City Council fails to approve money for new Firehouse Shelter
The Birmingham City Council — after a long, heated discussion at its regular meeting for Tuesday, Oct. 23 — failed to approve $1 million in funding to assist Firehouse Shelter downtown in building a new facility.
The vote was a 4-4 tie, meaning that the resolution failed.
The agreement, with the nonprofit Cooperative Downtown Ministries, would have doled out the money in $200,000 installments over a five-year period.
Voting in favor of the plan were City Council President Valerie Abbott and councilors Hunter Williams, Darrell O’Quinn and William Parker.
Voting against the funding were councilors John Hilliard, Steven Hoyt, Sheila Tyson and Lashunda Scales.
Hilliard, Hoyt, Tyson and Scales all said that they have received telephone calls from people who told them that African-Americans who go to Firehouse, one of only two emergency shelters in Birmingham, are discriminated against or not treated as well as whites who go to the shelter.
Firehouse, currently located in a building at 1501 Third Ave. N. built in about 1890, has raised about $4.2 million so far in a capital campaign to build a new facility at 626 Second Ave North.
The goal of the capital campaign is $7.8 million, according to the shelter's website.
NO NEW DISTRICT 7 REP
The council also failed to appoint a new council member to represent District 7, which was represented by Jay Roberson, who resigned effective Sept. 10.
There were five nominees by council members, based on some interviews held Friday, Oct. 19.
Lonnie Malone received four votes from councilors John Hilliard, Steven Hoyt, Lashunda Scales and Sheila Tyson.
Wardine Alexander, a member of the Board of Education, also received four votes, from City Council President Valerie Abbott and councilors Darrell O’Quinn, William Parker and Hunter Williams.
Since the vote was 4-4, the item failed.
Abbott said that the item would come back on the council's agenda next week.
Another item to select a new President Pro Tempore of the Council — an office previously held by Roberson — was delayed for one week, after a motion by Scales.
Scales said that there should be a District 7 councilor in place before a vote is held for Pro Tem.
“If we don’t have a person appointed to District 7, it would be unfair to the people of District 7,” she said.
OTHER BUSINESS
Members voted 7-0 to approve an affordable housing redevelopment agreement in the amount of $1.4 million with Neighborhood Housing Services Inc. as part of the city’s “100 Homes in 100 Days” initiative.
The Council voted to approve $52,000 in funding for one year to help Jefferson State Community College train single mothers of children served by Jefferson County Head Start to get training as welders. There are a growing number of welding positions available, according to the text of the agenda item. The funding is part of the City’s Building Opportunities for Lasting Development (BOLD) program. Participants will receive financial aid and wrap-around services, including job skills training, childcare and coaching, the item states.