Wyatt sworn in, ServisFirst agreement changed at council meeting

The July 13 city council meeting saw a new face on the dais as Ward 4 council member Alex Wyatt was sworn into office and began his term.

Wyatt's wife Megan held the Bible as Judge Elisabeth French administered the oath of office. He was appointed to the public works, special issues and planning and development committees, as well as to serve as the library board liaison. Fellow Ward 4 Representative Barry Smith was appointed to the finance committee.

At the meeting, the council voted to appeal an April 27 tax abatement resolution for ServisFirst Bank, which is planning to move its headquarters to a property in Rosedale. City attorney Mike Kendrick explained that the 20-year abatement plan stipulated that the city would receive $30,000 per year from ServisFirst for the duration of the abatement.

When ServisFirst went to Jefferson County for approval of the county's portion of the tax abatement, the county asked to receive a portion of that $30,000 or a matching amount, Kendrick said. Due to this, ServisFirst and the city of Homewood agreed to terminate their previous agreement.

The new agreement, which the council approved at the July 13 meeting, will allow the city to receive the same amount of money, but the timing will be different. The city will begin receiving money in the 11th year of the tax abatement, but ServisFirst will increase its payments so the city's revenue is the same by year 20.

Kendrick explained that due to a recent change in county ordinances, Jefferson County can allow tax abatements for up to 20 years, instead of 10. However, after the 10-year mark, the county works out the abatements with the property owner on a year-by-year basis. By starting the city abatements in the 11th year, Kendrick said this removes the county's ability to argue that they're entitled to the same revenue as Homewood.

Other council business included:

• Recognizing the Homewood Park's 10-year-old and under girls' softball team, which went 49-6 in its season and won the USFA state championship. Mayor Scott McBrayer presented a plaque to the team expressing the city's appreciation.
• Approving a request for proposals for the city-owned vacant lot next to Patriot Park. The RFP will be sent out July 15, and all proposals must be received by August 31. The council plans to have a bid awarded by their first meeting in October.
• Accepting a bid of $363,054 from Bulls Construction Group for the Oak Grove Road paving, sidewalks and landscaping project.
• Approving a request for proposals to perform a city-wide traffic, biking and pedestrian study. The RFP will be sent out to consulting firms and traffic engineers, who will present their bids to the council at a later date.
• Approving a sign height variance request for the new Verizon store at 579 Brookwood Village. The council denied a sign number variance that asked for a fourth sign on the building facing O'Henry's Coffee. The store will have three signs, within the city's ordinance limits.
• Authorizing the mayor to enter a contract with IBERIABANK for new Visa department purchasing cards.
• Approving a pavement management system with Volkert Engineering.
• Approving the fire department to accept a grant from the Department of Homeland Security and the Jefferson County EMA for $8,044.
• Approving an easement on the property at 108 Woodmont Drive so the city can construct a wall to properly channel Griffin Creek and prevent flooding and erosion. The project is approved for up to $15,000 in costs.
• Approving a number of road closures for Brookwood Village: August 15 from 1-10 p.m. for the Just Show Up Show, September 24 and October 1 from 1-11 p.m. for the Brookwood Live series and November 14 from 1-10 p.m.for the Arrival of Singing Santa.
• Denying driveway and fence ordinance variance requests for the property at 605 Oakmoor Drive. The council denied the requests because they did not see a hardship necessitating the variance.
• Approving a fence variance for 1424 Melrose Place, and a resolution allowing the property owner to use city right-of-way.
• Approving a restaurant retail liquor license for La Sabrosita, 191 West Valley Avenue Suite 100.
• Approving an ordinance amendment changing parking prohibitions at the Roseland Drive-East Edgewood intersection. The no-parking zone has been changed from 50 feet away from the intersection to 40 feet.
• Authorizing the mayor to enter an agreement with J.R. Pruitt to explore cheaper healthcare options for city employees.
• Setting a public hearing for July 27 for a sign ordinance variance at 808 Green Springs Highway and consideration of declaring the property at 1704 26th Avenue South a public nuisance due to excessive growth.
• Dropping a request to set a public hearing for August 10 to consider ordinance amendments related to the West Homewood District and the repeal of the ordinance establishing the Community Development Review Committee. Kendrick suggested that the ordinances are too complex and need to be reviewed before being publicly posted. The issue has been sent to the planning and development committee.
• Declaring the property at 1602 Ridge Road a public nuisance due to excessive growth.
• Dropping requests to declare properties at 416 Raleigh Ave., 112 Knoll Crest Drive and 260 Oxmoor Road public nuisances. The properties have been cleaned up and made compliant with city codes.

The next city council meeting is July 27.