City Council - Regular Meeting

Light me up, let me see your fire Light me up, let me see your fire Light me up, let me see your fire Light me up, let me see your fire

Good morning, Birmingham. Today is Tuesday, July 14th. The time is now 9.39 a.m. I call to order... the regular meeting of the Birmingham City Council. The invocation will be led this morning by Reverend Dr. Kelvin Lang, pastor of the Bright Lily Missionary Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Our Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Councilor Pro Tem Latonya Tate. If you're willing and able, please stand and join us.

Let us pray. Oh, gracious God, we come as humble as we know how, thanking you for another opportunity of life. We thank you for the mindset to come to this city hall meeting to serve your people. Now, God, we pray blessings upon this mayor, pray blessings upon this city council. We pray blessings upon the first responders, the city officials, and all of the public works department that's going to be going to and for today to see about these, your people. Father, we pray blessings upon every resident, every neighborhood, every business today that they may glorify you in all that they do. Now, Lord, as we prepare this meeting, this agenda has been prepared. We ask that you would lead this meeting with your wisdom and your Holy Spirit. Let every Decision that we made today be showered with integrity That every discussion be marked with respect Oh God and father we acts right now that every disagreement be handled with grace and every Directive that goes forth in action that goes forth be guided by justice and by mercy and then Oh Lord He's agenda that has been prepared We pray now that as it go forth that you would get all of the glory out of it, all of the honor and all of the praise out of it, and that the citizens of this magic city would benefit. This is our prayer. This is our petition. It's in the powerful and precious name of Jesus we pray. Let every heart say amen.

Amen. Thank you very much. Salute the flag. I pledge allegiance. to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you so much, Reverend Lang, for the very thoughtful prayer. We appreciate you starting our morning off for us. Good morning, Mr. Clerk.

Good morning, Madam President.

Would you please call the roll?

Council Member Gunn. Good morning. Good morning, sir. Council Member O'Quinn. Good morning. Good morning. Council Member Smith.

Good morning.

Good morning. Council Member Smitherman. Good morning. Good morning. Council Member Vassa?

Good morning.

Good morning. Council Member Williams? Council Member Woods? Good morning. Council President Protean Tate.

Good morning.

Good morning. Council President Alexander.

Good morning. Thank you very much. At this time, good morning. Minutes are not ready from the meetings of May 5th, 2026 through July 7th, 2026. At this time, we have communications from the mayor.

Good morning, Madam President.

Good morning, Madam President.

Good morning, Madam Protean, to the members of the council. Good morning to the members of the public, all those in the sound of my voice. I have a brief mayor's report today on Mayor Whitfin's behalf. First of all, Madam President, on behalf of the city of Birmingham, Mayor Woodfin would like to offer his sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Dr. Willie James May, Jr. Dr. May was a longtime educator in the city of Birmingham, serving countless young people and making an indelible mark on their lives and on our community. What a personal privilege. I, like many, had the opportunity to be a student. I was a first grader at Jackson Elementary while he was principal and He was a cool, cool campaign, and certainly we remember him as such, and he will truly be missed. Then finally, Madam President, bold applications are now open. The city of Birmingham invites proposals for its 2027-2028 Building Opportunities for Lasting Development, or BOLD, funding program. Established in 2018, BOLD provides financial support to organizations dedicated to advancing economic development, within the city through initiatives focused on five key focus areas, small businesses, workforce development, eliminating barriers, creating playmaking, placemaking, and high-growth industries. Over the last eight years, BOLD has directly contributed $6.2 million to 66 local organizations. The program was recently allocated up to $1.5 million of the city's FY27 budget. For those interested in learning more, A public information session will be held via WebEx on Thursday, July the 16th, 2026 at 2 p.m. Please visit iel.birminghamal.gov forward slash bold for more information. Questions can be directed to bold at birminghamal.gov. Again, questions can be directed to bold at birminghamal.gov. Madam President, that concludes the Mayor's Report.

Thank you so much. At this time, Councilors, we'd like to alter the agenda. I ask for unanimous consent that we can have the following presentation. At this time, we have a presentation from Councilor Darrell O'Quinn in District 5, and he wants to bring us some information about the Me Time Book Club. Councilor O'Quinn?

Thank you, Madam President. Is Ms. Williams here? Yes, ma'am. Come to the lectern, please. And I believe we have a presentation loaded for you. All right. That's up. Good morning.

