City Council - Regular Meeting

We will call this Monday, April 13th council meeting to order and ask the clerk to call the role.

Council President Middlebrooks here. Council Proim Driver here. Council member Schultz here. Council member Smith present. Council member Levelville present. Council member Murphy present. Council member McClinton here. All right. All present. Um few everyone will stand for the invocation and the pledge led by councelor Schulz. Father, may you empower us to work together for the common good. May our community prosper, our hearts be enlightened and we glorify you in the name of your son Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.

Attention salute. Pledge. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right, we've all um received a copy of the agenda. Do I have a motion to adopt the agenda? So move. Second. Have a motion and second. All in favor say I. I those opposed. All right, we have an agenda. So, first up is the proclamations. Mr. Mayor, I'll hand the meeting over to you, sir.

Thank you, Mr. President. Uh like to uh ask our telecommunicators. This is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. So, we've got Linda Moore, our 911 director, Colin Nelson, our emergency communications manager, Michael Knight, also emergency communications manager, Doug Glover, our 911 information technology, Kim Jones, 91 executive assistant, and Jamie Savage, the uh communication officer. And I just want to commend the work that these individuals do on a daily basis. Uh we know that uh emergencies don't happen at convenient times and I can attest to the fact of being a police officer for 40 years and a police chief of 21, I can tell you we've got the best 911 personnel uh that I'm aware of in the state of Alabama. Y'all do a tremendous job. And uh again, when those emergencies happen, these are the folks that get the police officers and the fire trucks and emergency EMS officials to the proper location. And uh without you guys, we'd be in uh in in in in dire straits. I'm telling you, you'll do a hell of a job. And I'm just proud to have been associated with you guys for for all the years with the city of Hoover. So, uh Mr. City attorney would like to read the proclamation, please.

Thank you, Mayor. On a side note, mayor and president, we um have the opportunity to represent the state 911 board on a so we deal with these folks on a state level. get to see firsthand what type of job uh that they do uh and and what kind of training they have and seek and they do an excellent job and and are the model for the state of Alabama. With that said, National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 12th through 18, 2026. Whereas emergencies can occur at any time that require police, fire or emergency medical services. And whereas an emergency occurs, when an emergency occurs, the prompt response of the police officers, firefighters, paramedics is critical to the protection of life and preservation of property. Whereas the safety of our police officers, firefighters is dependent upon the quality and accuracy of information obtained from citizens who telephone the Hoover Emergency Communication Center. And whereas public safety communicators are the first and most critical contact our citizens have with emergency services. And whereas public safety communicators are the single vital link for our police officers and firefighters by monitoring their activities by radio, providing them with information and ensuring their safety. And whereas public safety telecommunicators of the Hoover Communications Center have contributed substantially to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires, treatment of patients. And whereas each dispatcher has exhibited compassion, understanding, and professionalism during per performance of their job in the past year. Now, therefore, we Nicholas C. Durges mayor and Casey Middlebrook, city council president, on behalf of the city council of the city of Hoover, Alabama, to hereby proclaim the week of April 12th

through April 18th, 2026 to be National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in the city of Hoover in honor of the men and women whose diligence and professionalism keep our city and citizens safe. Presented this the 13th day of April in the year of our Lord 2026. CONGRATULATIONS. Got one more. Rivers of Alabama Day. So, I'd like to uh ask our park and recck director, Aaron Cobalt. Michael Pepper, our park and wreck manager, Ryan Cavender, park and wreck manager. Dana Hansen, park and wreck manager, James Young, park and wreck manager. We got a lot of managers. Katie Bella, acting parks and wreck manager. We may just make her one. Lindseay Baxley. Lindseay Baxley, park and wreck board vice chair. David Butler from the Cabba River Coalition. Charles Miller from the Alabama Rivers Alliance. Katty Marshall Alabama Rivers Alliance. Ricky Phillips from our Where's Ricky Phillips? There he is. Come on down. He's the president of our park board. And Jennifer Papkkey. Where's Jennifer? Come on. Come on up. Jennifer is on our park board. Ma'am, we got half the half the audience here. Appreciate y'all being here. Uh, Rivers of Alabama Day gives us an opportunity to pause and recognize just how much our waterways mean to the state. It's a reminder that our rivers are not only beautiful but essential. That protecting them is a

responsibility that we all share. Beyond their beauty and wreck, our rivers play a vital role in everyday life. They provide resources that support agriculture, industry, and drinking water, while also enhancing the natural landscape that makes Alabama such a special place to live. These waterways connect our communities to offer opportunities for fishing, boating, swimming, and kayaking. They bring both relaxation and adventure to residents and visitors alike. Most importantly, our rivers are staying businesses. They support jobs, provide drinking water to more than half our state's population. Here in Hoover, we proudly celebrate Rivers of Alabama Day with gratitude and renewed commitment to preserving and protecting these vital waterways waterways for generations to come. So, Mr. City Attorney, would you please

