2026-09-29 - City Council

00:00Tuesday, September 29th. Please stand

00:02for our invocation led by Pastor Tony

00:04Lair, public safety chaplain, and remain

00:07standing for the pledge of allegiance.

00:09>> Well, I'd like to say it's always a joy

00:11to serve the council, and I apologize

00:13last week that we were not represented,

00:15but I heard that the mayor prayed and

00:17that he prayed forever in a day. Is that

00:19true? I've already been told as I be

00:22coming in. Now, chaplain, keep it short.

00:24The mayor prayed for a half hour last

00:26week. That was amazing that our mayor

00:28led us in prayer. Let's pray together.

00:30Humble people. Father, we thank you for

00:32the day that you've given us. And we we

00:34pledge to honor you in our stewardship

00:36of the day.

00:38And we begin our time together in this

00:40room with praise and thanksgiving to

00:42you. But we now ask you, would you favor

00:45us with your presence and may your

00:48spirit guide our thoughts, our words,

00:51and even help us emotionally. We pray.

00:54We want to honor you. And may our city

00:56continue, Father, to bring glory to your

00:58name. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

01:02>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

01:05United States of America and to the

01:08republic for which it stands, one nation

01:11under God, indivisible, with liberty and

01:14justice for all.

01:21[snorts]

01:25>> Roll call. President Small

01:27>> here. Vice President Gregory

01:29>> here.

01:29>> Council member Penn

01:30>> here.

01:31>> Council member Ingram

01:32>> here. Council member Reynolds

01:34>> here.

01:34>> Council member Fleming

01:36>> here.

01:36>> Council member Woods [snorts]

01:37>> here.

01:38>> Statement of rules.

01:39>> And good morning everyone.

01:41>> It's good to see everyone this morning.

01:42Welcome to our September 29th, 2026

01:45meeting. At this meeting, we do have

01:48rules. At this time, I ask that anyone

01:50have any type of electronic device,

01:52including cell phones, please at this

01:53time put on the offer of the vibrate

01:55position. the offer of the vibrate

01:57position.

01:59Any person that desire to address the

02:01Mobile City Council must sign in

02:02indicating the resolution, the

02:05ordinance, a public hearing agenda item

02:07before entering the meeting. When

02:09addressing this council, the speaker

02:10must give his or her name. Any person

02:13desiring to speak to a council on a

02:15non-aggenda item must contact the city

02:16clerk office no later than 2:00 here on

02:18the Thursday prior to the council

02:20meeting. the subject that he or she wish

02:22to express to the mobile city council

02:23must be identified and pertain to the

02:25city of Mobile business. Anyone who has

02:28not given proper note to the city clerk

02:29office and wish to speak on another

02:31agenda item will not be allowed to

02:32address this council. Each speaker is

02:35allowed three minutes to address this

02:36council. A bail would sound to indicate

02:38the end of two minutes. One minute

02:40remain for summarizing. The second bail

02:42indicates that your time has expired.

02:44When addressing this council, there be

02:46no personal address to any individual

02:48council members. All statements are made

02:50to the chair who will recognize any

02:52council member who wishes to respond to

02:54maintain the the corum. There'll be none

02:56to applause or public outcry allowed.

02:58Madam clerk

03:00>> approval of minutes of September 22nd

03:03>> moved second

03:04>> properly move and second. Any

03:05discussion? All in favor?

03:07>> I.

03:08>> All oppose minutes approved.

03:10>> Communications from Mayor Chair Gatis.

03:15>> Yeah, Council President. And I'll be

03:16making remarks on behalf of Mayor

03:18Cheratus who brings greetings to the

03:20everyone present. He's traveling on city

03:22business today.

03:24But to celebrate the launch of the

03:26second line transit, the mayor wants to

03:28invite the members of the council on a

03:29trolley ride along uh downtown tomorrow,

03:33Wednesday, at 1:30 p.m. You will all

03:37meet at the southwest corner of Marty

03:39Gro Park. The second line transit

03:40officially launched yesterday with new

03:42routes and expanded microtransit system

03:45in the trolley.

03:47It's the start of a new era in Mobile's

03:49transit system. A more accessible, more

03:52reliable, more efficient system that

03:54will work for all mobileians. Our

03:57transportation partner, VIA, has done an

03:59incredible job of getting us to this

04:01point. The mayor truly believes that the

04:03transit system can now reach its full

04:05potential.

04:07The Harlem Globe Trotters, the famous

04:09Harlem Globe Trotters are bringing their

04:11rivalry tour uh to the new region's

04:14arena. The high-flying basketball team

04:17will take to the court Saturday, April

04:1924th, 2027. Tickets go on sale this

04:22Friday at 10:00 a.m. and can be

04:24purchased at ticketmaster.com.

04:27The announcement adds another event to

04:29an already spectacular opening of the

04:31facility which officially starts on

04:32March the 25th 20 through the 27th, 2027

04:37with three shows by the Red Clay Strays.

04:40Comedian Matt Matthews will follow with

04:42his show on April 3rd, 2027.

04:46It's exciting to see the venue open to

04:48the public. It's also exciting to see

04:49the lineup of shows already, and I'm

04:52sure there's more to come, so stay

04:54tuned.

04:55Uh, this is suicide prevention month and

04:58so I'll be reading a proclamation. I'll

05:00call up Carrie McNair, Lori Evans, and

05:03Jamie Connelly to the podium.

05:13Whereas suicide is a preventable public

05:16health issue and leading cause of death

05:18in the United States, affecting

05:20individuals, families, and communities

05:21across all ages. And whereas in 2024

05:25more than 48,000 Americans died by

05:28suicide, including 837 Alamians,

05:32while thousands more sought support

05:34through the 988 suicide and crisis

05:36lifeline. And whereas suicide is

05:39complex, influenced by multiple

05:41contributing factors and stigma

05:43surrounding the mental health and

05:44suicidal thoughts can discourage people

05:47and individuals from seeking life-saving

05:49support. And whereas everyone has a role

05:52in suicide prevention by recognizing

05:54warning signs, encouraging open

05:56conversations, promoting mental health

05:58awareness, and connecting those in

06:00crisis to the appropriate resources. And

06:03whereas organizations like the American

06:05Foundation for Suicide Prevention,

06:07advance suicide prevention through

06:09research, education, advocacy, and

06:12support for those affected by suicide.