Good morning. Oh, I didn't know I had to go first. But I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you all this morning. I'm here to present about my nonprofit organization, Me Time Book Club. I am under the weather, so please forgive my voice. So I want to tell you a little bit of history about my organization. I founded this in 2011. And our mission is to spark and influence our community one literary work at a time. And our goal is to promote literacy within our community. Next slide, please. So the way that we reach our goals is by reading books, hosting authors. Participating in community service, we do own and operate our own little free library. We donate periodically to Grace House Ministries, and we also do blessing bags at the Baptist of Covenant. We also host local authors, as well as we host a local book event, which is why I'm here today to discuss Behind the Ink. Next slide, please. Just to talk about some of our achievements, my organization has been nationally recognized two years in a row at the National Book Club Conference in Atlanta for our literary efforts in our community. We also have been featured in the Birmingham Times, I've been on Talk of Alabama several years, and also we were featured in Intellectual Ink Magazine, which is a literary organization magazine for our community. So I want to talk to you all about my book festival, Behind the Ink. So Behind the Ink is a premier book festival that features a New York Times best-selling author. We also host over 40 authors and vendors. We have informative panels. We partner with local literary nonprofit organizations, such as the Literacy Council of Central Alabama, STAIR, as well as we have a Kids' Corner. We have free giveaways throughout the event. live music and event hosts and also a 360 photo booth for photos. So to give you an idea about the history of this book festival, as a published author and an avid reader, I've always had to travel outside of Alabama to meet my favorite author as well as to participate in book events. And so as just a casual conversation in 2019, I decided to bring a book event to Alabama. So April of 2020 was supposed to be our debut event, but of course it had to be canceled due to COVID. But we were able to conduct the first event in 2021 at Stillman College at Birthright Hall. Next slide, please. So very humble beginnings. Um, we, we did this at birthright hall. We had over 20 participants that year, 2021. Uh, we had four feet featured authors. We did do the children's corner and we had, um, over a little bit over a hundred attendees that year. Uh, next slide in 2022, I decided to bring this event to Birmingham, Alabama. Why? Because Birmingham is a central location. It's near a major airport, and it's also near a major city like Atlanta, where a lot of book festivals are currently being held. So in 2022, we were able to host our first New York Times bestselling author, Zane. We also had our poet, Lauren Ashley, there as well, and we had over 30 participants that year. In 2023, as you can see, I was able to get the mayor to attend the event, and we hosted New York Times bestselling author, Kimberly Lawson Robey. At this stage, our event started to gain a lot of traction, and I was able to connect with other authors throughout the duration of that year. In 2024, as you can see, we were able to connect with a lot of local book clubs in the area, in and outside of the state of Alabama. We also hosted Detective Christopher Anderson that year, as well as we had the honor to have the mayor attend that year and speak as well. In 2025, this is what I call the vision. The Harbor Center is a prime location for this event because it allows growth. I was able to utilize all three stores of the Harvard Center and we brought in New York Times bestseller author Kennedy Ryan. Kennedy Ryan has a huge following. She's in the process of also getting her books turned into movies. She's a really big deal and was really great to have for our community. We were able to register over 600 people that year. And the reason why I call it the vision is because, as you can see, from 2021 to 2025, this event has grown significantly. And it's a need for the community, and it's also a want for the community. We had people lined up to enter into the Harbor Center for a literary event. So just to talk about the growth, in five years the book festival has grown. We've featured three New York Times bestselling authors. We've increased attendance over 60% and we've also provided a space for readers in our community and we've been able to successfully promote literacy. To take a look at the support that we've had over the years, the Harvard Center has been one of our biggest sponsors, also District 5, District 6. The National Book Club Conference out of Atlanta has also supported our event as well as Alabama Humanities Alliance. We were awarded our grant last year. Also several different companies throughout the community such as Costco, Publix, have all donated to our volunteers. Also, we've had support of the Birmingham Barons. Carmex Cares, they volunteered last year and also made a huge donation to us. McWane Science Center, Courtyard Marriott of UAB has provided us a special discount for our attendees as well as our featured authors every year. And also we've had the support of local literary non-profit organizations such as the Literacy Council of Central Alabama reach out and read, stare. We were able to have Birmingham Public Library attend last year as well as we've received donations for our featured authors with Norton's Flores. So what comes next? This year I took a pause because I did have to restructure the event. I still plan on hosting it at the Harvard Center, but next year we're bringing in New York Times bestselling author S.A. Cosby. If you follow S.A. Cosby, you know that he is very proficient in the literary community. He's also scheduled to have a major book release in October of this year, and he's also scheduled to have one of his books go to film. This is a major author that our organization is bringing to the Birmingham area. And we would like to continue our efforts with the help of the council. So just I wanted to give a special thanks to Mayor Randall Woodfin, who has always been a really great literacy proponent. Also, the counselor O'Quinn of District 5. Chief of Staff Myesha Hudson of District 5. She's been amazing. I know I've been emailing her for the past few months. I know she's tired of me, but she loves me. And also Council Smitherman as well, District 6. I thank you all for the opportunity to present today.

Can you tell us, do you have the event for next year scheduled yet?

Yes, next year is scheduled September 25th at the Harvard Center. from 10 o'clock a.m. to 2 o'clock p.m.

