City Council - Regular Meeting

Council President Middlebrooks here. Council Prom Driver here. Council member Schultz here. Council member Smith present. Council member Levelville present. Council member Murphy present. Council member McClinton here. With all present we will proceed. Um everyone please rise for the invocation followed by the pledge led by councelor Schulz. Thank you for all the blessings you just

salute pledgece to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands one nation indivisibley and justice for all. All right, we all received a copy of the agenda. Um, do I have a motion for approval of the adoption of the agenda? Mr. President, um, approve the resolution to adopt. Second. Have a motion and a second to adopt the agenda. All in favor say I.

Those opposed. Okay, we can get started then. So, first off, we have a pretty busy premeating agenda. Uh, we will this time hand it over to Mayor Durses.

Well, first of all, I want to thank the council and and staff for celebrating Hoover Veterans Park on Saturday. had a just a really tremendous crowd and it was great seeing the activities that we brought this year. They staff did a great job. We had the ferris wheel and a zip line, some things that we haven't had in the past and appeared that there were lines uh the entire time from 11 to 3. So again, kudos to the staff and uh thank the uh council for uh for supporting that. I had the privilege on the 19th of March to attend and speak at the Finley Award ceremony where we recognize uh a Hoover High School senior, Spain Park senior, and a teacher in the system. Uh Finley award obviously for character and uh it was something. It was very moving. The the the comments that that the winners made that night were very moving. And I got back the next morning and I told uh my assistant, I said, I want you to reach out to all the winners and u have them come to a city council meeting because I want to recognize them. So, we're doing that tonight and I'm very very I feel privileged that we're doing it. So, I'm going to call out uh each one individually and say a little bit about them. This is pretty much uh um the reason that they were nominated, a little bit about their nomination form. Let's start with Diddy Garcia Gonzalez. D, if you'll come down, please just stand down here so can watch you and listen listen to the nice things that I'm going to say about you. Diddy's known for and Diddy's from Hoover High School. Diddy's known for her quiet strength, integrity, perseverance, and servant leadership. Through her daily actions, she works to ensure others feel valued and included. She serves as president of the Hoover Dynasty Club, student government association rep, and a peer helper. While participating in several school organizations, she has init she has led initiatives such as you matter movement which encourages students to look out for one another and build a culture of kindness and respect which I love that. She also helped coordinate the Hoover

potluck Festival celebrating multilingual families and planned events that bring life skills to students and the school community together. Teachers and peers describe her leadership as genuine and compassionate. Not that she consistently notices students who may feel overlooked and welcomes them into the community. She does not seek recognition yet her quiet leadership leaves a lasting impact on those around her. Diddy's journey also reflects remarkable resilience. After immigrating from Venezuela as an English learner, she committed herself to master a new language and culture while maintaining academic excellence and impressive GPA. Those who know Diddy speak first of her character describing her as a humble driven empathetic and grounded in faith. Congratulations. Thank you. You just stay. Next, I'd like to ask Miss Lexi Beard from Spain Park High School to please come forward. Congratulations, Lexi. Lexi is a student of exceptional character, leadership, integrity, and selfish service. She leads with a quiet strength, and unwavering principle, consistently set an example for those around her. She serves as president of the ambassador program, head drum major, student government chaplain, and serve as chair for the National Honor Society while actively participate in numerous academic, civic, and school organizations. She approaches each role not for recognition, but as an opportunity to serve and support others. She consistently does what's right both inside and outside the classroom, earning the respect of her peers and faculty. Her leadership is marked by humility, discipline, and a deep sense of responsibility for those around her. She has volunteered at UAB hospital and served on the teen leadership program, demonstrating compassion and professionalism while supporting patients and staff. She's been involved in the Girl Scouts for more than 13 years along with leadership roles in Girl Spring and graduating from the youth youth leadership Birmingham. She

was also named Miss Spain Park, an honor voted on by faculty and staff, and award to senior who represents integrity and the true spirit of Spain Park. Congratulations. And then we're going to ask for Triy Wilkerson to come on down from Deer Valley Elementary. Thank you for coming. Tubby Workerson is a dedicated third grade teacher who exemplifies the character, integrity, and compassion the Finley Award represents. She creates a classroom where every student feels seen, heard, and valued, encouraging them to grow both academically and personally. Known for a warm smile and encouraging spirit, she builds meaningfield relationships with her students and helps them develop confidence and the love for learning. Colleagues describe Miss Wilkerson as a steady presence and a quiet leader whose consistency and examples inspire those around her. She collaborates closely with her teammates, supports families, and caring consistently advocates for what's best for her students. Her steady optimism and commitment and excellence strengthens the culture of Deerville Elementary School every day. Even in the midst of personal hardship, she continues to encourage support others with grace and compassion. parents shared that she consistently checks on, supports, uplifts her students, colleagues, and friends, always putting other before herself. Thank you so much. Good.

