Latest news with #RandallWoodfin
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin proposes $591 million budget
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin presented a proposed $591 million Fiscal Year 2026 operating budget Tuesday. The budget focuses on advancing a public safety strategy, recruiting more police and investing in youth. Woodfin's plan includes $21.8 million to increase neighborhood revitalization. It also includes another $15 million for street resurfacing. 'This budget represents our shared priorities,' Woodfin said in a statement. 'We will continue to invest in our neighborhoods to resurface streets, invest in sidewalks and traffic calming, and remove blight. These are common requests from our residents that we are committed to providing.' Community violence intervention programs will receive $1.5 million to support ongoing initiatives. Below is a summary of the proposed budget: Neighborhood revitalization Street paving: $15 million Weed abatement: $3 million (up $250,000) Demolition: $2 million (up $500,000) Sidewalks: $1 million Traffic calming: $500,000 Recycling: $300,000 Public safety and violence reduction Police vehicles: $1 million (part of $6 million rolling stock investment) Common ground conflict resolution in BCS: $1 million Park and Recreation Safe Haven Initiative: $625,000 (up $125,000) Park and recreation youth sports program: $500,000 (new funding recommended by the independent Birmingham Crime Commission) RESTORE Youth Re-entry Initiative: $450,000 (up $225,000) Additional community violence intervention: $1.5 million Youth investments Birmingham Promise for BCS students: $2 million Birmingham City Schools (mental health): $1 million Financial literacy curriculum in BCS: $1 million Common ground conflict resolution in BCS: $1 million Small magic early childhood education: $250,000 Park and Recreation Safe Haven Initiative: $625,000 (up $125,000) Park and Recreation youth sports program: $500,000 (new funding) Kids and jobs: $210,000 Homelessness Services for the unhoused: $1.5 million (new funding) Community development block grants: $800,000 (estimated, annually) Public transportation Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority: $11 million Birmingham Xpress Bus Rapid Transit: $3 million Birmingham on Demand powered by VIA: $2.5 million City employees 1% cost of living adjustment for all employees: $4.225 million 5% merit pay for eligible employees: $3.9 million Longevity pay for eligible employees: $1 million The city covers all healthcare benefit increases for city employees to prevent new out-of-pocket costs: $3.6 million City contribution to pension fund: $40 million (estimated pending actuary's report) The full proposed budget can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
08-05-2025
- Business
Alabama governor overhauls state's largest water utility amid cries of racial discrimination
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The city of Birmingham is one step closer to losing control over Alabama's largest water utility after the governor signed a bill on Wednesday that would give more power to neighboring suburbs, despite a pending federal lawsuit alleging the move would constitute racial discrimination. The bill redistributes power from Birmingham city officials — who currently appoint a majority of the nine-person board — to the governor, the lieutenant governor and the surrounding four counties that are also in the board's jurisdiction. It also reduces the number of board members to seven. Board members approve rate hikes and manage infrastructure projects for the utility's 770,000 customers. The state Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill, and the House of Representatives approved it along party lines. 'No doubt, this is an important issue to all those residents served by this utility board. The Alabama Legislature overwhelmingly passed SB330, and I was pleased to sign it into law,' Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said in a written statement. Proponents of the bill point to frequent rate hikes, old infrastructure and recent scandals. The legislation said that the power transfer will prevent catastrophic events that have happened in cities like Jackson, Mississippi, or Detroit, Michigan. Opponents say that the restructured board wouldn't solve the utility's problems. 'This is a taking of power from the local rate payer by Republican politicians in Montgomery,' Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement on Wednesday. 'We have seen this same thing happen in other cities throughout the southeast. Your water and sewer bill will keep going up.' Five counties rely on the Birmingham Water Works Board. Over 40% of customers are concentrated in the city of Birmingham, and 91% are in Jefferson County. The new system would give more weight to Jefferson County's neighboring areas that have only a fraction of the customers, but which house some of the reservoirs that supply the system. Woodfin and city council members filed a federal lawsuit against Ivey on Tuesday, alleging that the legislation 'constitutes blatant racial discrimination' because it gives the majority-white suburbs disproportionate influence and takes power away from Birmingham, a majority-Black city where close to half of the utility's customers live. Birmingham City Council President Darrell O'Quinn said that the decision exacerbates long-standing tensions in the region. 'Regardless of whether our efforts prevail, the worst, deep-seated fears of the citizens of the City of Birmingham about their suburban neighbors have been confirmed. Old wounds have been reopened. Years of progress have been destroyed,' O'Quinn said. U.S. Chief District Judge Emily C. Marks declined to temporarily block the bill from going into effect on Tuesday evening without first hearing oral arguments from either side. She set a hearing for May 15. ____
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Alabama governor overhauls state's largest water utility amid cries of racial discrimination
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The city of Birmingham is one step closer to losing control over Alabama's largest water utility after the governor signed a bill on Wednesday that would give more power to neighboring suburbs, despite a pending federal lawsuit alleging the move would constitute racial discrimination. The bill redistributes power from Birmingham city officials — who currently appoint a majority of the nine-person board — to the governor, the lieutenant governor and the surrounding four counties that are also in the board's jurisdiction. It also reduces the number of board members to seven. Board members approve rate hikes and manage infrastructure projects for the utility's 770,000 customers. The state Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill, and the House of Representatives approved it along party lines. 'No doubt, this is an important issue to all those residents served by this utility board. The Alabama Legislature overwhelmingly passed SB330, and I was pleased to sign it into law,' Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said in a written statement. Proponents of the bill point to frequent rate hikes, old infrastructure and recent scandals . The legislation said that the power transfer will prevent catastrophic events that have happened in cities like Jackson, Mississippi, or Detroit, Michigan. Opponents say that the restructured board wouldn't solve the utility's problems. 