This morning’s Birmingham City Council meeting should be an interesting one to watch.

The agenda itself is not that exciting (526 properties on the list for weed removal notwithstanding). Items 4-7 are normally boilerplate items; approval of contracts with print publications to help publicize notices, ordinances and resolutions. This year the contracts with The Birmingham News and The Huntsville Times are on consent; the contracts with the Alabama Messenger and The Birmingham Times are not.

Items 32-40 are providing for payouts equaling $79,195 in disaster relief/critical repair grants.

The more interesting conversation though should be during the mayor’s report. This morning’s Birmingham News front page includes a piece about the continuing issues surrounding communication between the mayor and council. This time it’s focused on issues related to the PACE board created to downtown ballpark.

Last week it was announced that construction on the $60 million new home of the Birmingham Barons closer to being completed in time for the first pitch of the 2013 season. Joseph Bryant’s piece points out that the loans were approved in meetings that took place prior to the appointment of two board members by the City Council – after partial demolition was approved last month.

The meeting is available via live stream on the city’s website – as always.