of course the logic of a cancer cell.

Um I hear a lot here about private investments.

Private investors are not gonna invest in what we need, affordable housing.

Where's our affordable housing manager?

Why isn't she here?

What I want to know what she thinks of this plan.

Also, what's up with Mill Creek?

This has been on the table for a long time.

How come it hasn't happened?

All of those people that lost their public housing and supposed to be getting it back, and it just never happens and never happens, and now it's waiting on this process to maybe it'll happen one day.

I don't get it.

Um if you build affordable housing, I it's not what these private, it's not what you're planning on these private investors to do because you won't get those big tax dollars out of that, but that's nonetheless, what we need desperately.

Um, and will private investors be putting green energy on their investments?

Do is there any thought to resilience and sustainability and those kind of things going into these plans?

Is Planning commission care about that?

Well, what's up?

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Johnson.

Is there anyone else from the public who wishes to comment on this item?

Anyone else mission to comment?

Yes, sir.

My name is Darren Vraga of Huntsville.

Um I understand the uh reason for the TIFF.

My only question is why is there so much investment just going into the Von Braun Center instead of what the present previous resident was saying?

Affordable housing or also within the TIFF district is the public transportation hub there as well.

There's no investment going there and any other services, it seems like 90 percent of it is just going into the von Braun Center.

Thank you.

Thank you for that input.

Are there any other comments from the public regarding the creation of the TIFF 9 district?

All right, council members, then this would be your opportunity.

Council members, do you have comments or questions for Mr.

Davis?

Mr.

Little.

I just got one uh low mill, as we know, is in the county.

Will it stay in the county even though it's part of the TIFF?

Is there any plans for that to ever be?

Because that obviously there'd be uh growth around it, as we're already seeing.

But is it just stay like it is?

So it's a good question.

So if you look on the screen, you actually see uh a black box within the larger district, that is actually low mill.

So that is carved out of the district because it has to be in the corporate limit.

So to answer to answer your question, so we make these improvements and we start to see stimulated redevelopment and development.

Hypothetically, let's say low mill annexes into the city, and there's you know, 100 million dollar investment that happens on the low mill campus, those new tax base as a result would stay outside the district because once the district is created, it is set.

So, to answer your question, two years into this, three years into this, low mill size become part of the city, big mixed use development comes in there, those new taxes created out of that project would go immediately to the tax recipients.

They would not go into the district.

Okay, good.

Thank you.

Any other questions for Mr.

Little?

Uh, other questions, Mr.

Kling.

I want to go back, and this is probably uh repetitive, I just want to make sure it's spelled out for the public.

John Doe has a house right in the middle of this district, and he pays X dollars, I don't know, let's say he pays $500 a year in property tax.

This thing goes into effect.

How much is his property tax going to rise as a result of this uh TIFF?

So it's a good question.

So, or is it?

So here's what I will tell you.

I can't guarantee anything.

The city of Huntsville is not placing any new tax on anyone by law, our general public have to vote on any new millage tax rate to be placed on that.

We're currently 58 mills.

The Mass County tax assessor does determines the assessment of any property and assesses and collects those taxes.

As of today, if you approve this in June and come October, your tax bill was $100, there's a very, very high likelihood it's a hundred dollars.

Now, naturally, through inflation or something, they say okay, there's a three percent value in all of our homes, whether you're in a tax district or not, the tax assessor assumes or that responsibility and does that assessment, but the way your tax is calculated will not change.

So let's say your house, the tax said your house is worth two percent more than it was last year.

You would pay an additional you know five dollars and eighty cents per hundred on that additional two percent.

So to for me to say no, your taxes will not go up, I I know what you're getting to the question.

I would answer that is yes, it would not go up due to this tax district.

But if the tax assessor due to just the rising cost of value of homes or your business said, you know, your your business building is now worth, but you know, because of inflation two percent increase, whether you're in a district or not, the tax assessor determines that, but we are not placing any new tax on anybody in the district.

So am I just to correct me, so this uh this TIFF, it basically works on, can we call it new areas or underdeveloped areas?

That's right.

Those improvements are what are gonna pay for the TIFF.

So that would be separate from, you know, somebody who's already there.

Is that that's correct?

So your example of, you know, Shane Davis pays a is in this district, they pay a hundred, I pay a hundred dollars a year in property taxes.

My hundred dollars I pay the Mass County tax assessor every year.

That hundred dollars gets divided amongst the tax recipients, City of Huntsville, Mass County, the school system, state, and it continues to flow to them as if nothing ever happened.

Okay.

Is there a time or how are you gonna address uh we had some questions that were asked by the public?

You're gonna bring it up later.

Yes, sir.

I wanted to answer all questions by the council members, and then I've made notes and I'll address those.

This is a public hearing.

I I do want to provide comment to that.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Mr.

Meredith.

Is the sky bridge and the penhook creek mediation projects within the TIFF?

Yes, sir, it is.

How is are they going to be affected or what is the additional effect of those projects now that well when it becomes a part of this TIFF if it is in fact passed by the council and the commission?

Good question, Council Mayor.

So those projects are federally funded through two different federal grant projects.

The TIFF district will have no bearing on diverting those funds to a different project or the TIFF district paying any portion of those projects.

So that project is is a standalone for federal grant, actually two federal grant projects, it's funded and under construction.

Thank you.

So in effect, there's gonna be no uh impact of this TIFF on the construction of the scribe bridge and the mediation correct.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Also, um, five million of this is for renovation to the former courthouse, obstensibly so that it can be used by the county commission.

Is the county commission gonna reimburse the city for these five million dollars, or are we gonna recapture that money based on leasing the building to the commission?

So, to be determined, uh what it is our facility, the taxpayers of Huntsville owns the facility.

Um, one of the reasons the federal courts built a new federal courthouse is it was in extensive need of renovations.

Uh you know, it's kind of the gift that keeps on giving, you know, the they they're required to give it to someone, they don't want to multiply multiple buildings and uh it being in CRC limits.

So regardless, if it's a long-term use, a city department goes in there or museum, whatever, uh, there's renovations that need to be made.

We want to make those renovations.

The county commission has asked, would it be a possible temporary location for them?

And we've said yes, naturally, that would be a determination by this body.

So a lease would have to be structured between the city of Huntsville and the Mass County Commission, brought before this body, and you vote on it.

So to answer your question, not directly, there are they gonna pay us five million dollars back for those renovations because it's not an asset they will long-termly own because it's actually our asset, but there would be some type of revenue stream should they they go into it.

And that would be a separate vote, a lease, as you mentioned, that would come before this body at a later date.

I guess my concern is these renovations, they're gonna have a we'll call it heavier hand in it since they're gonna be the initial tenant.

So you we're gonna make these reservations, not reservation, renovations to accommodate them.

So to me, there's they've got some skin in this game of spending our money, so how do we recoup that?

I I I hear what you're saying about no matter who goes in there, ADA is gonna have to happen and those sorts of things, but there are going to be things that the commission wants specific to the commission, that when they get their new place and they leave, is gonna really have no value or potentially have no value to the next person.

I mean, very green point, I I'm not I don't think we're contemplating spending five million dollars to tailor make the former federal courthouse to fit their use.

So it would be general upgrades, HVAC equipment, ADA bathrooms which it does not have ADA access, just general upgrades should the county want to use that temporarily I could see them in that lease saying we need to put an additional X amount of money in this for it to be properly the way we want to use it.

And we'd have to get into a lot of details it may be upon your exit of this we want these items removed.

You know so that's that's down the road but these general improvements is just to get the building to where we as the owner and GSA is requiring us to keep it to some minimum standard uh to get to that standard such that whether the county uses it temporarily or we have a permanent use for it that the general public can adequately come in and out of that building that we own.

Thank you very much Mr Davis Madam President.

Ms Watkins do you have any comments?

If I might in response to Mr.

Meredith too um we've got to realize that this is a partnership that we're doing here.

We're using city money we're using county money because portion of that property taxes that goes up would be county money.

Uh we're using uh school money so it is a partnership with all of us working together to make sure that this is something that uh benefits the whole community so it's a partnership with all three different entities there.

So if I might ask okay Mr Clinton If I could kind of echo something along along the line uh I like the fact and you know we say it before to get said you know every now and then I like the fact that the city and the county do work together.

We have a good teamwork approach and in some ways that seems to be the exception not the rules compared to what I see and hear from other areas around the country.

I remember way back when I was a victim the 1989 tornado on Airport Road there were a lot of county vehicles a lot of county people who came to help uh the City of Huntsville when it was going through uh this type of disaster we help the county uh when they have issues uh and uh I think it's a good thing we work with the school system we have a good teamwork approach we uh go out for uh economic development projects we lobby up in Washington DC it's city county and uh again that's a teamwork approach and they have been good I've kind of kept my eyes open but they have been pretty good about helping us on things uh I know we get a lot of site preparation a lot of road work that they do on some of our projects and again um I'm sure there's some evaluation that's done but uh I do like the cooperation we have it's a good teamwork approach and uh I think we this would just be a component of that.

Madam President If I can add Mayor Bowder does bring up a good point in these deferred tax recipients.

I believe all but two previous tax districts that have been created had some form of capital investment to our school system.

Our very first TIFF was really small you know we we wanted to go try this and it was uh university drive west west of Research Park Boulevard and it helped bring Westside Center where the target center is we made a small little improvement that for the state of Alabama for highway 72 and intersection and that thing was paid off at blink of an eye it was almost a test for us.

So that did not have an education piece.

The only other one that I can recall that did not it actually did was TIFF six and that was the players and we uh contemplated a new school out there as things progressed we realized working with the school system the location of where we proposed that wasn't the right spot long term even though it was in the plan we did not build it.

Uh, but those are the only two out of nine.

Uh we're uh council merit knows we're working on uh possibly an another TIFF district in Limestone county would have a significant uh value to our school system out there to help them with with growth and and infrastructure.

So uh we we try to look and and make sure we realize that deferral of new taxes, not a deferral of any existing tax base, but that new deferral is try to go help our tax recipients with something that they have upcoming or need that you get in this district.

So everyone tries to get some win out out of the district while it's active.

Thank you very much for clarifying that.

That was actually going to be one of my first questions because it always comes up with the TIFS.

Is it going to negatively impact revenue to the school system in the short term?

And the answer is no, that they will continue to receive the same tax revenues that they are receiving now.

And then in the long term, as we have seen payoff recently with the the Maz Toyota TIF, they will see an increase in revenue, so it will benefit the school system.

Um you noted on your timeline when the Madison County uh commission would approve the TIFF plan is the Board of Education required to also approve the TIFF plan.

So by state law, there um only two governing bodies that have to adopt any TIFF district, one that is the county governing body, whether it's in Madison County or Limestone County, and this body, but they have been informed.

Yeah, we we're required to inform all tax recipients, uh, but the only two tax recipients that have to vote on the district is the Madison County Commission in this case and the Huntsville City Council.

We have a joint meeting with the school system on June 1st, and per and that if it is appropriate at that time, perhaps if there are any questions from any board members about TIFF 9, that might be an appropriate time to maybe have a discussion about it.

Absolutely.

And we'll also be down the road a little bit on our plan, uh, formalizing our plan as well.

A question has been asked regarding the VBC expansion, that's a really good question.

Uh, why is the BBC expansion so important and why are we investing so much money in that?

What is the community benefit?

If I can zoom out a little more than the VBC, and then I'll answer specifically to the Von Braun Center expansion.

So within this TIFF statute of Alabama law, one thing we have to do is define a district, and within that district, there's certain qualifying parameters uh for to qualify for a TIFF district.

So there's always a balance between how large to make the district to do as many projects as you want to do, but also keep in mind the organic growth that just is generally happening in our community due to new jobs and population growth.

We do not want to overcapture that new growth and further defer new tax base to our tax recipients.

So there's this balance of how big do you make it, or how small do you make it, such that you you get what you think is the top priorities that are occurring within that area of the district, whether that's in Limestone County, the need for utilities and infrastructure due to the growth or new education facilities, or in this case, downtown to say, look, there's opportunities to continue to push downtown forward, it continue to implement the downtown master plan that's been adopted by the planning commission and this body.

Uh so there's not an exact answer to do that.

It's a science.

We do a lot of modeling, you know.

Okay, we we go capture what you see on this screen, uh, what is the possibility?

See the the circles there that kind of show where we see pockets of area of potential new growth.

Uh, but we didn't want to go really far south, or let me give you an example, go all the way to the new northern bypass.

We could do that and pick up the new North Village Town Center, which is 660,000 square feet of new retail that you know uh have a tax basis of about $300 a square foot annually, which is not on the books, so it's not paying tax, so we could have went and grabbed that.

We don't think that's fair, and we could have just continued this North Bell Line Greenway all the way up to that area.

We don't think that's fair to our education system nor Madison County.

So we try to keep it concise in doing so.

So uh we look at active projects, active projects that have been on the books, or ones that we know we'll move the needle from a tax base, and we go say, okay, what are those projects on the books that we can't ordinarily afford to do without new tax base?

The Bon Braun Center has been on the list for a very long time.

Our conferences are some of our biggest ones, AUSA and others are to the point that the community has grown.

Such that everybody that wants to have a booth or attend those conferences, and they have millions of dollars of economic impact annually to our general fund, can't get to the conference.

I think this past one in the spring, they had 60 something vendors, which are defense contractors in different organizations that said we want to attend, we want to pay for a booth, and they say we're full.

Well, now you're starting to have conversations.

We love Huntsville, we've been coming here a long time, but we need to find a new venue.

We need to find a venue to everyone who wants to be participate in this national convention can actually participate.

And you look around us, you have uh Birmingham who has made upgrades to the BJCC.

Mobile is building a brand new Civic Center, Chattanooga's made expansions, Nashville, one of our big competitors, Savannah has just completed a $600 million.

Knoxville is looking.

So in and around us, there are options to take the conferences that we have to other communities, which would be a significant hit to our general fund.

It's not, I'm not saying that's the reason to go expand the VBC.

I think we're at this inflection point.

You know, it's our inflection point to have a civic center that hosts graduations, occasional music and plays, and it really not be a convention center.

And you start looking at the investments with hotels and actually what we can continue to accelerate, we're at an inflection point.

What do we want the Baumbrun Center to be?

So when we started looking at this, it was a hard one to budget.

It is a big number.

But we said, look, we don't want it to be, we didn't want to come to you with one project.

That didn't make sense.

So really what we started doing is working with VC and say, okay, how tight can you get this estimate?

Because these other four projects we're going to go do.

We would love to put the VBC in with those four projects, and that's what we brought you.

Thank you.

And now if you could answer the other questions that have come from the public, most of which were about the priorities you've addressed the BBC, but other priorities that we have here and why this project is important for the community.

Yeah, so I I had three notes, and and if I need to expand, council members, just point them out to me.

So Mill Creek.

So Mill Creek is under construction.

So if you pass by Governor's Drive, you'll actually see the site where the first building pads.

So they're digging footings and foundations, and you'll see still start rising up as we get into the summer months.

So phase one uh has moved forward.

Actually, we've released some renderings for phase two.

Uh, McCormick Balan Salazar, our third party partner is actually working on closing documents for financing for that second building.

So as we get into third and fourth quarter this year, you're gonna see just a ton of new housing activity there.

Uh the other was affordability.

So one of the things I want to point out is actually in District 5 on Swancott Road.

So our affordability manager or planning department or engineering department, kudos to those guys, they've been working really hard for the third straight year.

Huntsville's the second most affordable metro in the U.S.

with a population over 100,000.

Okay.

That's not just rent, that's actually for sale product also.

Um the case in point is we've changed the way we've allowed some lot cost and different things to keep pricing down.

Um I just would been with an industry that's looking at Huntsville for the past two days.

We drove Swancock Road, Councilman's district, and the beauty that they saw is on is the different price points going up at Swancott Road.

Great new subdivision, great looking full brick product.

Sign up front says starting the 200s across the street, another that says starting the low threes, and then you got bigger lots, hundred-foot lots and housing.

So that's the result of our affordability manager working, community development, planning and engineering and urban development, all working together, saying, How do we move the needle in affordability?

So we're starting to see that deployed on the ground.

There's still a ton of work to do.

Uh so I'm I'm proud of the effort that this team is doing on that, and and you can actually drive by and see the results by price points and and things that are for sale.

And we're getting national recognition due to those price points.

The last piece was public transit.

I had on my notes.

So we do have a new public transit hub, and they are working uh on new routes.

So this project does it.

This TIFF district would not make any improvements to that transit facility because it is new.

It's relatively new and it was designed for the next 20 years.

So we didn't see any public improvements needed.

You know, as far as the new buses, if you've noticed, we went to a new longer bus, and a lot of that is funded through our MPO, some through a Calp plan, but also the Federal Transit Authority.

So we'll continue to expand that.

We often hear more transit, more bus stops in locations.

That's a totally separate conversation.

We've had some of that.

Our chamber actually last fall started working with a lot of our industry in the Western Corridor.

We've created 20,000 jobs out there.

So we've started doing polls with actual employees who work at Mazda Toyota and Polaris and Amazon, and the list goes on and on and said, if we ran routes to this facility, would you take it?

You know, and if so, what would the times would you take it?

Would you take it two days a week and what what's your shift hour?

So they're helping us populate all that interest and time so we can look at routes and get that back to public transit and see if it's a viable option for public transportation to some of our job centers, which has been one of the biggest requests for us to look at.

I believe we have another question from Mr.

Merrick.

Actually, it's not a question.

I just wanted to say that my questions pertaining to the Commission aren't based on any objection.

It's to be transparent, but given how some folks might feel that way, I do have to say that I agree with uh the mayor and uh my colleague Mr.