Next up, we're honored to have Representative Lee Holsey with us from the 15th House District. I'll give the floor to you, Lee. Well, good evening, council. Uh, it is a privilege to be here as it always is with you guys. Um, and after what feels like the longest but also fastest, hardest session I have ever had to tackle, I'm excited to be here tonight to bring back some of Hoover's tax dollars to your police and fire department. So, looking forward to handing those checks off tonight. but also um just if y'all are okay with it, I'd love to speak to the people of Hoover for a second. I would love for you guys to know that this last session was totally different. Um normally we don't have a lot of our council members and mayors coming down and really building relationships in Montgomery, but this council and this mayor changed that completely this year. You have an incredible team leading the city who is working very hard to build relationships in the legislature and we already have that here which is really lovely. I think our delegation works wonderfully together and for Hoover but it it is absolutely a gamecher for us when we're going down and advocating for money to come back to this area to have them sitting at the table with us. And that's so not normal. And I just want you to know that they're doing that for you guys in a way that I've never seen any other municipality do it in my tenure. So, thank y'all for that. And I think y'all should know that.

And then with that, I just need our chiefs to come up so I can hand them a check tonight. Mayor, you want to come up for a picture, too? Thank you.

You bring checks, you're always welcome. Everybody always wants money. I can't blame you. Thank you guys. All right. Next, we have uh the public comments portion of our agenda. We have, let's see, one, two, three, four, five, six candidates for office to speak. So, uh, here in Hoover, we give you one extra minute, I think, more than most municipalities. So, you have four minutes when you're speaking. Uh, since we do have so many candidates, I will ask that you you don't have to utilize all four minutes. I know that's hard to ask a politician.

First up is uh Case Dixon. Case, come on up. It's great to be with you all this evening. Firstly, I want to thank the council and Mayor Duris for having me out. I appreciate you letting me address uh the residents of Hoover. Uh but for the residents of Hoover, for those of you that don't know me, my name is Case Dixon. I'm a Christian. I'm a conservative. I'm a lifelong Alamian and I am running for US Congress right here in District 6 to restore integrity to public office to protect our future and to ensure that our liberties are always defended. Right now, I currently work full-time in home health physical therapy. So, I travel around and I see patients that are not well enough to get out in the clinic settings. I've been working in healthcare now for about the last eight years. Look, I'll be the first to admit that working full-time and campaigning can be extremely difficult. There's no doubt about that. But throughout this process, I have mastered changing out of my scrubs and into my suit while driving a car. And I don't even have a Tesla. In all seriousness, I'm sure you're wondering who is this young guy? Why run for this office? Why challenge an incumbent? And what are you going to do differently than the guy that's there now? Someone once told me that running for office is not something that you just decide to do. That it usually is a slow and gradual pull in your life until something happens that pushes you over the edge and makes you say, "I have to do this. I have to get involved." And I can say that for me at least that's 100% true because that moment was the birth of my first daughter just over two years ago. I'm worried about the future that my kids are going to grow up in. I want

their future to be bright and I want them to truly be afforded the American dream. So I realized that it's my duty to get involved for their sake instead of just sitting on my hands and hoping that the right person comes along for the job. So, as I started down this path and and working on my campaign, this one word kept coming up over and over again. No matter the issue, no matter the subject, it kept coming back to this one word, accountability. We need more accountability in our government, and we need more accountability from our elected officials. I truly believe that this is the key to preserving our freedoms, our communities, and our country, and making sure that we never stray from the principles of liberty and the Constitution. As I said, I I am challenging an incumbent. It's an uphill battle. But my opponent has repeatedly failed to stand for accountability. I will always stand for faith, family, freedom, and the Constitution. I will never waver from those principles. And I will never forget that this seat belongs to the people of Alabama, not to me, not to Washington. I will stand up against the the woke nonsense that has crept into our politics, and I will ensure that I stay focused on the issues that truly matter most to Alabama families. Look, I was I was born and raised here, right here in Jefferson County. It's where it's where I'm raising my family now. It's where I graduated college. This is the only home that I've ever known. together. I really do think that we can bring back accountability, rebuild trust, and create a future that is brighter for all of us. And very quickly, three things that I think I can specifically help with the city of Hoover. Number one, our national debt, $39 trillion. This is the biggest driver of inflation and the affordability crisis that we're seeing today. We need someone in Washington that's not just giving that lip service. Number two, my background in healthcare. I've seen ways that I think we can reduce health care costs for folks while also reducing the tax burden. And then number three, we need someone in Washington that is

willing to push back against the federal mandates. That way, we can empower cities like Hoover to do what they need to do because decisions are best made at the local level. Once again, my name is Case Dixon. I'm running for US Congress right here, District 6. And I appreciate y'all's time.