Okay, great. Thank you. I really appreciate how much effort it takes to go into doing this type of event from a grassroots perspective and assembling all the support. It's really, you know... testament to your perseverance that you've been able to build this from, you know, 100 people attending to now over 600 people attending. So, yeah, it's really impressive. And, you know, bringing some people who may not have visited Birmingham yet here to, you know, get firsthand view of the city and experience our environment and culture. So thank you for that. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Counselor Smithman.

Yes. Um, I, I apologize cause I couldn't, I can't remember how many of us have your event last year, but I sent some of my friends and they really enjoyed it. Um, if anybody knows me, they know I love books and I go to books, book conferences. I went to the black romance book festival, uh, last year and this year. And I am very impressed that you put this on because the level of organization and um, attention to detail and the fact that people want to come back every year says a lot about it. And then the fact that you got Ryan Kennedy, I mean, Kenny Ryan, I don't think people know how big that is, but she is a really big author and SAP Cosby. He's like one of my favorite authors. So I'm like trying to contain my excitement inside, but, um, you know, however way I can help you, please let me know. Um, you know, this really is big. And I've seen on like threads, et cetera, people talking about why can't we have this in Alabama? And so I think the more awareness people have, the better. So just continue on, just let us know how we can help you and stay encouraged.

I sure will. Thank you. Thank you so much. I want to thank you, Dr. O'Quinn, for bringing this presentation to our attention and bringing this young lady here to talk about your program and what you bring and provide to the city of Birmingham. So I'm very excited for you, and I hope everyone has had an opportunity to really learn and gain some insight on this. And would it be okay if PIO shares the slides that you presented today, or if you could send us some more information among all the counselors? I think that would be very helpful to all of us.

Yes, ma'am, I certainly will.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

At this time, counselors will turn our attention back to our agenda. And this time, we'll prepare for consideration of the consent agenda. All items designated as consent are considered to be routine and non-controversial and will be approved by one motion. No separate discussion of these items will be permitted unless a council member, the mayor, or citizen interested in a public hearing so request. If so, such items will revert to its normal place on the agenda order of business. All matters of permanent operation, and they're indicated with a capital P on the agenda, will be read. All other matters will be announced by reading the item number only. All public hearings will be announced. At this time, Mr. Clerk, would you give us the items that are being considered for consent? Yes, ma'am.

Page 2, the consent agenda starts with items 1, 2, 3, and 4. Page 3, items 5, 6, and 7 are on consent. Page 4, items 8, 9, 10, and 11 are on consent. Page 5, items 12, 13, 14, and 15 are on consent. Page 6, items 16, 17, and 18 are on consent. Page 7, items 19, 20, 21, and 22 are on consent. Page 8, items 23, 24, 25, and 26 are on consent. Page 9, items 27, 28, 29, 30, I'm sorry, 29 are on consent. Page 10, items 30, 31, and 32 are on consent. Page 11. Item 35 is on consent. There's been a request to withdraw item number 34, so please withdraw item 34. Page 12, items 36 and 38 are on consent. There's also a request to withdraw item 37. Page 13, items 39, 40, 41, and 42 are on consent. Page 14, items 43 and 44 on consent. Page 15, items 47, 48, and 49 are on consent. Page 16, items 50, 51, 52, 53, and 54 are on consent. And page 17, we conclude with items 55 and 57.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Counselors, are there any items you'd like to have added or removed from consent? Yes, Dr. Quinn.

Page 13, item 42.

That's page 13, item 42 has been requested to remove from consent. Is that the only one? All right, thank you. Any other items, counselors? At this time, we'll entertain a motion and a second for approval of the consent agenda. So moved. Second.

Second.

Councilor O'Quinn. Aye. Councilor Smith. Aye. Councilor Smitherman.

Aye.

Councilor Vassa. Aye. Council President Pro Tem Tate. All right, that vote should be up, Madam President.

All right, thank you, Councilors. The consent agenda is approved. Anyone who's in the audience was here for an item that was listed for consent. It has been approved, and now we'll proceed with the rest of our agenda. Mr. Clerk.

Okay, let's start off with item number 33. It's on page 11. Item 33, an ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute an interlocal cooperation agreement pursuant to Alabama Act number 1969-916 between the City of Birmingham and the Jefferson County Board of Health to continue Jefferson County-Alabama Hospital-Linked Violence Intervention Program under which the Defender Alumni Association will provide case management, education, employment support, housing, food, utility and transportation services to clients of HVIP. The board should provide funding to the city to continue the inpatient program through June 30, 2027 in an amount not to exceed $1,154,574. This is an item of permanent operation in the UC to pass it today. I move for UC. Council Member Gunn. Aye. Council Member O'Quinn.

Aye.

Council Member Smith.

Aye.

Council Member Smitherman. Aye. Council Member Vassa. Aye. Council Member Woods. Aye. Council President Pro Tem Tate.

Aye.

Council President Alexander.

Aye.

