Council Proposes Changes to Birmingham Mayor’s Budget
The Birmingham City Council wants to restore funding to neighborhood associations and several nonprofits in its proposed changes for Mayor Randall Woodfin’s 2019 budget. The council submitted its budget counterproposal to the mayor on Tuesday.
Neighborhood leaders and non-profits have been lobbying council members for support since the mayor presented his first proposed budget of $436 million earlier this month.
“The mayor creates the budget, and we get the heat,” Council President Valerie Abbott says. “We’re not planning on a food fight. We don’t have any personality conflicts, just differences in opinions. We have to reach a consensus and come up with a budget we all can support.”
Last year, former Mayor William Bell and the council couldn’t agree on a budget. The city didn’t pass a spending plan until December, after Woodfin was elected mayor. The failure to pass a budget on time was an issue throughout last year’s contentious municipal election.
Abbott says she hopes to avoid delays this time around. The fiscal year begins July 1.
Now that the council has agreed on its requests, Abbott hopes the full council and the mayor can meet soon to resolve any differences in budget priorities,
The mayor eliminated funds for economic development organizations like REV Birmingham and the Birmingham Business Alliance. HIs proposal also excludes new funding for the city’s 99 neighborhood associations. Neighborhoods have $3.7 million in their accounts, Woodfin says. He’s encouraging them to use their available funds.
The council proposed $2,000 for each of the city’s 99 neighborhood associations. It also increased or restored funds for youth initiatives, such as community centers in public housing and the Youth Games.
There were more cuts to agencies this year than in years past, Abbott says. “We don’t know the reasoning. We don’t understand the logic,” she says.
The full council worked to develop the list of proposed changes.
Councilwoman Lashunda Scales, for example pushed to allocate money for workforce development programs at Jefferson State Community College and several other projects in her east Birmingham district.
“We want him (Mayor Woodfin) to honor his commitment to neighborhood needs and keeping the focus on all 99 neighborhoods,” Scales says. “I’m hoping that the mayor will do what’s in the best interest of the constituents that we both serve.”
National parks fee-free calendar drops MLK Day, Juneteenth and adds Trump’s birthday
The Trump administration, which has railed against what it describes as "woke" policies, removed MLK Day and Juneteenth from next year's list of fare-exempt days for visitors at dozens of national parks.
Waymo will recall software after its self-driving cars passed stopped school buses
Waymo is issuing a software recall for its self-driving cars after reports the company's autonomous vehicles failed to stop for school buses.
7 deaths and hundreds of injuries are linked to faulty Abbott glucose monitors
About 3 million glucose monitoring sensors were potentially affected by a production error that caused incorrect low glucose readings.
‘The Abandons’ is a sudsy soap opera dressed up in spurs and a cowboy hat
On the surface it's a gorgeous, hardscrabble Western, awash in stark landscapes, grubby faces, bar fights and banditry. But scratch away the grime, and you expose the pure, glitzy soap opera beneath.
Sudanese paramilitary drone attack kills 50, including 33 children, doctor group says
Thursday's attack is the latest in the fighting between the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, also known as the RSF, and the Sudanese military, who have been at war for over two years.
Russia unleashes drone and missile attack on Ukraine as diplomatic talks continue
Russia unleashed a major missile and drone barrage on Ukraine overnight into Saturday, after U.S. and Ukrainian officials said they'll meet on Saturday for talks aimed at ending the war.