06:14And whereas the city of Mobile

06:16recognizes the importance of expanding

06:18access to mental health services,

06:20promoting lethal means safety, and

06:22supporting suicide prevention

06:24initiatives through our community. Now

06:26therefore, I Spiro in Cheragatus, the

06:29109th mayor of the city of Mobile, do

06:31hereby proclaim September 2026 as

06:34suicide prevention month and encourage

06:36all residents to foster hope, reduce

06:39stigma, and support efforts to prevent

06:41suicide. done at the city of Mobile this

06:4529th day of September 2026. Signed

06:48Sparrow in Cheragatus, the 109th mayor

06:50of the city of Mobile.

07:13>> [clears throat]

07:18>> Good morning. My name is Lori Evans.

07:23>> Good morning. My name is Lori Evans. I

07:26sit on the state board for the American

07:28Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Um I

07:30do live here in Mobile. Uh but I travel

07:33to Montgomery. Well, we travel to

07:35Montgomery once a year to talk talk to

07:36our state legislators. And this past

07:38spring, I had the opportunity to travel

07:40with AFSP to Washington DC to talk to

07:43our um legislators up there. Thank you

07:46so much for recognizing September is

07:48suicide awareness month. If you've been

07:50watching the news lately, you'll know

07:51that we have a rise in suicide attempts

07:53among our young people. Um and that

07:56we've seen this a lot in the news

07:58lately. What we have to offer at AFSP is

08:01training. Um our flagship program is

08:03Talk Saves Lives. This is free. I would

08:06love for anybody to contact me if you

08:08know a group that would like to be

08:09trained. Our biggest barrier to suicide

08:12prevention is stigma. Um, and that's

08:14something we want to fight. Uh, we also

08:16have a walk coming up, our out of the

08:17darkness walk. It's the South Alabama

08:19out of the darkness walk. It is um in

08:21Daphne on Sunday, October 11th. And I'm

08:23going to leave this here for y'all. And

08:25in March, the University of South

08:27Alabama also has a campus walk through

08:29AFSP. So, one thing, our biggest thing

08:32is we're here to bring awareness to let

08:34those know that they are not alone,

08:36those that suffer um as survivors and

08:40those that suffer with thoughts um those

08:42with mental health issues. Anything

08:44else? Okay. Anything? Okay. Uh any

08:48questions for me?

08:51>> Yeah. Thank you all so much for what you

08:52do for our community.

08:57>> I'm going to call on Centrice Mayor

08:59Williams. She's going to introduce our

09:00employee of the month.

09:18>> Good morning.

09:20>> Morning. It has been a priority of mine

09:22to recognize one member for our from our

09:25team each year who truly exemplifies our

09:28core values and the principles we strive

09:30to uphold as a legal department because

09:33we make this recognition only once a

09:35year. It is particularly meaningful

09:37honor for our team. Uh today I'm

09:40delighted to recognize Joyce Jackson as

09:42our employee of the month for 2026. Come

09:45on down Joyce. I affectionately call her

09:48Joy Joys because she is such a delight

09:50to work with. But what makes Joy

09:53especially special is the combination of

09:55her positive spirit, her diligence, and

09:58her competence, which is a rare find.

10:01Joyce consistently goes above and beyond

10:03without anyone having to ask. She does

10:06the right thing when no one is looking.

10:07She volunteers to step in and help

10:10without seeking recognition or praise.

10:12Though she is assigned to our criminal

10:14division, she continues to support our

10:16civil division to provide additional

10:18parallegal support. She has even stepped

10:20into fill in as the executive assistant,

10:22which I definitely appreciate. And

10:24beyond her regular responsibilities,

10:26Joyce participates in our many outreach

10:28opportunities, always willing to

10:30represent our office and contribute to

10:32the community in the most meaningful

10:34ways. I could stand here and talk about

10:36Joy Joyce all day, but I know that's not

10:39what you all want me to do. But I do

10:41know her immediate supervisor, Grant

10:42Gibson, has a few words. So I will ask

10:44that he comes that he comes down for

10:46just a moment and I'll step aside and

10:48let Grant take this over. But

10:50congratulations again, Joyce. You are

10:52truly most deserving of this honor and

10:54we are so proud to have you on our team.

10:56Thank Congratulations.

11:00[applause]

11:04All

11:05>> [applause]

11:09>> right.

11:12Okay.

11:30>> Yeah. Congratulations to you.

11:33I have a just a brief uh comment that

11:35I'd like to say and obviously Essenti

11:37said she's an excellent worker and she

11:40is always has a positive attitude but

11:42there's something special about her that

11:45stands out and to me that's her true

11:47pride for working for and with the city

11:50of Mobile and I'm not talking about

11:51someone who comes into work or with a I

11:53love Mobile t-shirt that's great I'm

11:55talking about someone who goes out in

11:57the community and the community is able

11:58to you know

12:02understand how much she enjoys her work.

12:04And we know this because when she

12:05volunteers a lot of times for our

12:06community outreach program, especially

12:08with schools and children, the feedback

12:10is so positive about how much the

12:13children enjoyed the interaction and

12:15conversation with her. She just

12:17represents the city in such a wonderful

12:18way and I I think that's something you

12:20can't put a value on. So, thank you

12:22again for recognizing her today.

12:26[applause]

12:31And that'll conclude the mayor's

12:33remarks. All right. Thank you, madam

12:35clerk.

12:37Monthly finance report.

13:13>> [cough and clears throat]

13:14>> Hello.

13:16I did want to start just thanking

13:18everybody

13:20on the budget process. Um, I did very

13:23much appreciate all the questions and

13:25meetings. I think

13:28I I gained a lot from it. So, you know,

13:30we understand what matters to the

13:32counselors, how to

13:34um, you know, make sure the budget's

13:36fitting the agenda of the city. I I

13:39enjoy the process. So, thanks to

13:41everybody and that that includes

13:42internally within the administration.

13:46Uh, the step now is to steward it.

13:49[clears throat] So, to the financials,

13:53pull my balance sheet out.

13:58Uh cash, you might be surprised, was

14:00actually an inflow for the month. That

14:03was because of two big transfers.

