2026-11-03 - Pre-Council

00:00see you all one this morning. Ladies and

00:01gentlemen, we're now in the hands of our

00:02capable city clerk, Ms. Lisa Carroll.

00:04>> This is a pre-meeting of the Mobile City

00:06Council, Tuesday, November the 3rd. We

00:08have approval of minutes from October

00:1027th.

00:11>> Any issues, anyone?

00:13Okay.

00:14>> Appeals, we have a request for waiver of

00:15the noise ordinance on November the 6th

00:18from 7:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. at 650

00:21Saint Francis Street.

00:22>> Mr. President,

00:23>> Yes.

00:24>> we'll need to change that to 10:00 p.m.

00:25in the neighborhood.

00:27>> Okay.

00:27>> Thank you.

00:31Public hearings today is a public

00:32hearing to consider the proposed

00:35rezoning of property located at the east

00:37[clears throat] side of Cochrane

00:38Causeway, 650 ft north of Battleship

00:40Parkway from R-1 to I-2.

00:45Today is a public hearing to consider

00:46proposed modification of a previously

00:48approved planned unit development for

00:50property located on the east side of

00:51Hillcrest Road, 290 ft south of

00:53Greenlight Road.

00:55>> Mr. President,

00:56>> Yes.

00:56>> Uh I know this is first reading and

00:58we'll we'll go from there, but I'm I'm

01:00very excited about this project. I've

01:03been working with the

01:04with the the property owner through the

01:07process. Uh it's going to be an amazing

01:08asset to District 6, but I'm just wanted

01:11to take a second to say that. So, thank

01:12you.

01:13>> Okay.

01:14>> Today is a public hearing to consider

01:16the application to rezone the property

01:17located at 5070 Old Shell Road from R-1

01:20to B-2.

01:21>> Uh Mr. President,

01:22>> Yes, Vice.

01:23>> [clears throat]

01:24>> This is a rezoning request that was

01:27unanimously denied at the Planning

01:29Commission.

01:30Uh you have probably heard through

01:32social media and even the news about the

01:35Food Pack uh proposal for a rezoning.

01:39This is a um

01:40property that is wooded, never been

01:42developed, and it is zoned for R-1.

01:45I expect um we'll have speakers on both

01:48sides today. Um just as a heads-up, they

01:52also have an application before the

01:53Board of Adjustment on Thursday for a

01:57change of use. Um they did have a couple

01:59of other

02:00>> [clears throat]

02:00>> requests in there, but they changed

02:02their site plan, and so now at the Board

02:03of Adjustment, it will be only a change

02:05of use. So,

02:07what we are hearing today is what was

02:09heard at the Planning Commission.

02:12So, again, if you have any questions,

02:13happy to answer about any

02:16background on the um proposal.

02:19>> Madam Clerk.

02:21Today is the public hearing to consider

02:23the proposed conditional use permit for

02:24property located at 6455 Howells Ferry

02:27Road.

02:29>> Um, Mr. President.

02:30>> Yes, Vice.

02:30>> This is a church. They are doing what I

02:33believe is um

02:35a child care center out there, so it's

02:38just a conditional use permit for this

02:40church.

02:40>> Okay.

02:42>> Today is the public hearing to consider

02:43the proposed modification

02:44[clears throat] of a previously approved

02:45planning approval and a previously

02:48approved planned unit development for

02:50property located at 53 Foreman Road and

02:536784

02:55and 6788 Dickens Ferry Road.

02:58>> Um, Mr. President.

02:59>> Yes, Vice.

02:59>> Both these two, one Foreman Road, is the

03:02is the same church. They are expanding.

03:05Um, this all started a long time ago, so

03:07as you see, they had a previously

03:09approved planning approval, and they're

03:11also doing

03:12um a previously approved PUD. So, um

03:15again, this church is just expanding. I

03:17only had really one concern from the

03:20neighborhood, and um I think we've got

03:23that one resolved. It's a some flooding

03:25issues that they have there, so we'll go

03:27back and look at that.

03:28>> Okay.

03:29>> Presentation of petitions and other

03:30communications to the council. Velena

03:33Green, uh questions about discretionary

03:35funds, how discretionary

03:37discretionary funds are spent, and

03:39keeping free speech at council meetings.

03:40Matthew Miller, comments on the 14.7

03:43million in city taxpayer dollars.

03:47Um, Estella Trado, City of Mobile,

03:49demonstrate accountability transparency

03:52for the 14.7 million dollar

03:55wire transfer.

03:56Reggie Hill, economic development

03:58boards, committees, juvenile

03:59delinquency, municipal enforcement, and

04:01the fiscal year 2018 budget. Nina Dorch

04:04to request an independent independent

04:07financial controls and compliance review

04:09and a targeted forensic accounting

04:11investigation including 10-year look

04:13back of relevant City of Mobile

04:15financial transaction and records

04:17following the reported 14.7 million.

04:20Consent resolutions held over 40 948

04:24declare the structure at 906 South Broad

04:26Street a public nuisance and order it

04:27demolished.

04:28>> Mr. Dabbar.

04:30>> Yeah, good morning Mr. President. I just

04:31want to update real quick on this item

04:34of

04:35regretfully

04:36um we held this over and there's not a

04:38substantial improvement which you may

04:40have noticed. Um this particular site

04:42did have a permit issued and there's

04:44only been

04:46approximately 10 fascia boards put on

04:47the side of it.

04:48The permit was um a limit of 60 days.

04:52There's been no um call for an

04:53inspection by building inspector. So at

04:55this point I consider this permit

04:57um

04:58expired based on the 60-day limitation.

05:01Um the house still has major damage to

05:05the roof, the exterior walls, and the

05:07foundation.

05:08The back of this house is collapsing.

05:11Um I I recommend that we go forward

05:13declare it a public nuisance.

05:15Um we still have time 30 days before our

05:17normal process before we're at anywhere

05:19near issuing a notice to proceed.

05:22We will reach out to Build Mobile but

05:23also to confirm the status but also to

05:27um

05:28give notice to the property owner that

05:29hey um your time is very limited but I

05:33do recommend that we declare this a

05:34public nuisance because of the the

05:36structural damage to this property still

05:38and the fact that the back is

05:39collapsing.

05:39>> Okay. All right, thank you, man.

05:42>> Resolutions held over 211141 authorize

05:45professional services contract with the

05:47Bloom Group.

