Birmingham City Council Approves $436 Million Budget
The Birmingham City Council approved the 2019 budget Tuesday with a vote of 8-0. District 1 Councilwoman Lashunda Scales was not present for the vote.
The $436 million budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 includes support for basic city services and a small cost of living increase for employees.
Some funding requests will be handled differently than in years past. Mayor Randall Woodfin did not include funding in the budget for nonprofit economic interest groups such as the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) and REV Birmingham. Instead, those groups will have to submit proposals for individual projects to receive funds. The council had proposed $735,000 for REV and $137,975 for the BBA.
There’s also a change in transit funding. Although $10 million is designated for public transit, only half will go to the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority. The city might release the other $5 million, provided the BJCTA meets certain requirements.
In his initial budget proposal, Woodfin wanted to withhold all funds from the BJCTA. He says the transit authority needs to put in place a plan for leadership stability and board training before receiving any city funds.
At a committee meeting Monday evening, council members said they plan to explore more efficient transportation options.
The budget also includes:
**$2,000 for each of the city’s 99 neighborhoods.
**1 percent cost of living adjustment for city employees
**$3 million for a new downtown stadium and BJCC expansion
**$3 million for Birmingham City Schools, including money for more metal detectors, handheld scanners, door alarms, security officers and crossing guards.
Trump to name former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel
In the midst of the Israel-Hamas war, President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate Huckabee, a loyalist and former Republican governor, to serve in the key post as ambassador to Israel.
With Trump coming into power, the NIH is in the crosshairs
The National Institutes of Health, the crown jewel of biomedical research in the U.S., could face big changes under the new Trump administration, some fueled by pandemic-era criticisms of the agency.
A man told 911 a bear chased him off a cliff. Weeks later, he was arrested for murder
Authorities say Nicholas Hamlett killed a man in Tennessee in an attempt to steal his identity, and reported it to police as a bear attack. He was arrested in South Carolina after a weekslong manhunt.
Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments
The new Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom by Jan. 1 was temporarily blocked Tuesday. The judge said the law is "unconstitutional on its face."
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns over sex abuse scandal
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned over accusations that he failed to report physical and sexual abuse to the police.
A man drove his car into a crowd in southern China, killing 35
A man who authorities said was upset over his divorce settlement rammed his car into a crowd of people exercising at a sports complex in southern China, police said.