Thank you, Mayor. Rivers of Alabama Day here as Alabama is blessed with an abundance of water resources boasting over 132,000 miles of rivers and streams. These waterways place us first nationally for aquatic biodiversity, a testament to the vibrant and interconnected nature of our aquatic ecosystems. And whereas the Rivers of Alabama Day provides an opportunity for us to recognize the many valuable assets brought to our state by our rivers, serving as a reminder of the importance of preserving and protecting the waterways that sustain us. And whereas our rivers are renowned for their exceptional ecological value, nurturing a rich diversity of freshwater fish, muscles, snails, and crawfish species, making them a sanctuary for both wildlife and outdoor enthusiast. And whereas the natural resources provide our state, rivers uh provide numerous benefits to the people of Alabama, ranging from recreational opportunities and natural beauty to vital resources for agriculture, industry, drinking water, and ecosystems. And whereas our rivers traverse landscapes, serve as lifelines, connecting communities and enriching the surroundings through fishing, boating, swimming, and kaying, providing respit and joy to residents and visitors alike. And whereas beyond their recreational value, our rivers are the foundation of Alabama's economy and environment, providing essentials for agriculture and industry, supporting thriving businesses that contribute significantly to our state's prosperity, and providing drinking water to over half the state's population. And whereas the month of April, I encourage all citizens, businesses, organizations, and governmental agencies to celebrate our rivers through engaging in activities that promote and protect our rivers, such as cleanup efforts, educational events, and conservation efforts. Whereas, the city of Hoover celebrates Rivers of Alabama Day with gratitude and

a renewed commitment to the sustainability of our waterways. Now, therefore, we Nicholas C. Dersis Mayor Casey Middlebrooks, City Council President on behalf of the city council of the city of Hoover, Alabama, do hereby proclaim the second Tuesday in April annually as Rivers of Alabama Day in the City of Hoover. Together as a community, we can ensure that our rivers remain a source of enjoyment for generations to come. Presented this 13th day of April, the year of our Lord, 2026. That is the end of the proclamations. Mr. President, I would like to uh remind everyone that's here today that uh our our Celebrate Hoover will be at Veterans Park on the 25th of April. And I want to thank our staff getting ready now for the region's golf, which will be April 29th through May the 3rd out at Greystone. And I tell you, I I was uh met with some of the staff today. we're putting together uh with something hopefully in the near future we'll be able to talk about. But uh we'll be celebrating the 4th of July on the 1st of July be the 250th anniversary and I promise you some of the things that we've got uh planned will be very exciting. I think everyone's going to get excited and I look forward to the times that we can sit down and actually uh tell you what we're doing. So looking forward to it. Thank you guys.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh before I hand the podium over to Commissioner Stevens here, I just want to comment on staff's work this weekend at the Hoover Hazardous Waste Day. Uh man, what a fantastic job you all did. Uh it ran smoothly and efficiently and just you you drive up and there's this huge long line, oh boy, I'm gonna be here in a while and 10 minutes later I'm heading home. So great job. Uh under reports we have Commissioner Stevens with us. Jimmy, if you want to get up and give us a uh update on some county projects and thank you for coming, sir.

I sure will. Thank you very very much. Uh I don't know how to do this. There we go. That's No, that's not it.

There it is. There's two or three things that uh counselors, you have a a packet in front of you. Really, two or three different packets. The first is going to be our our annual report for our for your demographics and tells where everyone lives, what's going on. And I'm going to tell you right now, y'all do a pretty good job here. I don't know whether you inherited or you created it, but whatever you did it, you did a great job. Good. Good. God bless you on that. Um, that's something for you to read later. What you have on the uh screen now is the discretionary funds and grant distribution for for the city of Hoover from uh from my office. Uh you can see how how diverse it is and how the different areas of of the city of Hoover are are being touched by by your tax dollars that we're able to return to you. There's one up there that uh that I see is missing and that's Aldrich Gardens to net. We all we've always uh contributed to the to the Aldrich Gardens and Hoover is a challenge. You know, there's many areas in my district where it's easy to apply district funds, but in order to improve the quality of life of a of a best practices community such as the city of Hoover, it's it's it's difficult. And you can see how we've been able to give back to the say the Hoover Service Club and the CH Chamber of Commerce and your your different schools. And that's the way we're able to do that. but to tell you that we do have funds available. So, we want you to make application and we want you to be able to say that the Jefferson County Commission is a good

partners in in in what we do and how we're able to improve the quality of life of of the citizens of of the city of Hoover. Uh with that being said, we can go over to the the our paving projects and our under constructions upcoming. You can see on the left hand side that we picked out a few of the roads that that we normally uh work through in our paving process. Uh there's some that are not mentioned that are that are that affect you that that are not listed up there. one's Morgan Road and I don't see South Shades Crest Road if I that then I know that it's going to have a lot of work being done on it. Uh and I know I don't have much time and I'm trying to get through this as quickly as possible. So y'all bear with me. Next slide, please. Here. Here are the major capital projects for that are going to take place in uh the city of Hoover uh with the Jefferson County Commission. Uh the first is that contract resurfacing for two days that we talked about. The se the third one is Shades Crest Road and Moshrock safety improvements. Uh councelor Middlebrooks and I worked together to make sure that that that took place and I see that's that's coming to fruition now. Ain't it Casey?

Yes, sir.