14:06We received three million in

14:08reimbursements, federal reimbursements

14:10related to transit, which were budgeted

14:13and due. And then

14:16that Jim Barber mentioned at the

14:18pre-counsel, the

14:21uh fixtures, furniture 11.8 million.

14:25Earlier this fiscal year, the council

14:27had a resolution was transferred that

14:29money to the capital fund to cover that

14:32to be reimbursed by the portion of the

14:34arena um being contributed to by OVG.

14:40We've got half of those 15 million

14:44um you know there what what's due from

14:47them? They have benchmarks. We've got

14:49half of the 15 million back. So that

14:51came back into the general fund.

14:55The other half will come when the

14:56arena's completed. But anyway, that's

14:58what's driving the fact that cash is

15:00actually up this week. So or up this

15:02month. So

15:04uh total net income for the city

15:06including that was 7 million for the

15:08month. Take out those transfers would

15:10otherwise been close to -4 million. So

15:14we are 11 months into the year

15:18uh total revenues. So 11 months into the

15:21year, it's 96 92%

15:24of the way into the year. Total revenues

15:27are at 95.5%

15:29of budget. We do feel that's a a

15:32positive result.

15:34Bright spots in sales taxes, property

15:37taxes, the online sales tax to a

15:41positive slightly lesser degree,

15:42business license tax. Uh the main

15:45non-bright spot has been interest income

15:47as we discussed in the finance committee

15:50meetings.

15:52Uh and then below revenue we have the

15:53two transfers which I just mentioned. On

15:56the expenditure side, total departmental

15:59expenditures citywide are at 82% of

16:01budget. Once again, that compares to

16:04about being 92% of the way into the

16:08year.

16:10When you include the non-EP departmental

16:11expenditures and transfers, that

16:13increases to 85% of the budget on total

16:17city budgeted expenditures and transfers

16:19after 11 months. So, we continue to

16:23watch these closely.

16:26Happy to answer any questions that you

16:28guys have.

16:29>> Uh, council,

16:33>> Mr. President.

16:34>> Uh, Councilwoman,

16:36>> for some reason, it appears I have two

16:38different reports, but I I do want to

16:40point out um I'm looking at the um

16:45unexpended or the variance in terms of

16:48the budget first starting with municipal

16:50enforcement. Again, when you look at

16:52municipal enforcement, um it shows that

16:56the year-to-ate actual is like at a

16:58million and three on the document I'm

17:01looking at. But again, I see two

17:03different ones. Um, and then it moves

17:07over to the variance of about 933

17:12available. My concern again is that this

17:16shows, and I know we're 11 months in,

17:18almost 30% of the budget not executed.

17:22And I can take you to that pattern from

17:24municipal enforcement over to public

17:27services. And again, those are two of

17:29the areas for district 2 that is

17:31critical for us to be able to get the

17:33quality of services, public services

17:35that we need. So I'm just bringing that

17:37I know that like you said now comes the

17:39stewardship of it. So if we can just

17:42ensure that we really have a plan to

17:44execute in terms of this and then um you

17:47know moving forward if we can consider a

17:49way to share with us a report that will

17:52allow us to see early on if positions

17:54are being filled. So, for example, we

17:57don't get to the end and realize, okay,

17:58we're 11 months in and 30% of the budget

18:01has not been executed. We'll know, you

18:04know, two months in, this position still

18:06has not been filled, 3 months, if we can

18:08figure out a way to have that type of

18:10information because that will help us

18:12ensure that we're executing the budget

18:14as planned. But other than that, I just

18:16I also want to thank you for the work

18:19that you and your team put into the

18:21process for us to plan for the upcoming

18:23year. Um it was you know very

18:25informative especially for me as a new

18:27person but just your responsiveness and

18:29willingness to rapidly provide those

18:32responses to all the questions. Again

18:34thank you Logan

18:36>> and other council members.

18:39>> Thank you so much.

18:40>> Thank you.

18:45>> Adoption of the agenda.

18:48>> So move

18:49>> second move in second. Any discussion?

18:52All in favor?

18:53>> I.

18:53>> All oppose. Agenda's adopted.

18:56>> Appeals. We have requests for a wave of

18:58the noise ordinance on October the 4th

19:00on Conception Street, October the 10th

19:02on Dolphin Street, October 5th through

19:05the 9th, Dolphin Island Parkway, and May

19:07the 1st in Langen Park Pavilion.

19:10>> So move second.

19:12>> Move and second. Any discussion? All in

19:14favor? I.

19:15>> All oppose. Appeal passes. Presentation

19:19of petitions and other communications to

19:21the council. Randy Reed.

19:37>> Good morning.

19:38>> Council friends. I'm Randy Reid. I

19:41represent the uh uh Mobile Fire

19:44Department Retiree Association. But

19:46anyway, this morning I'm kind of

19:48representing all retirees for the city

19:50and I just this is for FYI because

19:53sometimes we don't think about this and

19:56anyway the true cost of retirees health

19:59insurance is what I'd like to speak on.

20:01When a retiree reaches the age of 65,

20:05they go on to Medicare. they're moved

20:06over onto Medicare and the city the cost

20:09of the city's Humana Park that they pay

20:12is I'm 287 somewhere around there before

20:1720 uh 2015 I believe or somewhere around

20:22$287 a month but Medicare Part B

20:25everybody has to pay $185 that's per

20:29person when you go on there uh they have

20:33to purchase their dental and their

20:35vision that's close to $90 per person.

20:39I'm speaking couple here. Uh cuz

20:41hopefully we're still a couple when we

20:43get older cuz we need each other. But

20:46anyway,

20:48if you take and add all of these up per

20:52on a couple expense, you're looking at

20:55$837

20:56a month for insurance that we were

21:00getting 260 when we were at the city. So

21:05it jumps to $837

21:08a month. And most of the time we don't

21:10think about that. So when you're

21:12increasing

21:14the contribution that city retirees does

21:17for the city, you're putting that on top

21:20of $837

21:22and they're all on a fixed income. Even

21:25my group didn't think about this until I

21:27broke out the figures the other day and

21:29they were all like, "Oh, have mercy.

21:31You're right." And uh my wife went into

21:34a panic and said, "Quit talking to me."

