[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6518150,"mediaKeyId","5399115-2d94af50bdd252958ae329ddcd1bb6bb","parentId",5399115,"title","Council approves towing ordinance and parking-management contract to back new enforcement policy","audioSeconds",1761,"startMs",5998000,"endMs",7759000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5399115-2d94af50bdd252958ae329ddcd1bb6bb&start=5998&end=7759","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5399115-2d94af50bdd252958ae329ddcd1bb6bb/thumbnail_5998000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6518150/Birmingham-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Council-approves-towing-ordinance-and-parking-management-contract-to-back-new-enforcement-policy","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6518150-e52e35ce4c9305370e165355b040a3ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1775386242&Signature=YxSezXTsCvhI8YJ-or7JrawB~Itzgi9gAbKpwf7KuYHNUYNZnHZHEb8UfHWMVrjD7nsfZxDvzYa~kICiYaub3cOX~82l1B-gNDNXvSiqBhn1wReMskUiBEt6thoS79qzlTojeFEj6BY5KYS~natkHCkNpL8572cVRiMNlgycwo1SO1azZvNIU~Wc2cecGX2Fe7NXfk3f96lHNb6r-gLmxNEu6K5vJsk3Y7kLQ5yLAFrkzxPLGjz1rnjQCKk4FsekHHPqxJMu7n7BKoBWNzphz0OkYSCPCsJZ5lE6Qxc~vDYGeOBrjVS3xHQshNDMvkcu9e~dH-8MedO-QxVh0pFuhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Birmingham","date","2025-07-15T00:00:00Z","article","The Birmingham City Council on July 15 approved changes to the traffic code that allow vehicles to be towed from the public right of way when they have three or more unpaid parking citations, and it approved a related technology contract to support enforcement.

Assistant City Attorney Julie Bernard told the council the city has researched legal precedent and designed a process that includes a post-deprivation hearing in municipal court for motorists who contest a tow. Bernard said the ordinance also clarifies towing for public-safety, posted-notice and special-event situations and formalizes notice and redemption procedures for impounded vehicles.

Council also approved a five-year (three years with a two-year renewal option) procurement with Gtechna USA (through a Sourcewell cooperative contract) for about $395,239.89 to provide cloud-hosted ticketing software, in-vehicle or handheld devices, license-plate-reader (LPR) cameras, printers, a new web portal for ticket payment and related professional services. Deputy Director Christina Argo of the Birmingham Department of Transportation said Gtechna will enable real-time access to parking-payment and citation status (including ParkMobile data integration), permit automatic checks by enforcement vehicles and allow the city to send reminders and notices.

Council members asked how the legal change and the technology will work together. Argo said the city does not intend immediate towing on the ordinance’s effective date; officials plan an education and outreach campaign and a staged rollout. Municipal court staff are adding clerical positions to handle increased case volume, and enforcement teams will receive new hardware and training. Staff told council enforcement will begin later this fall after the portal and equipment come online and after public outreach.

Council members sought specifics about fees and procedural safeguards. The ordinance preserves towing and storage charges set by the city’s existing contract with the towing vendor; a city surcharge (the portion returned to the city) remains in the code and was not changed in this session. City staff said the private tow vendor’s contract sets the actual vehicle tow fee (a number the staff cited in discussion but which is set by contract), and storage fees are charged per day per the vendor contract; staff agreed to revisit older code language dating to the 1980s that still lists historic fee amounts and to propose updates where needed. The assistant city attorney noted the ordinance provides a post-deprivation municipal-court hearing to contest tows.

Councilor Kendra Smith asked whether motorists will receive an explicit multi-ticket warning before their third unpaid citation; staff said the city will include reminder mailings and public education and that future operational rules (itemized in later items on the agenda) will define notice pathways. Councilor Abbott and others emphasized that LPR and real-time data are needed so officers can enforce reliably: Argo said the current system requires nightly uploads and is not real time; the Gtechna system will provide continual updates and AI-assisted plate matching to flag unpaid or overstay vehicles.

Chief Mitchell and municipal-court staff joined staff to describe enforcement logistics; municipal-court staffing additions were included in the administration’s personnel plans to handle anticipated case volume. Officials said ParkMobile will continue to operate as an online payment option; the new system will integrate ParkMobile payment data so officers can see whether a vehicle’s paid session has expired.

