ITEM 17

The Council unanimously approved a grant application that will authorize the city to apply for $200,000 with the U.S. Department of Justice to provide mental health services to law enforcement officials, including dispatchers and interdepartmental personnel.

This would entail services that would provide counseling, nutritional classes, financial management and more. No matching funds from the city will be required. 

“Mental health and wellness, is so important when you’re talking about the things our law enforcement officials are exposed to every day. I want to thank the administration for prioritizing mental health programs for our first responders. They’re often interacting with people who are at their lowest point and this puts a big strain on them, as you can imagine,” Councilor LaTonya Tate said. “And as you know, mental health is more than just talking about how we feel, it’s also dealing with things like financial stress and what we are eating, so I love to see us taking a holistic approach to this issue.”

Here is the item as appeared on Tuesday’s agenda:

ITEM 17. A Resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute any and all documents necessary for the City to make application, receive and expend grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Implementation Projects grant in the amount of $200,000.00 to improve mental health and wellness services for law enforcement officers, dispatchers, and other interdepartmental personnel that experience trauma with no matching funds due from the City. (Submitted by the City Attorney) (Recommended by the Mayor and the Budget and Finance Committee)

COUNCILOR PERSPECTIVES

Op-Ed From Council President Pro Tem Wardine Alexander discussing future of BSC campus

"For too long Birmingham has suffered from brain drain -- losing our young people to other large cities across the South. On the flip side, recruitment and retention of young talent from other cities hasn’t been much easier, to be quite frank. That uphill battle we’ve been fighting got a little steeper yesterday, but we have no choice but to keep trudging along. It’s going to take regional cooperation, innovative thinking and perhaps a little luck, so I’m choosing to be hopeful for the future of this beautiful 190-acre campus on the hill."

Read the full article here
 

Op-Ed From Councilor JT Moore on the prices of Magic City Classic tailgate

"Birmingham is in many ways the embodiment of Black excellence; we’re a spotlight to the rest of the world signaling how much progress we can make together in a single lifetime. And as much as we love our sports here, the Magic City Classic is more than a football game, it’s a celebration of our City, the rich cultural heritage of the people who live here, and most importantly it reverberates with the spirit of what Birmingham represents to the world."

Read the full article here

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

We’re proud to share our Public Safety Chair and District 9 Councilor LaTonya Tate was in Arlington, Virginia towards the end of last week representing the City at the 4th Annual National Returning Citizens Conference!

Councilor Tate was asked to be one of the panelists for a plenary session on the perspective of elected leaders.

April is National Second Chance month, and the conference focuses on why it’s important for justice-impacted individuals to have second chances—and the impact that they can have on our communities.
We’ll be sharing more of our experience in Arlington, so stay tuned!