Split vote: Kingston residents walk away empty-handed after council votes on new fire station
The residents of Kingston finally got an answer to the proposal for a new fire station in their neighborhood, but it was not one they were hoping for. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, council members voted, but did not approve the item to appropriate $3 million for the fire station.
Councilman Parker, whose district encompasses Kingston, kicked off this week’s discussion of the fire station by citing three fires that occurred in Kingston over the weekend as evidence of the urgency for a new fire station.
“The seriousness is here,” he said. “I would ask the council to do the right thing today. It’s just that cut and dry. Let’s do what’s right.”
He also called out those who previously suggested that the entire capital fund budget must be approved before approving the fire station funds. He cited the $400,000 in capital funds for Flow Dynamics that the council approved on Aug. 2 as evidence that funds for a fire station in Kingston can be approved immediately.
Councilwomen Rafferty and Abbott spoke on behalf of the Kingston neighborhood by addressing the two to three minute decrease in response time residents would benefit from if a new station were to be built.
“I’m deeply disturbed by this political football, this tug of war over a mud pool,” Abbott said. “We al look foolish. We look like we’re callous and don’t care about people’s lives. Allowing this to hurt people who live in our city, that, to me, is plain wrong.”
The council was split down the middle on the matter. Councilors William Parker, Valerie Abbott, Kim Rafferty and Jay Roberson voted in favor of building the new fire station, and Councilors Lashunda Scales, Johnathan Austin, Marcus Lundy and Sheila Tyson voted against the proposal.
Delay game
During Tuesday’s meeting, the council also voted to delay a number of items, including more Birmingham Water Works business carried over from last week’s meeting. The council revisited a 30-year franchise agreement between the City and the utility in which the utility is allowed to operate within city limits, and in return it pays Birmingham 3 percent of its gross receipts.
As previously reported, BWWB General Manager Mac Underwood stressed the importance of moving forward with the agreement because the board is attempting to refinance $456 million in debt before the beginning of September when bond interest rates will likely increase. The potential refinancing will save about $66 million over the next 20-plus years.
Underwood also stated that the BWWB does not have a franchise agreement with the city of Birmingham, but they do have franchise agreements with 19 other cities in the area that they serve.
“It looks bad to not have an agreement with Birmingham,” he said.
After further discussion of the project, including a failed motion for a two week delay requested by Councilwoman Scales, the council agreed to refer the matter to a special called Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled for Friday, August 19 at 3:30 p.m.
Other news
In addition to the referral of the BWWB franchise agreement, the council also voted to refer a resolution that would direct the mayor to allow staff to prepare and certify budget ordinances from the council for approval. Two more issues dealing with the de-annexation of 12.73 acres of land at 6106 Southern Industrial Drive and 2.8 acres of land at 9099 Liberty Parkway were delayed for one week and two weeks, respectively. The de-annexation of one acre at 6246 Mountain Ridge Road was passed in a 7-0 vote with Councilman Parker abstaining.
The 2021 Birmingham World Games were also discussed. The council unanimously passed an ordinance allowing the mayor to make an amendment to the agreement between the city and The World Games 2021 Birmingham Foundation to make it more consistent with the agreement already signed between TWG 2021 Birmingham Foundation and the International World Games Association. A law representative present at the meeting said the amendment should not change the way in which money is raised for the games.