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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Tuscaloosa City Council Approves Condemnations, Special Events, and FY2027 Budget Items on September 22, 2026

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, September 22, 2026

BodyTuscaloosa, Alabama

SessionCity Council Meetings

DateTuesday, September 22, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 24:40

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Um first of all, y'all know that we've been off for two weeks and a lot has happened since the two weeks that we've been off.

0:06

So before we jump into our council agenda, um, since we met last, we have lost one of our own, which everyone knows as council member Kilt Heiner.

0:17

Um who passed away last Thursday.

0:21

So I just wanted to know if uh anyone from the council had any comments, would like to say anything.

0:26

Mayor.

0:28

I plan on saying a few words tonight.

0:30

Okay.

0:32

All right.

0:33

So on that note, last week, ironically, when council member Tyner passed, we were off, and I'm so thankful that we had that time to um support the loss of our former council president.

0:46

However, today we have to make up for it, and we have packed agendas in every committee.

0:52

So on that note, can we uh we've call these meetings to order?

0:56

Can I get an approval of the minutes?

0:59

Okay, all in favor to approve the minutes.

1:01

All right.

1:03

So now for our new business, we have Mr.

1:07

Wilkins.

1:11

So the first two we have are two that's been tabled.

1:15

First is 3605 19th Street.

1:19

Uh this one was the one she was debating what she was gonna do.

1:24

They have a crew on site demo in the house as we speak.

1:28

But we're gonna go ahead and just vote to condemn tonight, let them finish cleaning it up, and once they're finished cleaning it up, then it goes away.

1:36

So we'll just go ahead and vote to condemn this one tonight.

1:40

Okay.

1:42

Yes, sir.

1:44

All right, second.

1:45

The second one is 5124th Avenue.

1:49

Uh, this one was tabled from three months ago.

1:51

Uh this was a burn house.

1:53

He has made good progress on it.

1:56

Uh really does.

1:58

I feel like if we give him another 90 days, he'll continue to make progress.

2:02

Should we get rid of that old pickup truck?

2:04

Uh I think it actually runs.

2:07

It has moved.

2:08

So but yes, he has made good progress.

2:12

He's got it in closed, uh, so he'll be work moving to the interior, but I don't want to take it off of the agenda yet.

2:18

So if if we can let's give him 90 days.

2:24

The next three are all new.

2:27

So this one's 1205 17th Street.

2:31

Uh they have not done any work.

2:34

It has been sold.

2:35

The new owners have pulled a permit to demolish it, but I don't know when they're gonna be on uh site to demolish it.

2:43

So it's my recommendation that we condemn this one tonight.

2:47

All right.

2:52

It's it's been there, it's it's been there for a while.

2:55

We've fought them through property maintenance and everything else.

2:58

The old man just didn't want to do anything, and he finally agreed to sell it.

3:03

Somebody else has purchased it, so uh it will be torn down.

3:09

I just don't know when, and I don't want to take the risk of giving them time.

3:13

So we'll go ahead and just vote to condemn this one is 3221 16th place.

3:22

This woman is aware of it.

3:24

She is not gonna contest.

3:26

She will not be here.

3:28

So our recommendation is to move with condemnation on this one.

3:40

And the last one here, 2927 has already been demolished.

3:44

I was unable, I was out sick and unable to get it pulled.

3:47

So we would ask that y'all just withdraw this one.

3:54

Oh okay, we'll withdrawing it.

3:56

Why?

3:56

Uh it's already been demolished.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Works███████████████████████████████31%

Budget Equity Analysis████████████████16%

Public Safety█████████████13%

Personnel Matters█████████████13%

Public Engagement███████████11%

Procedural██████████10%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%

Summary of Proceedings

Tuscaloosa City Council Meeting - September 22, 2026

The Tuscaloosa City Council convened on September 22, 2026, at 18:31:59 UTC for a regular meeting that addressed property condemnations, special event permits, a lengthy consent calendar, and a certified executive session. The meeting opened with a tribute to Council Member Kilt Heiner, who passed away the previous week, and concluded with a move into executive session to discuss security plans and competitive negotiations.