Looking good. Uh the other's a rockwood road bridge replacement that we completed. You have this is isn't in my district but it's it's important to you. It's the old Rocky Ridge Road widening and intersection improvements. Uh that's going to begin in the summer of 2028. Uh this is one that's going to affect everyone. The South Shades Crest Road and bridge over the CSX Railroad. Uh counselors, as you can see in your packet, that turns this into a three-lane highway uh with uh a new bridge being being completed and I spoke I misspoke um probably six months ago and said they were going to have to close the road. Well, we fussed enough to where they're not going to have to close the road at all. They'll always be two-lane traffic there on South Jades Crest Road, which which is wonderful. Uh Actton Road widening and intersection improvements, same thing. Uh going, that's $11 million. Cwell Mill Road widening and bridge replacement. Now, that's a big one. That's uh spring in 2027. We're going to to let that that's a $27 million project. One that's near and dear to all of our hearts is a Galleria Boulevard extension. Uh that is going to change the traffic pattern and improve the uh flow to and from the that very busy intersection there on uh on uh Highway 150. Here's the Galleria Boulevard and project and you can see it. And I may have wanted to put my glass on so I can see that. Uh you can see the the project was about close to an $800 million uh $8 million project. U million and a half for P& uh right away was 600,000 and construction was only $6 million. So that's worked out pretty well. Next

slide please. South Crates Crest Road bridge replacement over CSX. That's the one we were talking about. Uh that's a total the county is picking up that total cost of that project which is $7.5 million. So uh that will free up funds for for you to use in other projects. And uh this was accomplished through the relationship with the uh with your mayor and your and your city councilors and the county being able to work and and to be able to shift some funds to be able to do this for the city of Hoover. We will we look forward to other projects like this in the in the future and for us being able to remain engaged and improve the quality of life and uh through your infrastructure work. uh you're doing a great job with your uh storm water. Uh we have we have a great uh relationship. Our uh our storm water people, our infrastructure management staff is is working with you to make sure that our our uh our models are are saying the same thing that that yours do and we're able to to engage to get this done. Um just want to say thank you. Thank you for for what you do and for improving the quality of life of your citizens. And uh we look forward to many many more times that either I can come up here or someone can come up here and say, "Hey, we've got some money for you."

That's that's good news, isn't it? Are there any questions from any counselors that Commissioner Stevens? I just want to say uh for I've been on this dice for 10 years and you have been a terrific partner for all 10 of those years. Uh you I consider you a mentor for myself. Anytime I've had a difficult decision I've been working through and have called you. You've you've always given me great advice uh great godly advice and I appreciate I appreciate all your work. Uh, anytime any of us have called Commissioner Stevens for an ask, he's like, "What do you need? What do you need?" And he's all he's always been there for Hoover. And I appreciate you, sir. Thank you. Appreciate those kind words,

Mr. President. Let me make another comment. I echo that. And I think in u uh public service, it's so critical to have individuals that know the challenges of cities and have a certain background. And not to talk about his resume, but reason why um Commissioner Stevens has been such a great ally for all of his district. You talk about a person that started on the city council in Bessmer. So he understands what local government is. Uh has had a business in the grocery business, president of the Alabama Grocery. So he has a understand about how uh that works out and uh so he's been a really good ally for us, but he's been there as well, too. So, I want to say thank you so much for being able to just pick up the phone and on Sundays, Saturdays, and answer questions that he's has easy access to get to as well.

Thank you. Thanks, Mr. President. If I could uh if you run the numbers real quick, President Stevens has worked on this looks like at or just over $50 million worth of projects. That's right. That is uh that is very grateful to the city. Thank you, sir. That's our job. We glad to have the opportunity to do that and be able to work with you. Thank you,

Mr. President. Um, I just want to add additional thanks to Commissioner Stevens. You know, last year, um, uh, Representative Shaw and Huly and I called on you to ask for your help with solving some complex storm water issues. And it only took one phone call to you to say, "When can when can I bring my staff over and let's sit down and talk about it and make sure we get everybody on the same page and share the the wealth of knowledge that your team has on the storm water issues with the city of Hoover. And so I just want to say how much we appreciate um how easy you make it to work with uh you and the and the rest of the commission." Thank you, ma'am. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Commissioner. Before we move on to public comments, this report isn't listed, but I'm going to ask uh House Representative, I almost called him counselor Mike Shaw, come up.

Well, thank you for the recognition, Mr. President. As we say, uh session's over and I'm very happy good to be back in our community and not uh not in Montgomery. Session's over. Everybody's safe from laws again. You know, we don't have to worry about any new laws. Um, I just wanted to comment on number 10. I didn't want to interrupt your uh consent agenda by having it move out or or anything. That is uh for the the the Lock Haven Nature Park. Um, that's something while I was on council, we we started working on uh uh as I became a state representative, we continued working on it still in my district and we made a lot of progress and uh then things kind of came to came to a halt and it's something we talked about for a couple years. Uh the the council and mayor, we've talked about it many times. I'm really really excited to see uh see what's on there that that we're moving forward. I've already put in for some grant money, my own I don't know if it's Commissioner Stevens money, but it's uh uh but it's it'll it'll be enough to to offset a lot of the cost hopefully of that that project, and I'm really excited to see that going. So, I I wanted to join in saying thank you for for getting that project started again. I think the public loves it. Uh the people in those that community love it, and I think it's going to be a great amenity for for our people. So, thanks for thanks for picking it back up and get getting us going again. So,

thank you, Mike. Uh, thank you for your leadership on that project as well tonight. All right. Uh, we'll move on to public comments. First up is Nicole Wadssworth. Come on down. Got a couple candidates tonight. Welcome. Thank you. Good evening. Hi.

