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.”