We also have people already starting to fill up second and third classes, and there's there's only five classes a year, max of 25 students.

And if it gets to the point where we have you know a high high demand, we'll we'll start additional classes and do on different days so we can you know meet that need.

Is there any uh any other industries you're thinking?

Like is what does welding fall into this, or is that the mic off?

Let me sorry.

Does welding or something like that fall under this research of its own?

This is you know, residential home building, and the the fees that we're asking for would come strictly from residential permitting.

Uh so the the house bill was passed in June uh and then signed into law by governor Ivy um shortly thereafter.

So the way that it reads is you know, up to 20 dollars per permit residential permit would go up to the state and then back down through the licensure board for oversight back to this area for us for for funding.

Councilwoman Ingram.

Thank you.

Uh again, thank you for this opportunity to build careers so that students have can have a opportunity, a pathway uh for a career.

My question is you talked about the 90% retention.

Were you talking about the retention rate in terms of completing your program?

So 70% of those that go through the program actually take a career in the construction trade.

Out of that 70%, it's over a 90% retention.

So of those that actually go through and take a job, over 90% of those stay with it.

Okay.

And a follow-up question what is your success rate, you know, for placement after graduating from the program.

I don't know of a student yet that hasn't been offered a job.

Um we haven't locally, we don't have those numbers yet, but from what we've learned from our talks with Huntsville that pretty much everyone is offered a position.

Okay.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Councilman.

Thank you, uh Mr.

Chairman.

Um, one of the things that um I appreciate about this program.

One is the five things we just talking about the HVAC, electrical carpentry, uh, plumbing and roofing, which is all needed and tuition free.

So I just want to commend you all for coming and presenting this.

Um matter of fact, I think right about a month before you came down, we had a gentleman come down and talk about resources for our young people and having the opportunities so they can learn a trade, a skill set to prepare for the future.

And then y'all came a month later.

Um, and I think this just is a great opportunity to show partnership.

I love all the different partnerships that I've seen um that's taking place in Huntsville, and I believe we can do the same thing in Mobile.

So, whatever I could do to support, and I also like that um it's not just for 17, but it's for older people, you know, seasoned people as well that participate in this program who's looking and shift maybe um in their career.

So I commend it.

I don't have any questions.

You answered everything.

Um, and I look forward to figuring out how we can make this work and push it forward to everybody in the City Mobile.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Councilman Runnels.

Thank you uh for coming down to go over this again.

I thought it was important that we shared all this information with uh councilwoman Ingram and Fleming to make sure that everybody was up to speed with it.

I think it's a great product program, great opportunity for us that the experts in residential construction are wanting to train the next generation of experts and uh residential construction.

That's fantastic, and they're taking it on themselves.

Uh with the expanded ability we have to assess uh money to give them a steady stream of income where we can realize a benefit from it in our city.

Um that was created by the state.

So we introduced an ordinance to take advantage of that to go ahead and assess that additional uh fee that they're paying.

But it sounds like we've kind of got to get some details sorted out.

And and I understand that I'm I'm on board with that, and I think they are too making sure we get everything just the way it needs to be.

Their first class is January 8th, and we don't want to extinguish the fire in their belly, or you know, have these 25 students and then the next class, you know, come off empty handed.

I think it's uh now we got it, we got to do something now.

Like I've got to do something last week.

Um, I think there's agreement with the administration as a temporary measure to support this effort to put forward a performance contract that's going to fund this operation until we get the specifics worked out on the ordinance where they're have a revolving long-term funding source.

I I'd like to see that performance contract introduced on our next council agenda.

Because the best case scenario, if it were to be introduced on our next agenda, we could vote on it in two weeks, and then you have to get the disbursement made, all the paperwork, all that stuff done.

So we're probably looking at three weeks best case scenario.

Um, so that would be my ask of the administration is please do what we can to get that contract on our agenda so we can get it approved, and we can get this next generation or this next group off to the races working because we sure sure need it here.

And I've I've paid for some residential construction, and as I talk to contractors, their price is high because they can't find anybody.

So I think we're all gonna realize a great benefit if we can have a bolstered workforce where there's more people available, more competitive, and our salaries, and um, so I think it's imperative that we get this going sooner rather than later.

What do you think the chances are that uh director of operations?

The um the chances are are really good.

We I was on the I admit with Shayla's group internally uh about the permitting process.

We understand that we've got to update those processes and fees, which will take them some time.

They'll be going to the association talking with them, uh, mayor chair got us.

And I also met with Robert Collins and some of his team to talk about the needs of the trades.

Um, I can tell you the mayor's 100% in support of this, and so I met with Donna Briars, who's the interim finance director, and she's been greenlighted to move a hundred thousand dollars from unassigned fund balance over to this particular performance contract.

So you'll see both the transfer of the money, and you'll see the performance contract.

We intend to have that so on the first read next week.

You'll have it, you'll have it ready for our first read next week.

That's right.

We'll we're gonna try to put it on by Thursday.

So I've been on the phone.

I know that she was on the phone with Robert Collins yesterday, so we we've been moving pretty quickly to get this done.

Fantastic.

I'm looking forward to this.

I think it's gonna be good.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Just have one other comment though, is that in order for them to properly vet, because we don't want we want to inform as many people as possible about and I will tell you that talking to a home builder that was with Mr.

Collins, the the prospect of increasing fees to go back into the permitting process to where we have like these case handlers that help walk people through uh what sometimes could be a cumbersome process, was very well received, and so there's a lot of support, I think, coming from the industry as long as they see that money go back into the industry because if we delay a permitting process, it actually costs them money, you know, because escalating costs, and so we intend to turn that money back into the process itself.

