Mayor's Operating Budget Passes Vote Of Birmingham City Council

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Mayor Randall Woodfin's budget proposal for the coming year passed the Birmingham City Council Tuesday by a 7-1 vote.

The $451 million operating budget, first presented to the council on May 14, represents the Woodfin administration’s priorities of neighborhood revitalization and fully funding the city’s pension fund for the fiscal year.

The new budget stresses a commitment to secondary and post-secondary workforce development with a $2 million investment in the Birmingham Promise, the effort launched this summer with a pilot program designed to create apprenticeships, pair Birmingham students with employers, and provide real opportunities for the city’s youth as they enter the job market. The new budget will expand the apprenticeship program for the Birmingham City Schools in the 2019-2020 school year.

"Workforce development for our students is a cornerstone for our future," Woodfin said. "In the coming days you will hear much more about the transformative Birmingham Promise, how students can participate, and how the community can unite to support our future through workforce development opportunities for our students."

Neighborhood improvements are also a highlight of the new budget, which was one of Woodfin's main campaign issues when he ran in 2017.

"We are pleased to move forward with a budget focused on fiscal responsibility by targeting our obligations to the people and employees of Birmingham," Woodfin said. "I am thankful to the council for their support. We are proud of the commitment to neighborhood revitalization reflected in this budget which will support our long-term commitment to the 99 neighborhoods."

More than $14 million is dedicated to neighborhood revitalization. The funds dedicated to neighborhoods are:

• Street Paving and Pothole Repair: $8 million (an increase of $5.5 million over FY2019)
• Demolition and Weed Abatement: $4.75 million (an increase of $1.5 million over FY2019)
• Code Enforcement Technology: $500,000
• Land Bank Authority: $1 million (an increase of $650 thousand over FY2019)

The budget supports a $1.5 million "real time" crime center for the Birmingham Police Department. The center will pair technology with data to equip every police officer with important information.

"Police Chief Patrick Smith has implemented systemic changes in the department to address crime. This budget will help modernize the department with a crime center designed to provide real time support to officers on the streets as they serve and protect our neighborhoods," Woodfin said.

In order to meet the obligation of the city’s pension fund, the Woodfin administration budget increases the city’s contribution by $5.8 million. The total contribution by the city for FY2020 will be $24.6 million. Combined with proposed cost-savings by the pension board, the pension will be fully funded for the fiscal year.

The proposed $451 million operating budget represents a $10.5 million increase over the FY2019 budget. A projected $6.5 million in revenue growth for the new fiscal year will be combined with $3 million of commercial construction fees and revenue from the state’s recently approved gas tax.

The FY2020 operating budget will go into effect once it is signed by the mayor.