05:49Zero.

05:50>> Yes.

05:50>> Yes.

05:52>> Um I did receive the information. Thank

05:53you to um

05:55um to everyone that provided the

05:56information needed. I'm okay. Um

05:59we're moving forward. Thank you.

06:01>> Mr. President.

06:02>> Mr. Woods.

06:03>> Um I I am in favor of this as well, um,

06:06but I will say I would ask I know

06:09obviously when the since since this is

06:11top of mind at the moment, obviously

06:12when the house is in session, the Senate

06:14is in the state house and the state

06:16Senate is in session, um,

06:18could y'all keep would y'all mind like

06:19just kind of I guess plant a seed, maybe

06:21keep us abreast of like the things that

06:23are going through there

06:25and and how we can help reach out to

06:27maybe some of our colleagues that we

06:29that we quite frequently talk to just to

06:31kind of push that. So, you know, just as

06:32a group we can really advocate more for

06:35for the city and and help us step

06:36alongside y'all and help them say cuz

06:38I'd love to,

06:40you know, jump on Chip Brown or anybody

06:41like that when we can to to help them to

06:43get us help us say.

06:49Awesome, thank you.

06:54>> 08 1155 approve item, award base bid for

06:58diesel fuel. 08 1157 approve purchase

07:01order to Five Casper Limited

07:05for 1-year subscription for open source

07:07intelligence software.

07:0908 1158 approve purchase order SHI

07:12International for 1-year subscription

07:14for Adobe Acrobat Sign Studio and

07:17Creative Cloud software.

07:19211161 authorize contract with Hanslo

07:23to provide tennis lessons and clinics.

07:26251163

07:28consider the purchase and sale agreement

07:31and accept the warranty deed for the

07:33acquisition of 455 Crawford Lane.

07:36371164

07:38consider the application of Tiffany

07:39Monique Williams for a certificate of

07:41public convenience and necessity to

07:43operate a sedan service. 471165

07:46and 1166

07:48are considering vacation of public

07:51alleyway and vacation fee as a condition

07:54of the vacation of a public alleyway

07:56adjacent to property located north of 1

07:5944 Highland Avenue.

08:03031170

08:05establish an ad hoc advisory committee

08:08committee on financial transaction

08:10security.

08:13Ordinances being introduced 64039

08:17is the rezoning on Battleship Parkway.

08:2164040

08:22is the modification of the previously

08:25approved put on Hillcrest Road.

08:2864041

08:31is considering the application to rezone

08:32property on O'Neal Road. 64042

08:36is considering a proposed conditional

08:37use permit on House Ferry Road. 64043

08:41and 44 are the

08:44um previously approved puts and

08:47planning approval

08:48on Foreman Road

08:50and Dickens Ferry Road.

08:52Consent resolutions being introduced

08:54031171

08:56appoint Spencer Rux Jr. to the Board of

08:58Adjustment.

09:00371172

09:02recommend approval to ABC Board for

09:04issuance of a special events retail

09:06license to Port City R and B on

09:11Government Street.

09:12>> [clears throat]

09:14>> 581173 and 1174 costs a six assess costs

09:18for removal of weeds and declare weeds

09:21noxious groups 1678 and 1685.

09:25601175 through 1178 determine an

09:29appropriation to Calloway-Smith Middle

09:30School Marching Cougars Band Booster

09:33Club

09:34and the Azalea City CDC serves a public

09:37purpose and approve payment.

09:39Resolutions being introduced 011179

09:43authorize agreement with A-1 McDuffie

09:45Sanitation and Eco South Services

09:48for residential garbage and trash

09:50services.

09:51081180

09:53approve purchase order to Southern

09:54Realty Management for storm drainage

09:56vegetation debris removal. Uh 081181

10:021182

10:061183, 84, 85, 86 are also approving

10:11purchase order to

10:12um

10:15to

10:16to

10:17Prime Professional Concrete Pumping and

10:18Finishing LLC, Safe Haven Company,

10:22Thomas A. Galloway,

10:24Invasive Management Services,

10:27H.F. Claud Construction, Butler Complete

10:30Services for storm drainage vegetation

10:31and debris removal.

10:33081187 approved purchase order to

10:36Wilkins Miller for annual audit of

10:38police and fire pension fund as per

10:41engagement letter $19,500.

10:45081188 approved purchase order to Turner

10:47Supply Company for plastic barricades

10:49and solar barricade lights,

10:52$15,175.

10:54081189 approved purchase order to

10:56Servicewear Apparel for uniform items

10:59for traffic engineering, $20,909.49.

11:03081190

11:05approved purchase order to Clearview

11:08Is this AI or AO?

11:09For annual renewal of software for Gulf

11:11Coast Technology Center, $67,000.

11:140811

11:17>> Yes.

11:18>> Um

11:20There were There was another contract

11:21before

11:22a requisition prior to this and I just

11:25want to bring to the public's attention

11:26that both of these are dealing with high

11:29security and so therefore there's not a

11:31lot of information attached to it. I've

11:33had several

11:34of my constituents to reach out to me

11:36and I wanted to make sure that they're

11:38aware that when we have those types of

11:41resolutions and so forth, they're not

11:43putting a lot of information because of

11:45security reasons and so I just want to

11:47bring that to the attention of the

11:49public. Thank you.

11:50>> All right, thank you.

11:53>> 081191

11:54approved purchase order to Hiller

11:56Companies for sprinkler system repair

11:58parts and installation for Second Line

12:00Transit Building, $18,799.32.

12:05081192 and 1193 approved purchase order

12:08to Vulcan for school zone traffic signs,

12:12$22,000 and also for list miscellaneous

12:16traffic signs brackets decals $39,922.

12:21Authorized contract with Park First

12:22Alabama to operate the city of Mobile

12:25public parking program for 5 years

12:28$380,900.

12:30>> Mr. President.

12:31>> Yes, Mr. Rondo.

12:32>> I haven't really dug into this one yet,

12:33read all the stuff there is to read. Can

12:35someone explain to me what we're doing

12:37with this?

12:39>> We got Mr. Richardson.

12:41>> Mr. Chapman.

12:43>> Good morning, Council.

12:45Uh yes, sir. This is for parking

12:47maintenance services in the downtown

12:48area with the Hank Aaron Loop.

12:51>> But don't we currently have a vendor

12:53doing that?

12:54>> Uh we currently do. That current

12:55contract ends this month on the 30th.

