Photo by Sam Chandler.
Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer delivered his state-of-the-city address at the Homewood Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on Jan. 21 at The Club.
Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer delivered his 11th state-of-the-city address during the Homewood Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday, Jan. 21, at The Club.
Speaking to an audience of city officials and business leaders, he reflected on the past and looked toward the future.
“We’ve accomplished a great deal this past year, but a great deal more is coming,” McBrayer said.
The mayor began his speech by acknowledging the death of longtime Homewood Fire Chief John Bresnan, whose memorial service was held Jan. 15. McBrayer played audio from the ceremonial final call that was recorded in Bresnan’s honor and said it could take up to six months to name his replacement.
In the meantime, McBrayer said, Battalion Chief Nick Hill will serve as the acting chief. Hill spoke at the luncheon and recognized Matthew Murphree, an apparatus operator, as the Fire Department’s 2019 Firefighter of The Year.
“Matt always seems to make the right decision at the right time, and people look up to him,” Hill said.
After McBrayer remembered Bresnan, he praised the city’s leaders, beginning with the City Council. He called the group his “safety net.”
“I appreciate the amount of work that they put in every single day,” McBrayer said. “It’s not a one-day-a-week job.”
McBrayer then lauded Homewood City Schools, which he said continues to be one of the best school systems in the state, and Superintendent Bill Cleveland before diving into 2019 statistics underscoring the impact of Homewood’s fire and police departments.
McBrayer said the city’s Fire Department responded to 4,570 calls last year and logged more than 23,600 hours of training. The Police Department, meanwhile, responded to 40,000 calls and saw a 34% decline in all major crime categories.
The mayor said Homewood police officers made more than 3,700 arrests for the second straight year and the city has seen a 55% crime drop in the past four years. McBrayer commended Police Chief Tim Ross for his department’s good work.
“Chief, those are remarkable numbers, and the city of Homewood certainly appreciates you being out there and keeping us safe,” McBrayer said.
Ross also spoke at the luncheon and recognized Nick Altobella, who works the night shift, as Homewood’s 2019 Officer of the Year. Altobella, a SWAT team member, was one of the first officers Ross successfully recruited to the Police Department four years ago. In 2019, Ross said Altobella led the department with 459 arrests.
“It didn’t take long for me to realize that this new officer was a hard worker, a go-to guy, a hard charger,” Ross said.
After addressing Ross, McBrayer turned his attention to other city personnel. He highlighted the work of Homewood Public Library Executive Director Deborah Fout, whose building drew 436,000 visitors in 2019, and his own chief of staff, JJ Bischoff.
“I don’t even think I would attempt to do this job without him,” McBrayer said.
Across the board, McBrayer said city employees do an excellent job and approach their work with a “servant’s heart.”
One of them, Aimee Camper, was named Homewood’s Employee of the Year. She works for Melody Salter in the city clerk’s office, and Salter said Camper is a true team player.
“She never seeks the limelight, glory or attention, [and] is always trying to do her work tirelessly,” Salter said.
McBrayer said Homewood won’t just survive or hop along in 2020 but will continue to thrive.
It finished fiscal 2019 with a $1.2 million surplus — after awarding $370,000 in employee bonuses and transferring $1 million to the capital projects fund — and has a list of projects on tap for the coming year.
They include continued construction of a new public safety center, redevelopment of 18th Street South, renovation of Green Springs Highway, library expansion and construction of a new fire station on Green Springs.
In closing, McBrayer said the size of success is determined by the size of belief. And he said he believes “Homewood is just getting started.”