Tuscaloosa City Council Meeting - November 4, 2025

The Tuscaloosa City Council convened on November 4, 2025, to conduct regular business, honor a local youth baseball team, and address municipal code enforcement, zoning, and public works contracts. The meeting featured unanimous approvals on multiple consent agenda items and resolutions, alongside deliberations on public hearings concerning property demolitions.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of the minutes from the previous meeting was moved, seconded, and adopted unanimously.
• Resolution adopting amendments to Exhibit D (Section 1942 of the Code of Tuscaloosa) passed unanimously.
• Resolution adopting amendments to Exhibits A and B (Section 1942 of the Code of Tuscaloosa) passed unanimously.
• Adoption of Amendment Number 2 to the Fiscal Year 2026 General Fund Budget passed unanimously.
• Unanimous adoption of items A through J on the Consent Agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Councilor Norman Crow: Delivered a special presentation honoring the 2025 10-and-under All-Star 4A baseball team, highlighting their achievements as regional and state runners-up and World Series finalists.
• Coach Harry Shoemaker: Expressed gratitude to the City Council, parents, and volunteers, emphasizing the team's adherence to the principles of respect, honor, and integrity. He shared statistics regarding the team's performance in triple-headers and elimination games.
• Robert Martin (Petitioner Representative): Appeared to represent the applicant for Zoning Amendment 23 (Santorini Street), confirming the project conforms to the city's framework and intended use.

Discussion Items

Public Hearing: 3113 Riggs Road Demolition

• Context: The City seeks to order the demolition of a structure with 47 housing code violations. The owner is represented by his brother, who is residing in Texas.
• Positions:
  • Councilor Wynn: Expressed willingness to grant a 30-day extension to pull permits and begin work, noting the property has been in the queue for five years.
  • City Council: Generally agreed that a 30-day window was the maximum acceptable delay before proceeding.
• Outcome: The council voted to table the demolition order for 30 days to allow the owner to attempt to pull permits.

Public Hearing: 3153 Riggs Road Demolition

• Context: The City seeks to order the demolition of a structure with 48 housing code violations. The owner, Carol Croweell, was present at the hearing.
• Positions:
  • Owner (Carol Croweell): Stated she intends to work on the property within a 30-day timeframe and will decide whether to allow demolition, perform it herself, or make repairs.
• Outcome: The city council voted to table the demolition order for 30 days to accommodate the owner's plan.

Public Hearing: Zoning Amendment 22 (14310 Santorini Street)

• Context: A request to rezone approximately 0.31 acres from SFR1 to LR (Lakeside Living) and annex the land into city limits. The Planning and Zoning Commission had previously recommended this unanimously.
• Positions:
  • Petitioner Rep (Robert Martin): Confirmed the request involves splitting a lot and purchasing property to achieve consistent zoning, conforming to the city's future land use character map.
• Outcome: No public opposition was presented, and the zoning amendment was adopted unanimously.

Other Business

• Annexations: Approximately 0.7 acres at 6950 University Blvd East was annexed unanimously. Annexation of roughly one acre at Nickel Park Road was debated and carried over to the next week due to a lack of unanimous consent.
• Contracts and Resolutions: Various contracts were authorized, including agreements with Napa Equipment, Isbo Insulation, ProScape, Smith Stigal & Associates, Suite One Media, Hazen and Sawyer, More Water Technologies, The Arbitrage Group, and an interagency agreement with the Police Department. Real estate sales contracts with Land Conservation of America LLC and S&D Properties LLC were also adopted.
• Budget Amendments: Approval was granted for disbursements from District Two and District Three improvement funds for various community projects, including Tuscaloosa City Schools, P.A.R.A., Alpha Chapter Youth Clubs, Bridge Builder Friendship Foundations, Central High School, and Jeremiah's Community Gardens. Amendment Number 3 to the FY2026 reserved fund budget was adopted.

Key Outcomes

• Demolition Orders: Demolition orders for 3113 Riggs Road and 3153 Riggs Road were both tabled for 30 days.
• Zoning: Zoning Amendment 22 for Santorini Street was adopted. Zoning Amendment 23 was introduced.
• Annexations: 6950 University Blvd East annexation adopted; Nickel Park Road annexation deferred.
• Financial: Fiscal Year 2026 budget amendments and multiple public works/service contracts were approved.
• Administrative: Board of Directors appointment for Andrew to the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission was approved. Auditing accounts for bill payments were authorized.