Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Homewood Councilwoman Barry Smith talks about what she considers to be improper use of city credit cards by employees during a meeting of the City Council's Finance Committee on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023.
Homewood Councilwoman Barry Smith this week said “way too many” Homewood city employees have a city credit card and, in some cases, are misusing those cards.
Smith’s comment came during Monday’s meeting of the council’s Finance Committee.
“My first big concern was the number of credit cards that we have out in the city,” Smith said. “Way too many. We have 37 people with city credit cards.”
Smith said past policy dictated that only department heads would have city credit cards, and she is “strongly advocating” a return to that policy.
“If there are members of those departments that need to use the credit card, they will have to get approval from their department head,” she said, adding that they should be used for things that they should “as opposed to things that they definitely should not.”
Homewood’s current policy on credit card use dates back to July 2010. “I feel like it's about time for us to update it,” she said.
“I think the biggest thing is this card is to be used for travel and emergency expenditures,” Smith said. “Having looked at a lot of these charges, unless there are emergencies happening at Chick-fil-A and steakhouses, I don't think those are considered emergencies.”
The Finance Committee carried over the matter for further discussion and later action.
The committee had planned to open bids for revised paving projects on Monday, but no bids were submitted.
Public Works Director Berkley Squires said there were no bids because the jobs were small. “Most of these [companies] now are looking for $1 million or so,” Squires said. “They’re thinking next year maybe we’ll need a bigger one.”
Squires said he will negotiate a deal with a company and bring it back to the committee for approval.
The Finance Committee did vote to amend the city’s contract with the Cahaba Solid Waste Disposal Authority to allow Amwaste, the company that picks up garbage and recyclables in the city, to buy fuel tax-free.
“It’s going to allow Amwaste to buy fuel through us, and then we’ll rebate according to the miles that they travel in the city,” said JJ Bishoff, the mayor’s chief of staff. “Pretty much all the municipalities that are members have opted [to do this]. It will amount to a savings.”
The Homewood City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Monday discussed adjustments for approving events that impact the normal flow of street flow and access. The fee for an event, such as a road race, would increase from $50 to $250, and the event organizer would have to post signs about the event seven days in advance and remove those signs after the event.
The city would post information on the event on the city’s website and put out message boards to warn motorists to expect delays. Chairman Andy Gwaltney said he will finalize the requirements for possible passage at the next committee meeting.
The council’s Planning and Development Committee considered a request to rezone property at 55 Bagby Drive and 65 Bagby Drive to a mixed-used district. John Chapman, the owner of the properties, wants to rehabilitate the two existing vacant office buildings there for a new mixed-use development containing residential apartments and office space for mental health and life service organizations.
The request was sent to the full council without a recommendation pending a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Oct. 9.
Chapman is particularly interested in providing lodging for LGBTQ+ seniors and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“We currently operate quite a few multifamily communities,” Chapman said. “Over the history of our management of those projects, we've interacted with both of these sets of folks. We see the need.”
The council’s Special Issues Committee set Oct. 23 as the date for public hearings for sign variances at 2713 18th Place South and 169 State Farm Parkway, Suite 101.
