Public Safety Chair (D9) Councilor LaTonya A Tate Hosts Credible Messenger in the Magic City
At Wednesday's Committee of the Whole Meeting, Credible Messenger Mentoring Movement President and CEO Clinton Lacey was in town for a presentation for the Birmingham City Council. Mr. Lacey's presentation was one of several given at the meeting, geared toward addressing and reducing violence in the City.
Credible Messenger is a community-based crime prevention program that is currently active in 20 states. While in town, Councilor Tate and Lacey also visited the Ross Bell Juvenile Detention Center and met with Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway and Urban Alchemy.
Learn more about Credible Messenger here...
Watch the Committee of the Whole meeting for Mr. Lacey's presentation here...
Council President Wardine Alexander Hosts Quarterly Chat and Chew with Neighborhood Leaders
Council President Wardine Alexander sat down with neighborhood officers during the annual District 7 Chat & Chew.
A number of neighborhood officers had the opportunity to voice neighborhood concerns to Mayor Woodfin and also break out into small groups to discuss projects, collaborations, and nonprofits.
Council Votes to Approve Resolution of Intent for Birmingham-Southern College Funding
On Tuesday, the Birmingham City Council voted to approve a resolution of intent to provide funding to Birmingham-Southern College as the institution works its way back from a period of financial uncertainty.
The resolution of intent does not transfer any funds or establish a dollar amount for the one-time funding agreement. However, based on conversations that took place from the dais and during previous Education Committee Meetings, the leadership at BSC is seeking a commitment of up to $5 million.
The resolution passed 6-1 with the dissenting vote coming from Council President Wardine Alexander, who expressed her support of the institution, but said she would like to see similar investments made into neighborhoods across the city.
Councilor J.T. Moore, chair of the Council’s Education Committee, said he would like to see more opportunities for service-based learning taking place in schools across the City.
“We would love to see Birmingham-Southern become a part of the Birmingham Promise network of schools,” Councilor Moore said. “We want to increase the access that our students have to this institution, and create a more robust partnership with BSC, especially as we look to improve our reading levels in city schools. Their service-based learning model has been a great resource, and we’d like to build on that moving forward.”
Read more here...
Council Pro Tem Smitherman Partners with Operation HOPE for Financial Wellness Series
Council President Pro Tem Crystal Smitherman has partnered with Operation Hope for a series of financial wellness workshops. This week's focus was on how to improve credit scores and money management.
We hope you will join us for the next installment when we discuss pathways to homeownership. That will be taking place at 5:30 pm at the West End Library on Thursday, September 21st!
Public Hearing Set For Birmingham's Parking and Towing Ordinance
REMINDER: The Birmingham City Council recently voted to set a public hearing to discuss proposed changes to the City’s parking and towing ordinance. That public hearing has been set for Tuesday, August 29th during the Council meeting on the second floor of Boutwell Auditorium.
UPDATED TIMEFRAME: Due to Chamber Renovations, Council Meetings are being held at the Boutwell
The Council voted to extend the length of time in which meetings will be held at the Boutwell Auditorium while the City Council chambers are being renovated. That completion date has been extended to December 19, 2023.
The Council unanimously passed an ordinance earlier this year to change the regularly scheduled meeting location to the second floor of the Boutwell Auditorium, 1930 Reverend Abraham Woods, Jr. Boulevard. The meeting time will remain 9:30 a.m. on every Tuesday.
If you plan to attend the meeting in person, please arrive early. All meetings will still stream to the Council's Facebook page: @citycouncilbham