Motion on the item please. Aye.

All right, thank you, counselors. This is an ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute an interlocal cooperation agreement between the city of Birmingham and the Jefferson County Board of Health. And this is a continuation of the Jefferson County, Alabama Hospital Link Violence Intervention Program. Are there any questions regarding this item, or do you need any more information? All right, thank you. At this time, we're ready for the vote.

The vote should be open. Council Member O'Quinn.

Yes.

Thank you. Council Member Pro Tem Tate.

Aye.

Okay. That vote should be up, Madam President.

All right. Thank you very much, Councilors. This item does pass. And I believe Pro Tem, did you want to?

Yeah. Thank you, Madam President. I just wanted to acknowledge Deborah Daniels and her team, Tim, Tony, Lisa, Cherie, Lucretia and I see Dana. So really want to thank you all for the work that you all continue to do the way you guys have become servant hearts for the community. Um, it takes heart, it takes a lot of responsibility and to do this and how you guys have really poured, you know, into the community. Want to thank Dr Hicks, and the health department to continue to pour into this work. So just want to show my gratitude, um, and my sincere thanks to you all for continuing being foot soldiers and a community based organization making great impact in the city of Birmingham.

Thank you. Yes.

And, um, madam president, I'm going to come behind, um, ma'am pro tem because y'all are housed in my district. Not only that, but I really appreciate the work that you all do. Anytime we send somebody to you all, you all make sure that they have the resources. You're very prompt about it. And I think a lot of times people don't realize when you're addressing the resident's quality of life, you have to think about every resident, right? And how we welcome people back into society after they have been in prison. Remembering, helping them to remember and society that they are humans too. and they have value, and they have skill sets that they can use in the workforce. So thank you, Madam Pro Tem and Councilor Woods, for starting that fight a few years ago. And Uche Bean, I know she's not present. But my wish is, I won't be remiss about saying this, yes, ma'am, and myself, I would love to see this expanded. I know we haven't expanded it, but I would love that Madam Pro Tem and Madam President to expand it to different hospitals as well. So that is my wish, Chiefs. if possible, for next budget year, because I think if we're looking at crime, it's not only us investing in the police department, but investing in organizations like OAA and investing in our communities. Thank you.

Thank you very much, and we're very excited to have them here today. Thank you again. Continue the work that you're doing. Happy to support. Thank you very much.

All right, Mr. Clark. Okay, items 34 and 37 are withdrawn, so next should be item 42. Item 42, a resolution authorizing the mayor to apply, submit, accept, and spend all grant funds appropriated by Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, under their pre-disaster mitigation, congressionally directed spending, grant program to support the Village Creek Stormwater Park floodplain restoration project. The grant amount is $2,645,000 with a 25% match due from the city. Motion, please.

Thank you, Council. This is a resolution authorizing the Mayor to apply, submit, accept, and expend all grant funds that would be appropriated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And again, this deals with the Village Creek Stormwater Park floodplain restoration. Dr. O'Quinn, you asked that we move this from consent.

Yes. Thank you, Madam President. I HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION, BUT I THINK THE PUBLIC MIGHT BENEFIT FROM JUST A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF WHAT THIS PROJECT IS, BUT BEFORE YOU DO THAT, WHEN WE APPLY FOR THESE GRANTS, WE USUALLY ALSO DESIGNATE OR SET ASIDE THE matching funds that are required. How are we handling that in this item? Madam President, the matching funds are housed in the grants division of the finance, so that's where the funds will come from. So we just have a sort of generic grant slide item, matching funds. It's a matching fund account just for that purpose. Okay, got it. So, yeah, I think folks would benefit from just some general overview of what the project is.

Thank you.

Yes, Chief. We're going to have Deputy Director of PEP Tracy Hayes and then our Urban Design Administrator Lauren Haverick to come forward, please.

Thank you. Good morning, ladies.

Good morning. I'm Tracy Hayes, Department of Planning, Engineering Department. So the project is a continuation. Initially, there was a FEMA buyout sometime in 1999, but we're studying this area because of the repetitive loss and the severe flooding in this area. So this is just another phase of this. And this was appropriated through the congressional funding, but we are getting the money through FEMA, so we have to apply. IN THE APPLICATION FORMAT.

ANY OTHER? COUNCILOR SMITH? YES. I ASKED THESE QUESTIONS IN BUDGET FINANCE YESTERDAY. WHAT IS THE TIMELINE FOR THE PROJECT AND WHAT'S THE OVERALL BUDGET?

WELL, THE OVERALL BUDGET THAT WE RECEIVED WAS 3.2 MILLION. THE 75% SHARE THAT'S MENTIONED IS THE 2.6 The project timeline is 36 months.

All right. Thank you. Thank you. Any other questions, councillors? Thank you, staff. At this time, we'll entertain the vote.

Council Member Smith. Thank you. Council Member Tate. Thank you, Council President Alexander. I vote yes as well.

