OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mobile City Council Regular Meeting - August 25, 2026

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, August 25, 2026
BodyMobile, Alabama
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateTuesday, August 25, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 48:49

Transcript — Verbatim
0:24

This is the regular meeting of the Mobile City Council.

0:27

Tuesday, August 25th.

0:29

Please stand for the invocation led by Reverend Lynn Chiltern, Public Safety Chaplain, and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:43

Councilman Penny, will you leave us in a word of prayer this morning?

0:46

Let us pray.

0:47

Father God, we just thank you right now, God, for our amazing city.

0:50

We thank you for our the mayor, the administration, this council, our citizens.

0:56

We speak unity.

0:57

We spent strength.

0:58

We thank you, Lord, that you give our leaders wisdom and discernment how to move this city forward together in unity, and we declare it done in Jesus' name we pray.

1:08

Amen.

1:18

One nation under God.

1:36

Roll call.

1:37

President Small.

1:38

Here.

1:39

Vice President Gregory here.

1:40

Councilmember Penn.

1:42

Here.

1:42

Councilmember Ingram here.

1:44

Councilmember Reynolds.

1:45

Here.

1:45

Councilmember Fleming.

1:47

Here.

1:47

Councilmember Woods.

1:48

Here.

1:49

Statement of rules.

1:51

Good morning, everyone.

1:52

Morning.

1:52

It's good to see everyone this morning.

1:54

Welcome to our August 25th, 2026 meeting.

1:57

At this meeting, we do have rules at this time.

2:00

I ask if anyone have any type of electronic device, including cell phones.

2:05

Please at this time put it on the off of the vibrate position, the off of the vibrate position.

2:11

Any person they design to address the Mobile City Council must sign in indicating the ordinance, the resolution of public hearing agenda item before entering the meeting.

2:20

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

2:29

Must contact the city clerk office no later than two o'clock p.m.

2:32

the Thursday prior to the council meeting.

2:34

The subject that he or she was to express that a mobile city council must be identified and pertain to the city or mobile business business.

2:48

Each speaker is allowed three minutes to address this council bell was sound to indicate the end of two minutes, one minute remaining for summarizing the second bell indicates that your time has expired.

2:58

When addressing the council, there'd be no personal address to any individual council members.

3:02

All statements are to be made to the chair who will recognize any council member who wishes to respond.

3:07

To maintain the coin, there'll be no undue applause or public outcry allowed.

3:13

Approval of minutes of August 18th.

3:16

So move.

3:21

Aye.

3:22

All opposed.

3:25

Communications from Mayor Cherry Gottis.

3:28

Good morning, everybody.

3:29

Morning.

3:34

But we have some important things to talk about.

3:37

Specifically the upcoming DDD downtown development district community meeting.

4:06

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

4:24

If you wish to attend, you can register by visiting the map for mobile website.gov.

4:35

This is a fun one.

4:36

So I hope that everyone will join me.

4:39

I think my kids will be there too.

4:41

Uh and council vice president Gina Gregory, members of our parks and recreation department, and community stakeholders this Thursday to celebrate the last day to play at Lavretta Park playground before we start building its replacement.

5:00

The new playground represents a 1.1 million dollar investment.

5:02

It includes new specific play areas for ages two through five and five through twelve, swings, a rock wall, a zip track, a mound and tunnel section, and more.

5:14

But the old stuff's pretty great too.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████32%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████████████22%
Public Engagement██████████████████18%
Public Safety██████████████14%
Parks and Recreation██████████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Mobile City Council Regular Meeting - August 25, 2026

The Mobile City Council held its regular meeting on August 25, 2026, with all seven council members present. The meeting included approval of minutes, communications from Mayor Sandy Stimpson (via Chief of Staff? Actually Mayor Sandy Stimpson? The transcript says Mayor Cherry Gottis? Error: The transcript mentions "Communications from Mayor Cherry Gottis" but later the mayor is referred to as "Mayor Charagatis" (Spiro Charagatis). The opening roll call says "Communications from Mayor Cherry Gottis" but the proclamation says "I Spiro Charagatis, the 109th mayor of the City of Mobile". There is a discrepancy. The summary will note the mayor's name as stated for each segment. This summary uses the name as presented in the source.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of August 18, 2026.
  • Approved multiple noise ordinance waivers for various dates in August through December 2026. One waiver (October 24) was held over for one week.
  • Approved consent resolutions including appointments to the Mobile Historic Development Commission, grant applications, ABC license recommendations, nuisance property demolitions, weed abatement, and appropriations to various community organizations.
  • Approved resolution 01832 (agreement with Live Investment Group for Africa Town Welcome Center) after adopting an amendment changing language from "community liaison" to "project management" and linking deliverables with payment. Votes were unanimous on all consent items.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dr. Raoul Richardson (President, Mystic Order of the Jazz Obsessed) presented the Mojo 25th Anniversary Jazz Jam Fest, scheduled for September 28, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Cedar Street Social Club complex. He requested support from the council in the form of donations and in-kind offerings to further jazz education. No immediate council action was taken.
  • Reggie Hill (citizen) raised concerns about a city letter sent to a resident regarding meeting decorum, arguing it violated First Amendment rights. He also criticized disparities in treatment on boards/commissions, lack of resources for underserved areas (e.g., Africatown, Brooklyn by the Bay), and questioned oversight of port/airport authorities. He urged the council to show equal enthusiasm for economic initiatives in struggling communities.