Uh uh, I will ask you though, it could take up six months to get all of this done.

The term of the performance contract would be that's right, it'll be a year, and we understand that once we do initiate this uh the fees or even these these 20 fees, it's an accrual type thing, and so we may be actually just building in the front and like a projected budget to in order to keep the academy going.

Okay, um thank you, John Chief.

Um great information.

I'm excited to see it on the agenda.

I do have a question.

Where we said this is gonna be located.

Um, you say goodwill.

Yeah, so the location, I believe it's 2448 uh Gordon Smith Drive at the Goodwill location, corporate location there.

Okay, perfect.

Yeah, that's in district one.

I'll just make it in your district, Mr.

P.

Yeah.

Hey, thank you.

Could you explain uh to us one more time how these students gonna be vetted, how y'all venting these two the the first 25 y'all have in right now?

How was they chosen?

So it's first come, first serve.

Uh we're we're getting out the word as fast as we can by TV, uh, mostly by radio, but we've done some news interviews uh and by word of mouth.

A lot of it's coming by word of mouth, but as as soon as we can get it out there to as many people as possible, it's first come, first serve.

Now they have to be like I said, 17 years of age or older.

Uh they can definitely be older and and to come, but but 17 and up uh legal to work in the United States and have to pass a drug screen.

So that's and those those are qualifications.

For the first 25 you all currently have right now was by word of mouth.

And by radio, they they they heard about it, whether it was radio or by word of mouth and went online.

So you've got to go on to um online register for an info session, which basically gives them uh expectations of what they're gonna be going through uh if they decide to go to the class.

And we have over 25 that have signed up already.

Okay, all right, thank you.

Can we get a PDF please?

So we put that we sure can.

Okay.

Anyone else?

Okay.

Can I say one thing?

Yes, sir.

Yes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, our budget for this year is just south of 400,000.

You are 1,000, 100,000 would would be greatly appreciated, and it will take us about a quarter of our year.

So by then we're hoping the funds will be catching up through the permits that we've that we have uh that we will be receiving uh money from.

So we're we're hoping that will um that will still work.

We're it's gonna cost a lot of money to do this and keep it going, but we believe the numbers are working and they will be fine and they will work.

And in the county as well, you mean that that's an important partner to have in all this.

So if we all sort of take a team approach on this thing, you know, we could really see it snowballing to something very productive for everyone.

And and not to mention y'all have partnerships as well.

I mean, you've got the Huntsville group, they've already granted some money.

You got Lowe's, apparently that's granted some money, and I'm that was that was the two and the same.

Two in the same, okay.

Um I'm sure there's some local partners here that'll be happy to participate as well because they're gonna reap the benefits of it.

Right.

And we we did meet with uh Chief Barber and and uh Mayor Spiro, and we we definitely are um on board with uh the ideas that the mayor has and trying to help, you know, in the permitting area, um, no matter which direction they want to go with it.

Uh we're definitely in support of him and the programs that he's wanting to implement.

So uh in us working together, I think it may help, you know, expedite what we're hoping to get done with the ordinance and the fees.

Uh we're definitely willing and and able to to help where we can.

So thank you for for that.

Um, and bo, I did want to just make mention.

So the program is based on residential, but any of these skilled trades go into building boats, building submarines, building commercial buildings and things like that.

So this is just somewhere for them to start.

We're we're gonna try to capture that through the residential permitting, but this is gonna feed.

I I personally have done residential, industrial, commercial, all of those trades uh all over the country.

So it's it's a great platform to start in uh building our workforce.

So I I do have one additional question.

Um do mobile, the city of Mobile, the mobile account, do they give first priority versus Baldwin County or other counties coming over, Scamia County or I mean that's a big concern, you know, of mine.

Uh are you so I understand you're asking if other counties can come to the school?

Yeah, because my thing about it is that the city we putting out a this big amount of money, the county is Mobile County.

But my fearful thing is that we have out of 25 students, 20 of them come from Baldwin County and Baldwin County not putting anything.

Right.

I mean, uh I guess there's a chance that could happen.

I I think it's gonna be less likely to happen because we're not recruiting over there, we're not going to their their schools and trying to bring them over here.

But they listen to the radio though.

If they listen to the radio, right.

I mean, that's why I said it could be, but we're we're we're not actively you know pursuing anyone in Baldwin County, and if they wanted to start their own, it could be a satellite uh of Sah, but the funds that's why it comes through oversight, it's gonna be strictly for the mobile area.

So if they wanted to start a school, it would be oversight and the money from Ballin County would fund Balling County.

So reassurance would be great because again, we tied a supplementing Baldwin County and they're not putting anything over here, you know, to us and everything.

So the way I understood it, that was there was some verbiage that was gonna be possibly in a performance contract or mo you at one time.

All right thank you all right anything else anyone all right all right appreciate everyone oh I'm sorry okay I did want to make one comment just to um underscore the commitment to the collaboration and partnership um with the home builders alliance um in our department I mean there's an indirect benefit that we would see from um the enhancement of the skill trades we we have a rough time um filling our inspector positions so we do see the uh direct benefit there and we look forward to working with them to getting the um construction academy off the ground with regard to process um just a little clarification on on why we're asking for more time it's really more administrative um highly focused on making sure that we're communicating with our cut um our customers that we see day in and day out um making sure that they understand that the fee is coming we have to sort through projects so that they can understand um what to expect for their own budgeting purposes but the um the the comment here is to just say that we're we're committed um we've got this teed up and we're ready to move forward um but there's some administrative time that we need to be able to execute so that's it okay thank you all right anyone else all right not this meeting is adjourned all right thank you all very good thank you very much last presentation okay no thank you thank you jim for making it happen yeah thanks good