Adopt those.

We'll consider that.

Earth Crow, Earth Crow.

Come in.

Crow.

I can hear some.

Okay.

Second.

Yes, second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Okay.

Minutes are adopted.

Okay.

Item number one under new business.

Good afternoon, Council.

Welcome, welcome.

General fund reserve for future approvements, budget revision number five.

Yes, sir.

So there's two parts to this revision.

The first is the high grove neighborhood developer is wanting to add 13 street lights to phase four of the neighborhood.

The cost will be reimbursed by the developer, and this budget revision is just to record the revenue from the developer and increase the street light budget line item for the same amount.

So they come in, give us the amount of money that we expect it to cost.

We build it.

Correct.

Questions?

Motion.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Okay.

Item is approved.

And then the number two, 2025.

I'm sorry.

They were there were two pieces of the two.

The second part is the um we discussed the two items that were discussed in projects dealing with the east over drainage project.

Um in that revision is just to move the 60,000 532 out of the neighborhood storing drainage line item and into the east over drainage line item.

I want to keep my motion.

I'm gonna keep my motion.

Okay.

Second.

All right, same vote.

Aye.

All right.

Now we're at item number two, 2025 B bond budget revision number two.

This was also discussed in projects committee.

Um, this is for that Fletcher phase two project, and this revision is just requesting to move that 943 883 out of the lagoon repair project and into the digester upgrade project.

All right.

Well, let's not rehash that one again.

Well, we're a cash set in here, he'd ready to go over.

Um I will make a motion.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Okay.

Movement is approved.

Authorization to fly for 2025 tennis venue center grant.

Yes, sir.

I'm I'm gonna introduce number because really number three and four are tied together.

I'm gonna introduce the the subject of both of these that ties it together, three and four, and then our team can go into the details.

Um, most of you know knew Emily Baker.

Umly Baker is frankly the reason why we have the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center that exists today.

I was telling our team members at Thursday staff meeting that before the April 27th tornado, Miss Baker.

It felt like I was meeting with her every six weeks to discuss why don't we have a tennis center in Tuscaloosa.

And so after the tornado, we had an opportunity uh to build the tennis center with proceeds, leftover insurance proceeds from JC Park.

And Miss Baker uh stepped up to the plate and donated a significant portion to that project.

And if you've ever been to the tennis center, you'll see that the hard courts inside are actually named in her honor.

Um Miss Baker passed away well, I think a little over a year ago.

Um within her estate, she left 1.2 million dollars to the Tuscaloosa tennis center and requested as part of that gift that the city build three to city be a para build three hard courts.

The cost of three hardcores is one point four million dollars.

So to make up that two hundred thousand dollar delta, uh we're requesting to apply for a no-match grant with the United States Tennis Association of 200,000.

Um at the appropriate time, you can imagine uh we will get a request from Para to likely name the entire facility after Ms.

Baker, which is more than appropriate for someone's generosity and what she did for Tuscaloosa tennis and the Tuscaloosa Tennant Center.

So again, three and four are tied together, and at this point I would ask um Tim Sullivan to kind of give you an over not kind of to give you an overview of what what the 1.2 million would be invested in along with the grant that uh we think we have a very good opportunity of uh receiving with US TA.

So Ms.

Solan.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

That really sums this up very well.

So um when we bid the original tennis center expansion project a little over a year ago, there were three courts that we had as an alternate in the project that we did not have the funds available to award.

What makes doing this work really easy is that we already have the design work completed.

What makes doing this work really easy is that we already have the design work completed, it was already packaged in as an alternate initially, and so what we've gone to the contractor and and done is requested um pricing for that alternative that we did not award initially, and that is what the mayor was providing at the 1.4 amount.

So it would be three additional post-tension cable hardcores as well as uh several con uh several concrete sidewalk extensions as well as turf areas added to the site that we are nearing completion on now.

Of course, lighting is involved, fencing is involved, bleachers are involved, all the amenities that go with those courts are included in that one point four amount.

So this is simply approving the application of the grant, okay?

That's what this item is, yes, sir.

Okay.

And when do we know we can get or not?

We're told that we could expect that turnaround very quickly, we think less than 60 days.

Uh we might be as lucky as 30, but apparently they do these on a rolling month of the month approval.

So we're told about every 30 days they do they award new grants.

We feel very confident with the city's contribution into this project of around 10 million dollars.

Certainly Miss Baker's state.

We we feel good about the application project.

I would tell the city council that if for some reason we were not successful in the grant application.

