Homewood committee makes recommendation to change form of government

The Finance Committee of the Homewood City Council on Monday sent to the full council a recommendation to change the city’s form of government.

The recommended model is to shift to having four ward-specific city councilors with a mayor elected at large who serves as president of the council. There also would be a council-appointed city manager who would oversee the day-to-day business of the city and report to the full council, not just the mayor.

Currently, Homewood has five council wards, with two people elected to represent each ward, and a City Council president elected by everyone across the city, plus a mayor elected citywide. There is no city manager.

Council President Alex Wyatt suggested the council move forward with a process of how those four new districts will be drawn and determining the actual language of the referendum that must ultimately pass to change Homewood’s form of government. 

“The [ward] map will be part of the referendum,” Wyatt said. 

The council weeks ago initially considered following one of the models available from Mountain Brook, Hoover or Vestavia Hills.

The one the Finance Committee is recommending is most like Vestavia Hills, except the council members in Vestavia Hills are elected at large by everyone in the city, not by wards.

Melanie Geer asked if the Mountain Brook model was off the table. Mountain Brook has five council members elected citywide, a mayor elected citywide and an appointed city manager who oversees the day-to-day business of the city.

“The Mountain Brook model actually predates the statutory model, and there's a lot of ambiguity to it,” Wyatt said, noting conversations with Mountain Brook City Manager Sam Gaston. “Sam's point was if you're implementing something new, you don't have time to build up that institutional knowledge that they've built up over years.” 

Geer acknowledged she was looking for a way for Homewood to maintain the five wards it already has.

 Wyatt said he actually went into this process thinking that the Mountain Brook model might be something good, but “I really don't think there's much to consider at all because there are going to be problems.” 

Councilman Nick Sims said he’s a fan of having six wards rather than four. Wyatt said the idea is to get wards that are roughly equitable in population.  

“I think it’s easier to achieve that going to four than going to six,” he said. “I think six you're basically starting from scratch.” 

Those ward boundaries would have to follow census tracts. 

The Finance Committee also: 

• Approved tiered year-end bonuses totaling as much as $365,000, contingent on the city completing fiscal 2023 with a general fund surplus.  
• Sent to the council an amendment to the fiscal 2023 budget that would transfer $2,000 for vehicle maintenance. 
• Approved the city being an “Official Fan Guide Sponsor” for the Birmingham Bowl, agreeing to spend $1,188.
• Made Cobbs Allen the agent of record for employee voluntary benefits on Oct. 1.
• Set 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 as the deadline for accepting bids for as-needed drainage pipe rehabilitation.

In other business, the council’s Planning and Development Committee advised applicant John Chapman to get counsel from the city engineer in crafting his request to rezone a mixed-use residential property at 55 and 65 Bagby Drive. The developer’s aim is to have apartments for LGBTQ+ seniors and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

But city officials said the city cannot sanction apartments that prohibit persons who don’t meet those criteria.  

“We want to make sure that they proceed legally,” committee Chairwoman Jennifer Andress said. “We're very excited about 85 Bagby [which is an expansion of Magic City Acceptance Academy] and the redevelopment there that’s gonna essentially come with approval on the next public hearing. But 55/65 looks like we’ll still have to do some work to make sure that they are legally within their rights to ask for a rezoning for mixed use.” 

The Special Issues Committee set a public hearing for Oct. 9 to consider three sign variances for the Drury Inn at 160 State Farm Parkway. The committee did not make a recommendation on the matter, pending the hearing. 

Gilbert Mouyal attended the committee meeting in hopes of getting a variance to place a tent in the right of way at 2846 18^th St. S. Committee members dropped the matter, citing city code that prohibits the sale of goods on the sidewalk. 

“I will speak from my own perspective,” committee Chairwoman Barry Smith said. “I do not want our entire downtown sidewalks peppered with merchandise and racks and shoes and tables and tents.”