All right. Thank you, councillors. That item passes. Thank you very much. Next item, Mr. Clark.

Committee number 45, a resolution appointing one member non-affiliated to the Zoning Board of Adjustments to fill an uninspired term expiring November 25, 2031.

I thank you, Council. We need a motion and a second so we can discuss this item. So moved. Second. All right, thank you. And Council LaVassa, if you'll give us some information regarding the appointment.

Thank you, Madam President. So we had one position on the Zoning Board of Adjustment that was previously held by Janice Smith for a term expired, previously held by Janice Smith. The seat will be filled by Ms. Valerie Abbott for a term expiring on November 25th, 2031.

All right, thank you. Any questions? We're ready for the vote.

Voting should be open. Council, pro tem table.

Aye.

Thank you. That vote should be open.

All right, thank you. We appreciate the service of Ms. Smith, I believe it was, and look forward to the service of the new appointee. Thank you very much. Next item.

It should be item 46. Resolution appointing four members to the design review committee said turn of the spying July 30th, 2026. And it is recommended that the current four members be reappointed to the design review committee for turn of the spying July 30th, 2029. Motion, please.

All right, we need a motion and a second to discuss the item. So moved. All right. Thank you. And you're up again. Council of also will give us the names being submitted.

Thank you, Madam President. We have four appointees reappointees to the Design Review Committee. Their terms will expire July 30th, 2029. Those four members reappointed are Ava Barnes, Cindy Coyle, Ivan Holloway and Brian Wolf.

All right. Any questions regarding those appointments?

We're ready for the vote. All right, thank you.

We appreciate the work of the committee on both of these appointments, group of appointments, and we look forward to the service of these individuals. Thank you very much. Item 46 passes. Next item.

Item 56, a resolution setting a public hearing August the 25th, 2026 to consider adoption of an ordinance to amend the zoning district map of the city of Birmingham. Case number ZAC 2026-08003 to change zone district boundaries from D3 single family district to QD4 qualified medium density residential district filed by RRR Investment Group, LLC. The property owner and applicant for the property generally located at 5900 Avenue M, situated in section 18, quarter section 2, township 18, range 3, West Birmingham, 35228. Motion, please.

Second. All right. Thank you, counselors. This is a resolution setting a public hearing on August 25th to amend the zoning district map in the city of Birmingham. And they want to amend the boundaries from D3 to QD4. And again, this is just to set the public hearing August 25th, 2026. Any questions about that date? We're ready for the vote.

Voting should be open. Doesn't put him to. All right, that vote should be up.

All right, thank you, Councilors. We've set that public hearing for a date of August 25th, 2026. Any other items, Mr. Clerk?

No, ma'am.

All right, thank you. At this time, Councilors, we will turn our attention to old and new business, and we'll start first with updates from your districts. And, Councilor Smith, would you like to go first this morning? Thank you. All right, well, good morning.

First, I want to acknowledge Johnny Gunn, president of the Bellevue Heights Neighborhood Association, for being in the audience. And you have a neighborhood meeting this evening at 630 at Brown Elementary School. So Bellevue Heights, please go out there. I also want to acknowledge the Teardown of the Steps and Traditions building. So thank you to Government Affairs, the Ainslie Highlands Neighborhood Association, and just our partners with the city for helping to make that happen. So adding to that, also want to ask for an update on the Family Fund Center that we've been receiving. So if we can receive that, that would be great. Want to mention this Saturday, District 8, in collaboration with the Flourish Alabama, is hosting Block and Bloom. So this is a free, all ages block party. We'll have yoga, salsa, dancing lessons, local artists, local DJs. Maybe you can find someone for your next birthday party. But everyone, we'll have something for everyone. So our headliners are Dear Silas, as well as 8 Ball and NJG. So meet us there from 2 to 9 at the Greenhouse on 19th Street and Ensley at Avenue F. Bring your folding chairs and coolers and enjoy the day with us. We have several... events happening at the Civil Rights Institute and Red Mountain Theater, so please check those out. In addition to the Bellevue Heights Neighborhood meeting today, we have the Greymont meeting tomorrow at 4.30 at the Smithfield Library. And then lastly, we have, well, two other things. Parks and Recreation board meeting is tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. at Legion Field, and the Arts and Parks Committee is meeting on Monday, July 20th. Please send your agenda items to d8help at birminghamal.gov by Wednesday, July 15th at 5 p.m. Thank you. Thank you very much. Counselor Don.