Hi. I'm Nicole Jones Wadssworth for Lieutenant Governor and I just wanted to introduce myself to y'all for those of you who do not know me and those of you from Hoover. Um, I have a background in business contracts and economic development. Um, my firm and my clients have brought hundreds of millions of dollars worth of industry exclusively to the state of Alabama. So, that's really what led me to run for lieutenant governor. I've had the opportunity to visit all 67 counties over 25 times on my own dime, not the taxpayers's dime, before announcing or asking for a vote. And it's through meeting with my clients and constituents and people in urban and rural markets that the same five key issues have kept coming up. So I've devised a plan called build a better Alabama. I want to utilize the office of lieutenant governor to improve the quality of life for Alamians in the areas of industry recruitment and retention, workforce development, statewide infrastructure improvements, rural health care, and public safety. industry recruitment and retention and workforce development. Those issues go hand in hand. As Lieutenant Governor, I want to ensure that every Alamian, from the high school student to the veteran, has a clear path to a good paying job. Why? Because when Alamians are working, we all benefit. It keeps people off welfare. It reduces crime. And it gives a man or a woman a sense of purpose by being able to pay for something with a paycheck that he or she has earned. In order to recruit and retain those jobs and improve our quality of life, y'all and Hoover know it better than anybody. We need good statewide infrastructure improvements. And that's our roads, our bridges, our ports, and our broadband. Our broadband is also essential to our rural health care and our teleaalth. I know how to bring health care to Alabama because I represent a lot of physicians. I represent one client, for example, who

was able to utilize funds about $700,000 worth of federal funds to open up a practice in two economically impoverished counties. That matters no matter where you live because when Alamians are healthy, they're working. When Alamians are working, we all benefit. The final group of people I want to help as lieutenant governor, and I see some in this room, are our public safety officials. And I want you to think about something. At some point over the course of your life, you're going to need access to a police officer, a firefighter, a sheriff, the military, either directly or indirectly, or EMS. As Lieutenant Governor, I want to ensure that the men and the women willing to put themselves forth will have access to the training, the tools, and the resources needed to protect and serve with excellence. They put their lives on the line for us. The least that we can do at the government level is to give them the tools and the respect that they need to do their jobs. Everything that I'm advocating for, I've already done as a member of the private sector, either through my company, through board or committee service, or as an individual. That's the type of experience that we need in a lieutenant governor. It's an open seat this year. Lieutenant Governor Aimworth is term limited. So, I'd be honored to earn your vote in the Republican primary on Tuesday, May 19th, because together we can build a better Alabama. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Y'all have any questions? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Scott Ortiz.

Thank you. I appreciate you for having Welcome to Hoover.

My name is Scott Ortiz and I'm running for state senate for district 15. Um most people don't know it's a very large district. It's very diverse. It goes from Chelsea, Wilsonville, Harper'sville, um down to Greystone, uh Pelum, Oak Mountain, Eagle Point, Liberty Park, um Kahaba Heights, some most of Mountain Brook, uh the uh Hollywood area of Homewood, a little bit of the Actton Road area, then also it covers a little bit of uh Charlesville, Irondale, and most of Lead. So, it's a very large district and very spread out. Um, so I'm running for that spot to um I have uh I was a high school teacher when I first got out of college. I so I taught I taught and understand that system. I ended up going to pharmacy school after that and I've worked in healthcare and run my own business for the last 30 almost 35 years. So I I bring a businessminded attitude is what that's what I want to bring to McGomery. As all of you know, you cannot run your household in a financial deficit and we cannot really run a government very long in a financial deficit. I think we need to bring u businessminded someone who who knows how to run business who can uh bring industry to the area. I started my company from the ground up and when I started home health our home healthcare company we were the only independently and I call it mom and pop operation in this area possibly in the state. I competed against uh larger national home health care companies and certainly large medium to large regional companies. And what I found is if you hire good people, train them and and provide a great service, you can do a great job. And we were very successful. We did most of our um service with the pediatric market. So I worked with children's hospital and UAB a lot. We had patients that came to Birmingham and went all over the state. So, I want to

work for you guys. I sold my business a couple years ago, was very successful, but I want to give back. I've got I'm a father of five. I've been, like I said, a business owner. I've started from the ground up. I want to give back. I I have five children. I lost one to cancer about 10 years ago. And during his fight with cancer, um the community, this whole area really really supported me and my family. And I really want to give back. I want to work for you. I want to go to McGomery. I'm a firm believer in term limits. So, it's not a second career for me. I want to go to Montgomery, serve, and then come back, enjoy the community that we have built here. I think that's important. I don't think we need people to go and and that's what they become. And that's where that's the second job. We need to uh have new ideas, fresh ideas. Um we need to protect our community. We need to stand with our first responders. I have uh in my family, I have uh my brother is a former police chief. um he witnessed one of his officers get shot and killed in the line of duty. So I have and I saw how that affected him. I have a heart for our first responders. I think we need to do a better job protecting our first responders. I also think that every level of government we have got to have people who fight to uh to fight fraud, waste, and abuse. And that's a big key for me. I think uh we need to look at everything that's spent. It's our tax dollars. It should be spent responsibly. Um, we do not want to look like Minnesota, California, and all these other places that are out there. I think we're better than that. We can do better than that. We need to cut taxes and put more money back in our pockets, but we need to spend responsibly, and that's that's my plan. Any questions?