21:36She's not at 65 yet. She's worried. But

21:40anyway, that's what I would like for

21:43y'all to know and and consider. And

21:46anytime

21:47we're putting over on Medicare, if

21:49there's anything that we can do toward

21:52this, I appreciate your help. Thank you.

21:56>> Thank you,

21:59>> Mary Walker.

22:11Good morning.

22:12>> Morning

22:13>> to councilman to the council president

22:16small and to all of you that are present

22:18here this morning. I came down. I'm Mary

22:22Walker. Mary B as Betty Walker. I live

22:287099 Old Military Road in Theodore,

22:31Alabama. My concerns this morning was

22:35the removal of the ambulance from our

22:39fire station. I learned when I got here

22:42from the chief that the ambulance

22:44service will not be moved. I want to

22:47personally thank uh Miss Brown, the uh

22:51mayor's assistants, the mayor, uh the

22:54fire chief, and all those that was

22:57involved with making this decision

23:00uh to help us remain, you know, viable

23:05with our emergency service in Theodore.

23:08And I just like to say thank you to

23:11everyone here. And I have some people

23:14that came along with me. Would you raise

23:16your hand?

23:18Those are part of the theater community

23:20that is concerned about the health and

23:22the welfare of our community because a

23:26good community

23:28and a healthy committee community make a

23:31healthy city and I believe in the pledge

23:34of allegiance uh which says in uh with

23:39liberty indivisible with liberty and

23:42justice for all. And I'm sure the rest

23:43of you believe in that same concept. And

23:46I just like to say thank you. I will be

23:49back to the council.

23:51I come on a regular basis at times. And

23:55thank you so much for those who made

23:58sure that the health and the welfare of

24:01Theodore would remain

24:04healthy.

24:06Make Mobile better.

24:07>> Thank you.

24:10Sabrina Mass.

24:21>> Morning.

24:22>> Morning.

24:23>> Sabrina Mass.

24:25Um, this is about the public safety

24:27committee meeting that was held last

24:28week. Um, but I would like to state some

24:30things, please. Um, I stand with

24:33Director Graves and I have questions for

24:35council district 2. I want to be very

24:38clear. I support director Graves and I

24:41support the MPD. I am a strong supporter

24:45of professionalism and police leadership

24:47in Mobile. That is why I believe council

24:50district 2 Ingram's remark, excuse me,

24:52District 2 remarks and demands

24:54concerning police incident reporting

24:56deserve to be questioned. Oversight is

24:58one thing. Attempting to insert the city

25:00council into the operational reporting

25:02and management of police incident is

25:05another. Council members have an

25:07important responsibility to ask

25:09questions and hold government

25:10accountabil accountable. But

25:12accountability should not become a

25:14necessary interference with the people

25:16that are entrusted to manage public

25:18safety. So I have a direct question for

25:21district 2. What exactly are you trying

25:23to accomplish by demanding these police

25:25incident reports? And where do you

25:27believe the proper boundary lies between

25:29council oversight and police operations?

25:32The Mobile Police Department has already

25:34established procedures for incident

25:35reports and records. Citizens deserve

25:38transparency, but they also deserve a

25:40clear chain of command and a

25:41professional public safety management. I

25:44will not sit quietly while the work of

25:46public safety leadership is questioned

25:47without a clear explanation of what

25:49problem these demands are actually

25:51solving. Director Graves should be

25:53allowed to do the job he was appointed

25:55to do by you all an unanimously. Police

25:58leadership should be allowed to manage

26:00police operations and the city council

26:02should exercise oversight without trying

26:04to run the department. If council and

26:07district 2 believe something is wrong,

26:08then put the facts on the table.

26:10Identify the specific problem. Explain

26:12the policy that was violated. Show the

26:14public the evidence. But simply making

26:17demands is not the same thing as

26:18accountability. Mobile needs leadership,

26:21not confusion over who is actually

26:22responsible for running public safety. I

26:24support Director Graves. I support MPD.

26:27I support our police officers. And I

26:29will continue to question any attempt to

26:31blur the line between legitimate council

26:32oversight and operational interference.

26:34The thing that I'm frustrated with is

26:36why what are the resolutions? Go after

26:39the people that are violating the laws

26:41downtown and in the city of Mobile. The

26:43police department and this

26:45administration have enough to deal with.

26:48And I have been here 20 years. And I

26:49promise you if Mobile Police or Director

26:52Graves or anybody was doing something to

26:54profile people, violate the citizens, we

26:57have been in this city 20 years fighting

26:59for change and the changes have came

27:01because the police have worked with the

27:02citizens. The city council has worked

27:04with the citizens. I am very happy with

27:07the way the police department is being

27:08ran and 90% of the citizens are happy at

27:12this point because believe me, they will

27:14be down here at this podium. We will be

27:16out there protesting. We have a history

27:18of it. And I say I stand with Mobile

27:20Police. The city council has their

27:22responsibilities. You unanimously

27:25appointed Director Grace and the Chief

27:26of Police. So, is there something I'm

27:28missing? Thank you,

27:31>> Mr. President.

27:32>> Uh, Councilwoman Ingram.

27:33>> Um, I want to clarify for the public. I

27:36think it's so important that we keep the

27:37public informed because we all have

27:39constituent constituents we represent

27:42and we have a responsibility. But I want

27:44to clarify. I have not requested a

27:46change in protocol, nor have I requested

27:48information that cannot legally or

27:50appropriately be shared. What I did

27:52request and what we all requested was

27:55the fact that as the representatives,

27:58the city council should be informed in a

28:01timely and accurate way through

28:02communication.