12:58>> And why are we changing?

12:59>> So we received several complaints. Uh

13:01number one being customer service. Um

13:05the phone wasn't being answered uh to

13:08the point where I was personally

13:10receiving complaints. So uh the city

13:12decided to put this up for bid uh for

13:15RFP and this elected uh company was Park

13:18First Alabama.

13:19>> And um

13:23do we pay them even if collections are

13:27down, let's say? Let's say that

13:30I mean, do they get a fixed rate fee?

13:32>> Correct.

13:33>> They do. Okay.

13:34And um

13:36do they share in any revenue?

13:38>> Are you speaking of the current provider

13:40>> or

13:41>> This and for this new one, do they share

13:42in any of the revenue that's generated

13:44from parking cars?

13:46>> Yes, sir. They will be a incentive fee

13:48share.

13:49>> Okay.

13:50And is that different from the previous

13:51one?

13:52>> It'll be a tad bit different, yes, sir.

13:53>> Tad bit different. More expensive to the

13:55taxpayer or less expensive, do you

13:56think?

13:57>> It'll be

13:58a little uptick in cost.

14:01>> All right. Well, I'm going to look into

14:02it over the next week or so. The 5-year

14:03contract is a long contract. Is that

14:05typical?

14:06>> It is typical. We based it off of the uh

14:08current contract and we want to ensure

14:11The reason we want the 5-year contract

14:12is because we want to ensure that there

14:14is not uh so much turnovers that we

14:16don't have a stability in services.

14:20>> I just want to re-emphasize that the

14:22major emphasis of our parking program is

14:24not make money off tickets. In fact,

14:27they get no revenue from the tickets

14:30issued. So, the main purpose of having

14:33this program is to ensure turnover

14:35downtown. So, when people come downtown,

14:37they have a great experience and they

14:38can find a parking space next to the

14:40venue that they want.

14:42>> And the previous deals for the last 5

14:43years as well?

14:44>> Yes.

14:44>> It was. Okay.

14:45>> And like I said, it's where this reason

14:48why this the panel was selected this one

14:50because it's more relational-based

14:52enforcement cuz before it was very

14:54impersonal and that it was very hard to

14:55get the tickets paid.

14:56>> by that?

14:57>> They they want they want to base the

14:59main focus on

15:02building relationships with the

15:03community downtown, but also when their

15:06tickets are issued, they want to develop

15:08a relationship with the customers that

15:10use our services downtown. If there's

15:12issues, they want to resolve it on a

15:15person-to-person basis instead of just

15:17tickets all the time.

15:18>> Okay, and you know that because they

15:19have some program

15:21that they've written about it that how

15:23they're going to do that or you just

15:25talking?

15:25>> no no they they've been here Park First

15:27been here a long time and they currently

15:30operate the city-owned parking lot on

15:33the Royal Street.

15:34>> Okay.

15:34>> And so, we know them. They've been here

15:37they're they're fairly they have a

15:39fairly good relationship and um

15:42uh

15:44like I said, they're they're they're

15:45well well known here downtown.

15:46>> And who sets the rates?

15:48>> Um that's up to us.

15:50>> Okay, so they can't just modify the rate

15:52of a parking lot. So, if there is a

15:54you know, $55 parking spot, it's because

15:56we set it at $55 not them.

15:57>> Right. And this is enterprise fund. So,

15:59like I said, the main purpose is is to

16:01keep it in the black. So, we're not

16:03going to be

16:04our main purpose to run like a business

16:06keep it in the black.

16:07>> Thank you, Joe.

16:08>> Okay.

16:09>> Joe, Mr. President

16:10>> My bad.

16:11>> [clears throat]

16:11>> Uh yes, uh Madam Chair and uh Mr. Payne.

16:15>> Uh first of all, thank you, Mr. Chapman,

16:16for sharing some information with me,

16:18but just as Councilman Reynolds stated,

16:20I really need more time with this and so

16:22I'm glad that it's it's our first read,

16:24but I do want to follow up to what was

16:26just what was shared previously. So,

16:29Park First of Alabama did they have this

16:31contract previously prior to the vendor

16:34we have now?

16:35>> They did not. The history with Park

16:37First is the executive team was

16:39originally a part of the first parking

16:42management contract back in 2002.

16:44>> Okay.

16:45And so so we have data to show that

16:48they've been able to they're amenable to

16:51some of the challenges we're having

16:52downtown in terms of responsiveness, in

16:55terms of the fact that some of the we

16:58find that some of the kiosks aren't

16:59working and then they'll end up so we

17:02have we feel confident that they can

17:03address those concerns.

17:05>> Yes, ma'am, we do.

17:06>> Okay. All right. And then my follow-up

17:08question, the cleanliness of the the

17:10lots, who's responsible for that?

17:13>> Our parking service provider.

17:15>> Okay. So, they're the ones that should

17:16be going around making sure that the

17:17lots are clean and that and what about

17:20lighting? Are they responsible for

17:21lighting also?

17:23>> So, as of this time, we do feel that we

17:24have sufficient lighting, but Park

17:26First, one of their first assignments

17:28will be if approved to do a

17:30comprehensive parking analysis in which

17:32we'll be speaking with you as a

17:33representative of District 2 to see what

17:35problems you're seeing, what problems

17:37constituents are seeing so that we we

17:38can address them.

17:39>> Okay. And and and definitely because in

17:41District 2, we had a safety meeting

17:43recently and we talked about lighting in

17:45one of those parking lots and so I would

17:47definitely like to follow up with you to

17:48make sure that we

17:50figure out how to

17:51>> Park First only oversee the city parking

17:53lots which are here on Church Street and

17:56on Water Street and then four Conde

17:58lots. So, those are the ones they will

18:00oversee for the city.

18:02>> So, then the one that I'm referring to

18:05um off of Dolphin Street um across from

18:10the restaurant

18:11um

18:16No.

18:16>> So, that that part was okay. Well, like

18:19like

18:20if you have any concerns about any of

18:22those lots, Kevin will be the person.

18:24Okay, because we do have good

18:26relationships with premium and

18:29other parking vendors within the city.

18:31We can work with them to get those

18:33addressed.

18:34>> yep. So, maybe this one is outside of

18:35that. So, I'll follow up with you.

