Mayor Bell presents Birmingham's largest-ever budget to city council

Mayor William Bell presented what he called the largest budget in Birmingham’s history to the city council at its regular meeting for Tuesday, May 16.

Bell’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018 is $428 million, which he said represents an “unprecedented” increase of $64 million over a period of five fiscal years.

The size of the proposed budget is possible because the city “continues to show strong signs of economic growth,” the city’s revenues have increased since 2012 and the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development has carried out “aggressive business recruitment and retention,” Bell said.

Public safety, community clean-up, removal of abandoned structures and healthy food initiatives are priorities for the next year, according to the mayor.

However, personnel costs make 70 percent of the budget, according to Bell, who said the new budget includes a five-percent merit raise, costing about $2.6 million, and a one-percent cost of living adjustment.

Public safety

Overall operational funding for the police department is “level” in the new budget, and the department will see $1.5 million for additional vehicles, according to Bell.

The budget also adds $300,000 in funding for partnerships with local organizations to “interrupt the pattern of violence” in Birmingham, Bell said.

“The goal is to break down any barriers and have one team effort when it comes to violence reduction,” he said.

Cleaning up, tearing down

The budget includes $1.5 million to continue Operation Green Wave, a comprehensive clean-up program that has just begun its second pass though the city, according to the mayor.

“The first wave cut well over 12,000 lots, removed over 86,000 tons of trash and debris, cut over 20,000 right of ways and over 2,000 alleys while utilizing every aspect of community clean up including the environmental police and community courts,” Bell said.

The pace of the city’s demolition of abandoned structures has picked up the last few years, according to the mayor, who said the city removed fewer than 200 structures in 2012 but more than 600 in 2016. Another $1.5 million is included in the new budget for demolition.

Other programs

A Healthy Food Initiative will be funded at $500,000 to get the program started, according to Bell. The program will give lower-income city residents assistance in buying healthy food as a way to compensate for the sales tax on groceries in Alabama.

A citywide reading initiative receives $500,000 in Bell's budget.

Public improvements

Bell also trumpeted the coming of other public improvement projects in the city in the coming year.

These include a proposed renovation of the old Ramsay McCormack office building in Ensley as a new public safety complex, more development at Birmingham CrossPlex and continued development of the Civil Rights District.

Bond projects continue $9 million in paving and $10 million in park improvements, including upgrades to the Legion Field.

Negotiations ahead

Now begins the process in which the city council must respond to Bell's proposal, and with an election looming in August.

The budget presentation "sounds good," Council President Johnathan Austin said. "I look forward to seeing (the budget). We have a lot of work left to do by July 1. I hope we can work together expeditiously to get this done."