If Mr. Grady Thornton will come down, please, sir. Good evening, Mayor and Council. I appreciate you allowing me to be here tonight. I'm going to start off very personal. I've been in a lot of meetings with your mayor, Mayor Dursis. And I always try to dress a little bit better than him. And mayor, you beat me again. One day though, if I can just one time outshine your mayor, I will feel that I've done something great in life. Good luck.

I'm I'm not betting my retirement on it. Uh anyway, thank you for welcoming me here tonight. And I will say that of the council meetings that I've been to, you do have the largest crowd and I will shamelessly say the best looking crowd. I hope nobody in the other councils hear that. But I also realized that uh you know it's just my day to speak but it's close to your birthday because on one website that I saw recently you were incorporated on April the 28th 1967. So you know cake would have been good if you but anyway uh I am really glad to be here and I am running I'm running for a position that not everybody will vote on. It's a position on the Republican ballot. I'm running for a position on the Alabama State Republican Executive Committee. The executive committee is kind of like a board of directors and it's an unpaid position. It's unreimbured and we have long boring meetings. But for some reason, I really like that. I like to be a part of shaping the platforms that will affect our lives in Alabama. We are focused on things like uh the kitchen table issues. We want to make sure families are supported. We want to make sure that taxes are reasonable. And we want good schools and good security. And that's what we put together in our meetings. We work with other uh local groups. We work with the legislature to help get these policies adapted and passed as laws. And then we work to get those people elected to do the things that we think are good for Alabama. My background is uh pretty much a counseling background. My retired from a job as a counselor for juvenile offenders. Prior to that, it was suicide prevention and crisis intervention, mental health, and domestic violence

prevention. So, if you didn't meet me in a professional capacity, that is a good thing. But those are issues that impact Alabama just like other place. So, everything within me tells me not to say what I'm about to say. But I'm going to say it and some people going to get it right and some people will get me in trouble. I'm a bleeding heart conservative and my career has taught me to go directly to the heart of Alamians, directly to the hearts of the things that raises good families to help families whether it's one parent or two for whatever reason. my my work in a school uh with uh juvenile offenders prepared me for anything I've ever seen in politics before and it's helped me realize that um there's a lot of things that we can work on from the executive level although it is partisan and I'm running for a position in Shelby County. We can look on we can work on it from a partisan position to make it good for everybody. With that, I will yield my time. Uh, Mr. Jay can have my 40 seconds.

Thank you, Mr. Thorn.

Next up, we have Jacob Reach.

Good evening. Thank y'all for this opportunity. Uh, my name is Jacob Reach. I am running for sheriff of Jefferson County on the Republican ticket. I am unopposed uh in the primary. So, I will go to November. Uh tell you a little bit about myself. Uh grew up in Midfield, Alabama, born and raised. My grandfather was the chief of police there for 34 years. Uh he's who led me, guided me, and uh instrumental in me becoming in law enforcement. I started with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in 1994. uh came through the ranks as a sergeant lieutenant and I retired in 2024 as a captain. From there I went started over went back uh Caller Police Department where I currently work uh work for Chief Heights who is an amazing chief great department and I'm back doing investigations full-time throughout my career. The majority of my career was spent in investigations specifically child exploitation cases for over 15 years. uh also had the opportunity coming through the ranks, served as a lieutenant over the school resource division in Jefferson County and was a part of the process where we uh implemented an SRO into every school going from 14 to the division to 62. Um so I bring the leadership and integrity uh to the office of the sheriff. So as it is important to understand what is unique about the office of the sheriff and why is that important to the citizens of Hoover who has one of the best police departments in the nation hands down when our profession uh through throughout the years Hoover is always one of the best with the office of the sheriff there are several things that is a constitutional requirement. One of those things, if Hoover Police Department obtains a felony warrant on a subject through

their investigation, those warrants go to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and it's their responsibility to serve. Now, there's corroborated efforts, you know, if there's a certain case, pass the warrant along, but for the most part, those go to uh the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for them to serve. Currently, right now, the current sheriff's office has 143 vacancies, and that's from the office of budget that was submitted to the commission. They also have over 14,000 outstanding felony warrants. If you are able to cut just that number in half, the amount of crime that would be reduced would be um imperative to make a difference in your community. I understand what the internal issues are within the sheriff's office. I have a strategic plan to fix the internal issues so that you will see external results. Again, I'm Jacob Reach. I'm running for Jefferson County Sheriff's Office as a Republican, unopposed in the primary. So, I'll be on the ballot in November. I'd appreciate your vote and let's make Jefferson County safe again. Thank you.