28:04That's the only way we can fulfill our

28:06responsibility to the citizens that we

28:08represent. When citizens bring concerns

28:12about issues in the community, that is

28:15our responsibility to gather the

28:18information and to at least what can

28:20legally be shared to let them know that

28:23our police department is working the

28:25issue. Our safety department is working

28:28the issue. Our role is to advocate for

28:31our citizens, but also to advocate for

28:33public safety for the public safety

28:35department. And the only way we can do

28:37that is by being informed. And I want to

28:40thank um uh Director Graves for

28:43providing the information, letting the

28:45public know that yes, a protocol was

28:47broken. And guess what? That tells you

28:50right there that our public safety

28:52department is on top of the job. It was

28:54there was a protocol broken. They

28:56followed the process and they followed

28:58through with it. So that's the only

28:59protocol that uh that was addressed in

29:02that meeting. And I think it's important

29:04that the public know and they can

29:05differentiate between the two. Um I

29:08think that um executive director shared

29:11with us that a video that surfaced

29:15they found that there was a break in the

29:18policy. They dealt with that and that is

29:20a testimony to the strong and the

29:22strength that the strength that we have

29:24in our public safety department. But

29:27again, I want to close with the fact

29:28that we have a legal department that for

29:31FY 2026, I think we might have invest uh

29:35budgeted $9 million across all of all

29:37the attorneys. And I am confident that

29:40they're not that they will not break a

29:42protocol to keep us informed, but more

29:45importantly, they're going to continue

29:46to find ways to empower the city council

29:49with information so that we can advocate

29:52for public safety. we can build public

29:54confidence in what we do every day. And

29:57and lastly, when you think about the

29:59legislative branch, we cannot fulfill

30:02our responsibility if we don't

30:04collaborate and work together uh with

30:07city administration and the public. And

30:09so I encourage us to continue to do that

30:11and I encourage us to continue to

30:13inquire and ask questions because that

30:15is our role and that is our

30:17responsibility. Thank you,

30:19>> Mr. President.

30:20>> Uh Councilman Pence.

30:21>> Um thank you, Mr. President. And thank

30:23you um to my colleague um Dr. Ingram for

30:26explaining it that that information. I'm

30:29going to be a little more direct. Um I

30:31don't know what video you watch. I the

30:34information that you just came up here

30:36share is misinformation. I welcome

30:39anybody to this this podium to share

30:42information and share. It's no way you

30:45watch that video and think and believe

30:47that this council did what she said. I

30:50want the public to understand this. This

30:53administration and this council is

30:55working together. We have a great

30:58relationship with our public safety

31:00director Graves, our chief of police,

31:03everybody who works in MPD. We're

31:05working together. Matter of fact, today,

31:07District 1 is hosting a partnership with

31:11our safe passage program.

31:14This this idea that the council and

31:17administration or the PD is against each

31:20other is very false. And I'm not going

31:23to allow anyone to come up here and

31:24spread misinformation

31:27at all. We are working together and

31:30moving together because we are stronger

31:33together.

31:34One, you already you out of order. And

31:37that's the problem. I'm not going to

31:39allow people to be out of order. That's

31:41out of order. They're just showing you

31:42right now what we're dealing with. Then

31:44the statement was said that 90% of

31:47people if they had if they agreed then

31:49they would be here. We're only hearing

31:51from one person who saying this

31:53statement. So where everybody else with

31:55you

31:57stop spreading misinformation and I'm

31:59not going to allow it. And people say

32:02and this is what I believe. You call out

32:04fake stuff. That's what's fake right

32:06there.

32:07>> Huh? No.

32:11Mr. President,

32:12>> hold on. Hold on. Okay, sir.

32:14>> No problem. Vice President, my

32:16apologies. I did pause and and you

32:17probably thought,

32:19>> but we had someone not following the

32:21order and that's the issue.

32:25Follow the protocol

32:27and then we can move forward. But this

32:29city of Mobile, what I'm telling you, we

32:31are moving forward together. We talk on

32:34a regular basis and all we were asking

32:37were for information regarding the

32:40policy. That's simple thing we can't

32:42ask.

32:44So, moving forward, I just want the

32:46public to know I will call out when

32:47you're wrong, you're wrong, and you're

32:50not going to spread misinformation to

32:51divide this city. Thank you, Mr.

32:53President.

32:54>> Vice President.

32:55>> Yeah, thank you, Mr. President. Um, as

32:58chair of the public safety committee

33:00meeting, who chaired the meeting last

33:02week,

33:04one of the main things that we talked

33:06about was information and how do the

33:09council members get timely information?

33:13And I believe I was the one who

33:14mentioned that the council would really

33:16like to get the information prior to the

33:19media getting the information because

33:21media and residents tend to call us uh

33:25for some sort of response.

33:27I thanked Blake Brown for his quick

33:29responses on all of the media work. He's

33:32puts us on all of his news releases, but

33:35that was the gist of this. You know,

33:38what's your policy on, you know, uh,

33:40releasing information and how do the

33:41council members get the information that

33:44we need that is legally that they are

33:47legally able to give us? How do we get

33:50that? You know, before the media and

33:54before our residents can call and ask us

33:56because the last thing we want to have

33:58to say to someone who was calling about

34:00something that happened in our district

34:02is, I have no idea. You know, we want to

34:05know before they do. That that was the

34:07gist of this information that that we

34:10had talked about.

34:15[clears throat]

34:15>> Dr. Cindy Gibson.

34:27>> Good morning.

34:27>> Good morning.

34:28>> Dr. Cindy Gibson with Alterpoint and I

34:31want to tell you about an incident that

34:33happened yesterday morning that shows

34:35how far we have come as a community. Uh

34:38yesterday around 3:15 in the morning, I

34:40received an iPad call from uh Mobile PD

34:43officers who were out with a lady in her

34:46home who was clearly psychotic. Those

34:49officers recognized that she had a

34:51mental health issue going on. She was in

34:53crisis. Um she headed out to meet them.

34:57She grabbed a knife and those officers

35:00instead of using lethal force on her,

35:03instead of tasing her, instead of having

35:05any physical contact with her

35:06whatsoever, they deescalated that

35:09situation. One of the officers was CIT

35:12trained, which is our 40-hour crisis

35:13intervention training that all deploy

35:15and MPD do together. Sergeant McCarti up

35:18here as a trainer and um he used those

35:22skills to make a bad situation into

35:26something good. This lady was

35:28hospitalized involuntarily but

35:31hospitalized nonetheless. She got the

35:33treatment she needed. Just last month

35:36there was an incident in Nashville, an

35:38incident in Arlington where law

35:40enforcement um shot and killed a man

35:43with a knife who was mentally ill. Uh

35:46the city of Los Angeles was uh si sued

35:49and just awarded uh the plaintiff was

35:52awarded $11 million in a similar case.