18:37Absolutely. I would like to talk with

18:39you afterwards to give you that

18:40information because we've had that for a

18:41while and

18:43in regards to the fact that, you know,

18:45the the kiosks are dysfunctional, but

18:47yet they'll turn back around and ticket

18:49you because of that. So, right. Thank

18:50you.

18:51>> Yes, ma'am.

18:51>> Okay.

18:52>> Mr. Mayor.

18:53>> Yeah, thank you, Mr. President. So, when

18:54we talking about the parking lot on

18:56Church Street, we like right outside

18:57here. Correct. Okay.

18:59And so, currently if the company that

19:02we're utilizing, are they from Mobile?

19:06Or I I see a tag. They drive around and

19:09seem like they're from I'm like New

19:10Orleans or

19:11>> Republic Parking?

19:12>> Yeah, or they

19:13>> They are not out of Mobile, no, sir. And

19:15so, where is Park First Alabama located?

19:18Park First Alabama is located We have an

19:20executive located right here in Mobile.

19:22Mr. David Buchanan.

19:23>> Okay, perfect. And then the

19:27My last You said the contract ends when?

19:29>> It'll end It'll begin December 1st of

19:33this year if approved and will run for 5

19:34years.

19:35>> Okay. So, the current vendor ends

19:39November the

19:40>> 30th.

19:40>> 30th. All right, thank you.

19:42>> Mr. President.

19:43>> Mr. Mayor.

19:43>> I just want to commend Kevin Chatham.

19:48>> [applause]

19:50>> Yeah, proud of you, Kevin.

19:55Yeah, proud of him. Madam Clerk.

19:58>> 211195

19:59authorized contract with Guardian Pest

20:01Services doing business Knox Knox Pest

20:04Control for pest control services

20:06various locations $155,640.

20:09211196

20:11authorized contract with Hills

20:13Janitorial Service Janitorial Services

20:16for the Mobile Alabama Cruise Terminal

20:17$15,524.

20:20251197

20:22authorized easement to Alabama Power

20:24Company to provide new underground

20:26service to John Kidd Park.

20:29>> Um Mr. President.

20:30>> Yes, ma'am.

20:31>> Can we go back up to 01-1179?

20:34That's the agreement with um

20:37Echo South. Um it's A1 McDuffy

20:39Sanitation and Echo South Services. I'm

20:42guessing this is all in the newly

20:45annexed area. I'm just wondering what's

20:46the reason for

20:48um is this a change or is this just a

20:50renewal?

20:53>> Good morning.

20:54Uh yeah, no. The council renewed uh this

20:57agreement about a year ago. This is an

20:59assignment. Uh it's my understanding

21:01that A1 McDuffy is actually uh selling

21:05to Echo South. Um Kenneth Havens, I

21:08believe he's here, is going to uh stay

21:11on as the manager. He's the current

21:13manager of A1 McDuffy and the principal.

21:16He's going to stay on.

21:17Um Echo South is acquiring all the A1's

21:20assets. And so uh Kenneth will continue

21:23to run um the services there. If you'll

21:26note in the assignment, we're holding

21:28them to the same same standards under

21:30the original agreement. There should be

21:32no interruption of service whatsoever.

21:35>> Okay.

21:36>> Okay.

21:37>> Thanks.

21:37>> Okay.

21:39>> Call for public hearings. 41-11-68

21:42call for public hearing to consider the

21:44proposed rezoning of property located at

21:465685

21:48I-10 Industrial Parkway from B-3 and I-1

21:51to I-1 scheduled December the 8th.

21:5441-11-98 call for public hearing to

21:56consider amending the downtown

21:58development district regulating plan to

22:00update the zoning map to rezone property

22:03located at 255 Church Street from T-5.2

22:07to T-6 scheduled December 8th.

22:10Announcements.

22:11>> Uh council.

22:13>> Uh Mr. President.

22:14>> Uh yes.

22:15>> On 25-11-97, the easement at Kidd Park,

22:18that's to establish power to a air

22:20monitoring station up in Africatown.

22:22Uh if y'all could take that on a consent

22:24so they can begin that work. You know,

22:26we asked you to add it on so there's a

22:28there's a time that we're time crunch

22:30we're trying to get in.

22:32>> Any issues anyone?

22:34>> No objections.

22:35>> Okay.

22:36Uh Mr. Woods.

22:38Um I'll we can go through these first.

22:40>> Yeah,

22:41yeah, let let's go through the

22:42resolutions that everybody is

22:44willing to waive the rules on

22:47um starting with 08-1180

22:5081

22:5282

22:5483 84 85 86 87 88 89

22:5991 92

23:0293

23:04and 97. Anybody else?

23:07Any others?

23:09>> Any issues anyone?

23:11Okay.

23:12Mr. Woods.

23:13>> Uh Mr. President, I just want to remind

23:14everyone we have a finance committee

23:15meeting today at 1:00. Um I know there

23:18has been discussion. I've received some

23:20some feedback um from uh some residents

23:24um or a resident uh regarding uh uh

23:28the fact that there's not going to be

23:29public comments um during this finance

23:31committee meeting. Um

23:33just want to just want to make note

23:35that, you know, last week uh in order to

23:37make sure that we're we're actually

23:40that we we have the most productive

23:41meeting as possible. Um you know, over

23:43the course of this week uh our uh me and

23:47our caught my colleagues here, we've

23:48submitted questions to the

23:49administration um regarding these things

23:52and the questions aren't to to prep them

23:54for any questions. It's just we want to

23:56make sure that anything they can answer

23:59can be answered at this finance

24:00committee meeting and at least allow

24:02them the opportunity to provide us

24:03documentation or whatever the whatever

24:05they needed to do. So, so it is not the

24:08you know, we're not stifling any type of

24:10public comment. Matter of fact uh

24:12one of the ones that contacted me has

24:13actually signed up today to speak at a

24:15council. So, I mean that um so I I just

24:18want to want to just make that point

24:19that right now with this finance

24:21committee meeting, obviously there's a

24:22lot of a lot of balls in the air when it

24:24comes to trying to what what the city

24:26can share regarding this and the

24:28investigation that's that that is

24:29ongoing obviously. And I would just want

24:31to be able to dial down on and offer the

24:33opportunity to be able to to get answers

24:35that we that they can provide that can

24:37be provided. And then also to be

24:39considerate of everybody's time and the

24:41fact that you know, we're just trying to

24:43trying to move the process down down the

24:45road a little bit. I do want to say

24:47thank you for everyone for the feedback

24:49on the on the ad hoc committee or the

24:51committee that that's on agenda today

24:52that's

24:53hopefully in the next week or two we can

24:55start kind

24:57kind of sharing what that will look like

24:58and I'll I'll work with y'all to to to

25:00get that across the finish line

25:02as finance committee chair but

25:04just did want to make that note and also

25:06just a final announcement and

25:08I know the mayor's going to speak and

25:09all if I can I'll come back around to to

25:11a final announcement say.