Kling that we have a great relationship with them working on projects right now with uh both Commissioner Haraway and Mr.

Vent, Commissioner Vanderver had a great relationship with Mac and hope that I can establish one with Mr.

Bond as well.

So it it's not that I'm saying, oh, we shouldn't be doing this for the commission.

It's transparency.

And um, yes, we work very well with the Madison County Commission.

So I just want to make that as a record.

Your clarification is noted.

Are there any other concluding comments?

In that case, the public hearing is now closed.

Mr.

Davis, thank you so much for your presentation, and we will look forward to seeing items come before this council for action and approval in the coming weeks.

Perfect.

Council members, thank you for the open dialogue of the public hearing.

Uh, we will move forward and continue the process that I laid out.

We'll be back soon, okay?

Thank you, sir.

Uh, we do have one other public hearing that will follow our normal procedure.

Nine B is a public hearing in order to hear and consider and act upon all objections or protests if any for removal of a public nuisance at 4109 Burrells Avenue Southwest Until Alabama and consideration of resolution and ordering abatement of a nuisance located at the same property.

Mr.

Irwin.

Yes, Mayor Battle, Council members Scott Irwin Community Development Department.

This public hearing is in reference to the property located at 4109 Broyles Avenue Southwest.

The property was in violation of the state public nuisance act regarding junk.

Community development issued a notice of the property owner and interested parties.

The property remains in violation.

Community development is seeking your authorization to abate this junk public nuisance.

The condition of the properties before you on the video screen, property owners as identified by the tax assessment records, we're notified of the time and place where any objections may be heard involving the abatement of this junk public nuisance.

Council members, property owners are tonight or present with us tonight.

I will note that improvements have been made, but it's not to the level that we need the improvements to be completed.

Upon your approval of this resolution, we will continue to work with the property owners to allow them the opportunity to continue to complete the cleanup.

However, failure by the owner to remove all the junk and debris in a reasonable time will result in the city moving forward with our standard abatement process.

Thank you, Mr.

Irwin.

The public hearing on this item is now open.

Is there anyone here who wishes to comment?

Please come forward, state your name and address for the record.

Thank you, Mr.

Erwin.

Philip Cantrel, District 4.

Thank you.

Okay.

Yes, we have uh Mr.

Irwin.

If you'd like to look at some of the pictures that we've taken for uh how we have uh worked to get these share those with Mr.

Irwin in just a moment, please go ahead just go ahead with your comments and then you can share them.

Okay.

Well, Phil, Philip Cantrell and uh in district four.

We have uh makes significant progress in the alleviation of any uh public nuisance at 410 Burrells Avenue.

Here are the photos, uh, I would say it's a maximum of 10 weeks because of the limitations of the uh bolt uh pick up.

I believe it's 10 uh cubic yards per week, but uh it may be less than that to uh we'll work diligently to clean this up.

So that's about it.

Thank you, sir.

Is there anyone else who wishes to make comments regarding this item?

The public hearing is now closed.

Is there a motion?

Is there a motion to approve the resolution?

Motion from Mr.

Little, second from the chair, uh discussion, council members.

Mr.

Kling.

Uh I just want to make sure what we're talking about.

Uh Mr.

Irwin, you would have the authority to, for lack of better word, drop the hammer, but you're gonna work with him to see if it's as reasonably quickly as possible getting cleaned up.

Is that what you were asking for from the council?

Yes, sir.

That is correct.

So we were on site today looking.

Uh we would agree that there has been improvement, just not the level we need.

So we'll work with the property owners to make sure things are done.

However, there will be a time frame specific that we'll move forward with our property, uh, our abatement process.

The failure to complete it is not done.

Any other comments or questions from council?

All in favor, please indicate.

Any opposed, the motion uh the resolution is approved.

The motion passes.

Thank you, House Member.

Thank you, Mr.

Irwin, for your willingness to work with the residents.

We'll now move on to public hearings to be set.

We have several.

10 A is a resolution to declare public nuisance located at 809 Cross Street Northwest Huntsville, Alabama to set a date for when objections will be heard.

Is there a motion to set the date the hearing for May 28, 2026?

So moved.

Motion from Mr.

Kling, second from Mr.

Little.

All in favor, please indicate.

Aye.

Uh any objections, the hearing is set for May 28.

10 B is a resolution to set a public hearing to consider an appeal of the liquor license review committee's decision to approve the application for a lounge retail liquor class one with entertainment to bar holdings LLC doing business as Tina's lounge located at 12531 Memorial Parkway Southeast, Huntsville, Alabama 35803.

Is there a motion to set the hearing for May 28, 2026?

So motion from Mr.

Little, second from Mr.

Kling.

Is there any discussion?

All in favor, please indicate.

I'm opposed.

The hearing is set for May 28, 2026.

Is Mr.

Meredith still with us?

Let the record show that Mr.

Meredith is has left the dais.

Um quorum is still present.

10 C is a resolution to set a public hearing on the zoning of 1.33 acres of land lying on the north side of Winchester Road and west of Shields Road to Highway Business C4 District and introduction of an ordinance pertaining to the same.

Is there a motion to set the hearing for June 25, 2026?

So move motion from Mr.

Kling, second from Mr.

Little.

Any discussion?

All in favor, please indicate.

Aye.

Any opposed, the motion carries, and the hearing is set for June 25, 2026.

10 D is a resolution to set a public hearing on the rezoning of 47.19 acres of land lying on the south side of Swancott Road, east of Rabbit Lane from residence 1B district to residence 2 district and introduction of an ordinance pertaining to the same.

Is there a motion to set the hearing for June 25, 2026?

Motion from Mr.

Little, second from Mr.

Kling.

All in favor, please indicate.

Aye.

Any posed, motion carries.

The hearing is set for June 25, 2026.

And finally, 10 E is a resolution to set a public hearing on a vacation of a portion of right-of-way at Greenbrier Road and Greenbrier Parkway, and the introduction of a resolution consenting to and the introduction of an ordinance vacating the rights of way pertaining there to is a motion.

Is there a motion to set the hearing for June 25, 2026?

Motion from Mr.

Little, a second from Mr.

Kling.

All in favor, please indicate.

Meet posed.

The motion carries.

The hearing is set for June 25, 2026.

Brings us now to agenda-related public comments.

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

This individual has signed up to speak prior to the meeting.

When called approach the microphone, state your name and home address for and city of residents.

Each speaker may address the council for three minutes.

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

We have one person signed up, and that is Joy Johnson.

Ms.

Johnson, please come forward.

Endeavoring to be a thorn in your shoe.

I am Joy Johnson, so I live on West Arbor and Huntsville.

Welcome.

I don't understand this item 20E.

Gift offer.

Does that mean money?

And of all the industries that are being funded handsomely by the federal government, why are my tax dollars gonna go to the Army to build somebody a residence?

I'm just floored by that.

You know, I'm for Clempt.

Um I was uh once upon a time told by our mayor that we're trying to diversify and get out of being so dependent on the defense industry.

I have not actually seen that happening in the years since he sent me that card.

Um, but we certainly need to.

There is no industry that's harder on the environment than the defense industry.

There is no industry that produces less good for the citizenry.

Um what the question of what do you want the von Braun Center Center to be used for came up?

And the example was a defense industry symposium.

Uh that's not what I want the von Braun Center to be used for.

I'd like to move away from the most poisonous industry in the on the planet, in particular, our the United States defense industry, is the biggest polluter, single entity polluter in the world.

Um, also I'd love to hear of what the heck this uh item 20 AA is about.

Uh and uh 20 AH.

Do we not already have enough guns?

What is good what's this one about?

I but you know personally from being here uh downtown in 2020 for the George Floyd stuff.

I kind of feel like we got we're bristling with enough guns already, just FYI.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Johnson.

I think 20E will certainly be addressed in our discussion.

Uh we have no other agenda-related public comments.

We will move on to comments by the mayor, Mayor Battle.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, uh for the record, uh, we have the following two appointments.

The reappointment of Frank Nola to the historic preservation, the Houseful Historic Preservation Commission for six-year term to expire May 4th, 2032.

Uh the reappointment of Adam Duro to the Air Pollution Uh Control Board for five-year term to expire May 28, 2031.

That's all I have.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor Battle.

We'll move to council comments.

We'll begin with Councilmember Bill Clinton.

Thank you, Madam President.

A lot of uh exciting, diverse events going on in the community and in the district uh over the last uh week or so.

It was my privilege to uh participate in the historic Huntsville Preservation Commission awards and to present a special award for 50 years of outstanding public service for historic preservation uh to Peter Lowe.

Peter is certainly a very deserving individual, and additionally I get to work with him on the Historic Preservation Commission, and uh we're grateful for many great citizens such as Mr.

Lowe and what they contribute to our city boards.

Uh on uh Monday night I went over to the McThormore Acres Neighborhood Association meeting, and uh they were asking a lot of questions about uh uh police patrols uh and crime enforcement, as well as about the upcoming Holmes Avenue Corridor project, and enjoyed the opportunity to visit with them.

Last week uh myself and uh councilmember Meredith and I participated in the North Alabama International Trade Association Global Policy Uh and Strategy Luncheon that took place at the Jackson Center.

Uh a lot of good um contacts with people, again, a lot of county government people were there, as well as people from both public and private from uh throughout North Alabama, and uh this was a good learning experience for me, and I was very uh very interested in hearing from uh people.

Earlier today, I participated with uh councilmember Little and Mayor Battle at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Huntsville Middle School that's gonna be uh apparently be ready for opening and being used within two years.

Uh, it's gonna be a great plan, very uh very ambitious, very much of an increase over the existing facility, and uh I think it's gonna be a great shot in the arm for schools in uh in the community and what is coming for our school students last night.

Uh had a chance to see something very new that's come to Huntsville.

It's the Sky Loom 60 foot tall light and sculpture artwork, and it's located in John Hunt Park, and it's something that's uh uh you could it's best to see at night.

Uh I had a chance to see it when uh while over there for the um soccer match that took place.

It was officially unveiled last night.

And again, it's gonna be something great.

Uh I believe it can be seen from the parkway, and you know, it's just a new chapter in public artwork coming into the city of Huntsville and reaching into all areas of the community.

And um, it's very nice addition.

Congratulations to the arts council for their great work that they uh went through to put that up.

Uh a little bit of sad news.

I am sorry to report the passing of John Lynch.

John was an elder senior member of uh West Lawn Church.

Uh he was very active in the holiday homes community, and again, he's a great person and one of those citizens that we really are going to miss.

And uh uh I'm honored to have known him and uh I think uh this community was a much better place because of him.

As we talked about earlier uh tonight, uh there is going to be a special graduation ceremony as they're calling it to honor microwave Dave, and it's gonna be taking place at the Von Braun Center this Sunday from four to eight.

And at that time, uh Councilmember Little and I will be making presentations, and I understand, Councilman Little, you may want to talk about it, but uh your brother actually played with microwave Dave.

So uh that brings a little to that.

Uh I had a chance to know him uh microwave Dave, rather, when I was at public radio, and he used to come in and set up in the studios and do live concerts.

And uh I'm glad we can participate.

We've got a lot of uh great teamwork that's taken place with city departments, and uh I think this is gonna be something that we're gonna be proud of, a recognition of one of our great citizens and uh his mark and what he has meant to our community.

And madam president, that's all I have.

Thank you.

For your comments, Mr.

Clink.

We'll now hear from Councilmember David Little.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, back at the end of April, uh, had a great meeting with the Cove Area Citizens Action Group that put together a town hall, um, a lot of questions around the school system.

Um so we had uh Dr.

Sutton and Holly McCarty on hand, was great.

Also had uh County Commissioner Hill and uh representatives from Del Strong's office there.

So had a really good meeting, got a lot of their questions and concerns answered for things happening out that way.

Um and then uh, like Mr.

Kling said, got to attend the uh groundbreaking for Huntsville Middle School.

When I went there, it was about a 10-year-old school, and now it's getting torn down.

So that kind of puts things in perspective.

Um but it'll be a great new addition, uh, and I think a lot of people will be happy really with a lot of the new traffic improvements around there that's gonna come with the new school.

And then uh got to sit in with the mayor's youth council today and listen to these bright young students share some uh policy ideas for things they have, uh ranging from local community involvement leadership to composting.

Um it's interesting.

A lot of kids get their lunch at school and don't eat it all, so trying to find better uses for the food instead of going to the landfill or the power plants.

That was great.

Um, and yeah, looking forward to uh obviously uh hate that it has to happen, but the graduation uh program for Dave uh is gonna be special to be a part of that.

He played at our wedding.

Um I think my wife walked up to him at concerts in the park and said, Do you play weddings?

He said, Sure.

And so uh a lot of great memories with him and obviously my brother and he go way back.

Um so that'll be special for me personally to be involved to be a part of that.

And then finally, uh special thanks to public works, engineering, council police, and community development for their uh as usual responsiveness to citizen concerns over the last few weeks.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Little.

We'll now hear from Councilmember John Meredith.

I think for the first time ever, I'm gonna yield my time.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

And we'll move on to Councilmember Michelle Watkins.

Good evening, everyone.

I want to say congratulations to the graduates of Drake State, Calhoun Community College, UH, and Alabama AM University, major accomplishments, and just want to recognize them for it.

Quick fact, we had a celebrities' daughter graduate from Alabama EM on Friday.

Dion Sanders' daughter, Shlome, graduated from Alabama EM, and Dion and the brothers, all of them were in attendance.

So exciting news from the campus.

Uh next week on Thursday and Friday, Huntsville City Schools will have their graduation, and I'm excited about their go checks.

Thank you, Sarah, Caroline King, Kathy Jordan, Johnson, Zach McWater, Dr.

Sutton, and all the employers who participated in the job fair that we have for students on this past Monday at the Huntsman Center for Technology.

I was really impressed at how the employers showed up and were ready to hire some students for the summer.

So thank you.

I want to thank um Scott Irwin, Shane Davis, Chris McNeese, Sam Sarah Lily, and Brian Walker.

They answer the phone meeting, my cow, thank you.

You do a great job.

Uh I also want to thank the Cavra Hills Community Center staff.

They um set up for my district drop-in that we had this past um Tuesday, and I want to thank them so much for doing that.

They're always so courteous, and I appreciate that so much, and that's all I have.

Thank you, Ms.

Watkins.

Um I hosted a town hall this past week.

I was very successful.

I want to thank all of those who made time to attend, particularly James Vandever from our planning staff who presented the um city's development review.

He always does it uniquely with a uniquely D3 focus, and I know that takes him a lot of extra time to drill down that far, but it was very informative and gave everybody a really good look at uh where development was headed.

We look forward to hearing more of that again at the June 1st joint meeting that we have with the school system where Mr.

Vandever and Mr.

Davis will both take a look at that development review, doing something similar for each of the districts to look at growth, impact on the schools, and where we are going as a community, and how are we moving to accommodate that growth?

So many thanks to everybody who helped, particularly Lily and Sarah on our council staff who were helpful in in pulling all of that together.

Everybody who came to that meeting also got to see that work is progressing at the Sandra Moon Center, it's starting to actually look like it may finish someday.

Um we are still targeting an August opening.

We have the first performance there scheduled for October 1st.

So everybody will be moved in and ready for that performance, and we look forward to that work continuing to go forward.

I held a meeting that had a meeting this week with Lyle Voyles, who is the president of the Huntsville Council of Neighborhood Associations and also a great advocate for the Chaffee community.

We met with Chris McNeese to talk about existing city ordinances on curbs and gutters and how how we can do a better job enforcing those ordinances.

We hope to have a citywide campaign in the summer regarding grass in the gutters and keeping gutters clear and storm drains clear, and then in the fall with leaves, keeping the the gutters in clear of um of leaves.

It is the homeowner's responsibility to keep the gutters in front of your property clear so that stormwater can flow and that benefits everyone.

And finally, had the opportunity yesterday with Mr.

Kling to attend the governor's address to the chamber hosted the governor's update and a phrase I counted four times.

She said we need to keep our foot on the gas.

And that made me think of what we're doing here in Huntsville.

We are keeping our the foot on the gas and keeping it between the lines, and the presentation you heard tonight on TIF9 is just one of the ways we continue to move forward and continue to make progress.

But I have noticed that we have at least I think two scouts here with us tonight.

If you would like to come to the microphone, please.

You weren't expecting this, were you?

Introduce yourselves and uh tell us uh about you.

I know you're here working on a badge.

Tell us what level you are and what badge you're working on.

I think you're working on a communications badge, so you know this will give you an opportunity to communicate.

Just come to this this podium right here.

Taking the city.

We're glad you're here.

You're here, by the way.

My name is Matthew Danson.

I am with the scout troop of it.

Voice Spirit School Troop 361, and I'm doing this for my communication mayor badge.

And see there, I bet you can check something on the badge off because you spoke at a city council meeting.

I am Blake Downson.

I'm doing the same as him.

Communications also.

And were you all were you all on the tour that I did with you with your with your troop?

Okay, well, because I did one with your troop.

Wonderful.

Welcome.

We are glad that you are here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And keep going until you get your eagle and don't stop.

Good.

So close, very good.

Um, okay.

Let the record show Mr.

Meredith has returned, and we will proceed now with the rest of our business meeting.

14A is a resolution authorizing expenditures for payment.

I move for authorization and approval of expenditures in the amount of 59,196,613.64 cents.

Second.

Mr.

Meredith makes the motion.

Mr.

Little makes the second.

All in favor, please indicate.

Aye.

Any pose, the motion carries.

And Mr.

Meredith, I believe we have a report on the May 28th meeting.

Is that correct?

Oh, yes, not tonight.

Right, not tonight.

May 28th meeting.

Very good.

Thank you.

