OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mobile City Council Regular Meeting - August 18, 2026

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, August 18, 2026
BodyMobile, Alabama
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateTuesday, August 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 36:57

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Roll call, President Small.

0:06

Here.

0:06

Vice President Gregory.

0:09

Councilmember Penn.

0:10

Here.

0:10

Councilmember Ingram.

0:11

Here.

0:12

Councilmember Reynolds.

0:13

Councilmember Fleming?

0:14

Here.

0:15

Councilmember Woods.

0:16

Here.

0:16

Statement of rules.

0:17

And good morning, everyone.

0:19

It's good to see you about it this morning.

0:21

Welcome to our Tuesday, August the 18th, 2026 meeting.

0:26

At this meeting, we do have rules.

0:28

At this time, I ask if anyone have any type of electronic device, please at this time, put on the offer to vibrate position, the offer the vibrator position.

0:37

And the person that desires to address the Mobile City Council must sign in indicating a resolution, the ordinance or public hearing agenda before entering the meeting.

0:45

When addressing the council, the speaker must give his or her name.

1:05

Anyone who has not given a proper notice to the city clerk office and wish to speak on a non-agenda item would not be allowed to address this council.

1:12

Each speaker's is allowed three minutes to address this council.

1:16

A bell was sounded indicate the end of two minutes.

1:18

One minute remain for summarizing the second bell indicates that your time has expired.

1:23

When addressing this council, there'd be no personal address to any individual council members, all statements are to be made to the chair who will recognize any council member who wishes to respond.

1:33

To maintain the coin, there would be non-due applause or public outcry allowed.

1:37

Madam Clerk.

1:39

Approval of minutes of August the 11th.

1:41

So move.

1:42

Properly moving second in discussion.

1:45

All in favor?

1:46

Aye.

1:46

All opposed, minutes approved.

1:49

Communications from Mayor Chair Gotis' office.

1:54

Yep, Council President, I'll be making um comments on behalf of Mayor Chair Gotis, who is on city business and um brings greetings to the city council.

2:02

Uh I do want to announce an upcoming DDD community meeting.

2:06

The city, along with Bill Mobile Department, is inviting interested parties to review and help us update the downtown development district code.

2:14

The downtown development district update community workshop will be Wednesday, September the 2nd at 6 p.m.

2:20

at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf.

2:23

Established in 2014 and incorporated into the city's Unified Development Code in 2022.

2:30

The DDD is a set of zoning rules and development standards that help shape how buildings in downtown Mobile are designed, built, and used.

2:38

While it has worked well over the years, the update aims to make it even better and focused specifically on making standards clearer, more user-friendly, and more effective at producing the results that everyone can be proud of.

2:51

If you wish to attend, please register by visiting the map4mobile.org website.

2:57

Again, that's map4mobile.org website.

3:00

And that will conclude my announcements.

3:03

All right, thank you so much.

3:05

Um, Dr.

3:05

Ingram.

3:07

Thank you, Mr.

3:08

President.

3:09

At this time, if I can ask Ms.

3:11

Toki Dunn to meet me at the podium.

3:40

Good morning.

3:42

Good morning.

3:44

It is my privilege to read this proclamation.

3:48

Whereas the Mobile County Health Department and the Mobile County Community Health Workers Coalition strive to recognize the important role of community health workers in Mobile County.

4:00

And whereas community health workers are frontline public health workers who are trusted members of andor have usually close understanding of the community served.

4:12

And whereas this trusting relationship enables the community health workers to serve as a liaison or link between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competency of service delivery.

4:30

And whereas a community health worker also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as health outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, clinical and clinical integration, and health advocacy.

4:52

And whereas on September the 29th, 2023, Congress introduced a resolution recognizing community health workers as profession and honored the significance of their vital roles in the community and public health.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████30%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Public Health███████████11%
Education██████████10%
Fiscal Sustainability████████8%
Racial Equity███████7%
Public Engagement███████7%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Mobile City Council Regular Meeting - August 18, 2026

