Birmingham City Council Highlights 1.18.22
Here are a few of the highlights from Tuesday’s Birmingham City Council meeting, in case you missed it.
ITEM 10
The Council has approved an amendment to the City Code to allow for public space permitting for outdoor dining. Initially started as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic for restaurants to offer additional outdoor seating, the changes have been very well received by the public and businesses alike.
The approved amendments will allow restaurants to offer outdoor seating on sidewalks and parking spaces outside of their business while still allowing for five feet of accessible walkway for pedestrians. There will be a new streamlined permitting process for use of these public spaces, and restaurants will need to renew this once a year through the City.
Other cities around the country have implemented similar outdoor dining programs with great success. Not only does it add to the character of a city, but allows restaurants to be more versatile with how they serve their customers, especially as COVID-19 cases continue to spike periodically.
Restaurants must submit proposals that are inline with existing architectural elements and streetscapes. Below is an illustration of an acceptable outdoor dining setup.
ITEM 11
As Birmingham’s new Bus Rapid Transit system nears completion, the Council approved an item allowing the installation of passenger information technology terminals at all of the 32 transit stations. This will allow passengers to have a streamlined experience for monitoring headways and routes, purchasing tickets, marketing, and other informational displays.
Here is the item as it appeared on today’s agenda:
An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) and the City of Birmingham for the purchase and installation of the passenger information technology systems and passenger information display systems at both transit centers and all 32 transit stations and provide marketing services to support the Birmingham Xpress BRT project using the Tiger Grant Funds in the amount of $547,686.00 and City matching funds in the amount $547,686.00 for a total amount not to exceed $1,095,372.00. [First Reading] [Funding Source: PEP35GR 003771 (012/003) and PEP151CP 03771A (012/003) (Submitted by the City Attorney) (Recommended by the Mayor and the, Budget and Finance Committee)**
Census 2020 Redistricting
On Tuesday, the Birmingham City Council’s Census 2020 Redistricting Committee met to discuss the outcome of the 2020 Census and how it will impact Birmingham’s nine districts. Here’s why that’s important.
Redistricting: Based on the census returns, the Council’s census committee will use the information to help redraw City Council districts to ensure each one contains roughly the same number of voters.
Federal funding for states and cities: Census totals help determine the amount of funding that the City will receive from the federal government for the next decade. The census affects up to $900 billion in federal grants, payments and loans that are distributed to states and municipalities.
At the Council Meeting on Tuesday, the body approved a pair of items to facilitate those district map changes. “The purpose of this meeting today is to outline the steps and the process we will take as we set the new boundary maps for our nine Council districts,” Council President Wardine Alexander said. “We look forward to making this a very transparent and thorough process and will be providing additional information in the coming days. The Council will also be discussing this further at Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole Meeting.”
Here is a link to Tuesday’s Census 2020 Redistricting Committee Meeting
