Council President Wardine Alexander and Councilor Darrell O'Quinn appointed to prominent committee positions with the National League of Cities
Birmingham City Council President Wardine Alexander and Councilor Darrell O’Quinn have been appointed to national committee positions with the National League of Cities. While serving in these roles, Alexander and O’Quinn will help guide policy priorities and legislative efforts in their respective areas of focus.
UDPATE: Council Approves Several Districts' American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funded Projects
The Council unanimously approved several projects that will be funded through the various district’s federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding — each district was awarded $3 million in federal funds to distribute to various programs and initiatives in their district to aid in the ongoing COVID-19 recovery efforts.
Councilor Clinton Woods is utilizing $25,000 from his District 1 ARPA funds for the POWER career readiness program. This curriculum is designed to prepare youth and young adults, ages 16- 24, experiencing academic learning and job training loss due to COVID restrictions for high-demand jobs through workforce education, paid student internships, and eliminating barriers of employment by connecting program participants with employers.
Another ARPA funded program that the Council unanimously approved deals with crime reporting and data collection with the Aspen Institute. Districts 1, 6, 8 and 9 contributed District ARPA funds to help bring this justice and governance partnership to Birmingham — one of only six cities nationwide.
Transportation Committee Receives Update From BJCTA
On Monday, the Transportation Committee received a report from BJCTA Director Charlotte Shaw, who outlined progress that has been made over the last year and next steps for transit in Birmingham.
The 2023 strategic plan for the BJCTA focuses on several key areas of service: employee engagement, community value, financial growth and customer service.