Mobile City Council Pre-Meeting, March 10, 2026
Mobile City Council Pre-Meeting Summary - March 10, 2026
This was the pre-meeting of the Mobile City Council held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at approximately 10:00 AM. The meeting covered approval of previous minutes, noise ordinance waiver requests, public hearings for rezoning and nuisance declarations, presentations from community members, and discussion and action on multiple ordinances, resolutions, and purchase orders. Several items were held over for further review.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of minutes from March 3, 2026.
- Noise ordinance waiver requests were approved for:
- March 28, Spring Hill Avenue, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- May 9, Black Lawn Street, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- May 16, Government Street, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (amended from 12 p.m. per council request)
- April 25, Venetia Road, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- April 11, Airport Boulevard, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- March 22 and April 25, Melvavana Park, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Public hearing set for rezoning 1724 Michigan Avenue from B-2 to B-5.
- Public hearings declared structures at 1861 LaSalle Street and 3150 Riverside Drive as public nuisances and ordered demolition.
- Ordinance held over (64009): rezoning 7211 and 7221 Cottage Hill Road from R-1 to R-3.
- Ordinance introduced (64013): rezoning 1724 Michigan Avenue from B-2 to B-5 (related to the public hearing).
- Resolution 21236 (contract with Mobile Sports Hall of Fame) was tabled for re-introduction with modified language.
- Resolution 31239 (CDBG, ESG, HOME action plan for 2026–27) was held over to March 24, 2026, pending an entitlements committee meeting.
- Consent resolutions for liquor licenses approved: Fast Way Gas & Convenience Store (Moffitt Road), Kelly Hands/Irish Social Club (Marine Street), Jerusalem Cafe (Ocean Road).
- Water special bonus approved for Parks and Recreation employee of the month.
- Resolutions 4269 and 4270 declaring structures nuisances (LaSalle Street and Riverside Drive) were approved.
- Resolution 58271 declaring noxious weed lean at 1676 was approved.
- Purchase orders 08256–08268 were approved (storm drainage/vegetation removal, emergency equipment for Fire and Rescue, Ford Expedition, two Chevrolet Tahoes, police interview recording system, mobile device software subscription, fuel management software renewal, incident management software renewal, street name sign brackets).
Public Comments & Testimony
Six individuals made presentations or communications to the council:
- Sydney Kramer (Mobile Arts Council) – no specific position stated.
- Alex Lofton – announced as Mobile's new poet laureate.
- Estella Trata – expressed concern about the city's failure to provide mandated oversight to the Mobile Housing Authority.
- Linia Green – spoke on mental health awareness.
- Avon Warner – expressed concern about removal of heritage oak in Taylor Park.
- Rodney Toomer – presented a program to curb youth violence.
Discussion Items
- Henderson Building Solutions Contract (Resolution 21235) – Councilmember questioned the performance evaluation process for commissioning services on the Mobile Arena Project. Administration clarified that Henderson will bill monthly based on percentage of work; final payment is contingent on acceptance of a final commissioning report. There are no interim deliverables, but Henderson documents compliance throughout. The councilmember requested that the payment process be outlined similarly to other contracts to ensure accountability.
- Thompson Engineering Contract for Mobile River Fender System Replacement (Resolution 21237) – Councilmember requested an overview, noting that only two of four tasks are detailed. Administration stated Nick Amberger would review the remaining tasks and follow up.
- Grant Communication Structure – Councilmember Ingram asked about the process for nonprofits to partner with the city for grants (e.g., Lowe's 2026 Community Impact Grant, up to $3–10 million). The Grants Management Department acknowledged the need for improvement and stated they are developing a formal application process with a timeline to accommodate short windows (e.g., six weeks). They committed to putting it on the calendar for fall planning.
- Pyrotechnical Fireworks Agreement (Resolution 01254) – Increase to $60,000 for Independence Day fireworks display. Councilmember asked about city plans for the nation's 250th birthday; administration indicated plans would be announced soon.
- Mobile Museum Board Operating Agreement (Resolution 0125) – Discussion focused on the three-year extension of the operating agreement for the History Museum of Mobile, Fort Condé, and Phoenix Fire Museum. Councilman Reynolds expressed concern about bypassing the existing ordinance regarding board terms and spots. Administration and staff explained the agreement is a continuation of a 2022 agreement with bylaw changes (term limits and a two-year cooling-off period) that align with the ordinance. The matter was to be further reviewed before the next meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Noise ordinance waivers approved as listed.
- Public hearings on rezoning and nuisances set/continued.
- Resolution 21236 (Mobile Sports Hall of Fame) tabled.
- Resolution 31239 (CDBG/ESG/HOME action plan) held over to March 24, 2026.
- All purchase orders approved.
- Discussion on museum board agreement concluded with commitment to provide comparison documents and resolve ordinance alignment before next week.
- Cooperative maintenance agreement for the Gateway Initiative (previously passed) to be added as a consent item using an official ODOT form.
- Councilmember Williams acknowledged opening day at Westside, noting 900 children participated and praised Parks and Recreation staff.
Meeting Transcript
Hey, good morning, everybody. It's good to see everyone this morning. Ladies and gentlemen now in the hands of our capable city clerk, Ms. Lisa Carroll. This is the pre-meeting of the Mobile City Council Tuesday, March the 10th. We have approval of minutes from March 3rd. Any issues anyway. Okay. Appeals, we have requests for waiver the noise ordinance on March the 28th on Spring Hill Avenue from 4 p.m. until 9. On Black Lawn Street, May the 9th, from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. Government Street on May 16th from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. Mr. President. Yes. If we can change that to 10 p.m., please. Venetia, Venetia Road, uh, April 25th from 5 p.m. until 11. Airport Boulevard on April the 11th from 5 p.m. until 7. Melvavana Park on March the 22nd and April 25th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 2 30 to 4 30. Any issues on woods of flame okay. Public hearing. Today is a public hearing to consider the rezoning property located at 1724 Michigan Avenue from B2 to B5. One second, you're good with your appeal, also, Mr. Penny. Okay. All right. Today is a public hearing to declare the structure at 1861 LaSalle Street, a public nuisance and order it demolished. And to declare the structure at 3150 Riverside Drive, a public nuisance and order it demolished. Okay. Presentation of petitions and other communications to the council. Sydney Kramer, Mobile Arts Council present Alex Lofton Mobile's new poet laureate. Estella Trata, failure of the city to provide mandated oversight to Mobile Housing Authority. The Linia Green, mental health awareness. Avon Warner, concerns about removal of heritage oath in Taylor Park. Rodney Toomer present a program to curb youth violence. Ordinance is held over 64009. Consider rezoning property located at 7211 and 7221 Cottage Hill Road from R1 to R3. 14012. Amend Section 14-3, the Mobile Municipal Code to authorize settlements in an amount under $15,000. Resolutions held over. 13 231 authorized change order number one with Thompson Engineering for Citywide Bridge inspection. That's 130,000 increase. 21, 232, authorized contract with Anderson Delaney to teach tennis lessons. 21, 233, 234.
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