Photo by Jesse Chambers
Bham city council 8-29-17
The Birmingham City Council and city staffers.
The Birmingham City Council – after a long, heated discussion at their regular meeting for Tuesday, Aug. 29 – did not take a vote on a resolution submitted by Councilor Marcus Lundy to rescind a recently signed $1.5 million city contract with developer Bethel Ensley Action Task Inc. (BEAT) to build nine homes in the Enon Ridge community.
The contract was approved by the council in May and began on July 14.
After hearing from other councilors – including Council President Pro Tem Steven Hoyt, who strongly supported BEAT and opposed the resolution – Lundy withdrew the item from consideration.
Lundy -- the outgoing councilor representing District 9 -- has complained recently, including the council meeting of Aug. 22, that BEAT failed to comply with the terms of a previous two-year, $300,000 contract with the city to build two homes in Enon Ridge and should not be rewarded with a new, much larger agreement.
BEAT signed an Affordable Housing Development Agreement with the city in May 2015 to build the two homes by May 2017, but they only recently completed the second structure.
BEAT, according to Lundy, claimed that they faced an illness on the part of the contractor and also had to deal with city housing managers in four years.
However, Lundy dismissed what he called BEAT’s “excuses.”
“If the builder gets sick and it stops the show, then they are not the right entity for the city to do business with,” he said.
Lundy recommended that the city bid out the contract to other companies, especially since he said that BEAT failed to notify the city in writing to request more time, as required in the contract.
However, Hoyt argued that “BEAT has been a great partner for the city” and said that he would not vote for the resolution. He said that BEAT deserved the opportunity to fulfill the new agreement.
City attorney Jim Stanley said that there were “performance issues” and some “technical non-compliance” regarding the old two-year contract but said that the second home is now complete and that BEAT is attempting to find a qualified buyer for it.
Councilor Lashunda Scales seemed to support Lundy’s resolution to strip BEAT of the new three-year contract. “Why would you reward a company with an additional $1.5 million when they have not finished the first contract?” she said.
Council President Johnathan Austin also expressed skepticism about BEAT. “Why do we expect them to be able to compete nine homes in the time allotted if they could not build to homes in two years?” he said.
Austin and Lundy also mentioned other developers, including Habitat for Humanity, who have built more homes much faster in other areas of the city.
Lundy first made a motion to delay the item for a week and said he would like to convene a meeting with the council members, mayor, the city’s community development staff and BEAT.
Voting had begun on that motion when councilors Patricia Abbott and Kim Rafferty suggested withdrawing the item and reintroducing another resolution later if needed.
Lundy withdrew the motion.