Thank you, Madam President. Here are my announcements for today. This afternoon or evening at 5 p.m. at the Norwood Community Center, Drift Prep will be hosting chair yoga. So if you're looking to get out of the house and stretch those limbs, go over to the Norwood Resource or Community Center. and stretch those limbs with some chair yoga. This Wednesday, July 15th, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Birmingham Public Library Bookmobile will be at the Collegeville Community Center, so be sure to stop by and check that out. I also want to take the time to thank the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated for the work that they did this past weekend at Patton Park. They got out and cleaned up the park and prepped for their annual picnic. So I want to thank them for that. And I also want to thank the Rotaract Club of Birmingham for their service day in the Norwood Community Garden this Saturday. So thank you for getting that facilitated. Upcoming Neighborhood Association meetings, the Kelo Springs Neighborhood Association meeting is canceled. for this week. Penfield Park is tonight at 6 p.m. at the Brownsville Heights Community Center, and Thursday at 6 p.m. is the Northeast Lake Community Neighborhood Association meeting, and that's taking place at the Southern Museum of Flight. And last but not least, I would like to wish Miss Annie Ruth Gunn a happy 96th birthday. She is turning 96 years old today, and if you know anything about Miss Annie Ruth Gunn, she is a firecracker, and she keeps me on my toes. She is the wife of the late Aldrich Gunn, who served as the city council for District 4. So I want to wish her a happy birthday. That concludes my announcements.

Thank you so much, and thank you for acknowledging Mrs. Gunn's birthday. Wonderful. Councilor Woods?

Good morning. Thank you, Madam President. The Kilo Springs Neighborhood Association meeting that was scheduled for tonight has been canceled. Our B litter free cleanup continues this Saturday at 9 a.m. We will be at 200 Roebuck Drive. I want to thank the Black Warrior Riverkeeper, the Coosa Riverkeeper and the Copper Riverkeeper for partnering with us. Just a good opportunity to get involved and spend a little bit of time and make a big impact on your community. I also want to thank everybody that attended the 2026 Man Up Breakfast. Had a really incredible conversation. Very appreciative of the panelists. And breakfast was top notch as always. Shout out to Nikki's Event Center for really hosting us as well. And so look forward to 2027.

Thank you. And I'm always reminded of how you stepped up and continued to carry the torch for that event. So we appreciate you, Counselor. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. The East Avondale Neighborhood Association will meet tonight via conference call at 6 p.m. If you need the sign-in information for that conference call, please contact my office, 254. 2679 North Avondale Neighborhood Association and Southside Neighborhood Association will meet at 6 p.m. on Thursday. North Avondale meets at the MLK Rec Center and Southside Neighborhood Association meets at the Birmingham Police Department South Precinct. I WANT TO REMIND FOLKS THAT THE ANNUAL DISTRICT FIVE HEALTH FAIR WILL TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 8TH FROM 9 AM TO 2 PM AT PARKER HIGH SCHOOL. Partnering with the omegas also to make this event possible the health fair is going to be Free and there's lots of resources back to school supplies Blood drive and if you need additional information or want to participate Please contact my office and that concludes my announcements.

Thank you so much counselors Thank you, Madam President. As far as neighborhood meetings, uh, tonight we have Arlington West end at 6 PM at the West end library and South to this field at five 30 at, um, Holy family. Well, actually they have a new name, Crystal Ray, uh, Birmingham high school actually learned that while I was going to talk about Alabama. Um, also we will be continuing our get fit while you sit classes. That is every Monday starting at 9 a.m. at Crystal Ray High School, and that will last until the last Monday in September. It's a free class. I've heard we've been having a lot of people attending, so that's good. Also, this Saturday from 10 to 1, I invite everybody to join me for the More Than Conquerors Faith Church Respect Back to School Rally. I think they've had this. for almost 30 years, actually. But there will be school supply giveaways, community resources, local school, band performances, vendors, and fun for the entire family. Also, I would like to thank everyone that joined us for our two wonderful events this past Saturday. We had our D6 Saturday in partnership with House Proud and Princeton Hospital. It was amazing. Thank you to our volunteers from Princeton, Ramsey High School football team, family and friends, And y'all, I had my dad cutting grass. Um, he enjoyed himself. Um, I think I almost had to pull him away so we could, um, eat lunch, but we, and we also cleaned up the district. So we rented his film West and, and we beautify him, pale Mary school before the kids, um, came to school. But one, um, testimony of y'all on mine, I was talking to one of the residents we were helping and she said her mom, um, applied for critical repair program in 1999. She got approved for it. The inspector came by. Her mom died. And so they told her because her name was on the deed, she couldn't get it repaired. So she was almost close to moving out. And then we called her. Well, Lisa called her. And we were painting her house, improving the house. And she wasn't told it was on camera because she was going to start crying again. But she was saying how thankful she was to have House Proud. And I know almost all of us invest in House Proud. But I think that's the best part of our jobs is helping our residents in need. So I really enjoyed that. And then later that afternoon, we had our farmer's market, free barbecue, flowers, produce. It was a great day. And people were standing in line in the rain for the flowers, which was pretty impressive. But it was a long, good weekend for District 6, but it was good. So thank you, Madam President.