Uh, please welcome Jacob Tidmore. Good evening. Thank you all for the opportunity to speak tonight. Um, my name is Jacob Tidmore and I'm honored to stand before you as your current property tax commissioner for Shelby County. Uh, it's okay to boo if y'all want to. Um, I'm I'm not a politician by trade, but I'm a Shelby County employee and a Shelby County native. I was born and raised in Colombana, graduated from Shelby County High School, married my high school sweetheart, Jason, and today we're raising our two beautiful kids, Jackson and Caroline, on our cattle farm outside of town. Uh, faith, family, hard work aren't just words to us, they're how we live. Um, after graduating from the University of South Alabama, I didn't chase opportunities somewhere else. I came home because Shelby County is my home and I wanted to serve the community that raised me. Um, I've been with the property tax office for about nine years now. I didn't step into this position from the outside. I learned it from the ground up. I earned my Alabama certified appraiser designation in both commercial and residential property. In 2020, I was promoted to property tax administrator where I managed 30 employees in every aspect of property tax and trained under Hall of Fame Commissioner Don Armstrong. Um, when Governor K. Ivy appointed me to commissioner after the passing of Mr. Armstrong, I was ready because I'd already been doing the work. You can put me at any seat in that office and I know how to do the job and that matters for accurate work and that matters to my employees who expect their manager to know how to do the job he's managing. Um, I understand that nobody likes to pay property tax. I can assure you I don't. Our staff doesn't like to pay it, but right now that's what we have to fund our schools, our roads and bridges, first responders, clean drinking water, safe infrastructure, and many services we rely on each and every day. Um, last year we abstracted $28.5 million to the city of Hoover and about $6 million to the city of Hoover school system. Um, we

abstracted $150 million to the countywide schools. Um, so if we're going to have this taxpayer funded system, then we need to run it with honesty, fairness, and transparency. That's why we launched a transparency tab on our website that shows you every dollar we collect and where it goes. Um, we added a sales analysis tool so you can see the sales comparable data that we use to arrive at fair market value. Both of those things were the first of their kind statewide. We also added more information to our notices, exemptions, and a newsletter to show you exemptions you can qualify for and how to apply for those exemptions. Uh, lastly, we added a temporary location on the Highway 280 services building. That way, we could give more accessibility to North Shelby County uh during collection season. Shelby County has the most efficient property tax office in the state of Alabama without question and we aim to keep it keep it that way. Uh this is not a part-time job. Takes hands-on leadership each and every day. I'm actually personally held liable for any errors or shortfalls. That means it takes experience, discipline, and a commitment to doing things the right way. You can't fake that and you can't learn it overnight. So, if you want proven conservative leadership, rooted in faith, grounded and experienced, and committed to serving the taxpayers of Shelby County with integrity, I humbly ask for y'all's vote on May 19th. And uh God bless Shelby County and God bless City of Hoover. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, if I could have Pamela Casey down, please.

Good afternoon. I'm Pamela Casey. I currently serve as district attorney of Blunt County. I was elected in 2010 when I was just about 10 years younger or old, excuse me, older than the young ladies we saw down here tonight. I was 28 when I ran. Um, I defeated the incumbent, the former DA and an ADA and become the youngest female in the history of the state of Alabama to serve as district attorney. And they told me I was too young. They told me they wouldn't elect a female. And they told me I couldn't get elected because I was single. And I proved them all wrong. Um, and the greatest honor I've had is serving the people of Blunt County. Uh, in 2010 was elected, 2016 reelected, and again elected in 2022. And other than being a mother to my two children who are five and six and a wife to my husband who is an educator in the Blunt County schools, the greatest honor in my life has been serving the people of Blunt County and protecting their families and children for um, in my third term, almost 18 years. But I'm not a career politician. I'm a career prosecutor. I started my career in the Alabama Attorney General's office. I started as a violent crime crimes and capital litigation prosecutor. That means handling our death penalty cases, our worst of our worst. And I'm here to tell you I am the only candidate running for attorney general that's ever walked into a courtroom, stood in front of a jury, tried a case, and put somebody in prison. And I think we should expect that type of experience and leadership for our next attorney general. You see, I average 47 years in my murder cases. I have people doing life without. And I also have put predators away for thousands of years. I want you to imagine with me just a moment if this were a chair in a witness room in the courtroom and a little girl who's in a white dress walked in and she's six years old. She sits in that chair and she looks at 12 of you she's never met before and tells you about how her mother would sell her at one of the local hotels. And then imagine her brother was 10 years old comes in and

