Woodfin’s budget proposal would be another record high
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said budget highlights include funding for street paving, public transit and pensions.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin presented a $554 million dollar budget proposal for the 2024 fiscal year to the Birmingham City Council Tuesday morning, an increase of $37 million over the current budget. If passed, it would be the largest operating budget in Birmingham history.
Woodfin said the budget is focused on neighborhood revitalization and specifically touted $15 million for street paving.
“[It’s] something residents talk about every day. ‘I’m tired of this pothole. Pave my street. My street hasn’t been paved in 30 years,’” Woodfin said. “It’s a priority for residents, therefore it’s a priority to me.”
Woodfin says after making progress on removing blight such as abandoned buildings, his budget decreases the amount spent on demolition to $1 million. At the same time, that creates more overgrown lots prompting a doubling of the money for weed abatement to $2 million.
A total of $16.5 million is set aside for transit. That breaks down to $11 million to the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, $3 million to the Birmingham Xpress rapid transit system and $2.5 for the Via on-demand transit program.
“We’ve got to make sure people can get to work, get to their doctors appointments, get to school,” Woodfin said.
The budget includes funds for “traffic calming” measures, such as lights and signs to encourage drivers to slow down in residential areas. The city could match neighborhood funds for those efforts.
Police funding flat
The Birmingham Police Department would receive $115 million under the spending plan, which is functionally the same as last year’s appropriation, which at $118 million included $3 million in one-time overtime pay for The World Games.
The budget sets aside $500,000 for more cameras around the city which would be linked to its real-time crime center. It also includes funds for civilian analyst positions within the crime center.
Woodfin says police funding reflects a three-pronged strategy to fight crime of enforcement, prevention and re-entry from prison.
Police and fire workers would receive a 5% raise. Some other city workers would be eligible for a merit increase of 5% and others longevity pay. The budget sets aside roughly $53 million for two city pension programs, a priority for Woodfin.
Youth initiatives
The Birmingham Promise scholarship and apprenticeship program would receive $2 million. Another $1 million would go to place mental health professionals in each Birmingham City Schools building. The budget includes funds for conflict resolution and financial literacy programs.
Woodfin credited the increase in revenue, in part, to the new Protective Stadium and upgrades to Legacy Arena, which earlier this spring hosted opening rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. He said with the exception of convention business, the city is seeing more visitors and events than pre-pandemic. That drives sales and lodging taxes receipts.
“People want to be in our city, shop in our city, eat in our city, stay in our city, have fun in our city,” Woodfin said. “We’re winning on those things.”
Trump admin tells judge man wrongly deported to El Salvador is alive, still detained
On Friday, federal judge Paula Xinis had ordered the Trump administration to provide daily updates to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States.
Intellectually disabled teen shot by Idaho police dies after being removed from life support
An autistic, nonverbal teenage boy who was shot repeatedly by Idaho police from the other side of a chain link fence while he was holding a knife died Saturday after being removed from life support, his family said.
Smartphones and computers are now spared from Trump’s reciprocal tariffs
The exemption comes amid worries of how President Trump's steep new tariffs will affect American tech companies that rely on supply chains in China, like Apple.
Federal judge orders USDA to unfreeze funds to Maine
The funds had been initially withheld following President Trump's clash with Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the issue of transgender athletes.
Ukraine’s DIY drone makers are helping fighters on the front lines
The war in Ukraine is now largely being fought with drones. Ukraine made 2 million last year. Drone makers churn them out in factories and mom-and-pop operations like one in a Kyiv basement apartment.
‘The lawn giveth and the lawn taketh away’: Photos from the 41st Annapolis Cup
The yearly competition between the small liberal arts college lauded for its "great books" curriculum and the famed school for naval officer training began in the early 1980s. Several attendees recounted the legend that a discussion between a St. John's College student and the Commandant of the Naval Academy led to the latter's challenge that his midshipmen could beat Johnnies at any sport.
