[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6568328,"mediaKeyId","3203255-93f629050cd3aa66519728075c0ead46","parentId",3203255,"title","Votes at a glance: key Birmingham City Council actions on May 6, 2025","audioSeconds",815,"startMs",6253000,"endMs",7068000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3203255-93f629050cd3aa66519728075c0ead46&start=6253&end=7068","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3203255-93f629050cd3aa66519728075c0ead46/thumbnail_6253000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6568328/Birmingham-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Votes-at-a-glance-key-Birmingham-City-Council-actions-on-May-6-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568328-6681260440640a39aa54fec3c6294a1a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411558&Signature=kaWBFHajA201o8esonHbp2K2sPhIxj~WWKVd67ww-HacqCAvqyfvXv~PDwzOOW~tjIjLfK48RiafylH7Rb2bJJK9iJuTpYVSa5~~fCs17CadQ3ir4VYEWU~4kWjJE1rdb2CkARMJBifKDysMno0HLygwzXzLawT0XBmB5lmcpSCdPGFkrEG-MTgtjhxBr51x6V4CJErn3bTaG9lfhBsvSnwyAaVqn39mTGEIBeG9VRrLCZfq5hQ~HWQNiis1zCLrMQrEu6Ijg1RRpFssKgCGURKYJ7RpsVJp9FBaY9bevssjnRsvuTGE-M92tA~IVRItwNeL7m-8wGttjk2mqN-slA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Birmingham","date","2025-05-06T00:00:00Z","article","The Birmingham City Council took the following recorded actions during its May 6, 2025 meeting (voice votes unless otherwise noted):

- Consent agenda (items 3'5, many routine items): Approved by single motion and voice vote (consent items announced by number in meeting record).

- Item 55 (resolution): Set a public hearing to consider extending the moratorium on automated car washes. Outcome: approved; hearing to be noticed at least 14 days before the hearing date.

- Item 56 (resolution): Authorized the mayor and city attorney to pursue all options to retain oversight of Birmingham Water Works, including initiation of court actions to oppose the implementation of SB 330 and ratified prior mayoral/city-attorney actions. Outcome: approved.

- Item 57 (resolution/transaction framework): Approved a purchase-and-sale framework under which the city would purchase the Water Works system from the Birmingham Water Works Board for the sum of $1 plus defeasance or payment of outstanding bonds and assumption of contracts. Outcome: approved.

- Item 58 (contract/retainer): Authorized the mayor to investigate potential claims and to retain outside counsel Calvin Grigsby for an amount not to exceed $95,000 to support litigation related to SB 330. Outcome: approved.

- Item 1 (ordinance/text amendment, Zoning): Adopted a text amendment adding conditions for temporary parking lots as a special exception (nine conditions, one-year maximum approval, proximity and use limitations tied to large venues). Outcome: approved.

- Item 2 (ordinance/text amendment, Zoning): Adopted a text amendment creating three Open Space zoning districts (Neighborhood & Greenway; Regional Park; Natural Areas); staff to identify parcels and return with rezoning proposals. Outcome: approved.

- Item 27 (demolition resolution referenced by a public speaker): Council later approved the demolition of 4130 Crescent Road (speaker thanked council for approving Item 27). Outcome: approved.

- Item 47 (equipment procurement for BPD drones as read): Administration requested a one-week delay on this item; council agreed. Outcome: delayed one week.

Votes were taken primarily by voice after motions were seconded. Several items (57 and 58) were discussed in conjunction with an executive-session recommendation from the city attorney before the council reconvened and recorded votes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Birmingham - Regular City Council Meeting - May 06, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Summary of major votes from the May 6 council meeting, including resolutions, zoning ordinances, purchase framework for Water Works, and delays or referrals.","taxTitle","Birmingham City, Jefferson County, Alabama","taxId",3652,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6568333,"Mayor Woodfin reports homicide decline, progress on 82-point crime commission plan",220,3192000,3412000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3203255-93f629050cd3aa66519728075c0ead46&start=3192&end=3412","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3203255-93f629050cd3aa66519728075c0ead46/thumbnail_3192000.jpg","/articles/6568333/Birmingham-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Mayor-Woodfin-reports-homicide-decline-progress-on-82-point-crime-commission-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568333-ea389b61ca2ca1e1d48e9e9bd1009574/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411558&Signature=m9t4JcCyitelDLidjJjqtKZckdbNngMS2A2gkYK0eeteoFf9pKPAmOKRFMWN69dTMqpnRnqT8yL8QZQz4J7VoAUmPLuJZzZ8W80zhtGDzqJkdkgvPVoWVK03II0A6lH13Aosinn2CXpac1F~d2MYbs9NVasGoV-dCxPHQ0YbxzDU19gl~0ly50Oj9w7l8p7ROyuXL1vqkkBSBE6fcm19ZqIYGLNpX0dT-J4WeMN1H6IHGa-foRgdjXpfZbr1pT5XEjgLwI65NWDLNPJ6C1d5SS0YTZ68LB6ILBItiEpOYZpt32hTNbr-jpaQgE8ni8mrlZf2R0KZ01e2TukbUjJh4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Randall L. Woodfin used his May 6 report to update the Birmingham City Council on public-safety implementation steps following the city's crime commission recommendations.