14B is an ordinance approving appropriations, goods, and services for District 1, Council Improvement Funds.

Chair moves for approval.

Second.

Second from Ms.

Watkins.

Ms.

Watkins, would you like to share with us the good work you are doing?

Yes.

These council funds will go to the schools foundation.

And this is for the purpose of teachers in District 1 getting national board certification.

I think it's very important for us to offer that support to the school's foundation as well as the teachers.

Thank you, Ms.

Watkins.

Any other comments, questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Opposed motion carries.

14C is an ordinance approving appropriations, goods or services for district two council improvement funds.

Move to approve.

Motion from Mr.

Little, second, second from Mr.

Kling.

Mr.

Little, would you like to share with us the use of these funds?

Yes, ma'am.

This is a $10,000 fund to or uh donation to Ports Fest five points to advance uh public and cultural enrichment of fosters community engagement, supports local creative development, and connects Huntsville residents with music arts and mental wellness resources.

Thank you.

Any questions or comments?

All in favor, please indicate.

I oppose motion carries.

We have no board surprisingly, no board appointments to be voted on, and no board appointment nominations.

Are there any nominations from the floor?

Seeing none, we will move forward then with item 17.

17A is a resolution authorizing the mayor to approve adding a line item to the fiscal year 26 electric capital budget in the amount of 500,000 dollars and to the fiscal year 27 electric capital budget in the amount of 5.5 million dollars to fund Project Gemini.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion from Mr.

Meredith, second from Mr.

Little.

Um, so we have a presentation from Huntsville Utilities.

Yeah, Chris Jones, Chief Operating Officer of Huntsville Utilities.

Welcome.

Thanks for having me tonight.

Um this resolution is for capital funding needed to construct a new substation to interconnect the solar development near Triana, or we call Project Gemini.

Um as you guys recall on April 9th, City Council approved land lease for the project.

Madison County also approved the same land lease.

Those are really the two final hurdles to get this project moving.

So the total cost to build the substation is six million dollars.

The $500,000 needed for this year would be for engineering design and site work.

Uh the remainder remaining $5.5 million would be for material equipment and construction.

We anticipate completion in the fall of 2027.

And as you may recall, uh the solar developer needed to move somewhat quickly due to the tax credits expiring.

So that means we need to move somewhat quickly as well to keep up.

And I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Questions for Mr.

Jones.

Questions?

I think the question that always gets asked, is this going to raise rates for any of our customers?

Uh no, ma'am.

This will actually uh lower the cost of energy and it will save us uh with some demand charges from TVA.

Terrific.

Thank you so much.

All in favor, please indicate.

Any opposed, motion carries.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

We have several legal department items and transactions.

18A is an ordinance authorizing the vacation of a utility and drainage easement between lots 14 and 15, West Park Subdivision 205 and 215 West Park Loop.

Is there motion to approve?

Motion to approve.

Motion for Mr.

Meredith, second from Mr.

Little.

Any questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Is an ordinance authorizing the vacation of a portion of utility drainage agement lot twenty-nine block one governor's bend subdivision twenty-two sixty-six governors bend road.

Motion to motion from Mr.

Meredith, second from Mr.

Little.

Any questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Aye.

Any any posed, motion carries.

18C, it has been deleted at the request of the sponsor.

We will move on to 19 unfinished business items for action.

19A is an ordinance renaming the portion of Cleveland Avenue from Meridian Street to Church Street to microwave Dave Way.

Move for approval.

Motion from Mr.

Kling, second from Mr.

Little.

Um any comments, discussion?

All in favor, please indicate.

I agree.

I oppose the motion.

I'm sorry.

Um if I can.

I know there are folks in the audience that have been wanting us to rename a certain street, and we have not done it because there are people on that street.

There are occupants on this particular stretch of street.

So what is the difference?

Why are we doing this and not the other?

I know the answer, but just for the public's okay, Mr.

Kling, you had there are uh there were identified to be uh six business people involved, and six business people involved all came forward and said they wanted this to happen.

So that is why it's being done.

It was in fact, in a way, I believe it was partially uh or co-initiated by uh two of those business people, and so that's why it's being done.

And Ms.

Mr.

Nunez, do you have anything to add to that?

No, I echo the same sentiment because these properties were assessed.

If that was a valid question, thank you for asking it and good answer.

Any other questions?

I do have questions, but not for Mr.

Nunes.

Thank you, Ms.

Nunes.

It's really a comment.

Um I know that there are some citizens that are here as well as some that are not here that have expressed their concern about a road that they feel is um derogatory to one of our friends.

And so I think that you know how quickly we got this done.

Let's look at getting that done as well.

And I I think that was the point that Mr.

Meredith.

I want to reiterate it.

But still have the floor.

So I do want them to know that we are looking at it.

We have not forgotten, and so uh when can we look at getting this done and who would we talk to to get the steps started?

That's that's probably like Shane's such a talk offline.

We'll talk about it.

Um and not to take away from from this action.

Uh all in favor, please indicate.

I think any opposed motion carries, and this presentation will be made at the May 17th graduation event.

19B is an ordinance to name the dog park located at I-565 and Pratt Avenue, known as the downtown dog with spot to the microwave Dave dog spot.

Motion from Mr.

Meredith, second from Mr.

Little.

Um, any conversation question with regard to this.

All in favor, please indicate.

I posed, motion carries.

19 C is an ordinance to amend ordinance, and again, that that uh that or um action will also be presented at the May 17th event.

19C is an ordinance to amend ordinance number 94-523, which establishes precinct boundary lines for municipal elections.

Motion for Mr.

Meredith, second from Mr.

Little, Ms.

Edwards, could you please share with us what we're doing here?

Good evening, Council, Mayor Battle, Shandrake Edwards, City Clerk.

Tonight I'm presenting an amendment to ordinance number 94-523, which pertains to the election precinct boundary lines within the city of Huntsville.

First, I want to thank each of you.

We had an opportunity to meet a few weeks ago, and your feedback was much appreciated, and we are taking those into consideration ahead of each election cycle.

Um, but I also want to thank Joel Watson.

He's our assistant city attorney who for the last three months has been assisting me along with Amy Keenum, our GIS manager, and Rachel Cunningham, our GIS specialist, they wrote the entire 166-page document to update this ordinance.

So I do want to thank our GIS department tonight.

Like much of what we do, we are driven by a state statute, and this is no different.

Code Section 11-46-23 says that the municipal governing body may at its discretion adjust our boundary lines, and we must make no such adjustment within three months of any municipal election.

So your consideration tonight is very important.

We know there is an election coming up, August 25th for districts 2, three, and four.

And should you consider this ordinance tonight?

As the municipal clerk, I must file it this within five days with Madison County.

So why are we doing this?

It is important that we establish a baseline for our citywide voting precincts for a number of reasons.

We know since 1994 there has been substantial growth within the city of Huntsville, but also we want to ensure that our election process is efficient and that our voters are going to the most convenient location within the district.

And then lastly, it's important here that we collaborate with Madison County.

We've talked about the county a lot tonight.

I have spoken with the probate judge, the board of registrars, the circuit clerk all this week ahead of tonight, because I did not want to surprise them with our changes with the primaries going on.

But before I get into the updates, I do want to stress that any change we make here, they do not impact Madison County elections, and I think it's important that I say that now because the primary election is next week.

Okay.

Tonight I will say alternate polling locations a lot, and I wanted to explain.

I know the council had this question, and I thought it was important for the public to hear it as well.

First, like I said, Madison County, they administer all county, state, and federal elections.

I am responsible for just the municipal election, and that's important for the record.

But Madison County does assign alternate polling locations where a voter may vote at a location that is not within the city limits for the county.

And to break that down a little bit, one great example is Hampton Cove.

For the primaries next week, they may go to Hampton Cove Church of Christ, but for the municipal election, they will go to an alternate location, which is River Tree Church.

And that's important because by statute, our voters must vote within the city limits.

And you asked the question, I thought maybe the public should hear that as well.

We have 31 alternate polling locations out of the 70 from Madison County.

So it's important for the record that you understand this has been going on for three decades.

Alternate polling locations is not new.

I talked to the county, we kind of dug a little bit to find out the history, and this has been going on for almost 30 years.

Thank you to GIS for this map.

This is a great map that outlines all 39 of our precincts.

And I know you're probably looking out west what's going on over there in 104, and we're gonna talk about district five, honestly, most of the presentation.

A lot of the growth that we have experienced is out west, and I know district five for the record does not have an election this year, but because we're establishing a baseline for all five of your districts, it was important that we go ahead and we talk through the changes for all five districts.

But we will talk a little bit more about the West a little bit later in the presentation.

But this gives a great snapshot of all 39 across the city of Huntsville.

So the good news is we have 39 precincts, but I only have six adjustments for your approval tonight.

So we aren't talking about all 39.

Most of what exists today is not changing.

So I want to say that, especially for districts two, three, and four.

You won't hear me speak on districts two, three, or four much tonight.

We do have one update that we're going to talk about in district three, but for the most part, a lot of it is in five and some in district one.

But the first adjustment that I am asking you for consideration tonight, Chase Park Church of Christ is an alternate polling location that is not within the city limits.

It's on Witchester Road.

And as you look at my maps, to the left, you'll see the original and as it exists today, and thank you to GIS for this.

On the right, you will see the change.

The first thing is this church is not in the city limits.

We have been utilizing it, and we want to make sure that we're making adjustments where we need to to make it right.

I am removing Chase Park Church of Christ with your approval and reassigning those voters to Alabama AM University.

That is their next closest precinct.

So you may ask how many residents are affected by this change.

There are 32 households.

And if you look at the census calculation times 1.9 to get the voting age population within those households, there's about 61 voters that could be impacted with this change.

Not major, luckily, but we do have to ensure that we're presenting to you the number of voters that could be impacted here.

In addition to the 32 households, there are some apartments off of Winchester that are within the city limits.

We're looking at about 344 units.

And when you look at the total voting age population for this change, we're looking at about 715 voters.

That will now go to Alabama AM.

The second adjustment that I want to talk through tonight, precinct 56 and 77 were never assigned an alternate.

This area on Highway 72 is newly annexed areas.

We know we have grown out west, but we also know in District 1, we've expanded as well, and we need to truly look at all of our annexations, and tonight's ordinance does take into account all annexations through April 30th.

And that's why we're waiting to now to do that because if we were going to establish a baseline, we want to make sure we took into consideration all of our indexations.

But what I want you to look at, the small piece of precinct 77.

Currently, there are no residents, but we do have one plan subdivision being developed there, but there are no residents at this time.

The lower portion, precinct 56 and 77, that's floodplain and industrial park.

So again, no residents, so very minimal impact with this change.

We thought it was important to go ahead and establish an assignment though, should there be residents with the subdivision being developed.

The next adjustment is Morgan County and Marshall County.

Like I mentioned earlier, we have expanded across four counties, and we have never assigned Morgan and Marshall County a precinct.

There are no residents affected with this change, but should there ever be residents in this area, they will go to precinct 21, which is Farley Community Church.

That is the closest precinct for those potential voters.

Okay, there's a lot going on with this one.

I want to make sure that I break this down.

This is district five.

First, I want you to look at uh precinct 78 in the red and 84 in the purple area.

They were originally assigned to precinct 54 Sherwood.

However, many of the residents were concerned about this because they were driving all the way to Sherwood Baptist Church, and if you look all the way on Madison Pike, they were bypassing precinct 101, which is Wall Highway Baptist Church, and I got a lot of calls in 2024 on this, but unfortunately, with the timing, we could not make that adjustment.

But I did talk to those voters and said we will look at this when time comes around, and this was our opportunity to make this right.

This will save them I would say probably 17 minutes with our traffic at this time in that area, to be honest.

It doesn't seem far, but you know, after five, it could potentially be about a 20-minute drive that could save them, and their home is right there bypassing Wall Highway Baptist Church.

So we are really excited about this change, and we hope you consider it tonight.

This change would affect 1,056 households, and if you look at the voting age population, we're looking at a little over 2,000 single-family households.

There are several apartment complexes as well, and I just want to make sure those blue triangles actually would look like dots to you, that indicates residents.

And we use garbage pickups to determine the count that I've been going through tonight.

Again, there are several apartments, cottages at Indian Creek, 56 units, Highland Point, 292 units, and Highfield at Madison, 258 units.

If they were all occupied, we are looking at a little over 3,000 voting age populations affected if the units were occupied in all the homes.

And I know that seems like a lot, but we would make every effort to add machines and poll workers, and honestly, this location is very well ran, but we will make sure we add all the necessary resources.

But I do believe the voters will be very happy.

The next adjustment number five, precinct 70 in red, very tiny at the top of your screen.

You should see that up there next to precinct 51.

They were assigned to Sherwood, and you can see Sherwood at the bottom of the screen again off of Old Madison Pike.

Most of that area was assigned to 51, which is West Huntsville Church of Christ.

And we want to eliminate voter confusion because this neighborhood was split, and we did not want the neighborhood, some going to Sherwood, and then the other half going to West Huntsville Church of Christ.

So for consistency, we are asking to reassign that small portion of precinct 70 to also be assigned to precinct 51, West Huntsville Church of Christ.

And this is the same as the adjoining area in Limestone County.

So it's really for consistency.

Again, we take into account the census calculation when we get the total number of voters.

This area again, we're looking at district five.

There is a very small portion of precinct 89 in red at the top of your screen, which was originally assigned to precinct 104, which is Daystar, and it was not contiguous with the rest of the area on Highway 72.

And so what we will be doing here is reassigning those voters to also go to precinct 54.

But they were driving from 72 all the way to Daystar when most of the neighboring community was going to Sherwood.

Precinct 63, which is in the purple area, was split between 104 Daystar and alternate precinct 54, Sherwood, and we will reassign those voters to Sherwood.

And this is a better solution because we really need to balance out Daystar and Sherwood.

Right now, we know there's a lot of growth in District 5, and we're trying to balance out the number of voters so that we're not overcrowding Daystar.

One thing to mention about Precinct 63, it looks like a lot of coverage, but most of that is redstone arsenal, and we do not have a large number of eligible voters in this area.

There's actually no single family homes impacted, and if you look at the purple area where the kind of the A for the residents and those apartments, that's all that's affected here.

Alexandria Apartments, 258 units, Art Street apartments 278, Madison Park, 308, PAX and Place, 350 units, and we're looking at a little over 1,100 units and a little over 2,200 voting age population affected.

Again, most of this is Redstone Arsenal.

That's it for my updates.

Last thing I just want to stress again, as you've seen, there was very minimal changes to districts two, three, and four.

With the election coming up, honestly, they're very stable.

Uh, there was really no major concerns in Districts 2, three, and 4, with the exception of ensuring that we address Morgan and Marshall County.

And what you consider tonight will go into effect beginning August 25th of this year.

Any changes that we make, I will continue to work with GIS and the county so that we can send out new voter cards.

They will come from not just my office, but by law, the board of registrars, they must send new cards out.

We will pay for that, and we will also print cars as well, just to make sure we have covered our bases, and the word has gotten out for all the changes tonight.

We will continue to monitor annexations ahead of every election cycle to make sure that we're come before you with any additional changes.

We will continue.

One good thing, and we've talked about this Councilman Meredith, we do have a new recreation center that in 2028, because we own and operate it, I don't feel that there will be any issues with adding our recreation center as a new polling location.

That will allow us to alleviate some of the pressures off of day star, and so we will look at doing that, and I'll talk more about that with um John Hamilton.

And I'll be glad to answer any questions that you have.

Council members, the time is yours for discussion.

Mr.

Meredith.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, on the cards, at least going to district five, since we are not in an election cycle.

Will the cards be sent upon your filing this or will they be held until 28th election cycle for us?

I think right now with other elections going on, and I think it's most appropriate to wait until it's closer to the time.

If we send it now, it I mean, two years, we don't know if they'll be able to even find it.

So I think it's best to wait until the beginning of 2028.

I would support that.

Okay.

Not that I have a vote in that, but I would support that.

And also um with the West Huntsville Rec Center.

Um, I too have had some conversation, assuming your conversations have at least included uh Judge Barger of that being uh uh a potential uh named polling location later.

So we do anticipate that and hope it works out.

But um I talked this office this week.

Um I talked to Megan Foster, his elections administrator, and she was happy to hear she said we need it as well.

Can we please consider it?

So we look forward to offering that to them as well.

Great.

Thank you very much.

The work phenomenal.

If I could get a copy of the slides, that would be great.

Absolutely, um, kudos.

Did a great job.

Thank you.

No, thank you so much.

A lot of work to do in district five, but it's it's good work.

Well, you I think it really did, and you know I'll let you know when you I think you have it, but it's really nice to be able to say you did a great job with it.

Thank you, yes.

You will any other questions or comments?

Uh but Mr.

McLean.

Redundant, but playing off of uh councilman Meredith, you're gonna be doing communications to the uh voters in districts two, three, and fours about the changes that have taken place prior to August 25th.

So there are actually no voters that were impacted that we needed to send cards because in district three it was Morgan and Marshall, there are no residents, and then in two and four, we didn't make any changes.

Good.

I just want you to put that out there so we wouldn't get phone calls over the weekend about that.

Absolutely, and I'll repeat that we did not make any major changes to districts two, three, or four.

District three changes, there were no residents at this time.

But you know, we do know that could come and we will address it at that time, but I don't foresee that happening ahead of your election.

And I would just make one observation that occurred to me as we were going through the slides.

Uh, municipal elections have notoriously low voter turnout, and so I'm thinking this will maybe.

If you don't have to go all the way to Sherwood Park, if you can vote closer to home, it may actually help voter turnout.

So I think that might be an unintended consequence here that it would be a very good thing.