Thank you, sir. I appreciate your vote. May May 19th. Thanks.

Appreciate it. Y'all are both welcome to uh be out in the lobby uh if anyone wants to meet y'all out in the lobby and and hand out pamphlets or or whatever. Uh, at this time that was all that signed up for the public comment. Is there anyone else that wants to get up and and speak on anything that's not on the agenda tonight? All right, First Lady Dis, come on up. Thank you, Council and President. Um, for those that don't know, we are having Miss Hoover's ball. It's this is called the Red, White, and Blue Ball. It's going to be at the Winfrey Hotel this weekend. It's gonna be Friday night at six o'clock for drinks, orders, and then seven the ball starts. So, anyone that hasn't gotten tickets, look, um get with me on Facebook or just one of the city council members, they've got um the information. We'd love to have you all there. Thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else, Mr. President?

Yes, sir. Um, Saturday the fire department answered a call to a very large structure fire off Tyler Road. Uh, I was going to a wedding, so I wasn't dressed appropriately to go to a fire. But in between the wedding and going to the reception, I just happened to be going by the street, so I stopped by. Um they did a remarkable job considering the amount of fire that they had to deal with and the height that they had to deal with. It was a internal fight. Uh I don't think they did that much external uh firefighting. Um and it was amazing uh what they were they were able to do. Unfortunately, it was under renovation and the family was due to move in this week and uh now they're probably going to have to tear the whole house down and start over again or sell it and move to another house. But I'd like to commend everyone with fire department that answered that call. Thank you, Chief. Okay. On Thursday night, we went over uh each item on the agenda uh in detail. Uh everyone's received a copy of the agenda. Is there any item on the consent agenda that we want to pull off for the regular agenda? Seeing none, I'll take a motion.

Mr. President, I move that we approve the consent agenda. Second. Have a motion and a second. All in favor say I. I. Mr. City attorney, if you'll read the consent agenda.

Number 8796 26. Thank you. A resolution approving an alcohol license for uh Center Stage Comedy Birmingham LLC DBA Star Stardome Comedy Club located at 1818 Data Drive Hoover for the sale of uh 020 Restaurant Retail Liquor Mark Jeffrey Grossman Executive. Uh, number four, resolution 879726, a resolution approving an alcohol license for Burrito Bros Birmingham LLC, DBA Trample by Tacos, Cinco Deio 2026, located at parking lot of 5363 Highway 280 South, Sweet 101B, Hoover for the sale of 140. uh special events retail Samuel Adam Burn Avaro Gustin Gaston Rivera John Michael Bodnar and Joel Lee Armstrong executives number five resolution 879826 a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a public safety communications service subscription between the city of Hoover and Insight Public Sector Inc. Number six, resolution 879926, a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a service agreement with Vector Solutions for public safety training services for Hoover 911. Number seven, resolution 88 0026, a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a memorandum of understanding and inter intergovernmental agreement between the city of Hoover and the University of Alabama for the rental of equipment for the 2026 SEC baseball tournament. Number eight, resolution

880126, a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Eastern Shore Inflatables for equipment rental to for celebrate Hoover Day. Number nine, resolution number 880226, a resolution accepting the donation of a sculpture from Manly Yielding and authorizing a donation agreement for installation at Star Lake. Number 10, resolution number 880326, a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation for transportation alternatives or tap grant for Lock Haven Park Trail extension project number TAPBH TA26938. Uh CPMS reference number one 081242. Number 11, resolution number 880426, a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a memorandum of understanding between uh the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Hoover Fire Department for EMT training and cooperative emergency services support. Number 12, resolution 880526, a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a contract with Clear View AI for software for the Hoover Police Department. Number 13, resolution. Resolution 880626, a resolution awarding a bid for number 26003, Police Department Uniforms and Accessories with Municipal and Commercial Uniform and Equipment Incorporated. And number 14, resolution 880726, a resolution rejecting all bids received for bid number 260001, Hoover Met Complex Daily and Event Cleaning and Facilities uh service and authorizing a readvertisement for that project.

All right, we have a motion and a second for approval of the consent agenda. All in favor say I. I. Those opposed, the eyes have it. Uh before we move on to the regular agenda, I wanted to just ask is Mr. yielding in the audience. Heard he may attend tonight. Just wanted to give a quick uh shout out of thank you and appreciation for Mr. Manley yielding for purchasing the sculpture from uh Birmingham Southern and and uh contributing back to the city for that art installation. And kudos to the Hoover Arts Council for getting that done. Thank you. All right, we'll move on to the regular agenda. Uh resolution number 8808-26. Mr. Attorney,

a resolution approving an application for authority to incorporate the Everest Riverchase Sewer Board, authorizing authorizing the persons filing said application to proceed to form such corporation pursuant to section 115230 EDSE of the code of Alabama. Mr. President, I move we approve resolution number 8808-26. Second. Have a motion and a second. Any comments or questions from the council? Seeing none, are there any comments or questions from the public? Seeing none, all in favor say I. I.