35:55Our city has worked together with the um

35:59the council, with the public safety,

36:02with the mayor's office, and the chief

36:03of police to bring uh iPads to bring the

36:08training to all law enforcement officers

36:11to change the culture of how officers

36:14respond. And Officer Spate and um uh

36:18Officer Miller did a fantastic job

36:21responding to this. And uh it saves

36:25lives, it saves incidents, it saves

36:28money for the city and litigation. And I

36:31just want to say thank you to those

36:33officers and to um public safety and to

36:36the chief of police and the council for

36:38supporting those initiatives. Thank you.

36:41>> Yeah. Thank you so much for all that

36:43you're doing for our community.

36:44>> Thank you.

36:47Ordinance is held over 83044.

36:51Ordinance approving the annexation of

36:54certain described land and redefining

36:57proposed reduced corporate limits. 64045

37:00considered a modification of a

37:02previously approved plan unit

37:03development for property located at 13

37:05and 5 Mobile Infirmary Circle, 166

37:08Mobile Infirmary Drive, 168, 169, 171,

37:12176, 177, 185, 190, 191, and 196 Mobile

37:16Infirmary Boulevard. and 1700, 1720,

37:201740, 1768, and 1806 Spring Hill Avenue.

37:2464046

37:26Consider the proposed reszoning of

37:27property located at the west side of

37:29Wuker Avenue, 150 ft north of Virginia

37:32Street from R1 to R2. 64047

37:36consider an ordinance to amend the

37:38entertainment district boundaries

37:40established under section 30-13A

37:44of the code of ordinances of the city of

37:46Mobile to expand the entertainment

37:48districts one and three.

37:51>> So move second

37:52>> properly move and second. Any

37:54discussion? All in favor?

37:56>> I oppose. Ordinance pass. CIP

38:00resolutions held over 21

38:04106 authorized contract with McCory and

38:07Williams for CIP Halls Mill Halls Mill

38:10and Demropolis Roadways.

38:14>> So move second.

38:16>> Moved and second. Any discussion? All in

38:18favor?

38:19>> I.

38:19>> All oppose. Resolution pass.

38:22>> Resolutions held over 08 1018. Approved

38:26purchase order to Vision Southeast

38:28Companies for building access control

38:30system for Herail Street

38:33Public Services. 081019. Approved

38:36purchase order to truck equipment sales

38:38for Chevrolet Silverado truck for dual

38:40with dual rear wheel utility body

38:44211023.

38:45Authorized agreement with Arrington and

38:47curb excavation for fire training center

38:50improvements.

38:51So move second.

38:53>> Properly move and second. Any

38:54discussion? All in favor? I.

38:57>> All oppose. Item passes.

39:00>> Consent [clears throat] resolutions

39:01being introduced 03 1026 through 601056.

39:0903

39:111026.

39:12Appoint Allison Middleton to the

39:15Citizens Parks and Recreation Advisory

39:17Committee. 37 1027 1028

39:21and 10 1029 are recommending approval to

39:24the ABC board for issuance of a retail

39:27beer table wine off- premises only

39:29license to Mapco on Mafford Road Sweet C

39:33for issuance of a retail beer table wine

39:36off- premises only license to Casey's

39:394818 on Spring Hill Avenue for issuance

39:42of a special events retail license to GF

39:45Coast Challenge on Virginia Street

39:48581030

39:50authorized removal of weeds group 1682

39:5360 1050 approval award special bonus to

39:56the administrative services employee of

39:58the month 60 1053 1054 and 1055 and 1056

40:04are determining appropriations to the

40:06National Maritime Museum of the Gulf

40:09serves a public purpose and approved

40:11payment.

40:11>> So moved second

40:13>> properly moved and second. Any

40:14discussion?

40:15>> All in favor? I.

40:16>> All oppose. Item passes.

40:19>> Resolutions being introduced. 08 1031

40:24through 09 1052.

40:27Move to wave the rules for immediate

40:29consideration of resolutions 08 10:31

40:3310:32

40:3510:35

40:3710:37

40:3910:38 10:40 10:41 1043 1051 and 1052

40:47with the rest being laid over for one

40:48week

40:50>> second properly move and second in

40:52discussion all in favor

40:55>> all oppose rules by email the clerk.

40:58[clears throat]

40:59>> 08 1031 approved purchase order to calls

41:02assorted uniform items. 081032 approve

41:06purchase order to Shake for Plastics

41:07North America LLC for 95gallon plastic

41:10garbage carts and garbage for for

41:14garbage collection. 08 1035 approved

41:17purchase order rentals for concrete

41:20buggy.

41:2108 1037 and 1038 are approve and

41:25purchase orders to Powersports of

41:27Montgomery for uh all-terrain vehicle

41:31and a defender sidebyside utility

41:34vehicle. 081040

41:37approved purchase order classic paint

41:38and body for collision damage repairs

41:42to the Pierce Fire pumper truck. 081041

41:47approve purchase orders to Trrimark for

41:49assorted serving items and equipment for

41:51region's Mobile Arena. 251043

41:56grant a permanent easement to Alabama

41:58Power to provide underground service to

41:59Tremir Park. 011051

42:03authorized lease and service agreement

42:05with Safe Haven Baby Boxes to provide

42:07safety device and services. 09 1052

42:11transfer funds from general fund to

42:13capital improvement fund.

42:15>> So moved.

42:16>> Second.

42:16>> Probably move and second. Any

42:18discussion?

42:19>> All in favor? I.

42:20>> All oppose. Item passes.

42:24>> Call for public hearings.

42:26411044.

42:28Call for public hearing to consider the

42:29proposed reasonzoning of property

42:31located at the east side of Cochran

42:33Causeway, 650 ft north of Battleship

42:36Parkway from R1 to I2. scheduled

42:38November 3rd, 41107, no 10:45. Call for

42:43public hearing to consider the proposed

42:45modification of a previously approved

42:46plan unit development for property

42:49located at the east side of Hillrest

42:50Road, 290 ft south of Greeot Road,

42:53scheduled November 3rd, 41 10:46. Call

42:57for public hearing to consider the

42:58application to reszone property located

43:01at 5070 Oell Road from R1 to B2

43:04scheduled November 3rd, 411047.

43:08Call for public hearing to consider a

43:10proposed conditional use permit for

43:12property located at 6455

43:15House Ferry Road scheduled November 3rd.