This regular meeting of the Mobile City Council was held on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. The council approved consent items, conducted public hearings, heard public comments, debated several resolutions, and passed most agenda items, with one resolution held over for one week.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of the August 11, 2026 meeting.
  • Adopted the agenda as presented.
  • Granted three requests for waiver of the noise ordinance: for events on September 5th (Mill Street Park), November 22nd (TriCentennial Park), and September 26th (North Cody Road).
  • Approved the following resolutions by consent (with rules waived):
    • Resolution 3186 (FY2026 Safer Outcomes grant from DOJ for crisis response training).
    • Resolution 46867 (honorarily renamed corner of Mill & Mobile Streets to "Honorary Clara Jean Esther Way").
    • Resolution 58868 (assessment costs for weed removal).
    • Resolutions 60-869 and 60-870 (approval of water special bonuses for Officer of the Month and Firefighter of the Month).
    • Resolution 60-871 (appropriations to multiple District 3 schools and community organizations).
  • Approved the following consent resolutions (items 01878 through 01896, with rules waived): purchase orders for garbage truck parts, storm drainage vegetation removal, cloud backup services, invasive management, fund transfers for cruise terminal projects, and concrete base for Jimmy Buffett statue.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Valencia Green expressed concerns about the death of her mother, alleging lack of recognition as a dying hospice patient, systemic racism, and embezzlement within the Black community. She called for leadership to address these issues and criticized council members for not responding to her appeals.
  • Reggie Hill discussed the FY2027 budget, urging transparency in funding allocations, better investment in older infrastructure (Districts 1-3), and establishment of small business resources. He also raised issues about performance contracts, community center fees, and drone usage (Gulf Coast Technology Center).
  • Marco Spencer (reading a letter from his friend India) described ongoing harassment, intimidation, and threats involving Mobile police officers and detectives affecting her and her 7-year-old child. India reported the matter to Internal Affairs months ago but felt ignored due to potential conflicts of interest. Councilmember William Carroll indicated he would follow up after the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Public Hearings for Sedan and Golf Cart Services:
    • Public hearing opened for K Careers for U, LLC (sedan service). No one spoke; hearing closed.
    • Public hearing opened for Midtown Card Transpo (golf cart service). Applicant Roderick Bolton described his part-time service operating 6–10 p.m. Monday–Saturday in the Midtown area, charging $5 per person for the first six blocks and $2 per additional block. He received supportive comments from councilmembers. Hearing closed. (No immediate vote on certificates; appeared to be informational.)
  • Resolution 21778 (Governance Review Consulting): The council approved an amendment (filed with the clerk) and then passed the resolution authorizing a contract with Minnekan Resources Inc. for governance review and improvement consulting services.
  • Resolution 08832 (Community Liaison & Youth Jobs Services): A motion was made and seconded to hold the item over for one week; the motion passed, so the resolution was laid over.
  • Resolution 01850 (GPS Software at Azalea City Golf Course): Approved – authorizes agreement with Tag Marshall International Limited for installation and management of GPS software.
  • Resolution 08862 (Purchase of Drones): Passed. Councilmember Vice President Gregory clarified that drones are for public safety (building/parks/Mardi Gras, and to help eliminate police chases) and not for surveillance. Councilmember Penn echoed support, citing reduction in dangerous police pursuits.
  • Resolution 08863 (Fire Equipment Purchase): Approved – purchase order for master communication stations with headsets and accessories.
  • Resolution 37864 (Shuttle Service Certificate): Approved – application of Ever Bliss Senior Solutions for a shuttle service certificate.
  • Honorary Street Name for Clara Jean Esther: Councilmember Penn provided background on Ms. Esther, who witnessed Dr. King’s assassination and later served as executive director of Dumas Wesley Community Center. The resolution was approved.
  • School Appropriations (Resolution 60-871): Councilmember Ingram noted that many schools need instructional supplies and that the appropriated funds are intended to support those needs. The resolution passed.

Key Outcomes

  • All items on the consent calendar were approved by unanimous voice votes.
  • Public hearings were held for sedan and golf cart services; no decisions were announced during the meeting.
  • Resolution 08832 (Live Investment Group contract) was held over for one week.
  • Resolution 21778 (governance review consulting) passed with an amendment.
  • All other individually considered resolutions (01850, 08862, 08863, 37864) passed unanimously.
  • The council authorized calling public hearings for September 22, 2026, on a PUD modification (Mobile Infirmary area) and a rezoning (Winaker Avenue area).
  • Announcements included upcoming community events: DDD code workshop (Sept 2), District 1 community meeting (Aug 18 evening), and dedication of the Hillsdale Senior Center (Aug 27).

Meeting Transcript

Roll call, President Small. Here. Vice President Gregory. Councilmember Penn. Here. Councilmember Ingram. Here. Councilmember Reynolds. Councilmember Fleming? Here. Councilmember Woods. Here. Statement of rules. And good morning, everyone. It's good to see you about it this morning. Welcome to our Tuesday, August the 18th, 2026 meeting. At this meeting, we do have rules. At this time, I ask if anyone have any type of electronic device, please at this time, put on the offer to vibrate position, the offer the vibrator position. And the person that desires to address the Mobile City Council must sign in indicating a resolution, the ordinance or public hearing agenda before entering the meeting. When addressing the council, the speaker must give his or her name. Anyone who has not given a proper notice to the city clerk office and wish to speak on a non-agenda item would not be allowed to address this council. Each speaker's is allowed three minutes to address this council. A bell was sounded indicate the end of two minutes. One minute remain for summarizing the second bell indicates that your time has expired. When addressing this council, there'd be no personal address to any individual council members, all statements are to be made to the chair who will recognize any council member who wishes to respond. To maintain the coin, there would be non-due applause or public outcry allowed. Madam Clerk. Approval of minutes of August the 11th. So move. Properly moving second in discussion. All in favor? Aye. All opposed, minutes approved. Communications from Mayor Chair Gotis' office. Yep, Council President, I'll be making um comments on behalf of Mayor Chair Gotis, who is on city business and um brings greetings to the city council. Uh I do want to announce an upcoming DDD community meeting. The city, along with Bill Mobile Department, is inviting interested parties to review and help us update the downtown development district code. The downtown development district update community workshop will be Wednesday, September the 2nd at 6 p.m. at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf. Established in 2014 and incorporated into the city's Unified Development Code in 2022. The DDD is a set of zoning rules and development standards that help shape how buildings in downtown Mobile are designed, built, and used. While it has worked well over the years, the update aims to make it even better and focused specifically on making standards clearer, more user-friendly, and more effective at producing the results that everyone can be proud of. If you wish to attend, please register by visiting the map4mobile.org website. Again, that's map4mobile.org website. And that will conclude my announcements. All right, thank you so much. Um, Dr. Ingram. Thank you, Mr. President.

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