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Record of Proceedings

Tuscaloosa City Council Pre-Council Meeting - September 29, 2026

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, September 29, 2026
BodyTuscaloosa, Alabama
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateTuesday, September 29, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 21:19

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:10

Our pre-council meeting will now come to order.

0:12

And can I get a motion to approve the minutes?

0:16

All in favor?

0:17

I have the minutes stand approved.

0:19

And so now for our new business.

0:22

We will start with our department comments.

0:25

Mr.

0:26

Williams.

Speaker 2

0:29

First one we have up here is 26 15 18th Street.

0:35

This house caught on fire in April of 26.

0:39

No repairs have been made.

0:42

And this property cannot be rebuilt.

0:45

So I've already contacted the owners.

0:47

They are aware of this.

0:49

They will not be here to contest or um, and they haven't done any work together.

Speaker 3

0:54

Cannot be rebuilt structurally, or is there some zoning change that's

Speaker 2

0:58

it's it's not zoned for two pieces of uh two buildings on one parcel?

1:05

Because this is actually a build that's setting back off behind another structure, and this one's in district one.

1:12

Sounds

Speaker 3

1:12

like Canadian.

1:14

Okay.

1:17

All right.

Speaker 2

1:19

The next one we got 3535 23rd streets.

Speaker 3

1:24

This is

Speaker 2

1:26

street.

1:27

Avenue, I'm sorry.

Speaker 3

1:29

No,

Speaker 2

1:30

I think it is it is street.

1:31

I I've got I got the wrong address on there.

1:34

It is street.

1:35

I apologize.

1:36

Uh but there this one here, the gentleman is not going to contest this one.

1:42

Uh so it would we'll be voting to demolish this one as

Unassigned speaker

1:47

well.

Speaker 1

1:51

Okay.

Unassigned speaker

1:54

All

Speaker 1

1:54

right, there's no questions.

Unassigned speaker

1:56

Is

Speaker 1

1:57

that all, Mr.

1:57

Woods?

Speaker 2

1:58

That's all I got.

Speaker 1

1:59

All right, thank you.

2:00

Um next we have Miss Frank.

Speaker 4

2:08

Good afternoon.

Speaker 3

2:09

Good afternoon.

Speaker 4

2:11

Okay, initial four, we have downtown social LLC applying for a special events retail less than seven days.

2:17

They're gonna have two events.

2:19

The first one is UA National Young Alumni Tailgate.

2:22

It will be at Little Hall, which is 670 Bonner Drive, and that it will take place on October 10th.

Unassigned speaker

2:32

And

Speaker 4

2:32

then the second is the pits at Champions Corner.

2:35

It will be at Malmore Athletic Facility at 1090 Coliseum Drive, and it will take place on October 24th.

Unassigned speaker

2:56

Thank you.

Speaker 1

3:01

We're all good.

3:02

Good luck.

3:03

Is that it?

3:04

Okay, just okay, thank y'all.

3:07

All right, thank you.

3:08

Mayor, any comments?

Speaker 5

3:09

Yes, ma'am.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████76%
Zoning And Land Use██████████17%
Public Engagement████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Pre-Council Meeting Summary | September 29, 2026

The Tuscaloosa City Council convened its pre-council meeting on September 29, 2026, to review items scheduled for the upcoming formal council meeting. The agenda included department reports on demolitions and special permits, a detailed briefing on the consent and regular agenda by the city attorney, a discussion on the procedure for electing the council president, and recognition of staff. The meeting concluded with a motion to enter executive session to discuss security plans.

