Mobile City Council Regular Meeting – July 7, 2026
Mobile City Council Regular Meeting – July 7, 2026
The Mobile City Council held its regular meeting on July 7, 2026, beginning with an invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, and a moment of silence for former Sheriff Sam Cochran. The council approved consent items, recognized community groups, heard one public request, and passed resolutions without opposition.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of minutes from June 23 and 30 meetings.
- Adoption of the agenda.
- Waiver of noise ordinance on July 18 (Airport Boulevard) and October 10 (Black Lawn Street).
- Consent resolutions held over: Authorization to apply for a U.S. HUD Automated Permitting Systems grant; agreement with CSX for the Shipyard Road boat launch; purchase orders to North American Fire Equipment Company and Dell Marketing for 50 desktop computers.
- Consent resolutions introduced and passed (items 09715–09728): Transfer from District 3 discretionary account for Oakdale Community Cleanup; recommendations to the ABC board for three licenses (Lois Grocery and Market, The People's Room, and a special events retail liquor license for Inflatable Night Grown-up Edition); demolition cost fixes for 1966 Halls Mill Road and 1401 Vega Drive; appropriations to Next Level Moxie, Opportunity for Entertainers, Mobile Christian School, Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Inc., Forrest Hill Elementary, John Will Elementary School, Archer School, and Mobile Arts Council.
- Resolutions being introduced (items 08729–08741): Purchase orders for decorative aluminum light poles (Graybar Electric), Muse Point of Sale Software subscription, and an enhanced spectrum analyzer (Research Electronics International).
Amendment: Councilman Woods amended the special events liquor license for Inflatable Night Grown-up Edition on Hillcrest Road, changing the hours from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. to 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The amendment passed, and the item was approved as amended.
Proclamations & Recognitions
- National Parks and Recreation Month: Mayor read a proclamation declaring July 2026 as Parks and Recreation Month. Shonda Smith and the Parks & Recreation team were recognized. Councilmembers Penn, Woods, and others thanked the department for its work, highlighting programs in multiple districts.
- Javante Johnson Foundation of Hope Awareness Month: A proclamation was read, and John and Sarah Johnson spoke about the foundation’s mission to support young people facing grief, homelessness, substance abuse, and other challenges. The mayor expressed support for serving youth.
- West Side 11U Blue Team: Councilman Woods recognized the team for winning the Cal Ripken Big Park District and State Championships. The team was headed to regionals in Louisiana. Councilman Woods noted that West Side Park served 874 regular park participants and 926 including Babe Ruth during the season.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Melvin Jones (Head Football Coach, Sell Academy): Requested council assistance with a $2,955 Parks and Recreation invoice for use of Sage Park for the school’s new football program. He noted the school is landlocked and had contacted Parks and Rec. Councilman Fleming asked if other parks were considered. The mayor (referred to as “Chief”) stated that the fees had already been waived. Council President advised Coach Jones to send a letter to council members for possible discretionary funding, but the waiver was the final outcome.
Discussion Items
- Public Hearings for Demolition Costs: Hearings were opened for properties at 1966 Halls Mill Road and 1401 Vega Drive. No one spoke; hearings closed.
- Special Events Liquor License Amendment: As noted above, Councilman Woods proposed and the council approved an amendment to change the time for the Inflatable Night Grown-up Edition license.
Key Outcomes
- All consent items and resolutions passed unanimously.
- The public hearings for demolition costs were closed without comment.
- The Sell Academy’s park usage fee was waived by the administration.
- The special events liquor license for Inflatable Night Grown-up Edition was approved with amended hours (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.).
- Councilmembers announced upcoming events: Councilmember Penn’s community meeting on July 14 at New Shallow; Vice President Gregory’s Back to School Rally on July 30 at the Mobile Museum of Art; and President Small’s Chat and Chew Town Hall for Seniors on July 9 at the Maritime Museum.
- The meeting adjourned without further business.
Meeting Transcript
This is the regular meeting of the Mobile City Council Tuesday, July the 7th. Please stand for our invocation led by Pastor Tony Legier, Public Safety Chaplain, and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence following the pledge. Good morning, everyone. God bless America. It's good to be here today, and let's have a good word of prayer and a productive meeting today. Our father, we humble ourselves before you here today, once again at the gates of our city. And we humbly ask for your presence. Father, would you smile upon us as your word says that you look favorably upon a righteous nation, a righteous people. So we pray that our leaders today might sense and benefit from your guidance, and that our communities gathered to celebrate the goodness of a good and loving God. We'll honor you today, Father, and ask you to bless our path in Christ's name. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Sam Cochrane is a Mobile native. He graduated from McGill Institute and he held a bachelor's and master's degree in criminal justice and public administration from the University of South Alabama. He was also a graduate of the FBI National Academy. I considered Sam Cochrane a friend. I know many of you in this auditorium considered Sam a friend. I had the fortune to work with Sam as police chief and as sheriff all these years. Great law enforcement man. Sam never hesitated to tell you what he thought. But you'll never find a better gentleman and better law enforcement, a man about law enforcement than Sam Cochran. So our condolences go out to Sam's family, his wife, his children, his extended family and law enforcement, and of course that includes our MPD and Sheriff's Office. So if you would, a moment of silence for Sam. Royal Call, President Small. Here. Vice President Gregory. Here. Council Member Penn. Here. Councilmember Ingram. Councilmember Reynolds. Council Member Fleming. Here. Council Member Woods. Here. Statement of rules. And good morning, everyone. Good morning, everyone. It's good to see her about it this morning. Welcome to our July 7th, 2026 meeting. At this meeting, we do have rules. At this time, I ask if anyone have any typing electronic device, including cell phones, please at this time put on the all for the vibrate position, the all for the vibrate position. Any person that desire to address the Mobile City Council must sign in indicating the resolution, the ordinance, a public hearing agenda item before entering the meeting. When addressing this council, the speaker must give his or her name. Any person that desires to address the council on a non-agenda item must contact the city clerk office no later than two o'clock here on the Thursday prior to the council meeting. The surgeon that he or she wishes to express to the Mobile City Council must be identified and pertaining to the city of Mobile Business. Would not be allowed to address this council. Each speaker is allowed three minutes to address this council. A bell was signed to indicate the end of two minutes.
openpublica.com