sits in that same chair and tells you about it was his job to sit outside and take care of his seven-month old brother while mom was inside with Mr. Sunny and his sister. And one night he walked to the door and knocked on the door because he had ran out of water to make formula for his little brother during the middle of the night out in the car and he found his sister in bed with Mr. Sunny. That didn't happen in New York. It didn't happen in Florida. Didn't have happened in Blunt County. And I tried that case. the only human trafficking case with a live actual victim that's been tried in the state. And I tried that and Mr. Sunonny went to prison and I won't call her a mother. The female went to prison that had birthed that child. Now, let me ask you, what do you want for your attorney general? Do you want someone who's going to fight? Do you want someone who will fight for our family or children and that's what their job is? Then I'm your choice. See, I grew up in a broken home. Neither of my parents graduate high school. My mom worked in a sewing plant. My daddy worked for the highway department. I learned the value of hard work, digging in, and fighting hard. And that's what I've been doing for almost 20 years for the citizens of this state, whether at the AG's office or as DA. And as your attorney general, I will make sure that the people are the priority. I can promise you I'm not taking money from outside dark sources or special interests. And crazy enough, I'm pulling tied for first in this race, and I don't have millions of dollars in the bank. Why is that? For 16 months, I've spent my time working my way across the state, earning the people's vote and earning their respect. So, you'll decide May 19th when you go to the ballot box, do I want a fighter, a worker, somebody who does the job? I don't want to be your governor. I don't want to be a senator. I want to be your attorney general. I currently go to work right now for $500 a month. I could already retire. And the difference between my retirement and my salary is $500. That's somebody who wants the job and who wants to serve. So if you want an attorney general that'll fight, who will work, and I gave you all my cell phone, if I gave you the little card, then I'm your candidate. If you forget which woman I

am on the ballot, I'm the first one on the ballot. Okay? So mark the first one and move on. But more than anything, tell your family and your friends. We want a hardworking attorney general and we want Pamela Casey for AG. Thank you. All right, Mr. Jay Welbert, come on up, please. Jay, are you good with four minutes or do you need that 40 seconds?

Well, you know, if you're going to give me a microphone, Councilman Little Brooks, I'll take up as much time as you you let me. No. Uh, distinguished council, honorable mayor, residents of Hoover, I appreciate the opportunity to speak again this evening to you. Uh my name is Jay Welbborne and I'm running for District Court Place 3 here in Shelby County. I know we've had a lot of Shelby County people here tonight. A lot of people don't realize that the majority of the land area of the city of Hoover is actually in Shelby County. Most of the population is in Jefferson, but we we hold a lot of land for Hoover in Shelby County. And uh Councilwoman Levelvel, I appreciate you being our Shelby County resident down there. Um again, this is for place three, District Court, Shelby County. District Court is the front porch of the courthouse, if you will. It's where 95% of the judicial business is taking place in Shelby County. When you go to the courthouse, 95% of the people that have their first interaction with the justice system is through district court. Whether it be through traffic tickets, voting violations, uh misdemeanors, small claims, collections, juvenile court matters, uh child support cases for unwed parents. That's all the types of things that district court handles. Any money in property cases of $20,000 and less are all taken care of at the district court level. You know, we're not glamorous and have wonderful jury trials that make headlines like circuit court. We handle business high high volume, high pace, and it's really they don't make headlines, but they really truly matter to the people and the businesses and the families that are there every single day. They come in, they want their problems taken care of, and they want resolutions so that they can get back home as quickly as possible. I liken it to an emergency room. Think about if you're in a tragic car wreck and you have a concussion and a collapsed lung, broken ribs, broken leg, and they roll you through the doors of the ER and you find out that every doctor in that emergency room that day is a podiatrist. Great. They've been to medical school, they're educated, they're smart, but they don't know how to deal with

what's wrong with you. You need someone who has had a large experience of medical qualifications. I've represented clients all over the state and in Shelby County in every single type of case that district court handles. The majority of them have been civil, but I've handled my fair share of misdemeanor and voting violations and traffic tickets. Uh, but I've handled and represented every single type of case that district court may see. I'm also actually the only candidate in my race right now that has any sort of judicial hearing experience. For two and a half years, I was an administrative hearing officer and parole court judge for the Bureau of Pardons and Parole. I know what it's like to take those hearings, schedule them, take the testimony, hear the evidence, and then weigh those facts against what the law says and then actually dole out punishment based on that or make suggestions of what someone's sanction might be. I also know the gravity that those kinds of decisions hold. My my opponents don't understand that. They've never had to make those decisions. They've never had to say, "Okay, I am the person who's making that call and this decision is going to affect someone for the rest of their lives potentially." My experience is vast. I am the person who has seen every single type of case. I am hoping to restore faith to the court system because we have had activist judges and we have had people who decide to legislate from the bench because something doesn't necessarily pass their smell test. The Constitution is not what that's about. It's more than words on paper. It's a promise that our forefathers gave us to give us the rights and the freedoms that were guaranteed to have an unbiased jurist hear your case and for you to have your day in court. If that's the kind of person that you want hearing your cases in Shelby County, then I'm your candidate. Again, my name is Jay Wilbornne. I respectfully ask for your vote on May 19th and I humbly thank you

for the time allowed. And somebody can have my 20 seconds. Thank you.

