City Council - Regular Meeting

Good morning, Birmingham. Today is Tuesday, October 13th, 2026. The time is now 9.36 a.m. I call to order the regular meeting of the Birmingham City Council. Our invocation will be led this morning by Reverend Gregory Stanley, pastor of the Victory Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Birmingham, Alabama, and our Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Counselor Crystal Smithman. If you're willing and able, please stand and join us.

Thank you very much, Reverend Stanley, for that very thoughtful prayer. And thank you, Councilor Smitherman, for leading us in the pledge. Good morning, Madam Clerk.

The Councilors, the minutes are not ready from the meetings of August 4th, 2026 through October 6th, 2026. At this time, we'll entertain communications from the Mayor.

Thank you, Chief Sparks. Madam President and Council, one, good morning. Two, please forgive me for my tardiness. I was with your colleague, Brian Gunn, who should be walking in in a second. We were out celebrating the Woodlawn Colonels boys and girls basketball teams who just received pretty cool donations from Hibbets and Nike. And then I want to thank Chief Sparks for... at least allowing me to do this last note, but most important note of this morning. Today, we want to acknowledge one Jerry Gilmore. At this time, I would like to ask her family, her friends, and her loved ones to come to t

Madam President and Council, on behalf of Ms. Gilmour's family, six days away next Monday, the 19th is Wednesday. Andrea Gilmore Day, and we look forward to celebrating our life and legacy. You all are, in your grief, very brave souls to be here this morning, so we continue to think about you all, and thank you for your friend, your daughter, your sister, and so many other titles. I don't have time to name our impact she made on our community and our city and our state. Thank you for sharing her with us. Thank you for sharing her with the world. Madam President and Council, that concludes the

Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Woodfin, for taking this opportunity to bring this family to us today. I did know the young lady, but I saw the outpouring amount of sympathy and love that was shown on social media that reflected the type of young lady that she obviously was. Your words today have helped personify us to those of us who did not know us. And so we want to thank you. Our hearts are with you. You know, to be blessed with two mothers is just a blessing in life. And when we talk about her favorite scripture, it personifies what her life must have been and what we saw. in her life just in

Thank you madam president so folks I'm excited to offer this presentation today from a YMCA that is in the city of Birmingham although the title may sort of suggest otherwise the good news is that we have a wonderful YMCA that is in Redmont Park and you know we know that the Y has a a history of focusing on the mental and physical well-being of residents. But there are a few metrics that I found surprising and very beneficial for our community. In particular, 117 participants last year went through a Defeat Parkinson's Disease program. Very powerful. 1,724 lunches were provided for residents i

Thank you very much. And thank you, Councilor Vassa, for bringing this information in. for our guests for sharing that about the YWCA branch. Thank you. At this time, Councilors, we'll turn back to our agenda, and we will entertain the items that are being considered for consent. I'd like to read the Statement of Conduct of Business. All items designated as consent are routine and non-controversial. and will be approved by one motion. All items on the consent agenda will be announced by reading the item number only. No separate discussion of these items will be permitted unless a council membe

Thank you so much. At this time, councillors, are there any items you'd like to have added or removed from the consent agenda? Hearing none, we'll entertain a motion and a second. I'm sorry, Councillor Williams, go ahead. Are you OK?

All right, thank you. The items that were considered for consent have been approved, and now we'll continue with the rest of our agenda.

All right. Thank you, Councilors. We'll need a motion and a second so we can bring this item up. All right, at this time, this is a public hearing, and we'll allow Dr. O'Quinn to conduct this public hearing. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. We'll first hear from our PEP staff.

Okay. And as was discussed in the Planning and Zoning Committee meeting, I believe that the Boys and Girls Club have... made some changes to the configuration of the property, especially with regard to the parking situation. Is that accurate?

Okay, all right, thank you. Is the applicant present? Good morning, we'd appreciate it if you'd just give us some insight as to what the plans are for the property.

Okay. Does the council have any questions? Councillor Smitherman?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So is this an additional location or are you all moving? Okay, good. How many kids do you anticipate to attend this location?

Okay. Okay. If you'll speak into the mic, they're having some trouble.