And you're right.

Uh I really want to push our voter turnout to increase.

We are at approximately seven percent.

Our, unfortunately, I hate to say this, our overall turnout in 24 was less than one precinct, total expected voters.

We need to do better, and we're a large municipality, and I think we can do that.

So this this may help that.

So thank you for that.

Thank you for the work, Ms.

Edwards, you and your team made, Mr.

Watson, Ms.

Keenum, and all the whole GIS team.

Um this was a challenging project, and y'all did a great job.

So thank you for that.

Thank you for your consideration.

So uh all in favor, please indicate.

Thank you.

19 D is an ordinance to amend chapter 3 alcoholic beverages, Article 3 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Huntsville, subsection A of Section 3-13, hours of sale and operation.

Motion to approve motion from Mr.

Meredith, second from Mr.

Little.

Mr.

Nunez, please help us understand what we're doing here.

Good evening, Council members.

Thomas Nunez, manager of planning and zoning services.

So this is an action that will uh adopt and change the hours of sales and operations, particularly for our special retailers.

Our special retailers are those entities like our uh public authority, similar to like the airport, our museums, our state parks.

Um we've gotten some requests over time in regards to when alcoholic beverage sales could actually commence.

The current ordinance read as the Lows at 10 a.m.

This will adjust that time and allow those particular authorities to therefore operate earlier or sooner.

Um over the years, we've gotten complaints or not complaints but requests in itself from um residents who uh have anxiety or other issues as they travel and fly.

Uh they would like to um have a beverage or so and then consume many of our other national airports also have this same play thing in place.

So we deemed it appropriate to bring that to you.

Although it talks about special retailers, I've given you some um some some um some cover in this action.

There are other special retailers that are like event places.

Those places go through special exception and border zoning adjustments so there is caveats that we can control the hours of operation for those.

So they don't they although they're special retailers, they don't fall within this ordinance because of the border zoning adjustment and special exception process that can control the hours of operation for those instances.

This will strictly focus on the museums, state parks, and um public authorities that hold a special retailer's license.

Questions for Mr.

Nunez.

Mr.

Meredith.

Thank you, Madam President.

You said the current uh start time is 10 a.m.

What are you what would it put your request to it would change to six a.m.?

So there's a prohibited time from 2 a.m.

to 6 a.m.

The current is 2 a.m.

to 10 a.m.

And then on Saturdays and Sundays, there are also a request of 2 a.m.

to 6 a.m.

Sounds great.

Thank you very much, Madam President.

Any other comments or questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Motion carries.

Thank you, Mr.

Nunez.

19E is an ordinance annexing 2.47 acres of land lying on the south side of old highway 20, east of Green Briar Parkway.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion to approve.

As uh council members, as you said, this is located south side of old highway 20 and east of Greenborough Parkway.

Uh petition is seeking to annex uh for city services is overall 2.47 acres.

Uh the proposal is for a office use.

This is near uh Mazda Toyota is just to the north by northeast, and also to the south is Amazon Plant 1, uh located just south by southeast.

Questions for Mr.

Nunez?

All oh, Mr.

Meredith?

No, no, thank you.

All in favor, please indicate motion carries.

Thank you, Council members.

Council members, this brings us to item 20.

Um we've been going for two hours now, and so I would propose we take a break, but before we do, um, are there any items that anyone wishes to hold, and that will give the administration a chance to get to part appropriate department heads a head up?

So any items anyone wishes to hold for 20.

Ms.

Watkins.

20 D.

G.

M.

N.

Q.

R, T, A, A, A, B, A, C, A D, A, F.

Any other items anyone wishes to hold.

I would like to add a 20 E.

That's it, just 20E.

And I would add item uh 20I and 20J.

So items to be held.

Item D, item E, item G, item A, I, item J, item N, M, Q, R, T, Double A, Double B, Double, or A C, Double A, A, B, A C, A, D, A, F.

Did I capture everything?

Looks like we are going to need that break.

So I would propose that we take a break and reconvene at 742 and we will resume.

Yes, sir.

Do that.

Um, can we move to consolidate the other stuff?

Or no?

Well, let's we'll just do all of that at the same time when we come back.

So a break uh until 742.

All right, it is 742, and this session of the Huntsville City Council meeting on uh May 14th is called back to order, and we will uh begin our work on paragraph 20 new business items for consideration or action.

The council members have requested that items D E G, I, J, M, N, Q, R, T, A, A, B, A, C, A, D, and A F are to be held.

Does anyone have anything else they want to hold?

Is that good?

Do we capture all of them?

Then the chair moves for consolidation of items 20A, B, and C, 20 F, 20H, 20 K and L, 20 O and P, 20 S, 20U to Z, 20 AE, and 20 A G to A M.

Is there a second?

All in favor indicate?

Aye.

Aye.

Motion carries those items are consolidated and approved.

And we will now uh consider items that council members uh have chosen to remove for separate consideration.

We will begin with 20 D.

20 D is a resolution author authorizing the mayor to enter into an asset purchase and contract termination agreement among the City of Huntsville, Huntsville venue group, F and B LLC, and Huntsville Venue Group Amphitheater LLC for the city's purchase from F and B of its food and beverage concession assets used at Orion Amphitheater and the Food Village together the Orion an amended and restated operating agreement between the city and HVGA respecting the operation and management of Orion and various other related documents and actions is there a motion to approve on the motion to approve motion from the mayor and a second from Mr.

Kling.

Mr Hamilton.

Good evening council members John Hamilton, city administrator thank you for the opportunity to to discuss this one of the things uh and I will apologize up front that this is uh a fairly long uh presentation but I think it's necessary because for a couple different reasons one what's before you while we uh see it as a good news story uh for the city financially uh it's also very very complicated some of that complication is because the nature of what we're doing here and it kind of has multiple actions all tied to each other uh but also one of the things I found just engaging with citizens and even sometimes with city staff talking about uh operations at the Orion there's aspects of it that I don't think is well understood and so I want to hopefully tonight uh help educate folks and get a little bit of understanding about how this piece of public infrastructure is operated uh but then also uh obviously go through with you the details of what we're asking you to approve tonight so uh this this affects uh really kind of all aspects of the way in which we financially perform at the Orion so first off you know when we uh started back uh I guess really kind of 2018 and 2019 uh moving forward on developing amphitheater uh for our community uh we we did a lot of study of how other amphitheaters are used uh around the southeastern U.S.

in particular uh and really identified some things that we want to do a little bit differently here uh and we we found a model in St.

Augustine Florida actually that uh that replicated some of the things we want to do and what that's really represented there is as you see on that chart uh broken out activity into different categories a lot of amphitheaters uh are built in communities and they put on 1820 30 big concerts a year and every other day out of the year they're just sit there dark uh and we decided we wanted this piece of public infrastructure to do more for our community than just that while we certainly wanted that uh and we've been pretty successful in attracting some uh some concerts that otherwise would not have come to Huntsville uh we also want to use it for other kinds of cultural enrichment recreational even fitness opportunities for our communities that's that second category you see there uh and have been pretty successful in doing that now one aspect of that and it's when I when I talk about the financials that second category those community and cultural events are generally free to the public or very very low cost uh and they aren't we're not setting out to make money off of them they aren't intended uh they aren't structured to be financially profitable on their own not really dissimilar to a rec center when we build a rec center and then offer opportunities for people to do fitness and recreation other kinds of things we don't uh you know when we opened the West Huntsville rec center we didn't say hey we're gonna turn a profit off this that wasn't that's the ROI we're looking for in that rec center is really quality of life and it's opportunities for our community and so we wanted the amphitheater to to perform similarly for those community cultural event categories we certainly expect the major concerts in the aggregate to be profitable.

Sometimes a big concert comes in and a promoter uh has misread the demand and and is not profitable and uh and and those losses are shared oftentimes between the venue and the promoter so but in the aggregate our concerts have been financially profitable and uh we certainly expect that to continue on into the future so we've seen uh in terms of the use and the impact that we believe is happening in our community from a quality of life perspective uh we've seen the Orion do exactly what we set out to do uh and we expect it to get even better in future years but what's somewhat complicated and and sometimes confusing for folks is how is it that we operate it and I want to emphasize we'll start with the with the stuff there in the in the uh in the oval shape and the egg shape uh a lot of folks because uh we have contracted with a private company to operate on our behalf.

I encounter people who think it's a private venue, and it is not.

I want the citizens to Huntsville to know that they own the amphitheater.

That is a city building, that is city owned land.

Now we've we've done it through the PBA, and we'll talk about that a little bit, but the PBA is an extension of the city government.

But the city, the citizens of Huntsville own that the same way they own rec centers, the same way they own this city hall, the same way they own the VBC and and other some of the museum facilities and things, they they own that asset.

We have chosen uh to operate it with uh with a private company.

Now, how does that compare to say like the VBC?

The BBC is also not operated by a city department.

While the city owns the physical asset decades ago now, uh the city decided to have a volunteer board, go hire employees and operate it on our behalf.

But financially, it is the city's asset, it's just operated on our behalf by that board, and we have museums and other things that are very very similar.

Uh we could have done that with the amp with the Orion.

You know, we could have said, hey, we'll appoint a volunteer board and have them hire employees and operate it the same way the BBC is in that particular case.

In our judgment, we felt that bringing in a company that had some of the experience and the relationships that they have in the music industry, it would uh be valuable to rely on around that type of relationship to operate it.

But when we talk about the asset, we own it, we the city own it, the citizens of Huntsville own it.

And when we talk about it financially, uh I hear people talk about you know HBG's budget.

HBG Huntsville venue group amphitheater is that company.

They don't have their own budget, they manage our city budget.

So uh as a component of our general fund, when uh when Ms.

Smith brings you the budget every September, uh, along with lots of other things obviously that's buried into that budget, you are approving the financial uh package that we uh do out at the at the Orion.

So that is that is our money.

When it makes a dollar, it's the citizen's dollar.

When they lose a dollar, it's a citizen's dollar.

And so that I think is important to understand.

Now, uh as we move forward in the development of the Orion, there was a proposal brought forward, and Mr.

Davis, you know, led uh as he does with all of our economic development projects, led uh pursuing an opportunity to partner with the company.

Uh now is that a sister company to Huntsville Venue Group Amphitheater, uh, but known as Huntsville Venue Group Food and Beverage LSC, but a separate company, but it is definitely related at the corporate level uh to our operator to actually do private investment and private development adjacent to the amphitheater.

And I'll I'll get to some satellite thoughts here to kind of help with the real estate aspect of this.

But we went and entered into a development agreement.

We the city entered development agreement and a ground lease with them, so they could do that development.

Uh and as a component of that, they then had to enter into the concessions contract to run all the food and beverage operations in and around the Orion.

Some of that arrangement and the necessity to do it that way is driven by state laws that relates to alcohol licensing.

The way that campus functions, you can only have one alcohol license, so the opportunity to split it up into multiple entities did not exist, and so we needed to have a single concessions contract.

So, in simple terms, that's the structure, and we'll go into more detail on it now.

So the picture to the left shows you the site.

I've I've broken it up into three sub areas, but if you all those three areas together that's in the in the color polygons, is the parcel of land owned by the PBA and leased to the city.

Now, in this specifically in that red area, the amphitheater areas that's labeled there, uh the PBA also constructed the amphitheater, and they are technically the owners.

So any time that we do a piece of public infrastructure through the public building authority, they have to actually hold the deed to it and then lease it back to the city.

And so we lease it at whatever their debt service payment is for the 20 years.

And we did borrow some money for this, uh, and that's on a 20-year uh debt cycle, like all of our debt is.

So PBA owns the area in red, leased it to the city, and then we entered into an operating agreement with HBG Amphitheater, and as noted there, they on our behalf enter into that concessions contract with HBG food and beverage.

Dairy and Blue is the area that's been referred to as the food village.

Uh that area again owned by the PBA and leased to the city, and then as part of that development agreement, we sublased that area to them.

What we subleased to them was vacant dirt, and they then uh built uh a couple buildings and a lot of other uh improvements 100% at their private investment.

So they own those improvements that are on that dirt.

Leased from the ground is leased from us, but they own all of the physical improvements, all the work that's occurred inside that area.

The third area, what we call remaining area.

There's also some references to it as green space.

That is kind of a forested extension of uh really extension of Apollo's uh park.

We sometimes refer to it as Apollo South.

Nothing about tonight changes that.

That's just parkland.

When there's not an event going on, the gates are open, people go in there and you know walk down in the woods and stuff, but it uh but it does not really tie to the operations of the Orion and it's not any way affected by tonight's actions.

So uh you see this again, and in real simple terms, like sometimes like do the bottom line up front with your approval tonight.

What happens if the some reason?

Hold on a second.

That happens.

Okay, that was more complicated than it needed to be.

So essentially, as we go through this tonight, what we're asking you to do is to buy out all the physical assets uh and then buy out the contract they have so that we can absorb the financial aspects of that business fully into the Orion.

We'll go through the numbers on that.

So, first, what were the terms that they had?

They have a sublease that was uh 10 years plus a five-year renewal, so there were 12 years total remaining on their rights to uh to the ground lease.

Uh the rent for that ground lease was seven percent of the gross revenues on the food and beverage operations, and so uh we have we in terms of the profit and loss statement for the Orion, as we track their financials, there was some money coming in from food and beverage, but what we now know from four years of experience and and and just seeing how things have developed, we really need to improve that uh that financial result for the taxpayers.

Okay.

What were the improvements they made?

So, first off, uh they constructed and they maintain all the improvements out there in that sublease area, what was referred to as the food village.

Their initial investment within that area was a little bit over six million dollars.

They also, when we constructed uh the Orion, uh we actually did not do any of the finishes in any of the concessions areas.

So if you've been out there to a concert and you've gone to to any one of those concessions areas, uh what you walk up to when we originally turned it over uh to HVG food and beverage, those were just shelled out empty spaces.

They did all the furnishings, they did all the equipping, all the signage, everything that it takes to make those work.

Those were all capital assets they invested and they still own.

And those all together were about three and a half million.

So at the uh at the outset, they invested about nine and a half million dollars and they own those assets.

Uh we actually we got an appraisal as part of this process.

They're currently valued at a little bit over 8.8 million.

So that is the current assessed uh and appraised value of all the capital assets.

So that component of this uh this proposed transaction.

We are buying buildings, we are buying hard infrastructure, and we are buying equipment and supplies and things uh that they currently own.

This gives you a little bit of this was their plans.

If you've been out there, you know what uh what they refer to here as the barn is what they've now uh branded as Jeff and Blues, of course, a large pavilion, and then a lot of uh infrastructure improvements that accommodate all the food trucks and uh and and some of the event spaces and things.

It's outside of the amphitheater building itself.

And that's uh that's a satellite shot, so you see what it looks like today.

And you know, so in pictorial form, uh this transaction tonight would eliminate that as a separate sub-lease area, and all of that would become part of the amphitheater site and fully under our ownership and then operations uh management of uh HBGA.

So, what are the assets to purchase?

So, as I've mentioned, the buildings, the improvements all throughout the uh food village area, all the furnishings, equipment, improvements in the concessions area inside the amphitheater, all on hand supplies, materials, service, utensils, equipment, every single thing it takes for them to function there.

The intellectual property, so all of the branding and marketing materials, the menus, and all those kinds of things.

Uh, and the net and and buying out the contractual rights and the net present value uh 12 years of anticipated and in what they have in terms of a contractual rights to revenues, net present value is 10 million dollars.

So, what are we proposing in consideration for that in payment for that?

Is a total of 12 million dollars in cash, and then we do need to do some restructuring to the operating agreement.

Now, you know, so let's let's line that up.

As I uh said the uh the capital asset is appraised at 8.8.

We have agreed to a price of 8 million, so about 10% below the appraised value of of those assets, uh, and then a contract buyout of 4 million uh against a net present value of 10 million.

And the operating agreement, this is important because you know what it how is this thing uh managed on our behalf?

How do we incentivize good financial decisions and what does this look like for our citizens?

They continue to use it.

Start on the left-hand side, you know, some of the important aspects of this agreement that do not change from the existing agreement as it stands today.

There's no change to their terms.

Uh they're currently in the first 10-year term, which expires in 2032.

There are some mutual uh rights to extension on the backside of that.

So if they're still performing uh and doing what we need them to do, they'll we'll have the right to uh to extend this agreement beyond uh 2032, but that's a decision that will need to come back before city council when we get a lot closer to 2032.

There's no change in their minimum performance metrics.

There are uh specific metrics in place of uh things that they have to do, and I'll talk here in a little bit about uh how we're structuring the incentive package for them.

It is based on minimum performance standards, and if they don't meet those standards, they don't get the payment.

Uh there's no change to in their programming obligations, no change to termination clauses or any of the insurances and demnifications and things, and no change to facility maintenance standards.

Most of the facility maintenance that occurs there is their responsibility.

There are some things that are held back that general services assist them with, uh, but the vast majority of uh of the day-to-day maintenance and improvements are all um managed by them.

And we do have a capital uh CapEx account uh that promoters and users of the facility have to contribute to in order to help pay for those future improvements and maintenance and things.

On the right hand side are the things that uh that are being adjusted in the operating agreement from where it sits today to what is proposed to amend it to tonight.

So, first off, you know, in the existing agreement, why why that concessions agreement could even exist is in the in the prior agreement.

Uh they had the right to do that.

Now, we also, because of the development agreement, the way we're trying to encourage some private development, needed them to do it.

Uh but what we do here is uh prohibit them from ever contracting out food and beverage again.

It has to be retained internal.

And what's important about that is retained internal to the Orion operations managed by HVGA on our behalf, but what's really important is 100% of those revenues have to go onto our profit and loss statement as opposed to going to a private company on the outside as it exists today.

