Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Homewood councilman Chris Lane. Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Councilman Chris Lane was unsuccessful in his attempt at delaying the assignment of council liaisons to Homewood boards.
When liaisons came up on the agenda, Lane moved to table the item, and then carry over, the appointments. The motion died for lack of a second. A subsequent motion to approve the appointments passed on a 3-1 vote.
Lane cast the lone no vote.
During the pre-council meeting, Lane said the appointments should have been done by the entire council and not Mayor Jennifer Andress. Specifically, Lane said he wants to be the council liaison to Samford University.
“According to the new form of government, we’re supposed to vote on each one of these appointments,” Lane said. “For instance, I'll say the Samford board. I get numerous calls. It's in my ward. It's in Councilor (Winslow) Armstead's ward also.
“I've been listening to this for a year now, about the (noise) situation,” he continued. “I would like to be part of that board. The only reason is because I'm involved with them all the time.”
Andress expressed concern that Lane’s status as a Samford contributor might send the wrong message to residents.
“I feel it would be inappropriate to have a booster of Samford,” she said. “We already get so much grief from our constituents that feel like we give, we have ... this relationship between the university and the city is complicated.
“I think it's inappropriate for a booster to be the liaison with Samford University,” the mayor continued. “That's where that came from.”
Council liaisons approved during the council meeting are as follows:
- Arts Advisory Council: Paul Simmons
- Beautification Board: Chris Lane
- Board of Education: Winslow Armstead
- Environmental Commission: Winslow Armstead
- Homewood Historic Preservation Commission: Nick Sims
- Library Board: Paul Simmons
- Parks and Recreation Board: Winslow Armstead
- Planning Commission: Nick Sims
- Chamber of Commerce: Chris Lane
- Samford: Paul Simmons
Prior to the meeting, Andress read a proclamation declaring Tuesday, Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. She noted that the lights at City Hall would be yellow in recognition of the observation.
In other action, the council:
- Approved having the mayor sign two letters of support for the Andrews Ambulatory Surgery Centers. The letters backed efforts to get certificates of need – one for four operating rooms from Baptist Health Princeton Hospital and four from Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital.
- Dropped a proposal to restrict on-street parking along the east side of Linden Avenue from Reese Street to Oxmoor Road.
- Approved the condemnation of a structure at 1625 26th Ave. S in Rosedale.
- Carried over consideration of an amended development plan for the proposed Homewood Community Church which would permit construction of a new, two-story building, comprising 30,797 square feet along with associated parking, landscaping and other site improvements.
- Carried over consideration of an amended development plan for Brookdale University Park to permit the proposed construction of a pickleball court on the south (rear) side of the Brookdale Senior Living Facility.
- Granted permission for the use of the plaza in front of City Hall for the Taste of Homewood event from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 19.
- Agreed to add a streetlight on an existing pose in front of 823 Cobb Street, and a streetlight at the crosswalk at the Shades Creek Greenway and Old Montgomery Highway.