I'm sorry. Excuse me. He said it was another location. And as far as the noise and traffic, what I'm sure you guys have this statistics on the noise and traffic for the 1 and 5 points west. Do y'all have that? Like, how noisy? Have you guys ever had any complaints about noise or traffic?

If I recall correctly, I believe one of the residents that attended the ZAC committee meeting expressed that he works at night, so he sleeps during the daytime, and he was concerned that... You know, some of the noise from this facility might disturb his rest. And I don't recall what his proximity to the building is, but it's actually a pretty big piece of property. So... As the site plan that we received showed, I think the basketball courts would still be a few hundred feet from the nearest adjacent residence. Is that correct? That's correct. That was one of the concerns about noise. And Huf

How about I say that kids don't get out of school until 3, so I don't anticipate it being noisy until summertime. So, okay. Thank you.

Any other questions? Council Williams? Thank you. What's the current use of the property? It is a vacant parcel, I believe.

Councilor Woods, do you want to? Okay. Is there like a structure or anything on it?

There is an old abandoned structure, like an old barn or something.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I quickly just want to say we've had the opportunity to discuss this project at two neighborhoods because it does kind of sit between Kilo Springs and Spring Lake. And so as well as had an opportunity to talk to residents that live on Huffman Road. And so just basically... you know, to have conversation around how the existing Boys and Girls facilities operate. And typically you're getting young people transported from school to the facility after school to provide a lot of basically just enhanced wraparound curriculum and growth opportunities. One of the things, th

Anybody else? All right. This is a public hearing. Are there any members of the public that wish to speak for or against the... Yes, ma'am. Please come to the lectern. Please state your name and address, and you'll have three minutes.

So this is a consideration for changing zoning from D3 single-family residential district to C1 neighborhood commercial district. As the applicant, I assume you guys have done geotechnical or will have to do that in order to do construction on this property?

Okay. And... My understanding is that the property already has some existing trees around the perimeter, but the site plan also calls for a buffer. Is that correct? Correct.

Okay, thank you. Just to make sure, are there any other members of the public that would wish to speak for or against this issue? Seeing none, we'll close the public hearing. Madam President, I'll turn it back over to you.

Before you close it, I would like to ask if the director could come back. I did have a question. I know the concern about noise, and you say you're going to have about 50 children that you have to service. And I'm familiar with programs offered by Boys and Girls Club, Mike, son attended Boys and Girls Club. And could you tell us a little bit more about some of the core programs that you're having? Because it's not all about play.

And this one's directed at staff. I do see that part of that was landscaping as a part of this. Is this to create any buffering, not just for aesthetics, but for noise as well?

All right, thank you. Those are my questions. Now we will end the public hearing. Thank you so much for Dr. O'Quinn. If there are no other questions by the council, we're ready to entertain the vote. The vote has started.

All right, thank you, Councilors. Item number one passes. Next item.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNCILORS. THIS IS A RESOLUTION APPOINTING THREE MEMBERS TO THE BIRMINGHAM PLANNING COMMISSION. WE CAN HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. WE'LL BE ABLE TO ENTERTAIN THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE COMMISSION. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WE'LL TURN THIS OVER TO COUNCILOR VASA.

THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. Birmingham Planning Commission has a resolution today appointing three members of the Birmingham Planning Commission for terms expiring October 6, 2032. These members include Daniel Christensen, Charles Miller, and Ron Hamner.

Okay, Counselor. Thank you, Madam President. You've heard those questions?

Just say these are currently serving planning commissioners. Daniel Christensen is, if reappointed, would be starting his second term. Mr. Miller and Mr. Hamner were recently appointed for... to fill vacancies. So they've really just only gotten started. Um, so this appointment would be a starting for a new term.

Perfect. Thank you. Any questions? We're ready for the vote.

All right. Thank you very much. Item number 14 passes. We welcome the continuation of these members on the Birmingham Planning Commission. Any other items? Yes, ma'am. We have one more item.

Thank you, counselors. This is a resolution setting a public hearing for November 17th, 2026 to consider the adoption of a resolution that would allow consolidation of the properties listed. Any questions regarding setting this date? Okay, we're ready for the vote. The vote is started.