Uh there are a number of different categories of sponsorships in the venue.

Some are paid directly to the city, some are absorbed into the PL of the operating budget there.

Specifically beverage company sponsorships, which currently go to HBG Food and Beverage will now come directly to the city.

Uh right now, uh, where they said there's multiple different companies they have sponsorship agreements with, that's about $200,000 a year that will now come directly to the city that is not in the existing agreement.

Uh we do, as part of this increased scope for HVGA and is and is as a component of working the buyout of the contract.

We are increasing their gross revenue share to HVGA.

And so when we think about it in the existing agreement, there's really two ways in which uh HBGA can uh can earn money.

One is uh a share of gross revenues as just a base management fee, and then there is a structured uh net profit share.

One of the challenges, and I'll uh some subsequent slides to get a little bit more detail.

Uh in the existing agreement, the way the net profit was structured, uh we now know in hindsight it was essentially impossible for them to earn it.

And so, you know, the reason you want to line up an incentive around profitability is to incentivize behavior, you know, incentivize maximizing revenues and minimizing expenses, but if you make that incentive impossible to achieve, it doesn't necessarily affect the behavior you're looking for.

And so we're looking to restructure that in a way where they really do have an opportunity to earn it.

If they earn it is because they're doing extremely well, then we're making more money, uh, but ultimately you need to restructure that to make that actually function as an incentive to them.

We do significantly increase their monthly and quarterly financial reporting uh requirements off of the existing agreement.

And we also, in the in in the existing agreement, the capex that we set as the price that a promoter has to contribute towards future to that to the capex and to the maintenance account.

Uh it had no escalators out in the future, it did not contemplate inflation.

Uh in conversation with them, we felt like there ought to be some step up in the future for promoters to pay in order to to contribute towards that.

So this does provide that in future years.

I think the first step up isn't until 2030 there's a couple step ups of there in the out and out years uh to improve that contribution into the capital uh accounts so if you use that I'm gonna use FY25 actual numbers here to kind of estimate for you how this uh how this money moves um uh because FY25 we think was you know was was a was a good year at the Orion and we feel like as we look at the first four years and kind of what we see we think it is fairly representative of what we ought to see going forward.

So on the left is the way it's currently structured under a 5% gross revenue uh share for their management fee HBGA got just short of two hundred thousand dollars but the profit incentive was set up on net of the entire operation uh at the percentage of breakdown you see there.

Well the way that is structured and with food and beverage being outside of the revenue stream for the Orion there realistically was no way for them to ever earn that so they got they got zero off that profit incentive.

But HBG FMB the separate company uh we did get you know as as required by the the lease payment seven percent of the gross revenues but ultimately the net income so the profitability of the food and beverage business was about 1.7 million dollars now that shouldn't be surprising when you look at any venue like this the most profitable segment of the business is going to be food and beverage and with a lot of emphasis on beverage and you can kind of see that by the nature of events there's there's some events where there's going to be you know more alcohol consumption is going to be some where there's very little and you can see the spin per head float up and down across those concerts you can really see how how food and beverage drives the revenue potential of a venue like this.

That's true at the VBC and and other places where we have these kind of operations.

So in the aggregate uh you know TVG the corporate uh between its two subsidiaries here functioning in and around the Orion uh took out about a 1.9 million dollar net uh income that they uh earned off the Orion now uh when you look at our budgeting uh and you just look at you know this year's budget FY26 we have had to budget in the general fund about two million dollars using round figures in order to balance the budget at the Orion uh and that lines up very very closely with what we're seeing uh go out and go to their corporate headquarters off the food and beverage business and so this is really about pulling that back into uh back into the Orion and so what you see on the right is the way those same set of numbers so using trying to do an apples apples comparison again using FY25 actual so had this new structure been in place for FY25 these are the estimates of uh of what would have happened there one is you see the the increased uh gross revenue so they would have their base management fee would have been about 700 thousand dollars and they actually would have been able to earn some of that uh that profit incentive and that would have been about three hundred thousand but the other piece of this new structure is they don't get that 1.7 million uh and but I want to go back up to the top because you know when we see hey you know they're getting uh they're able to grow their share a hundred percent of their compensation is tied to performance if revenues go up their share goes up but so does ours so every dollar that revenue goes up they get eight cents we get 92 cents uh and so we are just at the top line and obviously the top line is not all of where it's at that's just the beginning of a profit loss statement uh but right off the bat in their base management agreement we are incentivizing them to maximize revenues uh which can then flow down through the profit loss statement but we also want to make sure that they are focused on the actual net profitability in the segment of the business that is actually expected to be profitable and that's in those big concerts and so what you'll see in future profit loss statements one is breaking out so we see clear overhead of expenses, so we understand the expenses that it takes, regardless of what's going on at a day at the Orion, but then see the actual profit loss the and the net off of the concert segment as compared to all those free events that we're doing that are the community events.

But what this allows us to do is when you earn that profit off of the off the concert business, that money can then be used to fund those free events.

And we believe strongly in continuing to maintain and hopefully grow more and more of that broad, very inexpensive or even free uh where appropriate access to events in the Orion.

So that's that's what really this is about.

So what you you know when you compare in the aggregate.

So some folks say, okay, how much is TBG up in New York City making off of this under today's structure uh in FY25 about 1.9 million?

Under the new structure, it would have been about one million.

Uh and the rest of that money is staying right here in Huntsville, uh, and structured in a way that we believe better incentivizes the very financial and budget discipline that we all need to have, uh particularly in a place like this to drive that profitability.

So uh I've had some folks uh let me let me just hit y'all with some questions I've received, and then uh and then I certainly want to I want to hear your questions.

I've had folks say, okay, we're investing twelve million dollars.

What's the what's the payback on that?

How do we get our money back?

And I would say first off, we need to think and understand where that money goes and for what purpose.

The first portion of that, that eight million dollars, you're buying a real asset.

Uh and at the end of five years, ten years, fifteen years, twenty years, you still own those buildings, you still own those improvements, uh, like you do other city facilities.

Uh and so that that asset will continue to retain value, and so trying to compare, okay, how much of that eight million do I still have?

Obviously, we can get appraisals every so often and and put a number to it, uh, but it's not dissimilar to other uh capital investments we make in terms of uh building buildings and making improvements and stuff.

We we own those assets where right now today we don't.

So we're buying real assets.

I had somebody say, hey, you're just giving them a gift.

No, we're you know, the starting with the eight million piece, we are buying real things that have been inventoried and appraised, and we have a real appraised value on them today.

And and the price we're getting is a little bit below that appraised value.

Then the other piece is uh the operations.

Uh and we are essentially buying an operating successful business.

Uh now if if one of us wanted to go buy, you know, a high performing restaurant downtown, and you're just taking over the business as it exists and you're getting all of the all the menus and all of the all the staff and all the equipment and the building and everything, uh certainly there'd be a value to the building and the tables and the chairs and things, uh, but there would also be value to those future potential revenue streams.

Uh but in that example, you've actually got to go do work and earn those things.

And there's obviously work to be done here, but what what uh HPG food and beverage has is a contractual right to those revenues.

Uh and so if that somebody asks, well, why don't you just cancel the contract and kick them out?

Well, they have a legal right.

You know, we we and and the appropriate authorities approved and signed that contract, uh, and so you know that if we just said, hey, get out of here, we're taking over, they'd say, Well, we'll see you in court, and they would win that case because they have real contractual rights, and we need to honor uh those legal obligations that we collectively entered into.

Uh so the net present value of those reasonably uh modeled future revenues is about 10 million dollars.

And uh and we have been in negotiations for a while, uh, as you can imagine, they started at a bigger number than what we ultimately agreed to.

Uh so what we have agreed to is uh the four million dollars up front plus the for HBGA some improved revenue streams, but HVG F and B, it goes to zero, and so you see how those numbers behave.

But when you when you look at that, you know, that contract component of it, uh, you know, if we're improving our overall profitability there by that one and a half to two million dollar range, which is going to fluctuate year to year as uh as the concert business goes and and over time with inflation that number gets bigger.

Uh, but you're really the four million, you're getting back in about two and a half to three years, uh, and uh and then you're continuing to improve uh the uh the impact on the general fund.

What do I what do I think happens this year?

Because obviously we're making a decision mid-season.

Um, you know, I said in FY26, we need to budget about two million dollars in order to balance the budget.

I think we see that number get substantially better because of this.

Uh so it, you know, it's not gonna have a full year impact on FY26 because uh a chunk of the season's already gone, uh, but we do see immediate impact in this fiscal year uh to improve that number, and then you see the full year impact starting really on one October.

Uh, so we can get you a full year number.

So, you know, I don't I don't want to say that here halfway through the year we're gonna have that full 1.7 to 2 million dollar impact because we're like say we're halfway through the year, uh, but we definitely see an appreciable improvement uh and then you go into the full year impact starting on one October and beyond.

So that's that's you know, those are the assets that we're proposed to buy uh and how we see it impacting the the financials.

And I do want to emphasize the that budget number is a direct impact to the general fund.

So at this point, I think open up to questions.

Council members, we have questions.

I got a couple, Ms.

Little, or Mr.

Mr.

Little and Ms.

Watkins.

Uh, just real quick.

Um, original projections to pay down the debt when this was started was about 20 years.

Yes, from day one of Orion's.

That wasn't around back then, and then there were no new debt with this deal.

Correct.

So, first off, you know, so what is the debt?

No, no, this is a project because of the nature of the way we wanted to design and build it uh as well as the way we wanted to manage uh the debt on it.

This was turned over to for the public building authority to execute on our behalf.

Uh, people ask me, okay, what what other projects the PBA done?

The PBA built the jail quite a few years ago and they built this building, they've built the Orion.

Uh, and there are some other projects I think in the out years that we'll evaluate may make sense to have the PBA do them and or may not, and those are decisions this council would make if we come to those.

Uh so in this case, the PBA borrowed the money, the the debt load on this was a combination of debt and cash, uh, but the debt piece was about $37 million.

Uh and this does not add to that.

And you're it is a 20-year, that's you know, the way we do all of our debt, generally speaking, there's an occasional exception, but generally we do 20-year debt, and that's what this was.

So our lease payment, the city's lease payment to the PBA is you know, each year is the amount of their debt service.

And that's essentially the way the process works.

I you're right, you uh you were not here for that.

Uh you know, as part of the council's approval for them to move forward, they approve a lease that says we'll we'll pay you whatever your debt service is.

They now have a guarantee that they can actually pay back the debt, and that's what they use to go to the market and borrow the money against that against that guaranteed lease payment.

Uh and so each year we we make that debt service payment as a as a lease payment to the PBA, and then they and then they pay the debt, but it is a 20-year payback.

Uh we are not proposing to use any debt in this transaction.

Uh this is this is money available in the capital plan uh is cash right now.

Other questions?

Ms.

Watkins.

Um, yes.

Um thank you for that presentation, Mr.

Hamilton.

I just have a couple of questions.

Um is the 12 million are you is it gonna be payable in one lump sum?

Or over time?

Um, so it uh the the simple answer to your question is yes, it's paid at closing, but if you really dig into the agreement, there's actually some some pieces that we hold back in escrow to ensure that there's not any unexpected things as we continue through uh the transition.

So initially uh they would get 11 and a half million, we hold back 500k.

And then we also if if if as we went through it, if we found an error in the inventory or found some issue that uh that that was their obligation to pay, we could pull it out of that 500k.

And if it exceeded that, then we could actually hold back their management fees going forward.

So uh we are covered in terms of if there's if there's some issue found post-closing.

Uh what part of money will this 12 million come from?

Will it be the general fund?

No, it's from the capital plan.

Capital.

And we felt that was most appropriate.

One of the things that happened here, and this is also uh, you know, as we we talked through today, and I was really reflecting on the fact that uh, you know, we had a different city council that originally did this.

You know, you were in your seat, and Mr.

Little was not here either.

And I think some of this actually started before Mr.

Meredith came on council and then he got here in time for some of the decisions, so he kind of came in mid stride.

Um and so this the original proposal, while while for years we've had citizens talking about wanting an amphitheater and this kind of thing in our community, uh, and I think you know the city was really holding off for a while, just kind of looking for the right opportunity.

This was really done as part of the catalyst and the injection uh of city infrastructure into the mid-city to get get that dead mall, that whole thing really ramping up.

And we're obviously seeing the payback through mid-city, and that I think will continue as it continues to develop out over the next few years.

I say all of that to say because of that, this was done really as an economic development project, and so the 2014 plan where we have money set aside for economic development is really what has done the capital investment here.

Since this is an extension of that capital investment, that's we felt was the most consistent and appropriate way to line up this investment.

So, do you have an ROI on the buyout?

Um, so you know, I was trying to get at that uh with with the way I kind of describe what that what that payback is.

Um, trying to do the quick math in my head, which may be dangerous in public, but uh, you know, what we see in terms of the the return back to net profitability relative to the contract buyout is really in about two and a half years.

Um if you want to go to the full full 12 million, you're at about seven and a half years that that you know annual improvement to the bottom line gets you past the twelve million dollar mark.

Now, some folks would say it's not completely fair because you still own an asset at the end of that, so some of that 12 million is still an asset that you own.

So you probably wouldn't, you know, if you're really uh doing that uh, but you know, if you really want to fully pay back your 12 million out of that improved profitability, it's about seven and a half year mark, and then from then on, uh it's it's pure contribution to the bottom line.

Uh now what this does from our own city budget, because we've got all these different funds, and so y'all, you know, every September you've got to make decisions on how you're balancing different funds against each other.

What we've seen, you know, obviously it was a lot of conversation last September, and I think we'll have it again this September is challenges in the general fund and things that we need to do in terms of improving other services and how we make sure we take our employees and all the things that come out of the general fund.

Uh, a lot of the stuff that we've been working on internally and bringing to y'all when when it's appropriate is things that really help bolster the general fund.

And this is an example of that.

This is a direct contribution back into the general fund.

Uh, and so you know, as we're looking at how we bring you a good balanced general fund budget in September, this will absolutely make a difference in that.

One second and make a note.

I'm sorry.

Um has the audit been conducted?

I see you got detailed information about you know the assets that the company has and agreements and but has an audit been conducted.

So we have not done one.

They're obligated to uh to do their audits.

There are some of their some of their requirements as a for-profit company, you know, under SEC rules and under uh under IRS rules a little bit different than ours.

And so the kind of audit that you know Ms.

Smith and I would be looking for the way we audit our books, that's not the way the way those kind of companies do that.

Uh part of you know, when I talk about we have uh significantly increased some of the the reporting requirements in the new operating agreement gets us closer to that uh and will obligate them to do that.

And I think we we we always have the rights to come in and inspect their books, and we've done that uh some.

We've got to do more of that, and we will start getting more detailed reports through this process.

I've gone back and gotten a lot of historical records and and a lot of the the numbers that we use in this negotiation tied directly to literally show by show performance of how things are going and verifying you know exactly how how these numbers flow.

So we're comfortable with the numbers uh, but one of the things that we've got to do and why we specifically wanted to add those aspects to this agreement was to strengthen those even more than they already are.

Is it possible to get a third-party um review prior to the buyout?

Third party audit review.

We that that would probably be measured in months.

If uh it would uh if you want to do that prior to approving this agreement, then we would just need to set this aside, go do that and then negotiate because that by that time you're changing much of the financials around things as time goes forward, and so doing doing one prior to uh to the contract approval, we would basically just start over again to some extent.

So and and I definitely don't want to be difficult, but when you talk about spending 12 million dollars to taxpayer money, then you know it's just questions that have to be asked and make sure that we're um not leaving any I's not dotted and T's not crossed.

So, um, one last question I have.

Um, will you have a detailed transition that's sustainability plan?

Yes.

And part of the advantage of the way this is working, and uh, you know, I think I said this to Mr.

Merritt, we were talking about, you know, the the patron experience out there, and I think it's kind of a good way to think about what's happening here.

You know, if if you went to a concert a week ago and then you go to a concert, you know, if this is approved tonight, you go to a concert a week from now, you absolutely won't tell any difference.

Uh because it's the same people operating it, it's under it's under our manager's leadership as opposed to the private company.

But if you've got your favorite concession worker, he or she's still gonna be there.

It's all it's all the same people, it's the same menus, the same food.

We're literally buying the supplies they have in the storerooms right now.

Uh so operationally that's invisible to the outside.

Where you'll see the difference is if you pay attention to the budget conversation in September and seeing the changes in the way in which the financials work, that's really where you see the difference.

Uh and so the the actual transition of operations is will be seamless, and that's that's easy to do.

What uh what's important to us is the piece going forward of exactly how we are coming in and scrutinizing those numbers, doing those increased reporting requirements, and ultimately the audits when we get to the end of the year uh and and reviewing those things.

I said I had that was my last question, but I missed my very first question.

I thought it was a note, but it's a question.

When FB and HVGA approached the city about purchasing and acquiring their assets, uh did they give you a reason why they want to get out of this contract?

Um they did.

Now, you know, it was an arm's length negotiation and and so you know they may have some things internal that that uh that they're not as a private company prepared to uh to disclose, but there's a couple different things that they talked with us about it.

One is while that component of the business has gone well, uh the reality is this this company is largely building its reputation around the Orion.

They we partnered very closely with them in the concept and the development.

There's a lot of things.

Uh I mean, you know, when I talk about we wanted to model after the St.

Augustine uh amphitheater, which is also a public asset.

It's actually owned by St.

John's County down in Florida.

Uh the what they were doing there was so unique in the things outside of the concert business that we went and hired away the manager.

And so uh many of y'all have met Ryan Murphy, uh who works for for that company.