25:13>> Mr. Mayor.

25:14>> Yes.

25:14>> Just one thing too and following up with

25:16what Josh said,

25:18I think we need to really explain as

25:21clearly as absolutely possible

25:24why some things cannot be shared.

25:27Um because we get feedback and of course

25:30we see everything on social media as

25:32well.

25:33That

25:34I think they want us to share absolutely

25:36everything. Every detail, every step of

25:39the way, every person

25:41you know, everything that has happened

25:43and we have to be able to explain to

25:45them why in some cases

25:48we can't share that information.

25:51So that hopefully they will understand

25:53the reasoning.

25:55>> Well, that might be a perfect segue to

25:58why I'm standing here. Um

26:00>> Because some things you can't even share

26:01with us. So you know, we just have to

26:03make sure that the folks out in the

26:06public understand this.

26:08>> Certainly, you know, and being being in

26:11I was never in law enforcement truly but

26:13as a district former district attorney

26:15um and judge

26:17when you're at this investigative stage

26:20and sharing details, you really cannot

26:22predict what is going to negatively

26:25impact your investigation as far as

26:28details until it's too late often times

26:31and that is why we are attempting to be

26:34um forthcoming, but also somewhat

26:36tight-lipped in some of the details to

26:38allow

26:39the investigations, the independent

26:40investigations that are occurring, to

26:42occur unfettered.

26:44Uh and as part of that, um and really

26:46just to provide some information to this

26:49council, to the public, uh our our

26:51friends at the Federal Bureau of

26:53Investigations, specifically Special

26:55Agent in Charge, Assistant Special Agent

26:57in Charge Miles Beckner is here uh with

27:00a a short presentation to talk about um

27:03what we faced in this case, and really

27:06what the public needs to be aware of and

27:09on guard for uh as cybercrime and really

27:13crime related to internet transactions

27:16is rapidly growing. Uh and and so just

27:19for your information, I believe he might

27:22touch on some of those reasons as to why

27:24we can't share each and every detail at

27:27this time.

27:28So, Miles.

27:30>> Thank you, sir.

27:31>> [clears throat]

27:31>> Thank you, Mayor.

27:35Good morning. Uh

27:36My friend Jason here will be handing out

27:38uh handing out some one-pagers.

27:40Uh

27:41kind of goes over some of the loss

27:43amounts and everything. We'll get into

27:45here shortly, but just wanted you to

27:46have that as a reference point.

27:50>> So,

27:51um as Mayor said, uh my name is Miles

27:53Beckner. I am the Assistant Special

27:54Agent in Charge for the FBI Mobile Field

27:56Office, and I have the privilege of uh

27:59managing the National Security Program,

28:02uh National Security Branch, and the the

28:04men and women that are working hard to

28:06protect us from terrorism attacks,

28:07counterintelligence threats,

28:09and cyber investigations, uh cyber

28:11fraud.

28:12So, I'm here with you today to uh

28:13briefly discuss uh cyber-enabled fraud.

28:16I'll go over what it is, trends,

28:20loss amount across our country and state

28:22of Alabama,

28:23and what the FBI, DOJ, and our partners

28:26are doing to combat this systemic

28:27threat.

28:29Uh cyber-enabled fraud

28:31occurs when criminals use the internet

28:33or other technologies to deceive victims

28:35for financial gain.

28:37Common schemes involve stealing money,

28:40personal information,

28:41identities, as well as selling

28:43counterfeit goods and services.

28:46According to data, which you see in

28:48front of you, uh sirs and and mams, um

28:51is data from which is the FBI's database

28:54to track

28:57internet crimes. It's the largest of its

28:58kind in the world.

29:00We have seen over 1 million complaints

29:03and over 20 billion dollars in loss

29:05across our country in just 2025.

29:08And this is a 26% increase from 2024.

29:13In 2025, Alabama ranked 28th among all

29:16states for reported losses,

29:18totaling over 167 million dollars.

29:23The top five enabled crimes by loss

29:26include, as you can see,

29:28investment fraud,

29:29business email compromise, tech support

29:32fraud, romance scams, and government

29:34impersonation.

29:36For example, the September loss we saw

29:38here Mobile was cyber-enabled fraud, and

29:41the August loss was specifically a

29:43business email compromise.

29:45So, I have a white-collar squad uh

29:47white-collar squad. They investigate the

29:49fraud portion, and I have a cyber squad

29:51that investigates the business email

29:53compromise.

29:55The city Mobile is is definitely not

29:57alone, as these bad actors and are only

29:58targeting cities,

30:00counties,

30:01private industries for mill uh for tens

30:03of millions of dollars, but they're

30:05targeting you,

30:07your parents, your grandparents.

30:09They're stealing the down payment for

30:11your homes and uh your retirement

30:13savings.

30:14And talking about these numbers, uh

30:16they're staggering. And honestly, uh for

30:19the general public and for me, it can

30:20feel overwhelming at times.

30:23Uh but, I promise you all all is not

30:25lost. Um as you've seen with how the FBI

30:27has worked with our brothers and sisters

30:28in law enforcement, uh to crush violent

30:31crime to record lows across our country,

30:33we're We're efforts not only to increase

30:36our likelihood to recover stolen money,

30:39but stronger cooperation with other

30:41countries have indeed shown success in

30:44locating these bad actors that are

30:46oftentimes located in other countries

30:49and bringing them back to the United

30:50States face justice.

30:53So, for the community,

30:55uh you can help combat cyber-enabled

30:58fraud.

30:59Stay vigilant.

31:01Some of the other common sense cyber

31:02hygiene stuff for you strong passwords,

31:04update your software,

31:06think before you click suspicious links,

31:09and turn on multi-authentication. And if

31:11you or a loved one are victim of

31:13cyber-enabled fraud,

31:16first thing you should do is go to

31:17www.ic3.gov

31:20and file a report along with contacting

31:22the local police departments. I promise

31:24you ic3.gov is not just something you

31:26input data and it gets forgotten. Uh we

31:28actively and uh near real time look at

31:31these

31:32uh reports that are coming in and will

31:34act appropriately on them.

