Jesse Chambers
birmingham city hall
The Birmingham City Council had a relatively light agenda at its regular meeting for Feb. 21.
Members voted to contribute $5,000 to the cost of championship rings for the members of the Ramsay High School football team. The Rams won the 2016 Class 6A state championship, the first city school since 1973 to win a state title.
The Board of Education is also contributing to the cost of the rings, according to Mayor William Bell.
Some of the council members, including Patricia Abbott and Jay Roberson, are also helping pay for the rings.
The money is part of an agreement by the city to give the Birmingham Board of Education up to $35,000, which also includes about $30,000 to pay for a bike rodeo to be held at the city’s elementary schools.
The council also approved an ordinance under which the city agrees to convey seven parcels of surplus property to the Birmingham Land Bank Authority.
Members approved numerous items as part of their consent agenda, including the following:
- A five-year extension of the city’s lease at Eastwood Festival Centre on Crestwood Boulevard, where the Birmingham Police Department city operates a 2,700-foot substation. The agreement, under which the city pays no monetary rent, will expire Aug. 31, 2022.
- An agreement with the NCAA under which Birmingham CrossPlex will host the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival for Indoor Track & Field, Swimming & Diving, and Wrestling, March 7-11. The city will spend no more than $275,000, and the NCAA will reimburse the city for these expenses.
- An agreement for the city to give UAB up to $100,000 to assist them in hosting the Conference USA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 8-11. The money is to be used to offset the $500,000 guarantee that UAB paid to Conference USA league office.