He was the manager for the county down there in Florida and has come here and implemented the very things that we saw.

And in fact, Mr.

Davis and I went down and visited down there and went to a concert and went to a farmer's market and saw the way they were using the property, and so that really uh was kind of part of our due diligence and figuring out how we want to do this, uh, but ultimately bringing you know bringing that in.

Really, you know, this is less about the original concept for the Orion and more about you know the attempt to spur some private development that has not turned out financially the way we want to do.

And this is is you know, buying that out and doing something that we think is more beneficial to the taxpayers long term uh is really kind of getting out of that private stuff and making it all public and owned by the taxpayers as opposed to private uh development that's there.

Uh so I think part of it is I think they genuinely want to see the Orion do better uh and uh so that's a piece of it.

They also have a number of things they're doing around the country and even overseas.

They actually are involved in uh some venues over in England, uh, but they have they have venues now in New York to work on some in Texas, a number in California and things like that.

And so some of this is just where where is it best for them to place their capital, and so uh they think this is the right time to pull that capital out.

Now, quite frankly, as I mentioned, we negotiated.

They're not they're not getting as much money as they asked for.

Uh I think you know, between uh, you know, Mr.

Davis and I together, uh, you know, with some fairly tough negotiations, and we, you know, we wanted to go fight for getting the best deal for the taxpayers.

Uh, but ultimately they I think they're in a position where it's better for them.

One, some of that they've actually borrowed some money, so that some of that private development, they have some debt that they use to fund it along with uh along with equity.

And so I think it's beneficial for them financially to get that debt off their books and then redeploy that capital into some other things.

I will tell you they, you know, there's there's been some stuff out in the public about another smaller private venue uh in the mid-city area, and they are directly involved in that.

Uh my expectation is that if that if their deals able to go forward, and they're doing that with some other partners, both local and uh and from elsewhere in the U.S.

come into partner on a purely private deal.

My expectation is some of this money rolls back into that investment and stays right there uh in mid-city.

Uh so some of that money just stays right here in our community.

Ultimately, obviously we're buying an asset from them, so it's their money, but where they deploy it is a lot of what y'all do in economic development, right?

Is encouraging folks to deploy their private dollars into our community.

So I think some of it comes back.

So I think it's it's probably a combination of things.

I I think the relationships that we've built with them, uh, they they do have you know there's there's you know, there's a shared experience here with the Oriana, they want it to do well, but ultimately, uh, you know, they're in the business of making money.

I mean, they're not, you know, they're not here to to be charitable, uh, but uh, you know, they just want to redeploy their capital elsewhere.

Well, let me say I absolutely um I thank you for earlier today when you gave me a call and explain things to me.

But I absolutely do respect you and Shane and what you do and what you say, very knowledgeable, and I appreciate you answering these questions, but um I still just have a heartburner with this 12 million dollars, and I don't know if it's possible, council members, but I would like to table it to the next meeting.

I need time to think about this, and I I'm just asking until the next meeting to give me an opportunity just to go back through the paperwork and absorb this and really think about this decision.

Ms.

Watkins has made a motion to table.

Um, is there a second?

Hearing no second the motion.

Uh it does.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

Hamilton.

Any other questions?

No, thank you, Mr.

Hamilton.

I'll have one other question for you.

You mentioned the two million dollar subsidy that we um provide every year, which basically, as I understand it, pays for all of those 200-something community events.

So, how does this purchase impact that subsidy and how and will we still continue to fund community events?

We will, uh, but here's you really kind of just as we think about how you know the uh the money kind of flows down the profit and loss statement from top to bottom.

All right.

So uh I'll kind of just hopefully kind of give a give a mental picture.

You know, at the top you'll see the the overhead expenses, oftentimes referred to as SGNA.

There's a little bit of revenue that's kind of that is facility-wide that is not tied to individual events, and that's you know, but but a lot of expenses here.

The the salaries of the full-time employees is overhead.

Uh, and so there's an overhead expense that needs to be shared by those other uh by those other uh the actual events.

And then kind of the next section down, you would see expenses and revenues tied specifically to the major concerts and the private hires.

So those events that are at market value, they're exclusive ticketed type events, uh, those are the ones where they would anticipate those uh those events.

Certainly try in every individual event to be profitable on its own, but really in the aggregate, you expect that, and it has historically been profitable.

Becomes much more profitable when you add in the food and beverage operations to that as opposed to keeping it segregated.

Uh and so you get down to uh to a net income at the bottom of that.

Now, one of the things that we're requiring them to do because their profit incentive is tied specifically to that category, that category has to carry 70% of the load from the SGNA.

Okay.

And so, you know, you've gone through uh your typical uh revenues, then you go through typical expenses, add in 70% of the overhead, and that net income at the end is what their profit uh incentive is tied to, and what that really does mathematically is incentivize them not to not only to be very efficient in the direct expenses inside of an event, it also incentivize them to be more efficient in the overhead as well, because that ties directly to their bottom line and ours.

And again, if they've earned a great big incentive, it's because we've earned an even bigger profit.

So we want them to do that.

We'd love for them to get that huge incentive fee because then we've we've made a lot of money.

Uh and when I mean we, the taxpayers, you know.

Um, so then that net income, that net profit at the bottom is then available to assist with the expenses in the next quite agree down, which is all those community and cultural events.

And while there are some revenues off of those, they don't come remotely close to covering all the expenses and those things.

I mean, we we are doing a lot of events out there uh where we are either letting letting an event organizer use the facility completely for free.

There's no rental charge whatsoever, and people can come in and enjoy a thing for free.

Sometimes it might be a small uh rental fee, but well below you know the cost that it has to open up and turn on the lights and everything of the venue.

But again, that's much like an extension of our rec centers, right?

It's an extension of our parks and rec program.

Uh and so at when you look at just that category, you get to the bottom line, it's a negative number.

And so certainly the goal here isn't what we're pushing them to do is that positive number that was the bottom line off your concerts is the same or more than the negative number at the bottom of the community events, and and so you're getting to a balanced budget, and that's and that's the goal.

Certainly, you know, as we as we see you know things go, they may not quite get there, but if we are having to send a subsidy, it becomes a much smaller number.

But there's another piece to this.

There are a couple categories of sponsorships.

Uh so specifically I mentioned earlier, specifically the the beverage company sponsorship is a change.

So that's why I highlighted it.

The thing that's staying the same, there's a category of foundational sponsors, and so you see uh four major sponsors that are out there.

Uh so Ford, uh bank independent um Axis, which is the ticketing system.

And the fourth one's escape from the line right now.

There's four foundational sponsors that each uh have annual agreements, a hundred percent of those revenues uh, minus the expense that it takes to market them, but so probably about 95% of those revenues come directly to the city.

So those are things that they don't get to earn a gross revenue incentive off of, nor does it tie into the profitability.

That's money comes directly to us.

And so the first place that we go to balance the budget is those revenues that are coming directly to us off those sponsorships.

Uh that's a piece that sometimes gets forgotten.

Uh and so right now, as we look at the kind of the historical numbers and the way it we expect it to behave with this additional revenue in there, I do expect those sponsorships to be able to cover any additional loss that may still exist in the aggregate between the concert category and the and the community event category.

And the bottom line of all of that is it will lessen the impact on the general fund.

Exactly.

Thank you.

Any other and certainly the goal is the goal is to get it to where this general fund is sending is zero dollars out there to assist with the Orion.

That's kind of where I was going with this.

Yeah, and I will tell you, you know, the there's we have a lot of uh within the city, lots in in different forms, venues that the city owns that we have, you know, a board or whoever operating for us that are really quality lock kind of things.

The VBC, the Iceplex, the Tennis Center, the various museums are all examples of that.

Uh we only have right now one of those where we do not have to send money to balance the operating budget.

That's the IcePlex.

All the others, uh, in order to keep pricing at a reasonable level or to even keep some of those things for free for our community, our our city budget through one form or another, in some cases lodging taxes or even liquor taxes or which are part of the general fund, go to help balance those those budgets.

So uh if we can get to the R Ion to where it's paying for itself and it balances to zero, then it will be our second venue.

Uh that's doing that.

And that's not a criticism of those other venues.

The only way for some of those things and the reason government is involved in some of those kinds of quality of life investments for our community.

Uh the only way they can keep pricing reasonable is to understand they got to have a subsidy to help with their operations.

If uh if you told all of them they had to balance to zero, the pricing would go through the roof.

Uh and that's why you don't see private industry delivering some of those kind of public services that uh that we do in the in the recreational world.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Any opposed?

No, uh let the record show that Ms.

Watkins has um voted in the negative, and the um motion passes with a majority of four.

Um we will move on to 2020 is a resolution authorizing the mayor to extend a gift offer to U.S.

Army Garrison Redstone Arsenal.

For U.S.

Space Command, Senior Leader Housing and Infrastructure Improvements.

Is there a motion?

Move to approved.

Motion from Mr.

Little.

Second from Mr.

Cling.

Question?

Yes, sir.

I know you've got the terminology gifting or whatever.

Uh is this going to the general or whomever is living in the uh domicile, or is this money going to the federal government?

Can we let Mr.

Davis do the presentation and then we'll come back in to that?

Absolutely.

So good evening, Council members again.

Shane Davis, Director of Urban Economic Development.

So what is before you is a resolution that starts to put in motion an incentive, local incentive that was put in place almost seven years ago.

There's been a lot of fanfare with Space Command, and where it's permanent home would be two RFPs or RFIs, and a little bit of national politics that we stayed out of, but at the end of the day, U.S.

Space Command's coming to Huntsville, Alabama, recent rendering.

So that was a national competition, all 50 states and any community within those states got to submit RP initially.

Then they come back out with a second with the top five.

We were one of those top five.

So it was a competitive process.

It's no different, I would put it in perspective of Mazda Toyota, Toyota engine plant that's been North Huntsville for 20 years, recently Eli Lilly.

I would say, you know, all those are great companies, they're public trading are doing well here in Huntsville and across the globe, right?

Uh what I will say is U.S.

Space Commands, much like NASA and the FBI and the other agent 14 agents on Redstone and Research Park, it provides stability in our overall GDP.

Uh it's not guaranteed.

We we've got federal contracts that have to be voted on and budgets and continuing resolutions, whatever's happening in DC, but historically, if you look at the last 50 years in Huntsville, it has been the lifeblood of North Alabama's economy, and our growth is two to three percent.

That's no reason for you to vote for this tonight, okay.

Um, but we understood what our DNA was seven years ago.

We understood this was no different of a competition than we do every day.

I had a mega industry project, been here for two days and and we're in a competitive nature of that, and and we'll see where we go.

Um I can tell you in this community, uh the mayor has a quote that says we'll never go buy a project.

We know our DNA, we know what a job is worth, we know what it's worth to to try to secure that, whether it's a federal agency such as Space Command or it's a you know a publicly traded or non-public entity that that we've brought into Huntsville.

So in that proposal, uh, we partner with the state of Alabama, uh, and part of that was to provide uh three things from primarily at the time.

First, it was uh to provide general officer quarters.

We've done that in two different occasions on two rounds of BRAC.

Uh we are not giving any cash to the federal government or redstone arsenal, so on behalf of the state, what happens is they partner uh with our BRAC committee or local BRAC committee that's been in place or or uh for many years, and they'll work with a garrison's office, the Department of Public Works on the Arsenal, and they'll help deploy to get those houses built.

So there at the state of Alabama with their 15 million dollars is actually gifting a finished home on federal property, and they've done that on two different occasions in the rounds of BRAC.

Uh what currently is being proposed would be 12 general officer housing, new housing on Redstone.

Uh, but but the state will will manage that.

Um in this gift letter, you see 30 million dollars for the city of Huntsville.

Uh that's more than just this body.

So that's Huntsville Utilities and our utility partners.

So many of you are aware that Huntsville Utilities entered into an IGSA intergovernmental services agreement where Redstone was where they help provide management of their natural gas, their electric, their water, they're essentially the utility company of Redstone.

Certainly, so the greenfield site on Redstone Arsenal, which needs utilities brought to it, just as the FBI needed utilities brought to it, and as things grow on the arsenal and expand.

So Hunts for Utilities, they do outside the gate in our community when we have a Eli Lilly or something in Research Park.

They go deliver those utilities to that property line.

So in that, about 10 million dollars of the 30 is is part of that just normal course of business.

Certainly there's a utility charge.

That power and water and gas is not free.

So uh just like any other industry, Huntsville Utilities has got a revenue stream coming back to that capital investment.

Uh the remaining 20 is uh up to 20 million dollars uh to support bringing other infrastructure.

So we we run sewer.

You know, so we'll be providing the sewer at Huntsville Utilities not in that business, so a portion of it will be for additional utilities and helping guarantee fiber and internet services to this greenfield site on post, and then we will be uh preparing site work.

So doing some clearing and grading and actual grade work.

Some of that may be us actually bringing you a bid that you would have to vote on.

So we we have a set of plans and we go bid, get a low bid or we come to you at a later date and ask you to approve that expenditure.

Some of it may be in kind, where we use water pollution control or public works, and we're providing in kind.

There's no actual exchange of cash, but we get a value.

We get to place a value on that in-kind service, that donated service there.

And we don't know what that will look like, but as we move forward, we'll be bringing that to this body.

So tonight what you're voting on is just for us to officially deliver this gift letter as our proposal said seven years ago, uh, and then we'll move forward as we as we deploy these gifts, if you will.

For us, it's gonna be utilities and some in-con site work.

Uh, should we bid any of that work?

It would follow the public uh works bid law, and we would bring to you, and you would have to approve that actual effort, that contract.

I'll answer any questions now you may have.

What questions do we have?

Now, Mr.

Clint.

Okay, I think there's just some information out there.

I thought you could clarify who will actually own the houses once they're constructed.

So the so the US Army will own those uh and and remember those housing that the funds for those housing will come from the state of Alabama, that is their gift.

Okay, so there's I think there's a conception out there from some people that we're actually buying a house for an army general here and there.

That's incorrect.

That's right.

Thank you.

Other questions?

Anyone else?

Then uh we'll proceed.

Uh all I have a comment.

When the vote comes up, I would be recusing myself, thank you for making it.

Because ethically, I work for the garrison, and I don't want any ethics uh concerns brought up.

100% respect that and knew you were in a tough position due to your day job.

Thank you for making a note of that, and the record will reflect that.

Any other comments?

All in favor, please indicate.

Aye.

Any opposed?

No.

The record show that the motion carries by majority vote.

Mr.

Meredith has voted in the negative, and Ms.

Watkins has recused, the motion carries.

Thank you, Council members.

We will go on to 20 G.

Madam President, if you don't mind.

We have a guest here tonight, and usually when we have guests, we bump them up on the agenda.

Uh the House of Housing Authority Director, Mr.

McGuinness is here, and he's been waiting patiently for that presentation.

Is can we uh move that up?

Council members, that's item A 20 AF.

It would actually be the last item for consideration tonight.

Would you have an objection to moving up?

No objection, but if you could state it in terms of suspending the rules, since we have already approved the agenda, we could suspend the rules to move him up.

I request that we suspend our motion that we suspend the rules to move up item 20 AF for the guest, Mr.

McGuinness, to be able to hear the presentation without him having to stay for the end of that.

And I'll second that motion.

All in favor, please indicate aye.

Any post?

Motion carries, we will then take item 20 AF out of order.

20 AF is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement between the City of Huntsville and EJP Consulting Group LLC for professional services and developing the phase one portfolio assessment for the Huntsville Housing Authorities.

Is there a motion to approve?

Chair makes the chair makes the motion.

Second.

Second from Ms.

Watkins.

Ms.

Good evening.

I hate to disappoint you.

We don't actually have a presentation.

We're just going to talk over the item.

Um, Dennis Madsen with uh Huntsville City Planning.

So this item is really kind of a joint planning effort, and it's something that the housing Authority and the Planning department have talked about for a while due to growth pressures within the city and recognizing that we need to be proactive about ensuring that there continues to be affordability throughout the city.

We found that the kind of an analysis of what you would call a portfolio analysis of all the housing properties, looking at that and thinking in terms of what makes sense, what would need kind of near-term attention, what can be delayed a little bit longer.

That becomes a tool for Mr.

McGuinness and his team, but it also helps the city in some of our planning, as I think many of you recognize we have several projects that immediately abut some of the housing authority properties.

We have Homes Avenue, which which hits two housing authority properties.

We have the North Huntsville Greenway, which also runs past two housing authority properties.

So at its core, this is an opportunity for us to coordinate planning between what the city's doing and what the housing is housing authority is doing.

And Mr.

McGuinness was kind enough to join us tonight in case there were questions also for the housing authority.

Thank you, Mr.

Madsen.

Are there any questions for Mr.

McGuinness or Mr.

Madsen?

Ms.

Watkins.

So exactly would the study um evaluate all of the public housing units?

Yes, ma'am.

Every single uh um property in their portfolio, excluding Mill Creek, since that's currently under active redevelopment.

And you say the purpose of this is to evaluate the conditions of the um property.

There will be physical needs assessments as part of that, as well as um uh examination of potential financing mechanisms should they need assistance.

I don't think it's any secret um that the stream of funds flowing to housing authorities really around the country have been slowing down to closer to a trickle over time.

So housing authorities are having to be more creative about um not just redeveloping but maintaining their properties.

This is a chance to kind of um look at a kind of broad portfolio of strategies that they can utilize over time to make sure that they're taking care of their properties.

Do you have a um estimate from the company that's gonna do the evaluation on how long this will take?

The assessment will take between five and six months.

They will, they do have a uh site visit, and we'll be scheduling uh interviews with some of the folks who are associated with the housing authority and other interested parties.

Um, but this is really just kind of the first phase.