That was my question.

We do have um over 200,000 dollars currently in our tourism capital fund.

This is the the quarter percent of tourism funds that is um annually that we put in quote tourism capital projects.

This certainly would qualify out of that fund if for some reason we were unable to get the grant, and we would then recommend if we do not get the grant to make up the delta with the that funding from that source.

Okay, but we would have to come up with 200.

Yes, sir, we would questions, comments.

That's good.

We don't item three up.

So I think item three motion approved.

Second, all in favor say aye.

Aye.

Item number four, which is authorization to accept the donation from community foundation, which is the one point two.

Yes.

So the the estate has routed the donation through West Alabama Community Foundation, and this just gives us authorization to receive that 1.2 million dollar donation.

Motion.

Second, all in favor say aye.

Aye.

Okay, item is approved.

Elevate budget revision number two.

So this is what you just approved in the last item.

Um, this is just recognizing that 1.2 million dollar donation.

Oh, as it goes through elevate, yes, sir.

Okay.

Questions, comments.

Do both of those A and B go through this.

Don't we need to talk about B?

Yes.

Uh B is saving center related, so it's um Aubrey Brant, can y'all pass that hand out for us?

Okay.

Carly has this uh Saving Center Capital Campaign Pledge Report typed up, so I think she's just with this wanting to show you that new 2.8 million dollars and where that you know flows into the whole project.

Brent, would you mind getting just an update on this?

Sure.

So this is great news.

We're asking for a budget increase, but we're coming to you with the cash in hand.

This is gonna be a little bit, we're changing our procedure a little bit, and then bifurcating point is the bond factor date, right?

So we had a process in which we're raising the bond factor date.

The bond date, and that's the that's the main that's the main factor why the procedure is changed.

Okay, because when we were fundraising prior, we were doing pledges and taking cash and turning into the city.

Now we we said today's the date that we're gonna set that bond amount, so that number cannot change, right?

So now when we're looking at new monies, new cash, new budgets.

This is a little bit different procedure.

So we're bringing the new monies straight to you.

We hope to be able to do this a lot.

So essentially the 2.8 is cash in hand, in addition to the payout that you received that the Satan Center Foundation has already obligated to y'all over the past couple of years.

Yay.

Great.

No, whoa, no.

Oh man, you can get off that easy, huh?

No, but I don't want to start out with a y the what was it 2.8.

Yes, sir.

So that's money that's coming in above and beyond what we had planned on, right?

Yes, sir.

And can it be used to reduce our debt?

No, sir.

Why not?

Not this particular 2.8 because it is direct fundraising and it is essentially to go to exhibit exhibit space.

It's site lined to buy something specific.

Yes, sir.

The buyers requested it to go to the exhibit spaces, yes.

Exactly.

The donor money wants to fund something as part of the savings center, and it's going directly to fund that asset within the savings center.

Okay.

I knew that answer.

I asked Carly on the phone Thursday.

Uh Mr.

Crow, Ms.

Howard, you questions, comments?

Good problem to have.

Yeah, they're bringing this money.

It is.

I started on I started on yay, I'll end on a yay.

Yay.

Would you like to make a motion?

No, no, but I if one of y'all would like to I would like the motion.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Item is approved.

And that's the that's both pieces in number five, right?

We approved.

Yeah.

Yes.

Okay.

Sorry.

Uh where are we number two?

Item six.

Okay.

So authorization apply for creative places, arts facilities grant.

Yes.

This is asking for approval to apply for this grant through the Alabama State Council of the Arts for a maximum grant amount of $100,000, and that will go directly to Project Warrior, and no match is required.

Okay.

All right.

Any questions or comments?

I make a motion.

Okay.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Item is approved.

Item number seven, authorization of reimbursement resolution for the planned NOAA's Arc 2.0 bond issuance projects.

All right, bear with me on this one.

I have to do that.

You got a fun day to uh get dipped in the water there, lad.

Right, right.

Um you would recall during discussions of NOAA's R 2.0 and in presentations of options for funding early design.

It was decided that the city would use cash available in Elevate.

It was also mentioned during those discussions that this funding structure would only be possible with the adoption of a reimbursement resolution.

This reimbursement resolution would allow the city to reimburse itself these costs from the bond proceeds once the debt is issued.

This is the same type of reimbursement resolution that we've done previously with water and sewer and the savings center as we don't plan to issue those bonds until 2027.

Okay, this is allowing us to front ourselves money for odds and ends projects that don't add up to a bond yet.

