The Mobile City Council convened for its regular meeting on November 18, 2025, addressing a blend of zoning ordinance amendments, budget transparency regarding performance contracts, and various operational resolutions. Significant deliberation occurred regarding a rental property ordinance, where council members sought to clarify the city's duty to register vacant structures versus voluntary compliance. The council also reviewed resolutions to approve contracts for parks, infrastructure, and services, while deferring items related to demolition, public safety appointments, and ambulance licensing to committees for further review.
Structures. Council. And the questions, comments. Mr. Reynolds. Comment that what you just said seems to be in conflict with on the first page item D, where the additional language has been added. Under no circumstances, the city undertaking a duty to register and maintain any vacant commercial structure. What you said about page five item D, this creates two methods of uh compliance. One is voluntary, voluntarily registering, and on the other hand, the city registering. So I think that's in direct conflict with that. So the good thing about that question is it allows us to bring another point of clarity. So from a legal standpoint, a duty to all is is a duty to none. Um, and so if it is equally applied across the base for everyone, and then yeah, that's not an instruction, that's just that's a standard part of what we do. A duty to all is a duty to none. And what the ordinance specifically says is we're not taking a duty. There's not two ways, there's not two ways to enforce this. There's one way, either you comply, which doesn't require enforcement, or you don't comply, which requires enforcement. So now there's two different ways to go on the register. One, you voluntarily do it, or two, we we ask you to do it. And so that that wouldn't be any different than any other ordinance. Either you voluntary stop and stop signs, or you don't and a question of comments from this council. I have one other question, Ms. Runnels. If I own a building in downtown Mobile, commercial building, and I use it for one day a year. Would I be subjected to registration? It depends on how you use it that one day a year. Right. I use it to store boxes. Okay, well, then that's gonna make it vacant. What if I use it to set up a computer and you know conduct a little bit of business? Then if you can show us that you're affirmatively doing that on a regular basis, if you go in there doing that, then we would take a real look at that, and that would be subject to it would be subject to the registry. However, if you're using it on a regular basis, or you're using it, say, for instance, for a legitimate business, and you're not just trying to skirt the system, then we would look at that. Yeah, but it would be up, it would just to be up to the you know, the reasonable determination of the city. Right. Okay, all right. That's it. Thank you. I'll I'll offer my amendment. All right, all right, Mr. Mr. President. Well, we're what we're asking is that the amendments that have been put before you be the ones that go forward, and then it is inclusive of all of the rentals amendment, save taking out the the section D and taking out the duty part. Um, and then of course, adding Dr. Ingram's amendment and then adding what the mayor's office is suggesting reference to duty, and that's the document that we're offering with all of the amendments, the one that's before you today. So that's the rentals amend the Reynolds Ingram version of the document. One other thing, Mr. President, I will include uh your amended amendment as part of mine when I offer it so that there's not you know additional offering. So what I offer will be that exact language that's taken that was added, and I'll put it in mind so that there's not that conflict that exists between us. So basically we're too uh sentence, I guess, is what the sentence being under no circumstances city undertaking. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no.