Consent Calendar

Approval of Minutes: The council approved the minutes from the prior meeting.
Property Condemnations: The council voted on several properties per staff recommendations:
- 3605 19th Street: Condemned to allow ongoing demolition and cleanup.
- 5124th Avenue: Granted a 90-day extension after significant progress on a burn house; remained on agenda.
- 1205 17th Street: Condemned; property sold, new owner pulled demolition permit, but no timeline for work.
- 3221 16th Place: Condemned; owner did not contest.
- 2927: Withdrawn because the property had already been demolished.
Special Event Permits: Approved all five permits:
- Party Down LLC for October Fest at Government Plaza on October 3, 7–11 PM.
- Alabama Wildlife Federation Inc. for a Wild Game Cook-off on November 12 at 6 PM at Ray C. Jenkins Horse Arena.
- Downtown Entertainment LLC for October Game Day bar events at seven fraternity houses.
- Theater Tuscaloosa Inc. for two non-profit events at Bain Brown Theater (Clou weekend one and two).
- Downtown Social LLC for events on September 26 and October 10 (South Carolina and Georgia games).
Routine Items (Consent Agenda): The council approved a long list of items presented by city staff, including:
- Demolition liens for 2322 Ferdinand Ave and 2711 24th St.
- Adoption of the 2026 Water Distribution System Engineering Standards Manual.
- Adoption of the Division C Regional Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.
- Right-of-way permit for Spurling Properties.
- Acceptance of infrastructure at Cloverdale at Hackberry and Bryant at 15th (clarified as 15th Ave).
- Job class specifications for the Sabin Center.
- Professional services contracts with Hiala Inc., appraisal services, and Lamar Media Corp ($211,812).
- Authorization for a $7 million revenue bond issuance for Tuscaloosa Academy (TEFRA, non-city debt).
- Minor public works contracts, including Alabama Pro Watch ($8,690), Metals & Fabrication ($17,967.80), Tri-State Abatement ($4,850), Pure Air Alabama ($15,506), Civil Works ($9,600), Amison Associates ($27,223), Delta T ($9,263.10), and America Fence ($12,866.25).
- Tentative awards: Mercedes Force Main Phase 3 ($1,745,581) and Woolsey Fennel Bridge utility relocation ($12,274,089).
- Multiple equipment purchases for Fire & Rescue, Water & Sewer, airport security, and other departments.
- District improvement fund disbursements for Woodland Forest Elementary, Civil Rights Foundation, Shelby Park, Child Abuse Prevention Services, and Academy Drive.
- Budget amendments and FY2027 fund establishments (general fund, water & sewer, Elevate Tuscaloosa) and agency funding contracts.
- Appointment of David Nelson to the Historic Preservation Commission, code amendments, and solid waste collection changes.

Discussion Items

Executive Director of Public Safety Classification: A council member questioned an item on page 99 that would change the position from non-exempt to exempt. City staff clarified that this change only affects overtime eligibility and does not address the separate pay grade increase, which was handled in another committee. The council discussed the implications and received clarification before moving on.

Key Outcomes

All consent items were approved as presented, including condemnations, permits, contracts, and budget measures.
The council voted to move into executive session after the city attorney certified that the session would address security plans and competitive negotiations.
The council reminded members of the GBA meeting next Monday and the annual lunch on Thursday at 11:30 AM.

Meeting Transcript

Um first of all, y'all know that we've been off for two weeks and a lot has happened since the two weeks that we've been off. So before we jump into our council agenda, um, since we met last, we have lost one of our own, which everyone knows as council member Kilt Heiner. Um who passed away last Thursday. So I just wanted to know if uh anyone from the council had any comments, would like to say anything. Mayor. I plan on saying a few words tonight. Okay. All right. So on that note, last week, ironically, when council member Tyner passed, we were off, and I'm so thankful that we had that time to um support the loss of our former council president. However, today we have to make up for it, and we have packed agendas in every committee. So on that note, can we uh we've call these meetings to order? Can I get an approval of the minutes? Okay, all in favor to approve the minutes. All right. So now for our new business, we have Mr. Wilkins. So the first two we have are two that's been tabled. First is 3605 19th Street. Uh this one was the one she was debating what she was gonna do. They have a crew on site demo in the house as we speak. But we're gonna go ahead and just vote to condemn tonight, let them finish cleaning it up, and once they're finished cleaning it up, then it goes away. So we'll just go ahead and vote to condemn this one tonight. Okay. Yes, sir. All right, second. The second one is 5124th Avenue. Uh, this one was tabled from three months ago. Uh this was a burn house. He has made good progress on it. Uh really does. I feel like if we give him another 90 days, he'll continue to make progress. Should we get rid of that old pickup truck? Uh I think it actually runs. It has moved. So but yes, he has made good progress. He's got it in closed, uh, so he'll be work moving to the interior, but I don't want to take it off of the agenda yet. So if if we can let's give him 90 days. The next three are all new. So this one's 1205 17th Street. Uh they have not done any work. It has been sold. The new owners have pulled a permit to demolish it, but I don't know when they're gonna be on uh site to demolish it. So it's my recommendation that we condemn this one tonight. All right. It's it's been there, it's it's been there for a while. We've fought them through property maintenance and everything else. The old man just didn't want to do anything, and he finally agreed to sell it. Somebody else has purchased it, so uh it will be torn down. I just don't know when, and I don't want to take the risk of giving them time. So we'll go ahead and just vote to condemn this one is 3221 16th place.

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