Consent Calendar (Proposed)

The following items were briefed as part of the consent and regular agenda:

  • Demolitions: Two non-contested demolitions were presented by Mr. Williams: 2615 18th Street (damaged by fire in April 2026, cannot be rebuilt due to structural and zoning constraints involving two structures on one parcel) and 3535 23rd Street.
  • Special Event Permits: Downtown Social LLC received approval for two events: a UA National Young Alumni Tailgate at Little Hall (670 Bonner Drive) on October 10th, and The Pits at Champions Corner at Malmore Athletic Facility (1090 Coliseum Drive) on October 24th.
  • Public Works and Infrastructure: Items included right-of-way permits for New Corse Steel, condemnation for the 36th Avenue East Drainage Project, traffic signal removal and roadway lighting maintenance agreements with ALDOT, and multiple minor public works contracts (Alabama Pro Stripe, $98,082; Tuscaloosa Metal Buildings, $14,496; Straight Line Fence, $3,639; Renovations Plus, $29,800; Night Sign Industries, $56,068; Backyard Solutions, $11,000; John Wayne Plumbing and Train Service, $6,350; Building Specialties, $11,985; Black Warrior Asphalt Consultant, $4,500).
  • Parks and Facilities: A contract amendment with TTL for the Freeman Park and Pool Improvements Project was noted (total amended amount $262,919). A contract for professional engineering services for downtown lighting phase one ($23,000) was also presented.
  • Real Estate: Authorizations were requested for the purchase of 10.14 acres from multiple heirs (Nancy Waugh Dowling, et al.) for $515,000, the purchase of 0.5 acres from Harold Brown LLC for $210,000, and the donation of 8.07 acres from Harold Brown LLC. All parcels are related to the Northern Riverwalk Phase 2 project.
  • Grants and Budget: Items included amendments to the Emergency Solutions Grant program, the city’s consolidated annual performance report (CAPER) for HUD, and budget amendments for the Water and Sewer fund.
  • Finance and Professional Services: Contracts were presented for audit services (Warren Averett, $25,000), long-term flow monitoring (CSL Services, $138,096), stream flow gauging (USGS, $22,600), and city insurance policy renewals.

Public Comments and Testimony

No members of the public provided testimony during this pre-council session.

Discussion Items

  • Election of City Council President: An ordinance to elect the council president was placed on the formal agenda by Councilor Howard. Councilor Busby raised procedural concerns, stating that previous practice involved the council reaching an internal consensus and voting before the ordinance was formally drafted and adopted, often with a blank item filled in during the organizational meeting. The Mayor stated he would abstain from the vote, clarifying he considers the selection of the council president a decision strictly for the city council, despite his legal ability to break a tie under general legislative votes. City Attorney Holmes confirmed the process presented has been the standard in recent terms.

Key Outcomes

  • Executive Session: A motion was made and seconded to enter executive session. City Attorney Holmes certified the session to discuss security plans, procedures, and assessments for the safety of persons and critical infrastructure.
  • Upcoming Dates: October 12th was noted for the Police and Fire Pension Board meeting in the Caver Room.
  • Council President Vote: The ordinance to elect the council president remained on the agenda for the regular council meeting, with the procedural path and the Mayor’s intended abstention clarified.

Meeting Transcript

Our pre-council meeting will now come to order. And can I get a motion to approve the minutes? All in favor? I have the minutes stand approved. And so now for our new business. We will start with our department comments. Mr. Williams. First one we have up here is 26 15 18th Street. This house caught on fire in April of 26. No repairs have been made. And this property cannot be rebuilt. So I've already contacted the owners. They are aware of this. They will not be here to contest or um, and they haven't done any work together. Cannot be rebuilt structurally, or is there some zoning change that's it's it's not zoned for two pieces of uh two buildings on one parcel? Because this is actually a build that's setting back off behind another structure, and this one's in district one. Sounds like Canadian. Okay. All right. The next one we got 3535 23rd streets. This is street. Avenue, I'm sorry. No, I think it is it is street. I I've got I got the wrong address on there. It is street. I apologize. Uh but there this one here, the gentleman is not going to contest this one. Uh so it would we'll be voting to demolish this one as well. Okay. All right, there's no questions. Is that all, Mr. Woods? That's all I got. All right, thank you. Um next we have Miss Frank. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Okay, initial four, we have downtown social LLC applying for a special events retail less than seven days. They're gonna have two events. The first one is UA National Young Alumni Tailgate. It will be at Little Hall, which is 670 Bonner Drive, and that it will take place on October 10th. And

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