City Council hears of plans to fight celebratory gunfire

The Birmingham Police Department is seeking to reduce the amount of celebratory gunfire in the city during the July 4 holiday and beyond, according to Mayor Randall Woodfin and Police Chief Patrick D. Smith.

On July 1, the BPD launched its Don’t Shoot Campaign, according to Woodfin.

“Random gunfire is dangerous to pets, people and property,” Woodfin told the members of the Birmingham City Council at their regular meeting for Tuesday, July 2. “Please don't fire firearms to celebrate.”

Woodfin took issue with the use of the term “celebratory” in connection with the random discharge of guns. “There is nothing celebratory about shooting guns in the air where a bullet goes up and must come down,” he said, noting that these rounds can kill people.

The BPD is doing “a reduction campaign for the entire city,” Smith told the Council. These efforts include a flyer that will be distributed at checkpoints and in areas where there have been lots of reports of gunshots.

The efforts will continue for several months, according to Smith. “Starting now and going into New Year’s, we will be talking about random gunfire,” he said.

And people caught discharging their weapons in this manner will face legal consequences, according to the mayor. “If we catch you we will be taking it very seriously,” he said.

OTHER BUSINESS

Lodging tax

After a long discussion, the Council voted 5 to 3 to approve a $3 per night surcharge on all Birmingham hotel rooms, which will go into effect immediately following its publication. 

Council President Pro Tem William Parker, who submitted the item, said that new surcharge could bring the city an estimated $4 million in additional revenue annually.

The revenue is to be used solely for “sports and entertainment recruitment and development, tourism and infrastructure improvements,” according to the text of the agenda item.

Parker argued that the city needs additional revenue to maintain and improve such facilities as Legion Field, Boutwell Auditorium and Birmingham CrossPlex in order to compete with such cities as Atlanta, Nashville and New Orleans for large events, including sports.

“We need the necessary resources to go out and compete,” Parker said.

Moratorium on storage facilities

There was another long discussion and a public hearing before the Council voted unanimously to impose a moratorium on new self-storage facilities in the city. Councilor Darrell O’Quinn submitted the item.

“We have a responsibility as elected officials to make sure properties achieve their highest and best use,” O’Quinn said. “If you look at our budget and revenue, it’s impossible to miss the fact that a lot of it comes from businesses, sales tax and occupational tax. It’s hard for me to believe self-storage for this area is the highest and best use downtown."

The moratorium is to be in effect for 180 day with an option to extend it for 90 days, according to O’Quinn.