31:37Um additionally, um I just want to say

31:40thank you. Honestly, really appreciate

31:43the mayor, the city council, Mobile PD,

31:45and the U.S. Attorney's Office for

31:46working closely to safeguard our

31:48community.

31:49Um when it comes to investigations,

31:51ma'am, to your question earlier,

31:53um basically in in simple terms, by

31:56revealing details of investigations, it

31:58prevents us from the possibility of

32:01returning lost money

32:03and it prevents us directly from holding

32:06uh these bad actors accountable for the

32:07crimes that they've committed.

32:12>> Any questions, Council?

32:14>> Mr. President or Mr. Payne, thank you so

32:16much for taking the time to come and

32:17share this information.

32:19Um you stated um two things. Um you

32:22named the type of

32:24the incident that occurred recently in

32:26October. What kind of crime do you call

32:28that?

32:28>> Uh so, that's a uh the August is a

32:30business email compromise. Yes, sir.

32:33>> Business email. And then the one that

32:35took place

32:36>> is cyber-enabled fraud.

32:38>> Cy- cyber. And and can you share what's

32:40the difference?

32:41>> Yes, sir.

32:42Um so reference you here to the front

32:44here. So just cyber enabled fraud is

32:46simply just when criminals use the

32:48internet or technologies to commit a

32:50crime or fraud in in this case this

32:53recent loss. A business email compromise

32:56is you click a link and it puts

32:58something on your computer

33:00um and they the bad actor can take over

33:03parts of your email and then use your

33:05email as a business email compromise.

33:07They compromise your email to then be

33:09able to send emails to vendors or others

33:12and it looks like it's coming from you.

33:15>> Got you.

33:16Um and can you share your

33:18the FBI role in these two events that's

33:21current right now?

33:23>> [clears throat]

33:23>> Yes, sir. Uh as a law enforcement entity

33:25and of course the intelligence gathering

33:27entity we are, I will work with foreign

33:29partners, state and locals to

33:31investigate um

33:33um these crimes. Doesn't matter where

33:34they are. Um we have the jurisdiction to

33:36be able to track uh international

33:39uh subjects and bring them back to the

33:41US. So plainly speaking, uh we

33:44investigate these crimes.

33:45>> So you're currently investigating these

33:47two incidents that occurred in Mobile?

33:49>> Yes, sir.

33:49>> Okay. Thank you.

33:51>> Mr. President.

33:51>> Mr. Rollins.

33:53>> Uh what about

33:54Do you all have involvement with like

33:56best practices, you know, policies,

33:58procedures?

34:00Do you all advise the city or

34:01municipality, whoever it is, involved in

34:03these crimes on you know, what we should

34:04be doing?

34:05>> Yeah, thank you, sir. Uh good question.

34:07So uh CISA and the FBI are the main

34:10entities and we do provide training and

34:12we have already worked with uh city

34:14Mobile uh to provide some training on

34:16best practices

34:18um as far as how you can work through

34:20di- digital hygiene to protect yourself

34:22and what we're seeing as far as trends

34:24across the country.

34:25>> So this is not this is not just a we

34:27investigate these guys and we'd we leave

34:29you. This is we're sticking with you and

34:31we're going to do what we can to make

34:32sure that you

34:34I guess have the policies and procedure,

34:35at least the knowledge of those in place

34:37when this is

34:38>> Yeah, less of the policies and

34:39procedures, you know, that's not our

34:41role is to provide guidance on that

34:43structure.

34:45Uh we simply train what's what we're

34:47seeing across the country uh so that

34:49your city can take actions to prepare

34:51itself.

34:53So, kind of this right from here

34:55forward,

34:56um typically uh the city or the victim

34:59uh that's part of the loss, they're

35:01working hard to how can we prevent the

35:03next one happening? And then providing

35:06materials to the investigators, to the

35:08FBI, to investigate the crime, and then

35:10we will work to try to recover funds,

35:13and at the very least uh do everything

35:15we can to hold these bad actors

35:17accountable because right likely the bad

35:19actor that are associated with one cyber

35:22enabled fraud are part of a larger

35:25scheme, uh not only targeting cities, uh

35:28targeting our youth, targeting our elder

35:30population as well.

35:32>> [clears throat]

35:32>> I'm glad you're on the job. Thank you

35:34for

35:35being here.

35:36>> Mr. President, Madam Mayor, and all the

35:37vice president.

35:38>> Uh again, thank you for being here and

35:40being a partner with us as we do this

35:43work. But I just want to make sure I

35:45understood, you know, your role in the

35:47scope of the work. Um you shared that

35:49you all investigate the crime, and as a

35:52as part of that, it sounds like it's

35:54also from that investigation, what you

35:56find, you make suggestions in terms of

35:59uh best practices in training um to

36:02support prevention. So, is it the

36:04investigation includes like um the

36:06investigation to prevention and the

36:08accountability for the bad actors? Is

36:10that what I'm hearing, like if you were

36:11to look at the scope?

36:13>> Uh yes, ma'am. Uh so, the FBI uh living

36:16part of this organization, we do a lot

36:17of really cool things. One is not only,

36:20you know, seeking justice for our

36:21victims. Our victims are important, they

36:23have a say. Uh but we get to train our

36:26state and local law enforcement, and

36:28then

36:28come up with and collect such as the

36:31numbers you see in front of you uh from

36:32our database, IC3.gov, to show you guys,

36:36to show other cities, counties, uh

36:39companies, hey, this is what we're

36:40seeing.

36:42So, you guys can posture yourself

36:44to help prevent those from happening.

36:46>> Okay.

36:47>> Again, thank you. Thank you for your

36:48support.

36:51Hi. And thank you again for for being

36:53here and for providing this information

36:55to us. It sounds like from this first

36:57paragraph that you gave us on this

36:59document, that's exactly what you were

37:01investigating here with the city of

37:03Mobile is kind of like the definition of

37:05what it is you are investigating.