It gives sort of a roadmap for the future after which we can start making decisions in conjunction obviously with the housing authority about um what properties get what attention?

Yes, and I'm pretty sure with you standing here presenting this that the board at the Huntsville Housing Authority is in agreement with this as well.

Yes, ma'am, and we actually have a board member of the housing authority with us, too.

Yes, okay.

And um for the sake of the public, because by the time we leave here it'll be twisted that we're doing this so we can immediately shut down public housing.

I just won't come back.

I completely understand.

Yes, this is really just looking at the portfolio.

Uh you know, HUD and the housing authority have very strict regulations on moving any sort of development forward.

I mean, someone else commented earlier about it seems like Mill Creek is taking a lot of time.

It's moving, but you have to be very deliberate.

You have to check all the boxes, you have to do all your due diligence.

So nothing moves quickly after this assessment.

Okay.

Um, and there'll after you get this assessment back, it'll go to House for Housing Authority.

I'm sure come to the city or there'd be a presentation brought here to the council.

We'd be happy to do that, absolutely.

Oh, I would love for that presentation to be brought to the council.

And just respectfully, Mr.

McGuinness, if he has any comments or anything he wants to say.

Mr.

McGuinness, would you like to make any comments?

He might just be thinking of dinner like a lot of the rest of us.

He said that you do.

I want to out of courtesy.

And I thank you, Ms.

McGuinness for sitting patiently.

Uh it was not uh oversight.

I just happened to look over and saw you sitting there.

So thank you, Mr.

Madsen.

Do we have any other questions or comments?

All in favor, please indicate I oppose the motion carries.

Mr.

McGuinness again, thank you for joining us.

Thank you so much for work.

Thank you, Mr.

Madsen.

All right, we will resume the agenda.

I believe we're back on G.

20 G is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter new game between the city of Puntsville and Ferguson Group LLC for grant writing services for fiscal year 2026 Defense Community Infrastructure Program.

Is there a motion to approve?

Motion from Mr.

Little, second for Mr.

Meredith.

Um are there any questions anybody has about this?

I do.

Ms.

Watkins.

Who's proceeding?

Is anyone oh, apologies?

That's okay.

Um Mr.

Davis.

Yes, I just need to know it says grant writing services for FY 2026 defense community infrastructure program.

Exactly what is this?

So annually, uh this is a grant program that's open nationwide.

We have applied for these in the past and uh it's very uh restrictive to communities who have federal military bases within their community.

So uh the competitive nature of this is think of public infrastructure that helps serve you know the boundaries of for us, it would be redstone arsenal.

Uh so we've looked at things like research park boulevard in the past, I-565.

So uh what we want to do is uh apply for a grant that's actually the number one priority of uh Redstone Arsenal on the gateway, which is resolute way, the new interchange, and apply for partial construction funds.

That project is is headed to construction here in a couple of years.

So we're just putting that forward.

We think it will compete very well.

One, it's a new access to redstone arsenal, but also helps alleviate traffic on Slaughter Road, it takes some some traffic off the main gate coming into the Arsenal Research Park Boulevard.

So it helps our community also.

Is it primarily the uh traffic or would it also help with resolute way and gateway?

Would it help you?

The gateway, yes, yes, ma'am.

So it helps both.

Oh, so one second.

Ms.

Attorney Riley, do I need to recuse myself again?

Because it it will be garrison again, will it not?

But the grant will be funded through the vote again.

So all you would be voting on tonight is for to allow us to hire this firm to help us submit a grant.

Uh if we were to if we were to receive the grant, I would think now we are providing benefit to Redstone.

I'll advise to our attorney, but that may be a situation that you would want to recuse.

But there is a difference in the way you need it.

So yes, thank you.

In good shape, yes, okay.

That's why I had you come up.

I wasn't sure about it.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

I'm opposed.

Motion carries.

20i.

20I has a resolution authorized the mayor to enter an agreement between the city of Huntsville and to the point Inc.

for engineering design services for Jackson Bend Connector near Hazeland Road, project number 71-26-SP38.

Chair moves for approval.

Second from Mr.

Meredith.

Um, this is a long-awaited project in the particular Hayes Farm area that will uh create a number of benefits.

So, excited to see this move forward.

Yes, ma'am.

So, again, this is a design and engineering contract with with to the point uh total contract amounts 134,984.

Uh includes surveying geotechnical and deliver construction specifications and plans to build the road.

Um these these well-established neighborhoods have you know in the master plan.

This wanted to have connectivity to the Hazelin Road extension, provides a little quicker access to redstone than you know, coming out of the neighborhoods, going on to the parkway and really trying to get back into to Hobbs Road.

So there's actually two connections.

Uh, one Edinburgh is still going through some permitting process.

We think that will uh get to ready to possibly be towards construction.

It says 26.

I'm thinking it probably rolls into early next year uh with some core permitting.

Uh but the Jackson Bay Connector, uh, we think can go very quickly.

Uh tonight we're asking you to design the approve the design contract uh for us to quickly get paint plans, get that project bid and come back to council to award a construction contract.

Thank you.

Um anybody have questions about this?

Okay, all in favor, please indicate.

Motion carries.

Thank you very much.

This was just a good news project that I wanted to get out there.

Uh 20J is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter the agreement between the City of Huntsville and Three Notch Group Inc.

for engineering design services for Bailey Code multi-use path between Weatherly Road and Formont Post.

Project number 71-26-SP 40 and L DOC project number TAP HVTA 26940.

Chairman's for approval.

Second.

Second from Mr.

Meredith.

Thank you, Madam President.

Shane Davis, Director of Urban Economic.

So this this project is uh projects we love to do, especially with our greenways, is be able to use state and federal funds and to leverage our local uh capital funds.

So as you can see, uh the design contract is 149,000.

We only have 20 cents on the dollar.

The rest is being using federal and state funds at just under 120,000 as we move towards construction construction funding will be very similar in that 8020 match.

The general uh project scope here is a little over three miles of new multi-purpose path that would connect there at Jones Family Park that's been well established now for almost 20 years on four mile post uh tie into the existing Indian uh Aldridge Creek Greenway, excuse me, uh there on Four Mile Post Road, travel east on four mile post, and then as you see in the red dashed line uh due south along Bailey Cove and tie back in to an existing multi-use path to tie back in the Alders Creek Greenway.

So you can really start to see this network uh really starting to get built out.

And then in the the magenta or pink lines, you start seeing the the what I call the natural trail system that that exists and how we're connecting into those.

So uh and we're starting to see this get deployed in other places, especially in in north at the belt line stuff we're seeing in and around the airport as we're continuing to to expand some both paved multi-use paths and some natural trails and getting those connected uh such that you know we can get more mileage out into our multi-use pass.

Any questions?

Um, so I and I would also point out that San Run complex is right in the middle of it, so it's providing access to Santa Moon, and that's that's really important.

So this little intersection improvement, where where is that gonna be at Levin's Gap?

So there's there's two.

One near Blevins Gap and the other one is the I should have showed both of them.

The other one is there just at the Sandra Moon complex.

You see the kind of the round uh kind of highlighted dots circle there.

And what that really is is at that intersection.

We expect a lot of activity on the greenway from north and south that want to cross Bailey Cove, go into the Sandra Moon complex and all of those amenities.

So we want to make intersection improvements to make sure the pedestrians either on bike or foot can can traverse that uh very effectively and safely.

That's a five-lane uh you know, major arterial in our city.

So we've just completed the big 15 mile loop down with the Haynes Trails and Alders Creek and the River Trail, and this now adds to it, and this is going to create an amazing greenway system.

Thank you for your work on it.

Okay, go ahead, Mr.

There's existing sidewalks along this path now, right?

Some in spots, you know, they're the old four foot, which was the city standard used to be.

We actually uh standard used to be three foot, and then we went to four.

We're now at five.

So we'll be replacing some of that.

There's places where there's gaps that will be brand new 10 foot wide multi-use path.

Okay, yeah.

But the whole red part will be the new 10 foot.

That's right.

Okay, gotcha.

Cool.

Thank you.

Mr.

Merritt.

And my question is what is the surface going to be?

So, as they get into design, most likely it will be concrete.

There may be depending on uh soil condition, there may be asphalt, but we've predominantly, especially along back of curb and right away and knowing there's traveling motors beside concrete will probably be the most more effective just from you know, line of sight of recognizing the two different pavement types, especially as we're parallel in traffic.

Thank you very much.

Any other questions?

All in favor, please indicate proposed motion carries.

Thank you all.

Uh uh 20 M.

Y'all keep me straight.

I think 20 M is the next one.

20 M.

is the resolution authorized, Mayor Dander to reimbursable agreement between the City of Huntsville, Alabama and Madison County, Alabama for relocation of utility facilities on private or public right of way for Winchester Road water relocation project.

Project number 71-26-sp 18 and project number ACAA 61222 A trip.

Motion to approve.

Motion from Mr.

Little, second, from Mr.

Meredith.

Mr.

Davis.

Yes, ma'am.

So these we bring you routinely, especially with federal aid construction projects.

So this one is in relation to the last piece of widening of Winchester Road from OWN Drive to Nawyer Road.

Uh we are currently acquiring right away and getting very close to completing that right-of-way acquisition.

So when we bring you contracts like this, it means we're getting really close to construction.

And what happened?

Oh yeah.

Go ahead, President.

If I can interrupt, why are we looking at a microwave?

Yeah.

And I'm sorry.

It's been a long night.

There's so many stuff up here.

When I close my PowerPoint, that was up behind it.

So great point.

Because I kind of looked at it and I can't read it from here.

So I didn't really know what it was, but but irrelevant to this.

So under federal guidelines, depending on a utility's annual gross receipts, you qualify for 100% reimbursement of relocation.

So for Huntsville Utilities Water System and Gas System, it's very the same for Madison County water.

So on here we have actually two one is Huntsville Utilities Gas, the other one's Madison County Water, which services that area.

And it what it does, it helps, you know, federal aid project, road project telling a local utility you need to move out of the way.

They say, look, all you're gonna do is cause our rates to go up, you know.

So federal policy says the federal aid project will relocate that cost.

So both M and N is is doing that, so you have to approve it.

There's no cost to the city.

This is a hundred percent federal funds, so there's no cost to our capital plan.

Questions for Mr.

Davis?

All in favor indicate?

Motion carries 20 and is resolution authorizing Mayor to Andrew into a reimbursable agreement between the City of Huntsville and Huntsville utilities for relocation of utility facilities on private or public right of way for Winchester Road gas relocation project.

Project number 71-26-sp 18 and project number ACAA6122 a trip.

Is there a motion motion from Mr.

Little?

Second from Mr.

Meredith, Mr.

Davis, and just more of this.

Yes, ma'am.

Any questions?

Miss Watkins.

Oh no.

Just wanted you to explain it so people would know what it was.

Listen, I'm glad we're letting the public know this project uh got stalled out really bad during COVID, and then we had to get project this this project needs to get to construction, and we're going as quickly as possible to get there.

Any questions?

All in favor, please indicate any of the questions carries.

Uh council members, I know Urban Development Administration brought you a lot of stuff tonight.

Thank you for your support and patience.

Is as we brought a lot before you tonight.

Thank you for your very good work.

20 Q is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a memorandum of understanding between the City of Huntsville and NCI Meridian LLC and their sole member and manager neighborhood concepts in.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Motion from Mr.

Meredith, second from Mr.

Little.

Um we have any questions regarding this?

Any questions?

Okay.

Then uh all in favor, please indicate.

20R is a resolution authorized.

Mayor Dander Newton's standard agreement for architectural services between the City of Huntsville and Nolan Persim architects PC for the Dr.

Richard Showers Center Renovation.

Is there a motion?

Motion from Ms.

Watkins, second from Mr.

Meredith.

Good evening, Ricky Wilkinson, Director of General Services.

So this is an architectural services contract for the design of the Richard Shower Center Renovation.

The amount of this contract is 1,334,0500.

This process started about a year and a half ago.

Right now, the proposed concept includes site improvements to include an outdoor basketball court, new pickleball courts, an expanded parking lot, improved parking lot drainage up there, uh an upgraded playground and an improved walking path around the campus uh inside the building.

We're looking at new finishes, rearranging the building entrance to add uh new lobby area, more attractive lobby area, uh replacement of building systems uh to include HVAC units.

We are adding air conditioning to the gym.

I know that's very important as well, um, and upgrades to the pool and pool equipment systems.

Uh happy to answer any questions you may have.

Questions or comments from Mr.

Wilkinson?

Ms.

Watkins.

Thank you, Mr.

Wilkinson.

Could you tell me um, you know, if the council approves this tonight, how long would it take Nolan Van Prieston to come back with some renderings for us?

Yeah, so we will start.

You know, obviously, we have kind of a master plan rendering that we showed at the town hall, um, but we're gonna work through our standard design process.

My hope is that my expectation is that within a year from now, we're actually bringing a construction contract before uh council.

So I expect, you know, certainly within the next eight to ten months, we've got finalized drawings.

So um it'll be eight to ten months to get the finalized drawings, then it'll come back before council, and then probably two or three months after that, we should have a construction contract in place, right?

That's my expectation is within a year from now, just say a year from now we're bringing a construction contract where we would have gone through the bidding process and we're ready to begin work.

And and the reason why I'm asking just for the listening public, so they're understand that we are going to do this, but we got to get the drawings first.

And I want to thank you because you came to the shower center to uh public meeting.

You're very patient and gracious with answering the questions, and I just appreciate you so much.

And thank you for staying late tonight.

Thank you.

That's my job.

Thank you.

Mr.

Meredith.

Um, yes, uh, it's been a while since I've been there.

But if I'm not mistaken, there is a freestanding Y or or some freestanding building where is used for daycare.

Is that going to be affected or is that going to continue to allow to be there?

So we have had some consideration right now.

There's no direct plan to renovate the YMCA daycare that is a city owned facility.

They do lease it uh from the city.

Um we do, as part of the playground renovation, it does and parking lot expansion, it does affect certain areas.

And again, this is all based on the conceptual design, but certainly as we work through the formal design process, I do anticipate some impacts, and we have communicated that to the YMCA staff up there, as well as some of the other user groups, but to define that right now would be a little bit difficult to do just because we're not 100% on the design, but we will certainly communicate with the YMCA and other user groups any kind of impact as we get those established.

I would just I know this is Ms.

Watkins district, but I would really love for them to be for the impact negative impact to them to be as minimal as possible.

We have to have quality places where working adults can know that their children are well looked after and they're in a safe environment, and we just we got to keep that availability there for people.

Sure.

Any other comments?

All those in favor say aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Wilkinson.

Twenty T is resolution just salary of an employee in a certain position in a signed department.

Is there a motion to approve?

Move to approve.

Motion from Mr.

Little, second with Mr.

Meredith.

Any particular questions on this?

Ms.

Watkins.

So I know I've asked this question several times, but I I have to ask again because when you see um these the items on the agenda, and people are getting step increases or they're getting um a grade increase.

Sometimes employees call you because they want to know why are they getting it, and I'm not getting it.

And so I know I've asked before, and um I remember you know, we're talking about it being a difficult task, but is it at all possible?

Can we at least look at for the budget that's coming up?

Can we look at doing an evaluation of positions, a job audit to make sure everyone is at their grade level and at their step level?

Because it seems like it's it's reoccurring, and I'm definitely not trying to be difficult, but if you're an employee on the outside looking in and you keep seeing people get step increases or grade increases, and it's always I know you said that sometime people can request an audit, but these individuals sometime when they call, you know, they're too afraid to ask for a job audit because they don't want it to be seem like they're um they're uh complaining, but at the same time, it would I just would love for us to try to get an audit of the positions to make sure everyone is at the grade level and at their step level, and that way we don't have to keep getting them to come back over and over again with this.

When I was at Huntsville City Schools, and I'm not trying to compare us, but we did a job audit because we had the same issue with employees.

You know, some would get an increase, some weren't, and they didn't understand it.

But if we had a job audit to audit these positions, position audit, then that would tell us exactly where the individuals are supposed to be.

Just something for consideration.

I'm not asking you to say yes, just so I'm strictly.

And it will, and I'll and I'll talk to HR director.

I one thing I would like to say to that, because you know, obviously to y'all, but but also I know we have employees watching, and so in the way of message to all of our employees that are that are engaged in this process, you know, by policy, by ordinance, all of our employees have a right to request an audit of their position, and and no employee should feel embarrassed or intimidated to not take advantage of that right.

That is their right, and they absolutely can do it.

One of the things, you know, so you know, and this is different than an audit.

Uh, there's a you know, a couple different ways where you'll see grade or step kind of decisions related to employees, and so what you see basically quarterly is the result of that quarter's audits that employees or department heads.

I've had times where an employee has not asked for an audit, but a department has come in and said, I don't believe we're you know appropriately grading and competitive as employee and the department head can initiate an audit, and that happens sometimes.

One of the things that I don't went when when Mr.

By when Mr.

Thomas brings you that change, it's either where a position maybe was the right grade but needed a different title, or it might have been a grade change.

You're seeing the ones where they found the need to change.

I don't believe you're seeing the ones where the audit came back that they're exactly correctly titled and graded, uh and every quarter there's a number of those uh that are happening, and so there's a lot of positions getting audited that just don't come to you because you have no decision to make if there's no changes, right?

So that is one piece of it.

Uh what is happening tonight is kind of another example where department heads and evaluating uh where their employees are and where they are in their compensation.

This is an example where the positions are properly graded, but because of kind of the dynamics of where the automatic step increase process works for employees, it has them in their individual circumstances out of alignment within, you know, that the department has judgment.

You know, they come to me, I assess it along with HR director agree with that.

That's why we bring it to you as a recommendation.