Thank you so much and very appreciative of what you're doing. And I know a lot of the events that have been held the past few weeks have really concentrated on helping improve the quality of life for residents. So very appreciative to you and the other counselors as well. Thank you. Councilor Vassa.

Thank you, Madam President. Folks, Birmingham Zoo. has been named the Alabama Attraction of the Year for 2026. Great news. This was just announced by the Alabama Tourism Department. This recognition belongs to staff members, volunteers, zoo members, donors, and guests that make the zoo certainly a very special place. Over the past year, the zoo welcomed more than 500,000 guests more than half a million during the 70th anniversary. So we're thankful for this and excited about the zoo and look forward to continue supporting that wonderful institution. Secondly, our D3 school supply pop-up is Saturday, August 1st from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bessie Estelle Park. At the D3 Summerfest, we were able to distribute about 80 backpacks with supplies. And on Saturday, August 1st, we will distribute the rest of them at Bessie Estelle. So we're inviting all families from Epic Elementary, Glen Iris, and Avondale Elementary to come out and pick up school supplies for their upcoming year. There will be no Highland Park or East Avondale neighborhood meeting tonight. Those next meetings will be on Tuesday, August 11th. That concludes my announcements. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you very much, Council Vassa. Madam Pro Tem. Thank you, Madam President. The North Pratt Neighborhood Meeting is canceled for this evening. The next meeting will be Tuesday, August the 11th. Sandusky Neighborhood Meeting is tonight. They're going to meet on conference call. The number to call is 319-527-9642, and there is no passcode. Ensley Neighborhood Meeting will be on Thursday, July the 16th at 6 p.m. McHale Park, 1115 Avenue F. The next public safety meeting will be today right here in the City Council Chamber. And... Sandusky is also having a fun day festival, which will be Saturday, July the 18th. And it's at the Jimmy Hudson Rick Center, 305 Pratt Highway. And it's from 11 a.m. to 4. And we just encourage people to come out. Also, I want to... Make this announcement to restore games is going to be here. This to restore program at the Jefferson County Family Resource Center restoring. The 2026 restore games will take place this Thursday from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Bible Auditorium. So that family resource in is their organization. Other community based organization that helps with the juvenile portion of reducing violence. So please support Kerry and Antsky and that team. on this Thursday, July the 16th.

at about what from ten a m to four p m thank you madam president concludes man thank you madam president these are announcements for district seven on wednesday and this is really on behalf of the council i'm making this announcement the uh... city of birmingham will welcome from wednesday july fifteen through saturday july eighteen members of the national black caucus of the uh... local elected officials this is the constituency group out of the National League of Cities. We're very excited. There will be almost 200 local elected officials from across the United States who will be here, as well as the CEO and President of the National League of Cities. So this will give us an opportunity to showcase Birmingham to our fellow colleagues across the country. And so we're very excited to have them here. So if you see any of them, just say hello. from July 15th through Saturday the 18th. There are no neighborhood associations meetings scheduled in D7 this week, but we do have movie night in the park. That is Wednesday, July 15th. That's being presented by the Green Acres neighborhood. Hopefully it won't rain them out. They ask you to bring your chairs, and again, I always laugh when they say this, or your blanket, and enjoy refreshments will be provided, and that will start at 8 p.m. in Reynolds Park. Just want to remind counselors that our Committee of the Whole meeting for this month has been canceled, and we may have an opportunity to reschedule a call meeting later this month. Also, on July 15th, 18th, there will be the second annual Back to School Drive that is being hosted at the Jones Valley Middle Park. This is being presented by the ACTS4C and it will be Saturday, July 18th from 3 to 7 p.m. There will be food games, free school supplies, and also they're going to give you some assistance with school registration that will be on site for you, as well as updating important information for the new school year. So please go out to Jones Valley Middle School. That's Saturday, July 18th from 3 to 7. I know we're not into August yet, but I do want to make residents in D7 aware that there will be a resource fair and book bag giveaway, and that it will be held at the Roosevelt Rec Center on Saturday. August 1st, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is the third year of this giveaway. And what I want to really highlight, this started with one individual in Roosevelt. She saw the need and just wanted to bring resources to residents. And so we're very excited to partner with her and also bring additional resources. But there'll be free health screenings. There'll be, again, the book bag, a supply giveaway. There'll be food, bouncy houses. Also, when we talk about instances where people need assistance with their homes, I want to talk about free wheel clinic. And there will be attorneys on hand to provide you with assisting with wheels. And so, again, that's the Roosevelt City Rec Center. That's Saturday, August 1st, 2026. We have a large number of individuals who are helping to sign on with this, and so we want you to actually be present. Thank you so much.

Councilor Pro Tem, did you have one other item?

Are you okay? All right. Thank you. All right, Councilors, at this time, that ends our announcements, and we'll turn our attention to our speakers list. Mr. Clerk?

Joseph Holt.