37:07>> Yes, ma'am. Yep, cyber-enabled fraud. Um

37:11Like I said, it is it it is systemic, uh

37:13but um recently met with Attorney

37:15General Blanche and uh FBI Director

37:18Patel, their priorities are, "Hey, we

37:20need to stop fraud from happening in

37:22this country." And uh the FBI, along

37:24with their partners, are very much

37:26posturing and have been postured to

37:28prevent that. Um we're seeing tons of

37:30increases in fraud across um across our

37:34populations. We kind of break it down

37:36here. For example, just last year six uh

37:40uh national stats by age group

37:42if we look at 60-plus, there's over

37:46Let's see. That's a lot of That's a lot

37:47of zeros. $7 billion in loss.

37:52So, how can we get out and make sure

37:54that we're working with our uh our

37:56population that may be in retirement

37:58homes to help prevent this from

37:59happening to them. Uh because yes, it is

38:01a big impact for Mobile, of course, and

38:04it's hard for our taxpayers to

38:05understand that. Um it's also maybe

38:08equally or greater harder than more

38:10difficult for

38:12uh a retiree who's counting on that

38:14money uh to live the rest of their life

38:16the way that they planned for it to be

38:18wiped out.

38:19>> Yeah, I I understand that. Um

38:23>> [clears throat]

38:23>> piggybacking on the fact that y'all are

38:25making this such a priority,

38:27how aware are these bad actors of the

38:32types of training that you all provide

38:34and your investigative process? How how

38:36do you stay ahead of them?

38:38>> Yeah.

38:39Great question, ma'am. I won't go

38:40>> change all the time.

38:41>> Yes, ma'am. I won't go too in-depth uh

38:44cuz I like to keep them guessing at

38:45least a little bit.

38:46>> Right.

38:47>> Um but uh we truly have uh recruited and

38:50work with uh just even speaking uh here

38:54in Mobile, just down the street, I have

38:56some of the best, the brightest special

38:58agents, intelligence analysts,

39:00investigative analysts, and professional

39:02staff that are working every single day

39:04to understand trends,

39:07how to defeat those, and go after these

39:09bad guys.

39:11And girls.

39:12>> Sometimes.

39:13>> And last question, I I know you've got

39:15some statistics here, but since we are a

39:17municipal government, um

39:19how many

39:21governments like ours, municipal,

39:22county, state, even federal, do you see

39:26involved in these types of crimes and

39:28being the victim of these types of

39:30crimes?

39:31>> Uh yes, ma'am. So, uh kind of the first

39:33part I take as more of a foreign actor

39:35question. So, yes, uh we've seen

39:38recently in the news, you know, North

39:40Korea part of a large cryptocurrency uh

39:44fraud that resulted in billions of

39:45dollars of loss. But yes, even in the

39:47past couple years, we've seen in the

39:49Southeast region millions and tens of

39:52millions of dollars of loss, to include

39:53across the country, for municipalities,

39:56and that's just, you know, cities and

39:57counties. So, Mobile is definitely not

39:59alone in uh the the issues that we face.

40:03Um and it's it's a difficult adversary

40:05cuz we need to be right every single

40:07time. They just need to be right once.

40:10>> Thank you.

40:11>> Mr. President, uh Mr. Woods, um thank

40:13you again for coming today. Uh again,

40:15I'm not asking you to comment on the

40:16ongoing investigation whatsoever, but um

40:19and and, you know, obviously there's a

40:21lot of money that that happens to to go

40:24out, um you know, due to cybercrime. Um

40:27the sophistication, I guess, kind of

40:30kind of post the money was here today,

40:32then, you know, it was paid out. The the

40:35backside's uh sophistication of of just

40:37these crim these bad guys, these

40:38criminal actors. What is that? Is there

40:40a comment you can make on that of of how

40:42in previous instances you've seen just

40:44the sophistication of of of, you know,

40:47it's just not as simple as saying, "Oh,

40:48it is." kind of thing.

40:50>> It It varies greatly, um and that's part

40:53of what we track is what kind of methods

40:55they're using. I can tell you that uh

40:57cyber-enabled fraud has become a lot

40:59easier.

41:00Uh

41:01bad actors are able to They don't need

41:03the expertise to to be able to do the

41:04ones and zeros. They can go on and

41:06purchase

41:07uh equipment to help make this stuff

41:09easier.

41:10Um

41:11Yeah, that's That's all I'll say on

41:12that. Uh it's It's becoming easier and

41:15we as the public both

41:18servants like us looking out for our

41:20community, but for the community, we

41:22need to stay vigilant.

41:25>> Yeah.

41:26>> And again, thank you so much for coming.

41:27Uh as Vice President stated earlier,

41:30we've been faced with many, many

41:31questions. And several questions that

41:34have been asked to me uh throughout the

41:36past couple of weeks is, you know, is it

41:38a in-house job? During your

41:40investigation or while you're

41:42investigating, you are currently to see

41:44or checking on it was it in-house and

41:47out-of-house, correct?

41:48>> Sir, I I won't comment on that. Um

41:51but I will say

41:52uh again, I work with

41:54uh you know, as a leader, I'm not the

41:56brightest. I always want to lead the

41:57brightest. I work with the brightest,

41:59and they're going to leave no stone

42:00unturned. We're going to work alongside

42:02the US Attorney's Office, uh City

42:03Mobile, uh and and uh and the uh Mobile

42:07PD to make sure every lead is covered,

42:10and we get We love the why, right? I

42:12know you guys We all love the why. Why

42:14did this occur? How did this occur?

42:16Uh and we'll definitely get to the

42:17bottom of of any anything that we come

42:19across.

42:20>> Thank you.

42:20>> Yes, sir.

42:21>> All right.

42:22All right.

42:23All right. Anyone else? Okay.

42:25Um madam.

42:26>> I I have another announcement from our

42:29regular meeting.

42:29>> Okay. All right. Thank you so much, sir.

42:31>> Thank you for your time. I appreciate

42:32you.

42:34>> Thank you, Mr. President. Um I I do have

42:36a question regarding um uh well, I've

42:39received several concerns regarding our

42:41um

42:42transportation uh in terms of there is a

42:45dialysis center um that's that reached

42:48out to me, and they have concerns

42:50because they have three clinics here and

42:52a large percentage of their patients

42:54ride the

42:56MTA. And so what they're saying is that

42:59they're not able to collaborate and

43:01communicate with us in terms of issues

43:03they have and when there's emergencies,

43:05when there's like a disaster, they're

43:07not getting that communication. So

43:09and then I had another some other

43:11complaints. I guess my question is from

43:13the administration, who have you all

43:16designated that we can get this

43:17information to so that we can assure

43:19that there's some communication and

43:21collaboration with this

43:22center?

