Illustration by Sarah Owens
Monday night’s meeting of the Homewood City Council will mark the end of an era — the city’s last under its long-standing mayor-council form of government and the final regular session for many of the council members who have led it.
The Oct. 27 meeting will close a chapter in Homewood history. Beginning Nov. 3, the city will transition to a council-manager system approved by voters in 2024 — one that reduces the council from 11 members to five and introduces a full-time city manager to oversee daily operations. Mayor-elect Jennifer Andress and four newly elected council members will be sworn in at an organizational meeting set for 6 p.m. Nov. 3 at City Hall.
The transition completes a process years in the making. Under the new structure, each of Homewood’s four wards will be represented by one council member, and the mayor will serve as a voting member and council president. The change also formalizes the role of a professional city manager, a position outlined by Alabama law and intended to ensure consistent oversight, operational leadership and alignment with the city’s long-term goals.
Interim City Manager Glen Adams, appointed earlier this year, has already played a central role in preparing for the transition. Adams led the city’s 2025-26 budget process, oversaw department-level strategic planning and laid the groundwork for Homewood’s first comprehensive plan in more than two decades. That plan — expected to begin early next year — will help define city priorities and guide capital planning for years to come.
“This is probably one of the most vetted budget cycles I've personally been through,” Adams told The Homewood Star earlier this year, crediting staff and department heads for weeks of coordination.
Mayor-elect Andress, who previously represented Ward 5, said the shift will allow the council to focus more on policy and less on day-to-day operations.
“For Homewood, it means we are going to transition to this new form of government with our city manager doing full-time management day to day, which he’s already doing,” Andress told The Homewood Star. “Really, it’s just going to be a more efficient form of government.”
Monday’s meeting will also mark the final regular session for several longtime elected officials, including Council President Walter Jones and Interim Mayor Alex Wyatt. Wyatt — who took over in 2024 following the resignation of Mayor Patrick McClusky — chose not to seek re-election and said his goal was to ensure a stable handoff to the next administration.
“I am retiring at the end of this term, which was always my plan,” Wyatt told The Homewood Star after taking office. “I think it’s time for someone else to start to do the two jobs that I’ve been doing, and I look forward to them doing that. But it’s something that has been immensely rewarding, and I look forward to doing it for one more year.”
Monday’s meeting will also mark the final regular session for nine of the city’s 11 current council members — many of whom have helped shape city policy for years, and in some cases, decades. Those concluding their council service include:
Council President Walter Jones, who has served on the council across two decades since 1996
Andy Gwaltney and Melanie Geer of Ward 1
Carlos Alemán and Andrew Wolverton of Ward 2
Jody Brant of Ward 3
Barry Smith and Jalete Nelms of Ward 4
John Hardin of Ward 5
Andress, who has represented Ward 5 since 2016, will transition into her new role as mayor and council president beginning Nov. 3.
Only one current council member — Nick Sims, now representing Ward 2 under the redrawn map — will return to serve in the new structure. In addition to Andress, the new council will include Paul Simmons (Ward 1), Chris Lane (Ward 3), and Winslow Armstead (Ward 4). Lane won a September runoff to secure the final open seat.
The next regular council meeting is scheduled for Nov. 10.
