Homewood officials are juggling millions in departmental requests and a busy council agenda as the city’s first budget under a council–city manager system moves toward approval. Last week’s Sept. 11 budget hearing focused on courts, traffic, public works and parks, while Monday’s Sept. 15 City Council meeting will bring public hearings and committee referrals on development, fines and major capital priorities.
Together, the two sessions illustrate how the city’s $128.5 million budget plan is being shaped in real time, with department heads pressing their needs and council members weighing both day-to-day operations and long-term investments. The budget will be inherited in November by Mayor-elect Jennifer Andress and a newly elected council.
Sept. 11 budget hearing recap
Homewood Magistrate Laura Roberts told council members that the court had 12,876 outstanding warrants when she started in her role and still has about 9,000 active warrants, underscoring the need for a full-time warrant officer.
“When I first started, we have 12,876 warrants,” she said. “The police department just does not have the manpower to dedicate to this, and it impacts our ability to move cases forward.”
Roberts also requested a full-time bailiff, partially funded through corrections and court funds, and asked that a full-time clerk position remain funded so it can be filled. She asked permission to use $10,000 of court funds for new office furniture and up to $45,000 of court funds for a vehicle. She also urged updates to the city’s outdated fine schedule.
“Our fine schedule is outdated. The maximum fine for an ordinance violation is $100. We’re asking to raise that to $500,” Roberts said. “Parking fines should increase to $100, and handicapped parking fines should be set at $500.”
Council members noted that these changes would require ordinance updates and agreed to send the issue to the Public Safety Committee for review.
Traffic seeks signal upgrades, vehicle replacement
Traffic Maintenance Supervisor Randy Hambly requested three main items: an automatic security gate to replace the padlocked gate at the department’s shared building with police, $75,000 for new traffic signal controllers and cameras, and a replacement vehicle.
“We’re asking for an automatic security gate to replace the padlocked gate we have now at the building we share with the police department,” Hambly said. “We need $75,000 for signal controllers and camera upgrades. What we’ve got out there now is 1990s equipment, and it’s past its usefulness.”
“We also need a replacement vehicle. One of our older trucks was surplused, and this will keep the department running,” he said.
Public Works asks $2M for facility renovation
Public Works Director Berkley Squires told council members that his department’s facility, built in 1984, needs major upgrades.
“Our facility was built in 1984, and it is showing its age. We’re asking for two million dollars for renovations,” he said. “We need covered storage for equipment, ADA-compliant restrooms, and expanded locker rooms for our crews.”
He also asked for small equipment for ditch work and sidewalk repairs and requested a mini excavator to allow two sidewalk crews to operate simultaneously.
“A mini excavator would allow us to run two sidewalk crews at once, which would be a big help,” Squires said.
Fleet needs included replacing three aging trucks.
“We’ve got three trucks that need to be replaced. They’re old and no longer cost-effective to maintain,” he said.
Council members noted that in-house sidewalk and ADA ramp work has already saved the city significant money compared to contracting it out.
“Doing sidewalk and ADA ramp work in-house has already saved the city a lot of money compared to contracting it out,” Squires said.
Parks & Recreation seeks repairs, staffing restoration
Squires, also serving as Parks & Recreation Director, outlined requests for park improvements and staffing.
“We need to refinish the gym floors at the Community Center. They’re due, and it’s a safety issue as much as appearance,” he said. “The shade structures at Central Pool have deteriorated and need replacing.”
“At Central Park, some of the wooden bridges are worn out. We’re asking to replace those,” Squires said. “We want to start restroom renovations at Central, beginning with the women’s side.”
Equipment requests included routine replacements such as mowers, carts, a blower, a sprayer and a storage building, plus three new trucks for the parks department.
“We’re requesting $500,000 for design work at the Senior Center so we can move forward with upgrades there,” he said.
Squires also requested restoring four long-unfunded park labor positions from 2011, adding skilled laborers and expanding trail and right-of-way crews.
“We’d like to restore four park labor positions that have been unfunded since 2011,” Squires said.
Council also discussed future updates for Overton and Woodland Parks and maintenance at Spring Park.
Sept. 15 council meeting preview
Council members will meet Monday, Sept. 15, at City Hall with a packed agenda of public hearings and committee referrals.
A public hearing will be held on a development plan amendment for a new 7Brew Coffee Stand at Wildwood. Council will also hold multiple nuisance property hearings for overgrown or littered sites across the city, and take up no-parking and crosswalk changes in the Edgewood business district.
Other agenda items include contract amendments for Patriot Park parking spaces, sponsorship for the Birmingham Bowl, and right-of-way work at 1 West Lakeshore Drive.
Several major items are being sent to committees for review, including design services for Fire Station #2, a reimbursement agreement with Jefferson County on the I-65/Lakeshore diverging diamond project, a bid date for the Shades Creek Greenway Trailhead Pavilion, a new fiber optic franchise agreement, and an ordinance to raise court fines. An ordinance on encampment regulations and requests for new streetlights and budget amendments are also slated for referral.
Why it matters
The budget hearings and council agenda reflect the city’s priorities at a pivotal moment. Department heads are outlining millions in needs, from staff to facilities, while the council considers policy changes and development plans. Both processes connect back to the $128.5 million spending plan that will guide Homewood into its next administration.
Remaining budget hearing schedule:
Thursday, Sept. 18 — IT and Fleet
Wednesday, Sept. 24 — Administration, City Manager and Finance
Thursday, Sept. 25 — Revenues, General Fund and employee funding matters (COLA, bonuses, insurance, etc.)
Monday, Sept. 29 (if needed) — Hearing to address final adjustments ahead of budget adoption later that night
