birmghamal.gov
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday evening approved Mayor Randall L. Woodfin’s $455 million FY 2022 operating budget which contains money for neighborhood revitalization including $10 million for street paving, an additional $1 million sidewalk budget and funds to maintain demolition and weed abatement.
The council approved the budget 8-0. Councilor Stephen Hoyt was present but did not vote.
“The budget that passed today is the most significant in Birmingham’s history,” Woodfin said. “As we continue to recover from the effects of COVID, this historic investment in our people and neighborhoods will make everyone whole again.
The budget provides a 1.5 percent pay raise for city employees and funds merit and longevity pay, paid city holidays and fully funds the employee pension program with a city contribution of more than $32 million.
“This is a moment of recovery and restoration for our city,” Woodfin said in a statement. “I want to thank the council for working alongside me to ensure our shared priorities of neighborhood revitalization and fiscal responsibility are supported in this budget.”
The spending plan funds public safety, the Birmingham Promise initiative and establishes a $50,000 grant program to pair city and neighborhood association funds to expand traffic calming strategies throughout the city. The boards and agencies which partner with the city to provide services for residents will also be fully funded.
Proposed spending in the budget includes:
- $32.5 million for pension
- $10 million for street resurfacing
- $4.1 million for cost of living adjustment (COLA)
- $3.15 million for demolition and weed abatement
- $2.7 million for merit pay
- $1.5 million for longevity pay
- $300,000 for the Land Bank Authority
- $300,000 for recycling pilot program
- $890,000 for social services
- $275,000 for ADA sidewalks
Education and public safety are also covered in the proposed budget which includes $3 million for education with $1 million to Birmingham City Schools, which was cut last year and $2 million for the Birmingham Promise, an initiative that provides funds for tuition and work experience for Birmingham City Schools students entering Alabama’s public two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
There will also be a continued investment into crime prevention and the Birmingham Police Department, which is budgeted at $99.3 million, according to the spending plan.
The budget was passed ahead of the start of the 2022 fiscal year which will run from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