'This is a taking of power from the local rate payer by Republican politicians in Montgomery,' Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement on Wednesday. 'We have seen this same thing happen in other cities throughout the southeast. Your water and sewer bill will keep going up.' Five counties rely on the Birmingham Water Works Board. Over 40% of customers are concentrated in the city of Birmingham, and 91% are in Jefferson County. The new system would give more weight to Jefferson County's neighboring areas that have only a fraction of the customers, but which house some of the reservoirs that supply the system. Woodfin and city council members filed a federal lawsuit against Ivey on Tuesday, alleging that the legislation 'constitutes blatant racial discrimination' because it gives the majority-white suburbs disproportionate influence and takes power away from Birmingham, a majority-Black city where close to half of the utility's customers live. Birmingham City Council President Darrell O'Quinn said that the decision exacerbates long-standing tensions in the region. 'Regardless of whether our efforts prevail, the worst, deep-seated fears of the citizens of the City of Birmingham about their suburban neighbors have been confirmed. Old wounds have been reopened. Years of progress have been destroyed,' O'Quinn said. U.S. Chief District Judge Emily C. Marks declined to temporarily block the bill from going into effect on Tuesday evening without first hearing oral arguments from either side. She set a hearing for May 15. ____ Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Toronto Star
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Alabama governor overhauls state's largest water utility despite cries of racial discrimination
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The city of Birmingham is one step closer to losing control over Alabama's largest water utility after the governor signed a bill on Wednesday that would give more power to neighboring suburbs, despite a pending federal lawsuit alleging the move would constitute racial discrimination. The bill redistributes power from Birmingham city officials — who currently appoint a majority of the nine-person board — to the governor, the lieutenant governor and the surrounding four counties that are also in the board's jurisdiction. It also reduces the number of board members to seven. Board members approve rate hikes and manage infrastructure projects for the utility's 770,000 customers. The state Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill, and the House of Representatives voted along party lines. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'No doubt, this is an important issue to all those residents served by this utility board. The Alabama Legislature overwhelmingly passed SB330, and I was pleased to sign it into law,' Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said in a written statement. Proponents of the bill point to frequent rate hikes, old infrastructure and recent scandals. The legislation said that the power transfer will prevent catastrophic events that have happened in cities like Jackson, Mississippi, or Detroit, Michigan. Opponents say that the restructured board wouldn't solve the utility's problems. Five counties rely on the Birmingham Water Works Board. Over 40% of customers are concentrated in the city of Birmingham, and 91% are in Jefferson County. The new system would give more weight to Jefferson County's neighboring areas that have only a fraction of the customers, but which house some of the reservoirs that supply the system. Mayor Randall Woodfin and city council members filed a federal lawsuit against Ivey on Tuesday, alleging that the legislation 'constitutes blatant racial discrimination' because it gives the majority-white suburbs disproportionate influence and takes power away from Birmingham, a majority-Black city where close to half of the utility's customers live. 'We live in America, representation matters. It matters at all levels of government — the federal level, the state level, the local level,' Woodfin said at a press conference on Tuesday. U.S. Chief District Judge Emily C. Marks declined to temporarily block the bill from going into effect on Tuesday evening without first hearing oral arguments from either side. She set a hearing for May 15. ____ Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama governor overhauls state's largest water utility despite cries of racial discrimination
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The city of Birmingham is one step closer to losing control over Alabama's largest water utility after the governor signed a bill on Wednesday that would give more power to neighboring suburbs, despite a pending federal lawsuit alleging the move would constitute racial discrimination. The bill redistributes power from Birmingham city officials — who currently appoint a majority of the nine-person board — to the governor, the lieutenant governor and the surrounding four counties that are also in the board's jurisdiction. It also reduces the number of board members to seven. Board members approve rate hikes and manage infrastructure projects for the utility's 770,000 customers. The state Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill, and the House of Representatives voted along party lines. 'No doubt, this is an important issue to all those residents served by this utility board. The Alabama Legislature overwhelmingly passed SB330, and I was pleased to sign it into law,' Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said in a written statement. Proponents of the bill point to frequent rate hikes, old infrastructure and recent scandals. The legislation said that the power transfer will prevent catastrophic events that have happened in cities like Jackson, Mississippi, or Detroit, Michigan. Opponents say that the restructured board wouldn't solve the utility's problems. Five counties rely on the Birmingham Water Works Board. Over 40% of customers are concentrated in the city of Birmingham, and 91% are in Jefferson County. The new system would give more weight to Jefferson County's neighboring areas that have only a fraction of the customers, but which house some of the reservoirs that supply the system. Mayor Randall Woodfin and city council members filed a federal lawsuit against Ivey on Tuesday, alleging that the legislation 'constitutes blatant racial discrimination' because it gives the majority-white suburbs disproportionate influence and takes power away from Birmingham, a majority-Black city where close to half of the utility's customers live. 'We live in America, representation matters. It matters at all levels of government — the federal level, the state level, the local level,' Woodfin said at a press conference on Tuesday. U.S. Chief District Judge Emily C. Marks declined to temporarily block the bill from going into effect on Tuesday evening without first hearing oral arguments from either side. She set a hearing for May 15. ____ Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