All right. Thank you. Item 50 passes. We've set that hearing date for November 17, 2026. Does that conclude our agenda at this time? Yes, ma'am. Thank you so much. At this time, Councilors, we are opening our agenda to hear updates from your various districts. Councilor Gunn, would you like to go first?

Thank you, Madam President. I'm ready. Today. This evening, we have a couple neighborhood association meetings taking place. We have Kilo Springs at 6 p.m. at Smith Middle School. We also have Penfield Park taking place tonight at 6 p.m. at Brownsville Heights Recreation Center. Thursday of this week, we have the Northeast Lake Neighborhood Association at 6 p.m. at the Southern Museum of Flight. And then we have Pino Vista also on Thursday at 6 p.m. via teleconference. Upcoming District 4 events, the City of Birmingham will host a Framework Plan Implementation Committee meeting this Wednesday

Thank you so much. congratulations on the award or the support that was given by him it's I apologize you all are giving me a note saying you were across the street and so I hope we didn't make you run thank you but congratulations to those students council woods yes ma'am thank you again I'll echo that the killer Springs neighborhood association will take place today October 13th 6 p.m. Smith middle school

Encourage residents to get involved and stay involved. Also, our next Be Little Free community cleanup will take place this Saturday in partnership with the Black Warrior Riverkeeper. Join us at Don Hawkins Rec Center at 9 a.m. And so we'll be taking on some projects there to enhance that area. And I just want to always encourage people to get involved. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. I'm excited to announce that the Yonder Walls Mural Festival, a new festival to Birmingham, is going to be taking place this Saturday, October 17th, in the Parkside District near Urban Supply. That will be going on from noon to 8 p.m. You might want to wear your sweater since it's only going to be in the 60s on Saturday. So the festival will feature over 35 artists, music performances, and food trucks. And if you want additional information, you can visit www.yonderwalls.com. And the Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization is updating its public transportation

Thank you, Madam President. Quick announcements today for District 3, Highland Park Neighborhood Association meetings tonight at Roho at 6 p.m. Look forward to seeing you all there. Also, the East Avondale North Neighborhood Association meeting is also tonight at 6 p.m. through conference call. That concludes my announcements. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. I am going to announce District 8 announcements in Councilor Smith's absence. Neighborhood meetings, Bellevue Heights will meet tonight at 6.30 p.m. They will meet in the cafeteria of Brown Elementary School, and then Tuxedo Heights will also meet today at 4.30. They will be meeting in Pratt City Library. Also, if you have an idea to help improve your neighborhood in District 8, the application for the District 8 Capital Improvement Awards is open now through November 9, 2026. For more information, we invite residents to attend the District 8 in-person office hour s

Thank you. Brown Springs Neighborhood Conference call will be this Thursday, the 15th at 6 o'clock. Economic Development and Tourism Committee meeting is scheduled for the 20th in the chambers. If you have submissions, please send them to india.bailey at birminghamal.gov by this Thursday. We have two board appointments that we're accepting resumes for. One is the Cooperative District of the City of Birmingham, Five Points West. There's three vacancies on that. Interested parties must be qualified. Elector of Jefferson County and it is a four-year term if you could have applications in by Novem

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Pro Tem. These are announcements for District 7. We have two neighborhood meetings this week. Tonight, this afternoon at 5 o'clock, the East Brownsville Neighborhood Association will meet at the Mary Doris Center. That's at 4560 Park Avenue Southwest. And then on Thursday, the Hillman and the Hillman Park Neighborhood Associations, they will have their joint meeting on Thursday at 5 p.m. at Hillman Station.

And those are all of the announcements for District 7. At this time, Madam Clerk, if we could have anyone that's signed up for our speakers list.

I believe he's left. Thank you very much. At this time, we do want to thank our officers on duty, Officer Pinkard, Officer Tarrant, Officer Shelby, as well as our fire inspector on duty. Those were Inspectors Griggs and Shaw. This time, we'll entertain a motion to adjourn. Second.

Thank you. Meeting is adjourned. I'm going to have to leave early because I've got to fire the police.