43:23>> So any of the centers that we have

43:27as our organizations and partners will

43:30always be able to reach out to me.

43:32However, I have tried to work with each

43:36individual that has issued a complaint

43:38to make sure that they're working

43:39directly with Second Line Transit. Of

43:41course, in the first couple of weeks

43:43there're going to be some hiccups.

43:46Everybody anticipated growth. We didn't

43:48anticipate the growth that we've seen.

43:51We expected roughly 2.5% were at 8%

43:54ridership increase in the first 3 weeks.

43:57I mean, that is just beyond our wildest

43:59dreams. We were super excited about it.

44:01However, that said, it does bog down the

44:04system as well because we didn't

44:06anticipate it. The

44:09transportation provider, Second Line

44:11Transit via, has in fact hired 10 new

44:14drivers. They are in the process of

44:17training three drivers and then they're

44:18going to go ahead and hire probably five

44:20more drivers in order to meet the

44:24ridership growth and load that we are

44:27experiencing. That said, it doesn't

44:30preclude our

44:32partner organizations from needing to

44:34directly connect with senior leadership

44:37at Second Line Transit to ensure that

44:39every one of their concerns are being

44:41addressed. Second Line Transit actually

44:44has a community outreach team of four

44:47individuals not including our local

44:49leadership to ensure that anybody's

44:51concerns are addressed in a prompt and

44:54timely manner. If anybody is not getting

44:57the service that they need, they can

44:59certainly reach out to me. You can reach

45:00out to me. I've been fielding all of

45:02these complaints and trying to funnel

45:04them accordingly to make sure that there

45:06is a timely response.

45:09>> Okay, so what I'm hearing you say that

45:11you all recognize that there is an issue

45:13with this this particular center. Have

45:15you heard from them in terms of this?

45:17>> so I did get this complaint. Miss Tim

45:20sent it to me.

45:21I went ahead and passed it along to

45:23Second Line Transit to try to address

45:25it. If it's Frensenia

45:27as the kidney center, if you think about

45:29the way that Frensenia is

45:31organized, there's one at Springdale

45:34Mall, there's one on Old Shell Road,

45:36there's one on Spring Hill Avenue.

45:38These are all areas that are serviced by

45:40transit, but not every one of the

45:43individuals that needs to frequent those

45:46centers has

45:47spent time getting onto the MAP program,

45:51which is the para-transit program, which

45:53will do a direct service to those

45:55centers. Otherwise, they're at the mercy

45:57of the more

45:58uh

45:59fixed route, which obviously will pass a

46:02number of these centers or micro

46:04transit, which will get them close if

46:06not directly in front of it.

46:08>> Okay.

46:09So, like I said, this is one of them

46:12just one of the complaints that I have a

46:13couple more that I'll make sure that we

46:15pass on, but I guess my biggest concern

46:18is the fact that when they're saying

46:19that they're not getting any

46:20communication like when there's a

46:22disaster, if something happens, they

46:24don't get anything notifying them that

46:25there's a change in hours and so forth.

46:27And we know that this is life and death

46:29when we're talking about a dialysis

46:30center. So, I I would just ask that if

46:33administration would follow up on that

46:35to

46:36ensure that they understand the urgency

46:38and the importance of

46:40that type of a center and in the needs

46:42that they have. Thank you.

46:43>> happy to do so.

46:44>> thank you.

46:45>> Thank you.

46:45>> Mr. President.

46:46>> Uh Mr. Penn.

46:47>> Yeah, I received that same information.

46:49I'm glad

46:50you all are already working on the

46:51process. My question is it seemed like

46:54they didn't have any problems um the

46:56past. Was it cuz they were riding on the

47:00fixed route and that route has been

47:02changed and they weren't using the pair

47:03of parishes?

47:05>> I I think there's a learner

47:08growth period as well as uh a growth

47:11period when we've instituted this. Uh

47:14typically you'll see a

47:17system redesign go live and it takes

47:20about 6 months for it to get all the

47:23bugs worked out.

47:24As the city of Mobile administration has

47:27mentioned time and again, we don't have

47:29that luxury. So, we are really holding

47:31Second Line Transit to uh as quickly as

47:34possible getting any type of service

47:37design kinks worked out so that these

47:40issues actually will fall off of the

47:42radar sooner rather than later.

47:45>> Okay. Thank you.

47:46>> Okay.

47:47All right. Thank you so much. Okay.

47:49Anyone else?

47:50>> Mr. President.

47:51>> Uh Miss Woods.

47:52>> Um it's that uh once again that time of

47:54year. Uh

47:56all of us I believe have educators that

47:57played a very important part in their

47:59life or um played a key role in

48:01encouraging their uh

48:02I guess what their interest were and the

48:04things that uh that interest them and

48:06and kind of helped guide them. Um one of

48:07those in my life is uh is my senior

48:10government teacher, uh Mr. Gurley from

48:11Faith Academy. And uh he played a very

48:14key role um feeding into my life when it

48:16came to my interest in politics and the

48:18governmental process. And um each and

48:20every year uh he makes his students go

48:22out and uh they uh they volunteer with

48:25campaigns, come observe elected

48:27officials, and uh provide hours of

48:29service or observation. And today is one

48:32of those days. It's that annual time of

48:34uh year again right before the leaves

48:35fall in Mobile that uh Mr. Gurley's

48:37class gets dispatched out. Um and uh

48:40today I have and I'll ask them to stand.

48:42Um have uh Kaylin Wilson,

48:44um uh Ainslie Stout, and Olivia Watson.

48:47And uh they're seniors at Faith Academy.

48:49And uh I just wanted to point them out

48:51today and and talk about how how they're

48:53out observing us and I hope they learn a

48:55lot. And um let Mr. Gurley know that I

48:58said good things about him and if he

49:00would ever go back and maybe fix my

49:02economics grade back in the day.

49:04You know, I ended up with an A A plus

49:07but you know, a couple points I would

49:08have had had a an A an A an A plus or an

49:11A minus and would have been an A plus

49:12but anyways, I just want to recognize

49:14them today and hope they enjoy

49:15themselves today. Thanks.

49:17>> Happy to have you all.

49:21Anything else from this council?

49:23Anything from administration?

49:24We'll see each other downstairs at

49:2610:30.

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