I want to thank all the candidates that came out tonight. Uh, you know, look, I applaud man or woman being in the arena, you know, putting your foot out there to to make a difference. Um, so May 19th, get out and vote, everyone. Uh, next up, we have someone that is not a candidate for office, but a citizen of Hoover, Michael Staley. Come on up, please. My name is Michael Staley. I live at 1097 Al Seir Road. I sometimes say Sire, but I think Seir is correct, right? Uh that's at the corner of Sulfur Springs in Alcier. I have two stories I want to say. First is that the city built sidewalks out in front of this development when they built 14 houses. And those sidewalks are now connected all the way around. and you can walk, you know, all the way around the preserve and all the way up and down our street. People drive pretty fast on that street. This morning, as I was kind of slow rolling the stop sign uh on Sulphur Springs, I saw a a patrol car and I stopped and turned and went up and talked to him and I said, "You know, your presence really makes a difference because uh people change their behavior. People drive really fast around there. We're thankful to have sidewalks." and my wife. This afternoon, I'm the father of twin baby boys that are 15 months old and a 5-year-old. So, I really do care about those sidewalks. I came home this afternoon, my wife said, "You're not going to believe it. There was a police officer up and down the street all day long." And I thought, "Wow." You know, that probably cuz he got thanked for being out there. The other thing is that sidewalk, Sulfur Springs, there's sulfur uh there springs, too. And uh there's a spring that made a slick spot on the sidewalk. And Jason Franklin uh where are you? So uh two weeks ago um the spot

was really slick and I slipped as I was pushing the big cart with our twins in it. And my uh thought was we should try to get somebody to do something. So uh I came I went I went on a trip came home and I saw a Hoover City truck outside. I walked over there and I said, "Do you work for the city?" And Jason said, "Yeah." And I said, "Well, uh, thank you for what you did." They had dug up the sidewalk and fixed that. They jackhammered the sidewalk, fixed the slick spot. I said, "Why did you do that?" He said, "We got one email from a citizen. He was sitting in his truck emailing the guy back saying, "Yeah, we fixed it." And I just wanted to come and say thank you as a dad that's got kids that care about safety. Thank you'all for what you do. You don't always hear that and I know it, but I mean it. So, thank you.

Thank you, Michael. We'll move on to our business portion of the agenda. Uh Thursday night, we went over all these items in detail. Uh first, we will uh go through the consent agenda where we will just read those items without discussion for a vote at the end. Uh, I will ask that the city clerk remove item number 10, resolution 882326 to the regular agenda. Are there any other items that council would like removed from the consent agenda? Seeing none, are there any items that the public would like removed from the consent agenda? All right, seeing none, Mr. City Attorney, if you will read those items minus number 10, please. item two minutes for April 9, April 13. Item three is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute documents related to the appointment of a successor trustee uh for the trust at Aldridge Gardens and requesting the resignation of the current trustee. Item four is a resolution approving an alcohol license for JMBB VH which is located in Market Street. Item five is a resolution approving an alcohol license for JMBB, also at Market Street. Item six is a resolution reappointing a member to the Hoover Arts Council. Item seven is a resolution authorizing the mayor and city council president,

city clerk and city treasure to execute certain documents to implement updates uh on a designated resolution. Item eight is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement of contract extension with Pritchard Industries. Item nine is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement for contract extension with Stone and Suns electrical contractors. Item 10 is a resolution rescending a previous resolution in accordance attorney. We're going to we're going to move number 10 to

I'm sorry, pardon me. Item 11 is a resolution authorizing the mayor to apply for a safe streets and roads uh grant through the department of transportation. Item 12 is a resolution authorizing the city clerk and the chief financial officer to execute certain documents. Item 13 is a resolution authorizing budget amendments and appropriations and a position of title change for the fiscal year 2026. Item 14 is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement of contract extension with boundary medical for medical supplies for the fire department. Item 15 is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a renewal uh enterprise license agreement with ESRI for geographic information. Item 16 is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Charter Communications for Internet Services Fire Station. And that concludes the consent agenda.

Motion to approve the consent agenda. Second. Have a motion and a second. All in favor say I. I. opposed. The consent agenda is approved. Mr. President, um Robin, do you want to say anything about number six real quick? Mr. President, if we can um we one of the items was the appointment of a member to the arts council. If we could have Tracy True Dismouth come up a picture. Very good.

Thank you for serving again. Thank you.

Moving on to number 10, resolution 882326. Mr. Wal, this is a resolution reappointing a member to the Hoover. I'm sorry. back to 10. Yeah. Okay. Pardon me. We're back to 10, which is now I suppose 17A. Resolution 882326 is a resolution rescending resolution 6790-22 in accordance with the settlement agreement related to the Riverchase village drainage repair. Motion to approve resolution number 8823-26. Second.

I have a motion and a second. Any comments or questions from the council?