Good morning, Mr. Holt. You have three minutes. Thank you, sir.

Yes, good morning, Madam President and City Council. I'm here because, like I say, every time I come to you, I come to you about the systems that are in place to let you know if they're working or not working that I use as residents as well. In November, I came to you all and said that there was an officer that threatened me and some officers were plotting against me when a break-in happened at my building. And I thanked Mr. Sparks. He had Community Development call me and they got in touch with Eternal Affairs, that one of the videos was buried, and things of that nature. Well, after A year, they finally finished the investigation, and I have the letter here from Captain Harry Greenberg that says all of my complaints were sustained and disciplinary action has been taken care of. But those officers who come here saying they need to have their jobs removed, he found out that my building was broken into. It was over $40,000 worth of damage. They put on the report that it was a dollar. They changed my report from $50,000 or $40,000 to a dollar on their own. He said that wasn't proper. The officer wouldn't identify himself. He threatened me, things of that nature. That wasn't proper. There were several things he found that wasn't proper in the investigation. And this is the letter saying that all of my complaints were sustained and that their actions were wrong. And disciplinary action is going to be taken care of. But those officers need to be removed from the job because we're stopping them from pulling somebody over and changing a report or changing something on the crime scene. that may affect somebody else. So I'm just bringing this to the attention that there's another system that's not working. I had to go through a year to get this resolved, get everything taken care of with this one year for this investigation to be taken serious, and then they finally got everybody brought forth that did something wrong. But this is something that needs to be handled because you can't have rogue officers doing whatever they want to do. So I'm just bringing this forth. I have the proof. I came up before. Nobody believed me. This is the proof now, saying he found everything I said to be true. And so those officers need to be called forth to be losing their jobs because you can't have them on the street altering people's reports, altering what they believe is right and not what you say. And that's not something that should be out there in the neighborhood that's safe for anybody. So the brain here is saying that there's a system that we still need to work on for the people and the public. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Holt, for that update. Are there any other... Speakers? All right, thank you. No other speakers. We do want to acknowledge that Team Sewell is here with us today, and I know we have Congresswoman Staff Member Robin, and I believe you have some interns with you today. If you all would please stand, and we just want to welcome you. If they're at the end of their rotation for the summer interns. All right, well, thank you. Would you come on up, and I'd just like to ask them to introduce themselves very quickly. Just tell us where you're from. We're always excited when we do have an opportunity to visit the offices when we're there in D.C., and they always have such a wonderful staff. So, Robin, if you'd just allow them to introduce themselves and tell us who you are, Robin.

Sure, sure. Hi, everyone. My name is Robin Gully, and I'm Congresswoman Sewell's Jefferson County Outreach Director. I'm from Birmingham. I went to Ramsey High School, and I graduated from Birmingham Southern. I'm here with our amazing interns, Cameron. Cameron, come tell everybody where you go to school.

I'm Cameron. I go to Tuskegee. I'm from Birmingham. Well, really, Hoover. I graduated from Hoover.

Wonderful. Thank you. Come on up. Come on, line up close to the mic. Come on. Don't be shy.

Hi, my name is Alondra. I'm Miss Pena. I graduated from minor high school and I attend Troy University. Thank you.

Hi, I'm Kinsley Tate. I attended Springville High School, graduated from there, and I go to University of Alabama now. All right.

Morning, my name is Kylan Benson. I am from Birmingham, graduate of Ramsey High School, and recent graduate of Harvard University.

Wonderful. Thank you so much. We've got Auntie over here. She's very proud, so thank you. Well, thank you all. We're so excited. I wish you well. Hope you had a great time in D.C. this summer, and wish you well in your endeavors, and great, great luck with the rest of your school year, okay? Thank you very much. Thank you, Robin. Thank you all. All right, counselors, at this time, we want to thank our officers on duty, Officer Pinker, Tarrant, and Wesley, and our fire inspector on duty was Inspector Shaw. If there are no other items, we'll entertain a motion for adjournment.

Motion to adjourn.

All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Hey, Dr. O'Quinn, how about hitting that gavel and let's say get out of here? Thank you all. Meeting adjourned. Thank you, Doc.

Thank you.

Street 6 Farmers Market at Memorial Park. It's been great. We are out of barbecue, but we gave away free barbecue. We're almost out of watermelon, and we are about to be out of flowers. Shout out to Bria's Boutique. It's been an amazing day. A lot of vendors, a lot of farmers, a lot of merchants. One more, August. So we're going to have free matcha by Alicia's Coffee. Love their matcha. I'm sure you saw me a couple of weeks ago making matcha with her at Alicia's Coffee. We're having free ice cream. I love ice cream. And we're going to have a cooking demonstration by Chef Amanda. I hope you caught this on Talk of Alabama. So she'll be doing something similar that same day. And that's Saturday, August 8th at 1.30. We'll have a new location due to the heat. We'll be at the Grove.

Thank you.