Woodfin told the council that 54 of the commission's 82 recommendations are now in place in some form, with 32 active and in progress. He said city departments have worked to address hot spots beyond policing, including code enforcement, removal of blighted structures, and demolition of abandoned buildings. The mayor said the city has removed 26 blighted structures since the plan's release.

On hospital-based interventions the mayor said the hospital-linked violence-reduction program is expanding from acute care to emergency-room coverage; legal agreements are finalized and work will begin this month. He also said third-party violence-reduction teams had completed hiring and training to implement pilot projects.

\"As of May 4, homicides are down in our city 43 percent,\" Woodfin said in the council chamber, adding that felony assaults have not decreased at the same rate and that enforcement continues on shooting into occupied dwellings and vehicles.

Council members asked questions about program outcomes and enforcement. Councilor Moore asked whether the hospital violence-intervention program is producing measurable reductions; the mayor said he did not have specific statistics in front of him but reported reductions among those who had gone through the acute process and said ER-based expansion aims to extend that effect. Councilors praised increased interagency collaboration, including partnerships described as extending beyond policing to parole, hospital systems and community groups such as the Magic City Peace Collective.

The mayor directed residents to a status report available online at birminghamal.gov/cs csi (as read into the record).

The council thanked staff and community partners and asked for continued transparency and regular updates as implementation continues.

Provenance: the mayor's full public-safety update appears in the transcript at the times referenced in the provenance section below.","Mayor Randall L. Woodfin told the council the city has implemented 54 of 82 crime-commission recommendations, with 32 actively in progress; he cited a 43% reduction in homicides as of May 4 and described expanded hospital-linked violence intervention efforts and blight-removal activity.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6568338,"Council approves zoning changes for temporary event parking, open-space districts and sets hearing on automated car-wash moratorium",1078,6597000,7675000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3203255-93f629050cd3aa66519728075c0ead46&start=6597&end=7675","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3203255-93f629050cd3aa66519728075c0ead46/thumbnail_6597000.jpg","/articles/6568338/Birmingham-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Council-approves-zoning-changes-for-temporary-event-parking-open-space-districts-and-sets-hearing-on-automated-car-wash-moratorium","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568338-3cb9cb47a6feb9769808433bb245c790/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411558&Signature=Vio3gMhb0d4kk9Y92prkauIKBwKhTSVDCNpChYh2lQNAxReWt6ZDQyXErABIwhx~tHK-T9JXvcy650sy8X1P8qjULlfRxY-4lw5bCh5rOoMSdW2fM5dhz4K06ibjIg0tlJohXKuYUnep0LhdKQv0dvmM-KoXskSefRShjVGpMWDzHxkvdn3JIrdsZJOoQaBpE~0OIMdkrDIZMn0OyaOmBtzoXmGUAQMfJYMg5Ucg4TLq2TH6w5jbLJrZla5uYwq5BZCFpqC1~lndalHpkiycnjoxLwki-QgN1wahnXDxLVJXt5Y7~pmPpddLEv78zI8vx01pzq4e9gymY~foOMvwPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Birmingham City Council on May 6 approved multiple zoning text changes that the city says are intended to protect neighborhoods and clarify uses for parks and event parking.

Zoning staff presented two separate text amendments. The first adds conditions to allow temporary parking lots as a special-exception use in several residential and mixed-use zoning districts. City zoning administrator Kim Spruill told the council that the temporary parking lot must be within 1,320 feet of the primary use and be accessory to large venues (an amphitheater with 9,000 seats or more or an arena/stadium with 25,000 seats or more). Spruill read nine conditions to be attached to those approvals, including submission of a parking layout plan, lighting subject to ordinance standards, no overnight camping or parking, city-engineer approval of surfaces, and a one-year maximum approval that must be renewed if continued use is desired.

\"The first 1 is that the temporary parking lot must be within 1,320 feet of the lot or parcel containing the primary use...\" Kim Spruill said while outlining the conditions.

A developer involved in an adjacent redevelopment project, Brian Wolf of CR Endeavors, spoke in support of the temporary-parking provisions and thanked the zoning staff for the collaborative work.

Separately, the council adopted a text amendment establishing three new \"Open Space\" zoning districts: Open Space Neighborhood and Greenway District (for local parks), Open Space Regional Park (for large regional parks such as the Birmingham Zoo or Red Mountain Park), and Open Space Natural Areas (for wetlands, river corridors and conservation lands including buyout areas). Zoning staff said the ordinance will not immediately rezone specific properties; instead, staff will map candidate parcels and return to the council with rezoning proposals after stakeholder engagement.