Any comments or questions from the public? Matt Winther, Scout Creek Drive. Uh, first I want to say how different and positive the Hoover City Council meetings are under this new leadership. It's a much needed breath of fresh air. Additionally, I'm glad that Hoover leadership came around on this problem and decided it must be fixed. Uh for those who are not aware, this is related to the flooding caused by the storm water infrastructure failure under the road at the Panda Express drive-thru along Highway 31 near the Lorna Road intersection. I suggest the city should take some time to understand and document what happened here. Not the drainage system failure specifically, but how this infrastructure problem on private property ended up costing the citizens of Hoover millions of dollars. Costs not just for the repair, but also for legal fees, diverting officers to direct traffic when flooding occurred, lost revenue from businesses leaving Hoover due to the flooding, and probably other ways I cannot fathom. While I am sure the numbers are uncomfortable, it is important for everyone to have the opportunity to understand how we got here so that we may deliver Hoover's standard of excellence. When the land was redeveloped several years ago, there was an opportunity to at least review or inspect some very old drainage infrastructure for this property. I suspect there would have been indications of potential problems with aging corrugated metal pipe that eventually failed. This could have been an opportunity for a partnership between the city and the developer to get the infrastructure updated. Everyone involved from the citizens to the business to the developer would have been better off. The situation highlights the important distinction between developers, the business or residents who ultimately consume the

products they build. Storm water infrastructure, possibly more than anything else overseen by engineering and building inspections, has the potential for a single development to affect many aspects of our city, especially property owners. Thank you, M.

Any other comments, questions from the public? Uh, I will say this project was uh lengthy in getting to the council in the first place. um you know it's it's it was private property but it was affecting public property as well. So uh those legal loopholes and and uh hurdles can can cause delay and you know the bureaucracy of government and the legal system it's not it's not fast. Um so it never happens as fast as we wanted to. Uh but you know uh I appreciate the people that were here before us and uh I appreciate the people that we have in place now moving us forward. We have a lot of new employees and I feel like we are uh moving this city forward and Mr. Mayor that's a tribute to your selection process and who you've chosen. So leadership uh I have a motion and a second to approve resolution 882326. All in favor say I.

I. Those opposed the eyes have it. Before we move on to the next resolution, uh I will be abstaining from this resolution due to my employment with Hoover City Schools. So I will pass the Gavl to Proim Counselor Driver. Thank you, Mr. President. We'll now take up resolution uh number 8818-26. Item number 17 on the agenda. Mr. City Attorney, this is a resolution reappointing a member to the Hoover Board of Education for a term of five years. Madam President, I'd like to make a motion to approve resolution number 881826.

Second. We have a motion and a second. Uh any comments from the council? Just for clarification, is that five years or does he want to do 10? Okay. I believe the resolution is for five. Council Murphy, any other any other comments or questions from the council? Madam President, I would just like to thank Mr. Pquette for what he's brought the last five years and what is anticipated he's going to bring the next five years. Uh he has helped the city not only on the board of education but other endeavors as well that the city's very invested in and uh I appreciate him for everything he's done. Any other comments?

Madame President, um I just want to say thank you to Mr. Pette as well as a mother to two in the school system. I feel very blessed that we have individuals like you on our board watching out for our children. Any other council comments or questions? How about any from the public?

Well, I'll just say, you know, not only thank you to you, Alan Pette, for all that you do to serve our city um and to lead the board of education uh but thank you to your family. I see your wife Janet and daughter Emma here. And I know your son is working out getting ready for an important baseball uh series, but um we'd love it if you um after after the vote if you would come down and and have a photo with us. Um so we have uh a motion, a second, and any other comments. All right. All in favor say I.

I. Any opposed? If you'll come on down, that would be great. If you'll join us, too, please. I'll return the gabble. All right, moving on to resolution number 882526. Mr. Walter,

this is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a professional services agreement with TSW Design for a multi-phase branding and entry signage design project. Motion to approve resolution number 8825-26. Second motion and a second. Any comments or questions from council? Any comments or questions from the public? Seeing none, all in favor say I. I. Those opposed. The eyes have it. Resolution number 882926. Mr. Walter.

This is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Central Alabama Water for the installation of fire hydrants within the Everly development. Motion to approve resolution number 8829-26. Second. I have a motion and a second. Any comments or questions from the council? Uh, Mr. President, I shall abstain from this vote. Any other comments or questions? Any from the audience? Seeing none, all in favor say I. I. Those opposed, the eyes have it. Now we will move on to ordinance number 262692. Mr. Wald,

this is an ordinance of the city of Hoover to modify chapter 11.5 related to the parks and recreation uh there too and to repeal all ordinances and parts of the ordinance of the city of Hoover that's in conflict. Motion to adopt ordinance number 26-2692. Second. I have a motion and a second. Mr. Mayor, did you want to say something about doubt about this? Any comments or questions from the council? Yes, Mr. President. Um,

after we vote on it, I would like to name some names that were responsible for this. There's a lot of names. There's a lot of people. There's a lot of work that went into this and I would like to recognize the folks that that were uh responsible for the vote. Any other comments or questions from councel? Um, you could probably just wave from here and I'll give the affirmative or not. The park and recre board did vote on these rules. She indicates yes. Thank you. Any other comments or questions for council? Seeing none. Any comments or questions from the audience? Madam clerk, if you'll call the role, please.