Correct.

And pay ourselves back when we issue the bond.

Yes, we can any other questions or comments?

Motion.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Item is approved.

Resolution authorizing renewal cities insurance coverage for holidays on the plaza Cincinnati.

Specialty underrun.

Okay.

Good afternoon committee.

Good afternoon.

This is an insurance item that uh actually hasn't come before you before.

Uh this normally fell below the amount that required uh formal council approval.

Our uh our premium last year was uh three thousand four hundred and eighty-nine dollars.

Uh we put it out to get quotes earlier this year, and and fortunately we're well in advance.

We got our our quote back um the beginning of October, and that quote was uh somewhere in the neighborhood of eight thousand dollars.

Um given a you know more than double uh we asked them to go back and look at it.

So we spent the the next six weeks or so trying to get additional quotes, trying to find different coverages, um, and then working on the company who we had had before.

Ultimately, we were able to get them down to six thousand four hundred dollars, which is still uh a substantial increase.

Uh, but is we're we feel very satisfied that this is the best deal we can get and the only coverage we can get.

Um I also feel very satisfied that holidays on the plaza starts in six days, and so I would like to go ahead and buy this coverage in.

But we've you don't want a bunch of people gulking around on ice no no sir.

I don't we've we've had uh litigation regarding an injury from a prior holiday event.

So we're gonna make sure it's covered.

Okay.

Questions, comments?

Thank you for making sure we cover it.

It is what it is, insurance wonderful.

Motion second all in favor say aye.

Aye item is approved.

You better have it.

I don't have it when you're for operation light.

Sir Council.

Uh this is the MOU with operation light time.

Operation Light Shine is a 501c3 organization.

Uh they'll be working with West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force.

Uh this MOU will authorize some overtime reimbursement.

Uh they'll also buy equipment and fund some of our operations that we have and uh pay for some training.

So this is a win-win uh MOU all the way around.

So this is a win-win uh MOU all the way around.

What's the total you think?

Uh though up to it's up to $12,000 a year for uh overtime reimbursement, and then they do not have a cap on the training to wherever the fund wants to give us for training if we submit that.

Okay.

So no cost to the city at all.

Comment second all I'm verbally saying.

I thank you.

Item is approved.

Item number 10, Jack's incentive request.

All right, council, thank you.

Uh Mr.

Chairman.

Um I want to go ahead and call up Mr.

Tag Avery, VP of Jack's family restaurant.

But you know, while he's walking up, he's got a presentation.

But you know, as we know, you know, certain areas of town, um, this particular area has hadn't seen any growth in a very long time.

Um we've got a restaurant that's interested in developing that area, which that area is fastly growing with DHR and you know, Black Warrior Tower Stop going right there on the corner, and I think Jack's will be a great addition to that area.

Um they are asking for a tax incentive um to cover some groundwork because it was a previously a gas station.

Um, and I'll let Mr.

Jack Avery speak a little bit more about what they're asking for in detail.

Great, great so Jack, welcome.

Sure, sure, thank you.

Thank you.

I told uh we look for I'm sorry, Councilor Busby, you have a handout in front of you.

The last page is the what I'll call the deal structure side if Mr.

Avery will walk you through about that.

Sure.

I I told Mr.

Eatman we would put it on the agenda today to hear it, and then uh we'll consider voting on it next week, depending on the outcome here.

So tell us what you got.

Sure, excellent, sir.

Uh Mr.

Eden, thank you very much for that introduction.

My name is Jim Avery.

I lead the development team at Jack's, and really what we're here to talk about today is an investment that Jax plans to make.

We have a piece of property under contract.

I believe we're in the southeast corner of Joe Malacham and Highway 11 on the west side of town.

And we're proposing to build our standard building, it's about 3,600 square feet.

We'll have about 40 parking spaces and 68 seats in our building.

Um, and it's a large investment, it'll be over three million dollars for JAX.

And uh that's really what we're here to talk about is to utilize amendment 772 to help us with that large investment, and we're asking for a modest uh sales tax sharing proposal.

Um that's the last page of your handout that kind of looks at those economics.

We're proposing uh our our estimation, I should say, is our initial sales will be about 2.1 million dollars.

And what we're asking in this proposal is to have the city reimburse us the sales tax for our first year of operation to help us cover some of that three point three million dollar cost, and as councilman Eatman mentioned, a lot of that has to do with the site work.

Uh it's a former gas station.

Um we have some dirt work we have to deal with in some contaminated soil that will will have extra cost to us.