Those opposed. The eyes have it. We'll move on to resolution number 8809-26. Mr. Attorney, a resolution appointing members to the board of directors of the Inberness Riverchase Sewer Board. Mr. President, I move we approve resolution number 8809-26. Second. Have a motion and a second. Any comments from the council? See none. President, could we identify the members? Mr. City attorney, can you read the names of those members, please?

I'm sorry. not on the agenda that I had, but All right. I'm sorry. It's uh the city council will appoint Elizabeth S. Martin, MD, uh Rob P. Fowler, and Scott D. McFadden. Uh those would be different terms. Elizabeth Martin, term ending on March 31st 1st, 2028. Rob Fowler, term ending on March 31st, 2030. And Scott McFaden, uh term ending on March 31st, 2032. Any other comments from council? Any from the public at this time? None. All in favor say I.

I. Those opposed? The eyes have it. Moving on to number 17, resolution number 878626. Mr. City Attorney, a resolution granting conditional use approval for the operation of an event venue at the property located at 2084 Valley Road. Mr. President, I move that we approve resolution 878626. Second.

I have a motion and a second. We This is a public hearing, so we will open up the portion for a public hearing. Any comments from the council? Any comments from the public? Very well. We'll close the public hearing. Uh we have a motion in a second. Uh I'll ask once again any comments, questions from the council.

Seeing none, all in favor say I. I I those opposed the eyes have it. Next we will hear ordinance number 262689. Mr. City Attorney an ordinance to amend ordinance number 263 the city of Hoover Alabama entitled the zoning ordinance of the city of Hoover Alabama for the property located at 3236. This oh this should be number 18. Uh, okay. All right. An ordinance to adopt a revised zoning map of Hoover, Alabama.

Very good. This is a first reading for this ordinance. However, we will uh possibly consider immediate consideration. Uh, do I have a motion? Mr. President, I move that we suspend the rules for immediate consideration. Second. Have a motion and a second. Any comments from council on the vote to suspend the rules? Uh, Mr. President, just to be clear, it has to be a unanimous vote for that to take place. Correct. That is correct. Okay. Mr. President, could we just get a statement about the reason for the immediate consideration? Mr. Martin.

Sure thing. Um, so as you see on the agenda following this item, there are three public hearings for reszoning amendments. um two to take property that is not zoned and zone it R1 and then one to reszone a piece of property from R1 to R LSF legacy single family residential. Those three reszonings are not captured on the physical printed map uh that everyone saw on display in the foyer. And so, um, having the adoption of said map up for immediate consideration, uh, gets it in proper order with the three resonings. And, um, so should the council consider this immediately and adopt the new map, uh, it will be in the correct sequencing. And if the council chooses to authorize the three resonings that follow it, we will update the zoning map accordingly. Any further questions or comments regarding the suspension of rules from council? Very well. Uh, any from the public? All right. I have a motion and a second to suspend the rules. All in favor say I. I'm sorry.

Call. That will be a roll call vote. Miss. Dickerson, please call the role. Council member Schultz, I. Council member Smith, I. Council member Levelville, I. Council member Murphy, I. Council member McClinton I. Council Prom Driver I. Council President Middbrooks. I seven eyes. We will now consider ordinance number 262689. Mr. President, I move that we adopt ordinance number 262689. Second. We have a motion and a second. Any comments or questions from the council on this issue? Seeing none, any comments or questions from the public? Very well. Miss Dickerson, 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. The vote of seven eyes. The ordinance is adopted. Moving on to another public hearing. We have ordinance number 262690. An ordinance to amend the ordinance number 263, the city of Hoover, Alabama, entiting entitled the zoning ordinance of the city of Hoover, Alabama for the property located at 3236 Pinehurst Drive being zoned to R1 Single Family Residential.

Mr. President, I move that we adopt ordinance number 262690. Second. We have a motion and a second. The following three are uh going to be public hearings and this is the second reading for those. So, we uh at this time I'll open up the public hearing. Any comments or questions from council? Any from the public? Seeing none, we will close the public hearing and consider the ordinance. I'll ask once again any comments or questions from the council. Very well. Miss Dickerson, if you'll call the role, please. Council member Schultz. Hi. Council member Smith. Hi. Council member Levelville. Hi. Council member Murphy. Hi. Council member McClinton. I

council pro Tim Driver I council president Middlebrooks I with seven eyes the ordinance is adopted uh ordinance number 262691 an ordinance to amend the ordinance number 263 the city of Hoover Alabama entitled the zoning ordinance of the city of Hoover Alabama for the property located at 204 Shelterwood Circle being zoned from R1 single family residential district to RLSF Legacy Single Family District. Mr. President, I move that we adopt ordinance number 262691. Second.

We have a motion and a second. At this time, we'll open up public hearing for this ordinance. Any comments, questions from the council? Any from the audience? At this time, we will close the public hearing. I'll ask once again any comments from the council. Roll call vote for ordinance 262691. Council member Schultz. I. Council member Smith. I. Council member Levelville. I. Council member Murphy. I. Council member McClinton. Hi. Council pro Tim Driver. I. Council President Middlebrooks.

I. With seven eyes, the ordinance is adopted. Ordinance 262694. an ordinance to amend the number uh ordinance number 263 the city of Hoover Alabama entitled a zoning ordinance of the city of Hoover Alabama for the property located at 3269 Monte Dioro Drive to be zoned R1 single family residential. Mr. President, I move that we adopt ordinance number 262694. Second.