So, this is probably the more common example of this type of transaction that you see, you know, every so often when one pops up where uh, you know, they with within our system when an employee gets promoted, they get a five percent raise per grade.

So if you if you go two grades up, you know, from a from a more junior position up to like say a managerial position, you go two grades, that would be a 10 10 percent raise to whatever step gives you at least a 10%.

So sometimes it might be 10.5 or 11 just based on where it falls within our step structure.

Uh but in some cases we have employees that based on where they where they were, and they get raised up into a supervisory position.

That's the example here.

And that that automatic system that y'all have authorized by ordinance uh did not get them where they ought to be relative to the people they supervise.

And so you've got situations where an employee is now managing and supervising others and make substantially less than their subordinates.

Uh and so what we've tried to do is be consistent in making sure that we've acknowledged that increased responsibility, but by ordinance a a kind of out-of-sequence step increase, we have to bring to you for your decision.

And so you you've seen these occasionally, it's on a case-by-case basis, uh, and so that's an example that's happening here tonight.

I understand that's not exactly what you're asking.

I totally understand your point.

But what they're doing is not just for them personally.

They are, when they when a position has changed and new scope of duties has come into a position, you know, they're helping us identify the fact that we need to restructure that position to to be competitive in the market, but also to uh to make sure that we're fair across all of our employees.

And so I don't I uh I don't want any employee to feel embarrassed or intimidated to not ask for that audit.

That's absolutely their right.

Yeah, and I appreciate you taking time to answer those questions.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Hamilton.

Any other questions?

All in favor, please indicate the opposed motion carries.

Uh we're making progress.

Twenty.

Next we'll go to AA.

20 AA.

20A is a resolution authorizing the city attorney to submit certain questions to the Office of the Attorney General of Alabama relative to a certain elected municipal officials and the Alabama Municipal Official Training Act, Code of Alabama, Section 11-40-100 et SIC, and requesting issuance of an attorney general's opinion relative there to move to approved.

Motion from Mr.

Little, second from Mr.

Kling.

Um, are there questions or comments regarding this?

Any questions?

Any comments?

All in favor, please indicate.

Excuse me.

I'm sorry, before we go further.

Can Mr.

Riley at least explain what this is so the public will know?

Sure.

Mr.

Riley.

There was recently a new law passed uh that required mayor basically mayors and council persons to obtain annual uh uh training and such.

It's 10 10 years, 10 hours or a year, 40 hours total, uh, and it has an effective date of January 1, 2025.

However, the statute was unclear whether mayors and council persons uh whose terms were started before that effective date, whether it applied to them or whether it only applied to people whose terms of office, first term of office begins after that effective day.

So the council has asked me to submit a request, as we can do to the Attorney General's office for their opinion, and part of that process is that the governing body has to authorize me to do so, and that's what this is tonight.

Thank you.

Any other comments?

All in favor, please indicate I those motion carries.

Twenty AB is a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into agreement between the City of Huntsville and the Arts Council.

Is there a motion?

Motion from Mr.

Little, second from the chair.

Um anybody have any questions about this?

Yes, if you could just briefly explain what this is.

Yes, Catholic member, this is uh the annual agreement that we do about this time every year uh that is the user agreement for Big Spring Park West that is really kind of between Parks and Recreation and the Arts Council, uh, now doing business as Arts Huntsville for the uh concerts in the park series.

So uh starting at the beginning of June through I think it's September or so, every Monday night there's a free concert out there, and so this is their user agreement for that part of the park.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

Motion carries.

AC is a resolution authorizing mayor to enter near the facility use agreement between the City of Huntsville and Rocket City Culture Foundation for the event.

Rocket City Culture Fest is their motion.

Move to approve.

Motion from Mr.

Lil, second from the chair.

Oh, Mr.

Second from Mr.

Kling.

Motion by Mr.

Little, second by Mr.

Kling.

Any questions about anybody have about this?

Yes, Mr.

Hamilton, if you could just briefly explain the emphasis.

So this is uh private organizer who's uh putting on what we think is going to be a great music and cultural event in big uh Butler Green.

So it's uh you know, standard user agreement for the park, but uh because they uh will also have uh alcohol service there, they have to get a special event alcohol license from the state.

The state requires them to actually have uh a lease agreement or a facility use agreement approved by the governing body in order to apply for that alcohol license.

So we have reviewed their plan.

They do have a good plan for security and things, it's an appropriate use of the park.

Uh but it uh it has to come to you because of that component related to alcohol sales.

Anyone have questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

20 AD is a resolution, author drive mayor to enter a new summer food service program permanent agreement for unaffiliated sites between the city of Huntsville and Huntsville City Schools for services at the Dr.

Richard Towers Center, uh Cavalry Hills Recreation Center and Brun Spring Recreation Center.

Is there a motion?

Motion from Mr.

Kling, second for Mr.

Little.

Sure.

Council members, what's before you is you're seeing this for the first time, though it's a program that's been going for uh a number of years.

Uh the school system has federal funding that they use to assist with a summer feeding program for uh for youth 18 and under.

Uh they've done it for a number of years, and it occurs at a number of locations around the city where I'm focused on the ones that are actually city facilities, and though they're listed there at those particular uh recreation centers.

In the past, they have not needed to have a formal agreement like this.

Uh apparently some rules changed on the federal program where they get their funding from that actually requires them to have uh a governing body approved lease agreement for those facilities.

There are our staff, and so your parks and rec staff is involved.

In fact, the the facility managers have some very specific duties to assist in the management of the program, and so the school system provides them the training they need and the oversight they need to facilitate the program.

But this is new to you, though it's an old program just because of the new requirements for an approval for the for the lease in the facility use.

Any questions or comments?

Um I want to thank the city for partnering with Hustler City Schools to provide this summer fee program, so I have some opportunity, especially when the kids are there at the facilities, uh whether they're in camp or they're at their plan, then this given opportunity to be fed.

So thank you for that.

Any other comments?

Mr.

Merton.

Yes.

Um I'd like to know why after my explicitly asking that there be a summer feeding service program location in District Five, that there still is not a location in District Five.

Why can't the West Huntsville Rec Center be a site for the folks in District 5 to enjoy this uh opportunity as well?

Uh uh my belief is uh and and that there could be, but we need the school system runs the program, so I'll need to engage with the school system to find out what what other sites they have uh and where if there's gaps in that, then we would certainly I'd be happy to make the West Huntsville Rec Center available for for that purpose if it if it fits within their program, but ultimately uh we need to engage with them to uh to find out exactly how they position these around the community.

So, if you could do that, I know I've talked with uh um school board president Carlos Matthews about this, and he would certainly uh like West Huntsville Rec Center to participate in this.

But uh I'm sure there's other things that he has to and the school board needs to go through.

But if you could check on that and uh hopefully facilitate that happening, I'd be great.

Sure, absolutely thank you.

Any other comments or questions?

All in favor, please indicate.

I suppose motion carries.

That unless I have missed something.

I believe that concludes.

We took that out, we took that out of order.

Yeah, we took a yeah, we took a out of order.

Okay.

So that brings us to new items, new business items for introduction.

We only have one.

21A is introduction of an ordinance concerning a rights of way use agreement between Spectrum Southeast LLC, the Delaware Limited Liability Company, and the City of Huntsville, Alabama.

No action will be taken on that tonight if we consider it the May 28th meeting.

And then finally on our agenda, we have the second roster of public comments, and we do have a couple of people signed up.

This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address 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 these persons have signed up to speak on the second public comments roster prior to meeting.

When called, approach the microphone, state your name, home address, city of residents.

Each speaker may address the council for three minutes.

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

The first person to sign up is Howard Ross.

Is Mr.

Ross here?

And Mr.

Ross will be followed by Joe Winston.

I'm here again on the issue of uh uh apparently trespassing at uh 6016 uh Ellington Road that uh police were at and just trying to find out.

It's been several meetings, and I was told uh uh that uh the police were gonna get back with me with uh uh police the uh assistant to the to the chief uh Michael Johnson and I haven't heard back from him and I haven't uh also uh the city administrator, I haven't heard back from him, and uh just there's been no investigator apparently appointed, and it's been over two months, and we're trying to find out who's gonna who's gonna handle this uh that seems to be dead in the water, and I didn't know if there was again I I thought there was a uh city council person from that district who might be able to assist in finding out how we can get this issue resolved.

And I believe Mr.

Hamilton, could you have a conversation or yes?

I believe we I spoke with you at the last meeting, did we not?

Yes, and you said it was a difficult issue, and we don't know what that means.

Well, I understand that, and I I I'm not the person that will resolve that issue.

If you're indicating there's an investigation uh or that you're waiting on a result, I'll be happy to check on that.

Yeah, that's supposed to be an example.

I don't know that we want to do about uh back and forth here.

So um perhaps the best thing to do would be for you to have a conversation with Mr.

Hamilton.

I'd like to know because we'll now go on and hear from Mr.

Joe Winston.

Mr.

Winston will be followed by Caden Helbling.

Good evening.

Uh, name is Joe Winston.

Uh addresses one oh five Green Mont Drive, uh Madison, Alabama.

Thank you.

Uh the subject that I wanted to readdress again that's been addressed several times is a black art black history museum here in the city of uh Huntsville.

And I have to back up a little bit because I'm going back to last year when I uh contacted the mayor regarding having the Black Art Black History Museum here in the city of Huntsville.

Going back to June or 2025, uh after contacting the mayor, he responded, uh, thank you for your letter of May 27th.

And he uh stated that several years ago we worked to establish a black history uh trail and a museum of some sort in Huntsville.

But uh the representation uh at that time uh became kind of light.

And uh, so during those meetings, it was pointed out that Alabama ENM had the state of uh Alabama Black Black Archives.

And so he said quickly the uh the the attention, the enthusiasm kind of feels allowed and therefore did not go any further.

And he said maybe we had the wrong audience at that point in time that we were talking with.

Now I've been uh resident of Huntsville for over 25 years.

I didn't recall that, not to say that it didn't happen, but I did recall the time when that went out to the community.

And he also said that he would refer that to uh Dr.

Barber.

Uh to uh to look into it is also set up some meetings, and Dr.

Barber asked me for some comments regarding places and organizations to contact an idea that uh he mattered fact sent him about over 20 of some different locations uh and uh agencies to contact.

Uh that never happened.

I know he's a busy fellow, but that never happened last year.

And I will also uh remind us that uh last year in September, I made another presentation trying to get something put on the budget in terms of uh establishing the Black Owl Black Hipster Museum.

Uh that uh I was told was a little late for doing that.

So again, I bring it to the council's attention to uh look at the budgets in that we are in the month of May, and which gives us a little time to uh look at the budgets in terms of establishing some funding to establish a Black R Black Hipster Museum.

And I would also remind us that Black Americans have profoundly shaped U.S.

history through cultural, political, scientific, and social achievement, despite the centuries of oppression and systematic uh slavery, both in civil rights, cultural and autistic uh achievement, scientific and educational achievements, military science, political achievements, and the list goes on.

Uh also I would like to remind us that just recently, uh April 1, 2026, we witnessed the uh, sorry, Mr.

Winston, your time is up.

Okay, thank you very much.

I look forward to hearing from you again next meeting.

Uh we now will hear from Caden Helpling, who will be followed by Liliana Painder.

Yeah, good evening.

I'm Caden Helbling.

My address is on the sheet.

I am in Huntsville I live in Huntsville.

Thank you.

Um I'm here tonight to speak regarding a breakdown in administrative transparency and the city's failure to adhere to the Alabama Open Records Act concerning the flock safety surveillance system.

For several months I've attempted to access basic administrative uh audit logs for this taxpayer funded system through several public records requests.

Um these requests do not seek to uh do not seek investigative files, uh video footage or sensitive evidence.

I am simply asking for the organizational audit or network audit reports that flock safety's own contracts defined as accountability and oversight tools.

The city's legal department has denied these requests by citing the MAC decision, claiming these automated system logs are investigative materials.

This is a significant overreach.

Uh there's a fundamental difference between a video recording of a crime and an administrative computer log showing which agencies are sharing data and whether authorized personnel are following policy.

The entire point of an independent public audit is to ensure individual accountability.

Without these unmasked logs, there is no way for the public or this council to know if individual officers are abusing this massive surveillance system for personal reasons, such as monitoring neighbors or stalking ex-partners rather than solving crimes.

Furthermore, after filing a formal legal appeal on March 4th, I've been met with over 60 days of silence from Mr.

Riley here and assistant attorney uh Eddie Blair.

Emails and status inquiries to the office have gone completely unanswered.

Transparency is not an optional feature of government, it is a legal requirement.

When the city spends public funds on automated surveillance, the public has a right to see the audit trails that ensure the technology is being used legally and ethically.

I'm asking the council to look into why Mr.

Riley and Mr.

Blair have stopped responding to these inquiries and direct them to provide these administrative logs so that this community can verify that this technology is being used appropriately.

All right.

If anyone in the audience is concerned about this lack of oversight, I have information on how you can map these cameras and file your own requests.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, sir.

We will now hear from our last speaker, David.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Uh next we'll hear from Liliana Painter.

Is Ms.

Painder here?

I saw her earlier in the meeting.

I don't see her now, so we will hear from David Snyder.

Oh, there she is.

Painter.

Good evening, Council.

My name is Liliana Painter, and my address is correct on the sheet.

I'm a Huntsville resident.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Oh, I want to begin by acknowledging that I appreciate seeing the investment in flood and flood maps, water infrastructure, environmental planning, and growth management.

Those investments recognize an important reality.

Huntsville is no longer experiencing moderate growth.

We are now the largest city in Alabama.

We are continuing to grow into a significantly larger and more complex regional center.

We see it through roadway expansion, utility scaling, annexation, development districts, energy infrastructure, and even precinct restructuring ahead of the upcoming municipal election.

And as Huntsville grows into a fundamentally larger city, our infrastructure, public investment, and systems of representation must evolve with it.

Because residents are already feeling the strain of growth in their daily lives.

They feel it sitting in traffic longer than they did just a few years ago.

They feel it on crowded roads and infrastructure struggling to keep pace.

They feel it through rising costs, pressure on schools, concerns around public safety, and frustration when decisions feel like they are happening around them instead of with them.

Residents do not experience growth through development announcements or economic reports.

They experience whether their daily lives are becoming easier or harder for people that already live here.

Whether neighborhoods still feel safe and connected, whether they feel represented, whether they feel heard.

That is why this moment requires more than growth planning alone.

It requires earlier public education, stronger resident engagement, and thoughtful conversations about representation as our city continues expanding.

Because when precincts are being added and voting boundaries are being restructured, it is fair to ask whether our system of representation should evolve alongside the size and complexity of our city.

A larger Huntsville requires larger thinking.

That starts with strong public education, transparent governance, coordinated infrastructure planning, and preserving the quality of life.

Thank you, Ms.

Painter, for your comments.

Of course.

And now we will hear from David Snyder.

Hello, my name is David Snyder.

I live in Huntsville.

My information is written correctly on the sheet.

And I want to first uh open up by talking about uh my recent uh public speaking at uh the public uh comments roster for the county, right?

So I went in front of the county about several programs I'm trying to work with and establish uh at the jail, which is uh the MCSO, and that's uh the county, right?

Um, I believe that our city should support people that are in uh our the honorable uh judge civil Cleveland's uh unsheltered docket, right?

We should be supporting these people with bus passes, possibly a shuttle for when people are leaving the jail in this program.

Um, also through my coursework with the civic engagement academy, I spoke with our music uh director, our department of music director Matt Mandrella, and I think that if we were to establish a music program to uh bring into the juvenile facility, which is also a county-run facility, um, that would be an excellent thing.

These are things that um you know would really serve our communities well, right?

Um so I would really appreciate help on that.

I'm meeting uh soon with Cleveland, our judge, to talk about that.

Um I've also had communications with Bill Kling, my district member, and uh Keisha Bryant, the public transit director, about uh accomplishing this, and so I would really appreciate support from the council um on these issues.

Um I do want to talk a little bit also about um, you know, some sentiment that you know I've uh come to city council meetings many, many times.

I've met with several of our officials several times, and I I there is a sentiment that I've heard come out of council uh about uh, you know, uh nonpartisanship or about um accepting some of the status quo that has happened federally, and I think that we need to take a hard look at what that is.

Um I just want to remind the council that throughout history in this country, um, there have been, as early as, you know, John B.

Knox and the founding of the 1901 state constitution, right, um, said explicitly that in as much as the federal constitution will allow, we would like to establish white supremacy in the state of Alabama, right?

Um, this has happened where people have come and uh explained that they used their agency to write you know um draconian uh drug laws and sentencing.

Um so the concept that uh having agency with your position of power is known, people are using it, and um, you know, uh the uh a sentiment that uh we have to accept federally what's happening or what's happening at the state level regarding immigration, regarding um, you know, how we are treating our community members is unacceptable.

Um also I heard earlier, I believe that we are uh gonna come into acquisition.

We're acquiring the federal uh courthouse, though they're they're moving.

I think that a black history museum, as I've said uh several times, and uh we deserve as a people a black history museum, and that would be potentially an excellent location for that.

And so I think that should really be considered.

Thank you, sir.

That concludes our um citizen comments from the evening and the business of the city.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

To adjourn.

Please note the time is 9.33.

Using the guidelines, the commission evaluates projects based on their appropriateness and compatibility to maintain unique historic character.

A proposed new design or change to an existing structure may be well designed or subjectively beautiful, but that does not necessarily mean it is appropriate for the neighborhood.

Our hearing process this evening is as follows.

We'll hear the applications in the order that they were received by the planning department.

We'll be reviewing, discussing, and voting on the appropriateness of each application item individually