We also have to build a right turn lane as a requirement from all dot to gain access into the property.

That alone is about $150,000.

So this hopefully small contribution from the city will go a long way to make this this project possible for JAX.

Um, and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have or any of the detail that's in your handout.

And are you asking that we rebate a set amount out of that first year revenue or all of it?

It would it would be one 100% of the sales tax we would generate just in the first year of operation.

After that, all of the sales tax would go to the city.

And your estimating sales revenue of 2.8 million?

2.1 so 2.1 in our first year, correct.

We expect that to increase as we as we as we move on into the future with that store, but initially 2.1 million is our estimation, and I believe that amounts with your three percent sales tax.

I believe about 63,000 dollars.

Just the first year, just first year, correct other questions or comments, Mr.

Chairman.

Is there any other way to look at this other than sales tax?

Is there any other way that I guess Mr.

Moore would have to answer that to maybe help with anything that could help help him that's not sales tax related because I know we're kind of a little nervous about sales tax right now.

Is there any other way of to help them?

So uh working with both their tenant rep and Mr.

Avery and the JAX development team.

We've looked, we looked at both uh permit service fees and other like items.

Their range was in the 60 to 70,000 dollars at a request.

Those fees didn't really equate to enough to make it have it make sense.

So in their mind, this is the best proposal that they could come up with for where they need it to be.

So I I think the I guess the answer to that question is we've added out a variety of different options to explore before coming to council.

And it traditionally, Mr.

Busby to your question, and Mr.

Bobbitt can correct me on this.

Uh usually in the past we have done uh a rebate, and it's typically in a quarterly fashion.

Obviously, performance driven.

They pay it, it comes to us.

We we rally embers to the entity that's listed in the development agreement.

Yes, sir.

Uh we spent some time discussing back and forth, and their number was within this range, and there wasn't uh another way really to design it to get to it, to be quite honest.

Where are y'all not on Stray?

Where are you?

We're based in Birmingham Birmingham.

And what what are your locations here in this area?

Oh gosh, we have we have five stores in the immediate area.

Um we actually have two in Northport.

We have a store um on Skyland Boulevard, we have two near the campus, one in the Alberta area, another on Hackberry Lane.

Uh, we have a store down near Shelton State University.

Uh I believe those are the five we have, and of course, stores north and south of that as well, but five in the immediate Tuscaloosa area.

Okay.

Well, big fan of your uh your rush, your operation.

Well, thank you.

Just you don't know this, but I'm a jack's scout of the motion.

So if this goes through, I'm expecting Mr.

Exil there to visit that.

Let's be very careful about thrustness.

I'm sure sure.

Well, and and most of those five restaurants, three or four of those are fairly new, like within the last six to eight years.

So we've we've made a fairly large investment in the community here over that.

Well, crackberry, the folks there do a great job.

Yes, yes, they do.

Nothing against anybody else.

No, but but they yeah, our staff there is gonna ask me.

Yeah, that's been there a long time.

It sure has yes, there might be any other questions or comments.

I think it's a modest um request, and this is an area that definitely needs this type of development.

I mean, we we are seeing development, but I don't think this is one that will be um raise has raised any of those other type of concerns that we've seen in the past.

So this is an exciting development.

So Mr.

Avery, Mr.

Eatman, let us uh let us take what you presented, talk over among ourselves, socialize with our district, sure, and see if we can formulate anything that would help me.

I'm sorry, Mr.

Chairman.

Just just to note timing on this as we've discussed kind of the the mandatory gap for the publication period.

It sounds like uh from how you prefaced this discussion that uh the bottom the committee claims to table this today and bring it back up on the ninth.

If that's well, it's not gonna be tabled, it was only up for discussion.

So there's no need to table it.

How long we we've got the sixth, the ninth and the sixth teenth, so publication would need to be by when.

Assuming the so if this committee were to approve it on the 9th, we would do publication for it to have a public hearing on January the 6th.

Okay, if if we needed to have that public hearing on December 16th, we would need to do uh something different here or instruct my office to go ahead and and run the run the public.

Yeah, we're we're good if we if we choose to bring it up for a vote on the 9th, we've got plenty of time to get that on the finance agenda, and if so, then depending on how it goes there, it can roll on.

Thanks for coming down.

My pleasure.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Appreciate you.

You didn't bring burgers burgers next time.

Their chicken is really good.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um other questions, comments?

Items for finance committee?

Not if there's a motion to adjourn.

Oh, second.