In related business the council also approved a resolution to set a public hearing on extending the moratorium on automated car washes; that hearing will be held at a regular council meeting with notice published at least 14 days before the hearing.

All measures passed on voice votes. The text amendments come after review by the Zoning Advisory Committee and the Planning and Zoning Committee, which recommended approval.

Provenance: the zoning text changes and the temporary-parking discussion are recorded in the transcript at the times listed in the provenance section below.","The City Council approved a text amendment allowing temporary parking lots for large venues under strict conditions, adopted new open-space zoning districts, and set a public hearing to consider extending a moratorium on automated car washes.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6568342,"Council authorizes legal challenges and purchase plan to retain oversight of Birmingham Water Works",157,6656000,6813000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3203255-93f629050cd3aa66519728075c0ead46&start=6656&end=6813","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3203255-93f629050cd3aa66519728075c0ead46/thumbnail_6656000.jpg","/articles/6568342/Birmingham-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Council-authorizes-legal-challenges-and-purchase-plan-to-retain-oversight-of-Birmingham-Water-Works","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568342-c39bccb2b488670fa566ba3846b45395/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411559&Signature=WgIU8mL1COvfC2AKyJo2KlQQPK0r96zrO5v47DVVpIXM0hEiAH9D~F8AujZ8WY4IeSmPfCEhtVHCwao7Ur2P6DH3qljJkNhhmzO54DsO9snl5qjUWsRelOLf9TAkbH1W7rFBMXLqaef4bXSF64SPBXr8kq1QiGtjLkjFLKxEgvl74QYyFxuoBtfydqyCfDNF-nzrVs-DExctBnJOmwRZSntc~iS158jWAgt-ERQzEhnPiUywWM6ACHCpfjSaGAjVHHomjMH~J6e24etPImhTd7UgOvDdroGNb06QFdoTH3slVdu9hu9qfhsSY7MMkNzFaiyz2WwhhNzQroYcZDtRMQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved a package of measures intended to preserve city control over the Birmingham Water Works system and to prepare court challenges to state legislation.

The council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor and city attorney \"to pursue all options to retain its rightful oversight of Birmingham Water Works and to protect our citizens who it serves,\" and to initiate court actions to oppose SB 330, the measure the resolution says would have \"irreparable and devastating effects\" on the Water Works and its customers. The body separately approved a purchase-and-sale framework under which the city would buy the Water Works system from the Birmingham Water Works Board for $1 plus defeasance or payment of outstanding bond principal and interest and an assumption of outstanding BWWB contracts. The council also authorized hiring outside counsel, with a professional-services cap of $95,000.

The measures were taken after a short executive-session request from the city's attorney. City attorney King told the council, \"it is my recommendation under Alabama state code section 36 25 a 7 8 3 to go into executive session to discuss pending litigation,\" language used before the council temporarily recessed into closed session. After returning, the council voted to approve the measures.

Mayor Randall L. Woodfin read the resolution and described it as necessary to protect customers and the city's interests. Councilor Hunter Williams made a motion on the resolution that the chamber approved. Item 57 — the purchase-and-sale framework — and Item 58 — the authorization to pursue potential claims and to retain attorney Calvin Grigsby as outside counsel for an amount not to exceed $95,000 — were moved, seconded and passed after the executive session.

Council members did not record roll-call vote tallies in the meeting transcript; votes were conducted by voice after motions were seconded. The recording of the meeting shows the council adopting Item 56 (the opposition resolution), and approving Items 57 and 58.

What the council approved does not itself transfer ownership; the purchase-and-sale agreement, as presented in the resolution, would require defeasance or payment of outstanding BWWB bonds and the city's assumption of outstanding BWWB contracts. The council also ratified any actions already taken by the mayor or city attorney before the adoption of the resolution.

The council cited SB 330 by number in the resolution and instructed the mayor and city attorney to seek every available legal option. The council did not detail a specific litigation timetable in the meeting record.

Next steps: the mayor and city attorney now have explicit council authorization to pursue litigation and to finalize purchase-and-sale terms consistent with the approved framework. The council approved outside counsel spending in a not-to-exceed amount of $95,000 to support those efforts.

Provenance: the council read and debated Items 56, 57 and 58 during the May 6 meeting; the attorney's executive-session recommendation and the recorded votes appear in the transcript at the times noted in the provenance data below.","The Birmingham City Council on May 6 approved a resolution directing the mayor and city attorney to pursue legal options to retain oversight of Birmingham Water Works, approved a $1 purchase-and-sale framework for the system and authorized outside counsel up to $95,000.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: key Birmingham City Council actions on May 6, 2025

Mayor Woodfin reports homicide decline, progress on 82-point crime commission plan

Council approves zoning changes for temporary event parking, open-space districts and sets hearing on automated car-wash moratorium

Council authorizes legal challenges and purchase plan to retain oversight of Birmingham Water Works