Category Archives: City Council

Montgomery’s final word

Posted on August 21, 2007 | Leave a comment

City Councilor Joel Montgomery took the opportunity to step to the podium at yesterday’s city council meeting to talk about the recent dropping of charges against him stemming from an incident along Cobb Lane on Birmingham’s Southside in April. He read from a prepared statement and said that reports in the media that stated he would be undergoing counseling as a part of his dismissal. Montgomery repeatedly denied the allegations and said that it would be the last time that he would talk about the incident, but that he wanted his comments in the public record.

Photo credit: Bob Farley/f8photo

The Southern Heritage Festival… in September?

Posted on August 7, 2007 | Leave a comment

That’s right; this year’s festival would be held on September 1 & 2. There has been a lot of chatter wondering if the event would be held this year. A resolution approving a contract with the Birmingham African American Arts and Heritage Foundation is included as a consent item on this morning’s City Council agenda (page 23, Item 9). If approved, the $35,000 contract would call for the Foundation to “produce and present the 2007 Southern Heritage Festival.”

There is no confirmation of an event location or lineup, though last year’s festival was held on the site of the Railroad Reservation Park in downtown Birmingham.

Inclusion resolution passes unanimously

Posted on May 15, 2007 | 2 comments

As mentioned on this site early this morning , Councilor Valerie Abbott resubmitted her inclusion resolution that had been previously defeated.

Councilor Hoyt originally attempted to place the item on the consent agenda, but an objection was logged, causing the item to be voted on during the course of the meeting. When the item was called, it took maybe 30 seconds from the time it was read until the council voted 8-0 to approve the revised measure. A long round of applause followed from those remaining in the gallery of the council chambers.

Click here to view a copy of the revised resolution as it was submitted.

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Posted in City Council, Citywide, News

“Inclusion resolution” to be reintroduced today

Posted on May 15, 2007 | 8 comments

UPDATE: Resolution passes unanimously, click here for details and copy of revised resolution

A quick glance at today’s Birmingham City Council agenda (available on the city’s official website) shows that Councilor Valerie Abbott intends to reintroduce her “inclusion resolution” during the meeting. It’s item 24 on this morning’s council agenda. This would be the second time that Abbott has introduced her resolution for a vote. The first time led to an interesting debate that week and an even more interesting discussion the following week . Continue reading →

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Posted in City Council, Citywide, News

No replacement for Montgomery, yet

Posted on May 2, 2007 | 2 comments

Official City Council image of Joel Montgomery It appears that no one will fill in for Birmingham City Councilman Joel Montgomery as he continues to recuperate from injuries sustained in early April when he was arrested on charges of public intoxication. The Birmingham News reported in today’s paper about the exchange between council members and president of the Parkway East District Business Association Tricia Working during yesterday’s weekly City Council meeting. The business association had decided at their meeting last Thursday that they wanted to request that the council appoint someone, especially considering that it is during budget season at City Hall. According toboth reports, councilors have promised that the concerns of District 1 will not be ignored in Councilor Montgomery’s absence. There has been no announced timetable for when he will be able to resume his duties.

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Posted in 35203, Birmingham, City Council, News

Mayor, Council agree on new bond deal

Posted on April 24, 2007 | Leave a comment

The mayor and city council (or most of them) appear to have agreed on a new bond deal to pay for several city projects, including fund for the Railroad Reservation Park and the new Wal-Mart on the former Eastwood Mall site. The Birmingham News reports that after more than three hours of negotiations, a proposed $143 million bond deal has been agreed upon, including $79 million in new borrowing. A Digital50.com report states that Fitch Ratings gives the city a AA bond rating, providing a stable outlook. The deal now gets read to the public at this morning’s weekly meeting (probably even as this is being posted). There are still concerns, most notably from Councilor Steven Hoyt, about… minority participation in the deal. Time will tell how the public reacts to the latest list, which includes several items fought for by Councilor Maxine Parker (great news for residents of District 4) that several councilors said must be included in order for the deal to move forward.

More discussion about inclusion at Tuesday’s council meeting

Posted on April 4, 2007 | 1 comment

Several people anticipated Frank Matthews’ presentation before Birmingham City Council on Tuesday morning asking for the city to consider a resolution apologizing for slavery. With a noose in hand, Matthews spoke of city founder and Arlington owner Judge William Mudd’s owning 37 slaves as registered in the 1860 census. He did not read his proposed resolution apologize for slavery and its after effects. There was also no discussion about the future of his proposed resolution.

The conversation later returned to last week’s inclusion resolution submitted by Councilor Valerie Abbott at the end of the meeting. Abbott, who has announced the formation of an exploratory committee for this fall’s mayoral campaign, submitted the document during last week’s meeting asking the city to declare itself an inclusive community after attending the annual National League of Cities conference.

Continue reading →

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Posted in 35203, Alabama, Birmingham, City Council, News