43:18411048 call for public hearing to

43:21consider the proposed modification of a

43:23previously approved planning approval

43:25for property located at 53 Foreman Road

43:28and 6784

43:30and 6788 Dickens Ferry Road scheduled

43:34November 3rd 411049

43:37call for public hearing to consider the

43:39proposed modification of a previously

43:40approved plan unit development for

43:42property located at 53 Foreman Road and

43:456784 and 6788 Dickens Ferry road

43:48scheduled November 3rd.

43:50>> So moved.

43:51>> Second proper move and second. Any

43:53discussion? All in favor?

43:55>> I.

43:56>> All oppose. Club hearings call.

43:58>> Announcements.

43:59>> District 4, Councilman Reynolds.

44:01>> Thank you, Mr. President. We'll have

44:02District 4 annual meeting tonight at

44:05Mobile Christian School from 6:00 to

44:078:00 p.m. Hope you come out. U hope to

44:10share some information about the

44:12district and city at large. maybe learn

44:14some things that you wouldn't or

44:15ordinarily find out at these sort of

44:17meetings. I look forward to seeing you

44:19there. Oh, and next week we're having

44:21that uh nightly meeting, I believe. Um I

44:24may be late that we got a volleyball

44:26game, but we we should be there in time

44:27to cast our votes.

44:32>> Thank you, Councilman Reynolds. District

44:342, Councilwoman Ingram.

44:35>> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh we have a

44:37committee meeting today at 1 p.m. It's

44:40the economic culture and civic

44:42development committee meeting and the

44:44topic would be the city of Mobile Film

44:46Office. So please join us for that. Um

44:49and greetings district 2. Um I want to

44:52invite uh District 2 and uh other Mobile

44:55citizens out for Saturday, October the

44:584th. Come join us for the G Coast

45:01Challenge football game. You know, this

45:02football game is more than just a

45:04football game. It's an opportunity to

45:06bring the community together. It's an

45:08opportunity for us to celebrate pride.

45:10It's an opportunity to celebrate

45:12celebrate culture. So, please come join

45:14us and enjoy the uh festivities. In

45:17addition to that, on Sunday, October the

45:204th, I will be serving as the guest

45:22speaker for the 206th anniversary for

45:27State Street. Uh is it? Yeah. Ame church

45:30anniversary. So, please come join us.

45:32It's at 11:00. 206 years of serving and

45:36celebrating God's people. So, thank you,

45:39Mr. President.

45:43>> October. Did I say it's October the 4th?

45:47>> Okay. So, Sun. Okay.

45:51>> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. So, the G

45:53Coast Challenge is Saturday, October the

45:553rd, and it kicks off at 400 PM. Thank

45:58you, Miss Brown. And then Sunday,

46:00October the 4th, I'll serve as guest

46:02speaker at State Street Ame Church.

46:04Thank you.

46:05>> Uh thank you, Councilwoman Ingram.

46:08District six, Councilman Woods.

46:10>> Thank you, Mr. President. This would be

46:11the last time that I I talk about this

46:13because we are wrapping up work, but um

46:16over the past couple months, the

46:17repaving in district 6 is uh has been

46:20ongoing. We uh Kimberland neighborhood,

46:22the Carrington uh portion of Carrington

46:24Oak Forest neighborhood, uh Windmill

46:27Boulevard, uh Windmill Place, Cottageill

46:29Estates, Lindell Drive, um Lamp Lighter

46:32Woods, Hillrest Crossings, Charlotte Oak

46:35subdivision, um and then also Hillrest

46:37Oak subdivision, and uh the Timbers has

46:40just been started as well. Um I guess I

46:41think it was last week, early last week.

46:43So, um, as, uh, as we're finishing up

46:46this, we'll end with Nwood, um, uh,

46:49repaving, resurfacing that, I did want

46:51to say thank you to the administration.

46:52Um, thank you to John Forester and his

46:54team in engineering. Um, HCL

46:56Contracting, um, they've been amazing to

46:58work with. They've really taken care of

46:59the neighborhood and the neighbors, um,

47:01been very patient, um, because obviously

47:03we know sometimes we park on the street.

47:05Um, so they've been very patient as

47:06they've went through all the

47:07neighborhoods in the district. And then

47:09I'm also Mr. Dorsy with Dorsy and Dorsy

47:12um engineering. They've been great

47:13partners on this and I want to say thank

47:15you. This is the largest repavement uh

47:17that in neighborhoodwide includes a lot

47:19or a good portion of newly annex. Um so

47:21looking forward to doing it again uh in

47:24a couple budget cycles. Um and then also

47:26too, I would be remiss um because

47:27sometimes uh around this time uh my

47:30oldest um watches council meetings um

47:33with his little friends at school. Um so

47:36if he's watching and I'm sure he'll

47:37watch later, I did want to tell him

47:39happy birthday. He turns 11 today and um

47:41I know it's kind of weird for an

47:4211-year-old to be so fascinated with

47:44council, but he's uh he's very engaged.

47:46So, happy birthday, buddy. And um that's

47:48it for me.

47:49>> Thank you, Councilman Woods. District

47:52five, Councilman Fleman.

47:53>> Yeah, I didn't realize it was Councilman

47:55Woodson's birthday. So, if you're

47:57watching, [clears throat] I'll give a

47:58shout out to you. Happy 11th birthday.

48:00Um eat a bunch of cake, jump around the

48:02house, drive your mom and dad crazy. Um

48:05just act normal. So anyway, uh I'd like

48:10to thank the administration,

48:11engineering, uh all the road crews that

48:14have started work on the North McGregor

48:15project. Um as far as District 5, and I

48:19I'm sure Vice President Gregory will

48:21mention to District 7 residents, be

48:23patient. They've already started uh

48:25grading the roads and their stakes and

48:27signs and um all kinds of things going

48:29out there. It's going to it's going to

48:31be great when it's all done, but it's a

48:33work in progress. uh this project should

48:36not be as lengthy or invasive as the

48:40other north as the other McGregor

48:41projects have been. So, especially with

48:45in that area, there's a lot of school

48:47zones. If you happen to pass through

48:49there, be patient, slow down, obey the

48:52signs, and uh I look forward to seeing

48:54it all complete. Uh with that, that's

48:57all I have. Thank you.