Mayor's Communications & Proclamations

  • Mayor Charagatis announced the upcoming Downtown Development District (DDD) community meeting (registration via mapformobile.gov).
  • Announced a farewell event at Lavretta Park on Thursday, August 27, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. before its $1.1 million replacement begins. New features include play areas for ages 2–5 and 5–12, a rock wall, zip track, and more.
  • Announced the opening of the John E. King Senior Center in Hillsdale on Thursday, August 27, at 11 a.m. (6024 Lorma Road), which will also host the senior meal program.
  • Proclaimed August 2026 as National Minority Donor Awareness Month. Rakia Hassel (Legacy of Hope) noted that only about 40% of Alabamians are registered organ donors and encouraged registration.

Recognitions

  • June Officer of the Month: Officer Anthony McKittrick (5 years on force) located suspects for burglaries, stolen vehicles, and a probation violation; cleared 9 felonies and 9 misdemeanors.
  • July Officer of the Month: Corporal Tiffany Monty (10 years on force) achieved a 100% clearance rate, recovered $5,000 in stolen property, executed 5 search warrants, recovered 8 stolen guns, and made 34 felony arrests. This was her fourth Officer of the Month award.
  • June Firefighter of the Month: Firefighter Davis (formerly a dispatcher) took additional classes and is preparing for the smoke diver program and advanced EMT/paramedic program.
  • July Firefighter of the Month: Captain Breckenridge (8.5 years) took on additional responsibilities at Latham Station, completed annual evaluations, and excelled in training.

Finance Report (Logan, Finance Director)

  • The city’s annual comprehensive financial report and popular annual financial report (20 pages) are available online.
  • Cash decreased by $18 million in July, largely due to planned transfers including $6 million to the police and fire pension fund, capital transfers, and housing improvement program contributions.
  • Sales tax tracking: year-to-date actual at 85.57% of budget; projection for the year is $215 million against a budget of $213 million. Property tax and business license tax are each over 100% of budget. Overall revenue at 88% of budget.
  • Discussion on fleet management budget: the appearance of low spending (36% of budget) is due to accounting treatment of fuel reimbursements; actual spending is closer to budget. The 2027 budget will restructure this.

Public Hearings

  • Demolition of structures (619 Somerville St., 612 Cedar Ave., 1213 Chickopin St., 266 Kennedy St., 1120 Partridge St., 303 Ryland St.): No speakers; public hearing closed.
  • Shuttle service certificate (Late One Stop Services LLC): No speakers; public hearing closed.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved all consent resolutions as read, including the amended agreement with Live Investment Group (resolution 01832).
  • Tabled resolution 2188 (contract with Parton Smith for sidewalk improvements) for one week.
  • Held over noise ordinance waiver request for October 24 (4-7 p.m.) for one week.
  • Held over ABC license for Sweet Dreams Haunted Attraction (special retail more than 30 days) for one week.
  • Called public hearing for adoption of the 2026-2027 general fund and capital improvement fund budgets for September 8, 2026.
  • Council Vice President Gina Gregory announced a public safety committee meeting at 1 p.m. on August 25 to discuss revised animal ordinance amendments. The meeting will be a working session without public comment but will incorporate previously submitted suggestions.

Meeting Transcript

This is the regular meeting of the Mobile City Council. Tuesday, August 25th. Please stand for the invocation led by Reverend Lynn Chiltern, Public Safety Chaplain, and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilman Penny, will you leave us in a word of prayer this morning? Let us pray. Father God, we just thank you right now, God, for our amazing city. We thank you for our the mayor, the administration, this council, our citizens. We speak unity. We spent strength. We thank you, Lord, that you give our leaders wisdom and discernment how to move this city forward together in unity, and we declare it done in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. One nation under God. Roll call. President Small. Here. Vice President Gregory here. Councilmember Penn. Here. Councilmember Ingram here. Councilmember Reynolds. Here. Councilmember Fleming. Here. Councilmember Woods. Here. Statement of rules. Good morning, everyone. Morning. It's good to see everyone this morning. Welcome to our August 25th, 2026 meeting. At this meeting, we do have rules at this time. I ask if anyone have any type of electronic device, including cell phones. Please at this time put it on the off of the vibrate position, the off of the vibrate position. Any person they design to address the Mobile City Council must sign in indicating the ordinance, the resolution of public hearing agenda item before entering the meeting. When addressing this council, the speaker must give his or her name. Must contact the city clerk office no later than two o'clock p.m. the Thursday prior to the council meeting. The subject that he or she was to express that a mobile city council must be identified and pertain to the city or mobile business business. Each speaker is allowed three minutes to address this council bell was sound to indicate the end of two minutes, one minute remaining for summarizing the second bell indicates that your time has expired. When addressing the 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'll be no undue applause or public outcry allowed. Approval of minutes of August 18th. So move. Aye. All opposed. Communications from Mayor Cherry Gottis. Good morning, everybody. Morning. But we have some important things to talk about.

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