I have a motion and a second. At this time we will open up a public hearing. Uh any comments or questions from council? Any from the audience? We will close the public hearing. Uh, any comments from the council? Very well. Roll call vote. Mr. Dickerson. 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. The seven eyes. The ordinance is adopted. Next, we will just have a first reading. I will take no action on this item. For ordinance number 262692,

an ordinance of the city of Hoover to modify chapter 11.5 parks and recreation thereto and repeal all ordinances and parts of the ordinance of the city of Hoover that conflict therewith. Very well. For the next two items, uh I am going to be abstaining due to my personal friendship with the employee. So, I will hand the gavl over to prom driver. Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, we'll take up resolution number 8810-26.

Mr. City Attorney, a resolution of acceptance of employees request to review the March 23, 2026 personnel review board disciplinary decision. Madam President, I move that we approve resolution number 8810-26. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Before I open the floor for comments from the council, I do have a little bit of a factual clarification and summary just to remind us what we're here to do and what we have in front of us at the moment. So, what we're deciding right now is simply whether to review the board's decision to uphold the discipline that Mr. Kevin Hollis's management felt was appropriate under the circumstances. Mr. Hollis has requested that the city council review the discipline decision of his management which was previously reviewed and affirmed by the personnel review board. According to the grievance procedures within the Hoover personnel policies and procedures manual, an employee may request that the this council review the personnel board's decision, but the council is not obligated to review it. In March, this council remanded this matter back to the personnel board for an entry of findings of fact as required by policy. The personnel board has provided those findings of fact in a letter dated March 23rd, 2026. But the board also recognized and stated in that letter that they did not have the authority to hear the case in the first place since Mr. Hollis's suspension did not exceed 3 days. The personnel policies and procedures manual is very clear that the only the most serious discipline which includes involuntary separation, demotion and suspensions greater than 3 days are reviewable by the board. Management discretion over minor discipline helps keep our city running in an efficient and safe manner. Particularly in a police department, this management discretion is important because of the need for immediate accountability in a high risk environment. Because it was not reviewable by the board, this discipline is also not properly

reviewable by this council. If we review this minor discipline, we would be unfairly treating all other employees who were ever dissatisfied with their minor discipline but followed the written rules and did not have a personnel board review. If you're concerned about Mr. Hollis's outcome, please be reminded that our council is just an administrative stop along the way to circuit court. After our decision this evening, he and his attorneys will retain the right to take his appeal to be heard in a court of law. I'll now open the floor for other council comments.

Madame President, um my largest concern is the fact that the review board did hold a hearing even though afterwards they felt like they should not have. And when they did hold the hearing, I feel like that opened the availability to appeal to the council whether or not we choose to uh have that appeal or or to hold that uh discussion and vote is still yet to be determined. But I still think that because the appeals board did in fact hold a hold a hearing that I understand was quite lengthy um that that opened up the full process to the employee. Thank you.

Madame President Proam, if I can um what what are the actual um employee numbers of city Hoover? If you don't know it off top of hand, it could be a estimate over what

how many employees do we have? So, we have around 800 employees and and correct me if I'm wrong. I have to listen to u um Councilwoman um statement uh individuals can possibly whether they are granted or not um appeal any decision if we set set precedent. I'm a big process person and um uh regardless if a a a precedent was set by others um for me to break process will interfere with previous people prior and can can probably open up a can of rooms uh with other individuals calling and say I want mine to be heard. Now whether it's heard or not u morale issues can come about as well too and with a city with 800 plus employees uh that can be a nightmare and I've dealt with u uh several hundred employees in my time and fairness is is typically consistency uh associated with it. So, um I I'll be very blunt with you. After listening to um Council uh Woman Pro Tim Driver's comments on the facts associated with it, I'm going to be in line of not proceeding with anything that makes me pay protocol and process associated with it. I'll yield my time back.

Mr. Schultz.

So, we were handed a binder several weeks ago um and asked to go through it with a mountain of evidence. And although the penalty that was given to the employee was 2 days instead of 3 days, the two-day technicality removed it from the ability for the board to rule on it. that didn't change the penalty on him and the penalty is a pretty stiff penalty. So because of that uh I think that the employee is entitled to be heard uh and we we should be hearing what uh he has to say and we we should vote on it.

Any other comments from the council? Madam President, just so I'll be clear, any an employee that has received a similar penalty that was not afforded opportunity to come before this council, uh, can that be petitioned to we have to deal with that as well too because I guarantee 800 employees, individuals have had challenges. What uh theoretically would that look like if we open up that can of worms? Well, you're you're correct and that that it does set a precedent. I would um although there's nothing out there at the moment that I'm aware of that someone would would afford themselves the opportunity. If there is an employee who received uh two days discipline and was not afforded the opportunity to be heard by either the board or the council, uh it certainly would uh potentially set a precedent that that person would want their suspension addressed as well.