Council member Schultz. I council member Smith I council member Levelville I council member Murphy I council member McClinton I council pro Tim Driver I council president middlebrooks I with seven I's ordinance is adopted Mr. shorts.

So, uh, I spoke to, um, to some people earlier today. I I wanted to get some recognition for the people that were here. So, I would like to call out the following people. Tyler Calbertt, CJ Hallmark, Jeremiah Jackson, Michael Chikowski, Colin Connor, Ryan Cavender, Jordan Jarbor, James Young, Michael Pepper, Erin Kobal, Jason Franklin, Ryan Lavender, and Susan Fuca. These are the people that if you'll please come down so we can get your picture. A lot of work goes into this. uh this this is not one or two people putting it together. This is a co collaboration of a whole bunch of people putting it together over a long period of time. And uh I'd really like to commend them and thank them for the extraordinary hard work on this.

That's correct. Let me go get one. Thank y'all so much. Council, I want to go back to uh 18 authorized the mer executed professional services agreement for the uh multifphase branding and entry signage.

Yes sir. Obviously that was uh something that I talked about during my campaign and I was very excited that uh one of the group with leadership hoover took it up during the leadership hoover and I think several of them are here. I would like to ask them to come down. Let's get a picture. Yeah. Come on. Thank you, Miss Posie. Can you take another picture for us? Thank you.

Thank y'all for your hard work. Where's We'll now move on to the first readings. No action will be taken on these ordinance number.

This is an ordinance to amend the zoning ordinance of the city pertaining to the sale of consumable hemp products. Ordinance number gives you more time to open it up. I'm sorry, my microphone was not on. For ordinance number 262696, we had a pretty lengthy discussion on Thursday night about this. We realize we we may need to do a little more due diligence before we bring this forward. So, uh, if I can have a motion to withdraw this first reading.

Motion to withdraw ordinance number 262696. second for the purposes of conversation. Mr. President, do you want to withdraw or do you want to uh postpone to the date positive of of our next meeting? Uh we can just withdraw for now when they come back with a recommendation. Second then I have a motion and a second to withdraw. Any comments from council? Any comments from the public? All do I need a roll call vote to withdraw the ordinance? Okay, very good. All in favor say I. I

those opposed. Okay, we will come back to that at a later date for another first reading. Ordinance number 262698. This is an ordinance to reszone the property located at 2333 Farley Place from R1 single family residential to RLSF which is residential legacy single family district. Resolution number 8813-26. Uh we'll be setting a public hearing from May 11th. Mr. Waldrip, can you read that for us?

That's a resolution declaring a certain structure to be a public nuisance, provides for a public hearing, and directs the abatement thereof pursuant to Alabama Code 1153 B1 through 1153B16. And ordinance number 262697. This is an ordinance to amend the short-term rental ordinance of the city. Ordinance 262699. This is an ordinance to provide for the levying of municipal taxes for the city of Hoover and for the assessment and collection of these taxes.

Very good. And also setting a public hearing for resolution number 8814-26. Mr. Walter, can you read that last one? This is a resolution granting conditional use approval to allow to install a twocar metal canopy with trench drain sand u oil interceptor to hand wash cars behind space 140 for the property located at 140 in corners.

Very good. That uh public hearing will also be on May 11th. Before I ask for council comments, I want to point out uh Mr. Joe Reeves in the audience and former council member. Always good to see you, Joe. Thank you. Uh, council comments. Anyone have any comments to add? Mr. President, I believe uh the Hoover Bells are going to be uh going to be uh I don't know if inaugurated is the right word, but they're going to be installed, I guess, this Sunday. Um I believe at I'm not sure of the time, but uh sure it's on the city website. I don't have that information.

Do we have an events person here tonight? It's you. Yeah, me. I'll look it up. I'll be right back with you. Very good. Mr. Schulz, uh we are planning to have a town hall meeting uh on Thursday at Shades Crest Baptist Church Fellowship Hall at 6:30 p.m. Public's invited. Uh it's going to be a little less formal than this. We'll have the ability for the public to ask questions. We'll have several council members there. We look forward to seeing anyone that can make it. Very good. Mr. Mayor, you have anything?

Yes. Uh we've got the region's tradition golf classic at the Greystone Country Club ProAm Wednesday with a lot of uh our local celebrities uh Nick Sabin and group coming. And then the tournament will be Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Greystone Country Club. Hope for great weather. always a great event and appreciate the staff and all the hard work that goes into it. Thank you, Mr. President. I have uh one thing to add about the region's tradition. Um I want to personally invite from the council and on behalf of the mayor to all the city employees on hole number 11, we're going to be having some Hoover tents. So if you guys want to join, get something to eat or get a drink, we would love to have you. Thank you.

Mr. Smith, did you find that date? I'm getting real close. All right, check the website. Google it, people. We're journed.