Mobile City Council Meeting: November 4, 2025

The Mobile City Council held its inaugural regular meeting of the new term on November 4, 2025, presided over by President Small. The meeting featured an introduction of new Mayor Spiro Charagottis, approval of minutes and the agenda, and the passage of various resolutions regarding city contracts, grants, and demolition costs. Key themes included the establishment of new task forces, the launch of the Housing Improvement Program (HIP) which will place police officers in the Campground neighborhood, and public discussions regarding school zone safety and budget accountability.

Consent Calendar

• Adoption of minutes from the October 28th meeting.
• Adoption of the November 4th agenda.
• Approval of the following resolutions and ordinances:
  • 091396: Transfer of funds from District 7 discretionary account to traffic engineering for sign replacement.
  • 311397: Authorization for the Mayor to apply for and accept a 2025 ELD 21 grant from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (no local match).
  • 581399: Authorization for the removal of weeds in group 1669.
  • 401400–1403: Fixing the cost of demolition for structures at 2661 Bent V Street, 2906 Knall Street, 777 Wellworth Street, and 1807 White Avenue.
  • 601404–1407: Determination of appropriations for the Continuous Learning Center (Murphy High School) and Scarborough Model Middle Schools.
  • 081408: Approval of a purchase order to Inline LLC for replacing traffic signal poles on Highway 90 at Demetropolis Road.
  • 081410: Approval of a purchase order to Environmental Systems Research Institute for GIS online training credits.
  • 081412: Approval of a purchase order to Wilkins Miller LLC for the annual audit of the police and fire pension fund.
• Several items were introduced but laid over for one week (including Ordinances 64057 and parts of CIP resolutions 21-1415) or two weeks due to procedural requests or a lack of background information.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jacob Cooper (Parent Advocate): Expressed strong concern regarding the safety of children in Mobile school zones. He stated that the promise of safety guaranteed by law is currently being broken due to missing warning signs and a lack of proper legal tools for crossing guards (specifically the absence of an official stop pedal and reflective vests). He urged the council to audit all school zones for MUTCD compliance immediately and equip crossing guards with lawful devices, arguing that issuing tickets in non-compliant zones is unjust.
• Reggie Hill (Citizen): Expressed concern regarding the transparency and accountability of city finances. He stated that he desires a public report on the unassigned fund balance and vehicle inventory. He noted that approved discretionary allotments for several organizations have not been paid out and urged the administration to explain the delay. He expressed concern regarding high turnover on the Mobile Housing Authority and the rapid termination of a CEO there, suggesting a need for a more vetted selection process for board and commission members similar to congressional hearings. He also proposed amending council rules to allow for two monthly evening meetings rotating by district to improve public access, and suggested increasing the speaker time limit for general discussions from 3 to 5 minutes to allow for more thorough debate.
• Mayor Spiro Charagottis: Expressed full support for the Housing Improvement Program (HIP) and excitement about the first home built through the program being purchased by a mobile police officer to encourage public safety workers to live in their communities. He expressed enthusiasm for establishing new task forces on gun violence, public transportation, economic development, and waterfront activation.
• Councilmember Penn: Expressed full support for the safety concerns raised by Jacob Cooper regarding school zones, stating he agrees with the need to ensure all zones are safe for children and that he has received similar feedback via email.
• Councilmember Reynolds: Expressed support for the new administration's direction and congratulated the newly reappointed leadership, stating that the first agenda was moved through cleanly and smoothly.

Discussion Items

• Mayor Charagottis's Address: The Mayor outlined his administration's priorities, including the creation of task forces, a plan to meet personally with over 2,100 employees within the next 363 days, and an upcoming application fair for the Mardi Gras Barricade Crew (hiring up to 30 seasonal employees at $15.60/hour). He also announced the lighting of the Christmas tree at Mardi Gras Park on November 21st and the ribbon cutting for the first HIP homes in the Campground neighborhood the following day.
• Proclamation of Christmas Ornament: The Mayor proclaimed the "2025 Christmas on the Coast Ornament," commemorating the historic January 2025 snowstorm in Mobile, as the official ornament of the city. Council members expressed appreciation for the commemorative items.
• Noise Ordinance Waivers: The Council debated and voted to lay over a request for a noise ordinance waiver for February 15 and 17 on St. Anthony Street for two weeks. A separate waiver request for November 8 on Suzanne Circle was granted.
• Council Member Announcements: Council members from Districts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7 shared district-specific updates, including upcoming community meetings, the start of a biweekly newsletter for District 5, and plans for upcoming parades in their respective districts. Vice President Gregory noted that while this meeting was smooth, future meetings may be more contentious.

Key Outcomes

• Meeting Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned successfully.
• Schedule Change: Announced that the regular city council meeting for the following week is moved from Tuesday to Wednesday (due to Veterans Day) and the times have been adjusted: Pre-council meeting at 10:00 AM and regular council meeting at 11:00 AM.
• Unanimous Approval: Key contracts were approved including: RGLG (Service Master Services) for contract authorization; Star Service of Mobile for HVAC maintenance; Touchdown Cleaning Services for carpet cleaning. (Note: Councilmember Small requested more information on the performance of the Star Service and Touchdown contracts, which were still passed after discussion).
• Task Force Planning: The Mayor formally initiated the planning process for key task forces, including Gun Violence, Public Transportation, and Economic & Workforce Development.
• Employment Initiative: Announced an immediate plan to hire for the Mardi Gras Barricade Crew and a long-term goal of placing 30 new homes in the Campground neighborhood via the HIP program.