48:58>> Thank you, Councilman Fleming. District

49:001. Councilman Pen.

49:01>> Uh thank you, Mr. President. This past

49:03week, I had a great opportunity to um

49:06being a part of the Red Clay Strays

49:08coming to the Boys and Girls Club of

49:09South Alabama. Myself and the mayor was

49:12there. They talked to the kids and a lot

49:14of people don't know that two of the

49:16members actually worked for the Boys and

49:18Girls Club. Um so it was amazing for

49:21them to even see some of the staff

49:22members that they worked with at that

49:24time. So thank you to the Red Clay

49:26Strange for coming out and speaking to

49:28our young people. Um I also um had an

49:31opportunity to go to Pathway Elementary

49:33with my colleagues Reynolds Ingram and

49:36Small. Um it was an opportunity for us

49:38to pour back into our young people. We

49:40have to engage our young people. Uh we

49:42had we have to allow them to see our

49:45elected officials in our in those

49:47different capacities. Um and then um I

49:49had opportunity to attend the revival in

49:53Africa town which was amazing to see

49:55five churches come together in the

49:57community um to have worship. Um that's

50:00that's major. Um and so I love

50:02participating in events like that. Today

50:06we will have a district one community

50:09meeting. Not your typical community

50:11meeting, but it's talking about safe

50:13passage. And safe passage is a great

50:16program that our public safety

50:18department have been working um at

50:20Williamson at the floor and we're

50:22inviting everybody to come out. Even if

50:24you don't live in district one, if

50:25you're a pastor, if you're a business

50:27owner, if if you're a resident, come and

50:31learn what ways that we can pour back

50:33into our young people. We are stronger

50:35together and the only way for the for

50:37this to work is to do it together. So, I

50:40just want to commend um Commander

50:41Graves, Director Graves and his whole

50:44team for putting this program um in

50:47place. And then um my colleague talked

50:50about it. The weekend is amazing. We got

50:52a a lot of great things, a lot of

50:54concerts and football games starting

50:57Thursday. Um I'm inviting everyone out.

50:59Come out to Last Stadium. Um I'm calling

51:02it a citywide worship. We have the

51:04legendary Fred Hammond coming down. Come

51:07be a part of that. And then that Friday

51:09you also have another concert, hiphop um

51:11concert. And then that Saturday you have

51:14the football game. So we have a busy

51:16weekend and South Alabama has their

51:19homecoming. So it's a lot of great

51:20things taking place in the city of

51:22Mobile. Um and so let's celebrate our

51:26city. Um let's enjoy it. And then my

51:28last thing that I would like to to say

51:31is that next week we will be having a

51:35evening meeting. something that I have

51:37been pushing um with the support of

51:39residents throughout the city of Mobile

51:41just giving people an opportunity to

51:43attend. Most people now in this days uh

51:46we working 24 hours uh we have our

51:48morning morning morning meetings for

51:50multiple reasons um but this give our

51:52opportunity and so I just want to thank

51:54my colleagues for supporting this

51:56initiative um it give people like um I I

52:00heard my colleague said that his son

52:02would love to come to the council

52:03meeting but guess what it's doing school

52:05time so this give an opportunity to have

52:07students here people who work in the

52:09morning they will have opportunity so

52:12pre-consel will be at 4:30 and then our

52:15council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thank

52:17you, Mr. President.

52:18>> Uh, thank you, Councilman Penn. District

52:217, Vice President Gregory.

52:23>> Thank you. Appreciate it. Um, Councilman

52:25Fleming uh mentioned North McGregor work

52:27and um I agree with everything he said.

52:30It's just uh work has started. Um there

52:33will be some issues with traffic, but um

52:37you should be able to get through the

52:38intersection without too many

52:40difficulties, but just yes, please be

52:42patient and it will be really really

52:44nice when it is complete. I also want to

52:47do a shout out. He is still in the

52:49audience and that is our very own Robert

52:52Brazil who I'm guessing is here to help

52:55celebrate uh the Gulf Coast Challenge

52:57which is this weekend.

53:00Okay. At any rate, um, lots of football

53:04going on this weekend, a lot of

53:05celebrations, and I just look forward to

53:08participating in them. And again, on the

53:10North McGregor work, just be patient.

53:11The work will be finished. Thank you.

53:14>> And gracious to the citizens of District

53:153 and Mobile, would like to pick it back

53:17behind my colleagues, Councilwoman

53:19Ingram and Pam, by inviting all the

53:22citizens to please come out um this

53:24weekend, this week, this weekend to the

53:26G Coast Classic. And we always and to

53:28South Alabama Homecoming. we always talk

53:30about is nothing to do in Mobile. So,

53:32this week is the time that to prove that

53:34you we have something to do in Mobile.

53:36We asking everyone to purchase tickets

53:38and come out to the concerts, come out

53:40to the events and even a parade. Uh we

53:43are predicting some liquid sunshine to

53:45come through, but don't let that stop

53:46you. Anything from the administration?

53:48>> No, sir.

53:49>> Mr. President,

53:50>> uh Mr. Reynolds, since everybody's

53:52announcing big things happening in the

53:53city of Mobile, I guess it's worth

53:55mentioning that on this very rare

53:57occasion, we've got the president of the

54:00United States coming to the city of

54:02Mobile, which is a huge deal for

54:05everyone. Put your politics aside, you

54:08know, the president of the United States

54:10along with our current United States

54:12senators will be here. We've got Chad

54:14Nibblet up here from uh Congressman

54:17Moore's office here. I expect to have

54:19the who's who of politicians here in the

54:22city of Mobile. And that's a big deal. I

54:24mean, who cares what your politics are?

54:26It's a huge deal for us. Hope everybody

54:28is civil and uh welcomes the president

54:31with open arms and um enjoys the time

54:34that we have with him here. You know,

54:36maybe he'll make some big announcement.

54:37Maybe he'll forgive the tiffy alone or

54:39something like that while he's here. You

54:40never know. So, that's all, Mr.

54:42President. With that, I'll make a motion

54:43to adjurnn.

54:45>> Second. Properly movement. Second. Any

54:46discussion? All in favor? I. All oppose.

54:50Me is adjourned.

```*