Right. So, and I'll land on this. Um and in my profession, I call lesson learned. any modifications that you have done in error, you correct those and you follow protocol moving forward. Uh not create additional ones. Do have any further comments from the council? Do we have any comments from the public? All right. Um, madame clerk, will you call the role for this vote, please? Council member Schultz, I. Council member Smith, I. Council member Levelville, I. Council member Murphy, nay. Council member McClinton,

I. Council prom Driver, nay. With a vote of four eyes and two nays, the vote uh the motion carries. All right, we'll move along to item number 24, which is resolution number 8811-26. Make a motion to approve resolution number 8811-26. Second, Mr. City Attorney Resolution is

The resolution is a review of the March 23, 2026 personnel review board decision. Uh after considering the matter under its authority, the council determines whether to affirm, rescend, or modify the board's decision as allowed by the personnel policy of the city of Hoover. Uh the resolution documents the council's final action on the disciplinary appeal following its review. Do we have questions or comments from the council? Madame President, uh, Mr. Attorney, can the motion be made without a decision in place whether to be rescended, upheld, or modified? A included in the motion,

it would need to be just as any other motion. If there is a motion to act in any one of those uh three options, uh the council has that a motion needs to made be made to that effect. Okay. But can we can we have discussion without a motion in place? Well, we have we have a motion to consider Okay. U the current um action. I think it would be appropriate to have a motion on the table for a particular action before a discussion is had. Thank you, sir.

I'll entertain a motion for a specific action on resolution number 8811-26. I'd like to make a motion to change the uh the item from a class two modific class 2 offense to a class one. Item number 13, minor violation of city personnel policies, administrative regulations, department rules, lawful orders, or directions made or given by a supervisor to cover all five items.

Second. I'll open the floor for council comments if there are none. I will I will just reiterate uh what a dangerous scenario it is to undermine leadership in uh their decision making about the appropriate discipline for the people who work for them day-to-day. Um, I also think that it's a dangerous precedent to substitute our judgment on reading uh paper in a binder. Um, when the personnel board had hearings and was able to judge the uh character and the credibility of the evidence that was placed in front of it. Um, I I do not think it's appropriate at all for us as a council to be involved in personnel matters of this sort. And I I do um suspect that we will be taking a look at those policies in the future. But here we are today and and I think it sets a really terrible tone for our relationship with uh management of our police and fire departments and the rest of our city to uh substitute our judgment for their own in a manner particularly in a matter of minor discipline. Um, and I do just want to clarify that the the uh personnel policy does not even allow for review of a 3-day suspension. It's it has to be more than a three-day suspension. So, it has to be so severe that it's more than a three-day suspension or it's a demotion or it's a termination of employment before uh the policy would allow this type of review. President Proam, as a matter of housekeeping, I believe uh there are six counts against the employee. I think Councilman Schultz referred to five, but

I believe there are six as a matter of housekeeping. So, I'm modified to cover all six. Second. Do I have any other comments from council?

Yeah, I do. Um I would reiterate that um you know you you uh if if we would like to as a as a government agency to perform a lesson learned on evaluating uh internal protocols and processes or even add certain things in there that escalate up to the proper chain. Uh that's more um uh more advised in my opinion. I think from a legislation wing for me to get into executive organizational structures and bodies uh with employee matters. Uh it sets a truly bad tone. I've uh managed over uh 300 individuals myself and I understand how protocol and process matters. uh morale issues become an issue, lawsuits become issues and um it's a lot that can come from this. Um again this is just my my vote uh but definitely my experience and uh if things need to be modified with the process that's different but for me to get involved from a legislation standpoint in a executive operational manner um I'm kind of getting in the weeds and outside of my um my u preview if you don't mind.

Any other council comments? Do we have any comments from the public? Hearing none, madame clerk, would you call the role for this vote, please?

Council member Schultz, I. Council member Smith, I. Council member Levelville, I. Council member Murphy. Uh, for this particular one, I'm going to abstain because I don't want to give opinion about this particular one at all. I gave a nail on the first one, but I'm going abstain for any discussion as far as modifying um the decision. So, I I'll abstain from this particular one. Council member McClinton. I. Council proim Driver.

Nay. A vote of four eyes's and one nay. The motion carries. Do we have any further council comments this evening? Just want to make one comment. Uh you've just probably seen the first opportunity to for this body and the mayor's office and our staff to kind of have a a dispute among ourselves. Uh I want to reiterate to everyone on this body, uh the mayor's office and our staff, it's okay that we disagree sometimes. uh you didn't see anyone make it a personal vendetta or a personal comment against anyone for having a different opinion. Uh I want to commend uh my colleagues and everyone involved for for taking it uh being very professional in their comments and sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree. Uh but just like a family, we're going to move on uh to the next to the next item and we're going to keep moving Hoover forward in a positive uh manner and in a respectful manner. Thank you,

Councelor Schultz. Make a comment about uh change of pace here for Saturday. Saturday Hoover East is having a lighting celebration. uh for the lights. They haven't had lights for the last few years and the lights are coming back on. Uh that will be on Saturday at 6:30. Hope to see everybody there to see the lights come on. Any other comments from council? All right,

Madam President, I'd like to make a quick announcement. Um the Aldridge Gardens plant sale is actually this Thursday and Friday, April 16th and 17th from 9 to 6. So wanted to make that announcement as well. Thank you for that. Uh Madame President, uh Wednesday is tax deadline. So I would urge people to take care of that. Your extension, I'm not a tax professional. It may can go through October or so, but I don't think that changes. If you owe money, you won't get penalty. So, uh, I would call my tax accountant if I was you guys. Thank you, councelor Murphy. Any other comments? All right, meetings adjourn.