The council approved the ordinance and the Gtechna contract by voice vote. Officials said they will publish FAQs, use social media and direct-mail notices, and coordinate with council offices to ensure elderly residents and people without internet access have alternatives to check and pay outstanding tickets.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Birmingham - Regular City Council Meeting - Jul 15, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Birmingham City Council on July 15 adopted an ordinance allowing towing for vehicles with three or more unpaid parking citations and approved a $395,239.89 contract with Gtechna USA for cloud-based parking enforcement software, license-plate readers and related services.","taxTitle","Birmingham City, Jefferson County, Alabama","taxId",3652,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6518155,"Council approves Fountain Heights rezoning for neighborhood market and community kitchen",2339,3630000,5969000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5399115-2d94af50bdd252958ae329ddcd1bb6bb&start=3630&end=5969","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5399115-2d94af50bdd252958ae329ddcd1bb6bb/thumbnail_3630000.jpg","/articles/6518155/Birmingham-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Council-approves-Fountain-Heights-rezoning-for-neighborhood-market-and-community-kitchen","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6518155-5ee678927bb5a4ed9dbc859a2f2c8a15/orig.mp4?Expires=1775386242&Signature=I-C9A44MspZVjw4eoLrs~bYXNSptHMfnep~wl0pbvwYfZONieqTVps121QpwRQpnZDu8mVYi5KjiYDzTunjYWPDF0KTtO92qxUloOIE5nu-EnFRXaWUu7DEIKbzIFb5Px6DVLKPEoLTelSaVcLHzwG5bdMc8vTTpMbTHYs4brvh59cR9U5p60-kEed4NTwU4FwHmvXwBk~GkE3dE5dj4nqQi0i5EjUbcgyt8DIm0wlVmnTv1r-MTKI3AwpvA3c98jlB8sxUnM8KAHuqflgctcHHjOLGJ1ARDQ-BfpEpIpJG051XzHT-1pVIgY7BXVnqcwWNujL4jix4nw9py5Q0rtQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Birmingham City Council on July 15 approved ZAC2025-7, rezoning about 0.16 acres at 1201 Sixteenth Street North in Fountain Heights from CR-4A (medium-density residential) to MUL (mixed-use live) to allow a new building that will house an office, a neighborhood market and an accessory kitchen for a community garden.

The rezoning drew unanimous recommendations from the Fountain Heights Neighborhood Association (8–0), the city zoning advisory committee and the planning and zoning committee before the council vote. City zoning administrator Kim Spruill told the council the applicant’s site plan meets landscaping requirements, requires one bicycle parking space and will follow stormwater permitting during construction.

Applicant Maria Villanueva told the council the project is “the first neighborhood market that our community has had in almost 70 years,” and described the building as a community gathering and educational space where local growers can sell produce and use the accessory kitchen to prepare items for sale. She said the applicant has applied to the Birmingham Land Bank to control adjacent parcels that will be combined with the site.

During the public hearing, nearby property owner Shay Hornbuckle said her family has owned 1604 Twelfth Avenue North for more than 70 years and opposed the rezoning because of what she described as repeated trespass, a storage pile, a porta-potty near a driveway entrance and stakes placed at the driveway that she said interfered with access. Hornbuckle said the neighbor’s vacant home had been stripped by previous renters and that the situation had made renting her property difficult.

Villanueva responded in the hearing that she had attempted to work with Hornbuckle, that professional surveys and architectural plans have been completed, and that the project represents about a $750,000 investment for the neighborhood. City staff acknowledged the lot-line concerns raised in public comment and said lot-line disputes are separate civil matters; zoning enforcement staff also offered to inspect the garden site to address any code or permit issues.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant on buffers and setbacks. Staff said the minimum landscape buffer between a mixed-use property and adjacent residential property is five feet and that the plan includes a mix of trees and shrubs along the property edge. Spruill said no parking spaces are required for the community garden/market use beyond the single bicycle space mandated by zoning.

Councilor Kelsey Clark and others asked whether the applicant controls neighboring lots; Villanueva said they are seeking control through the land bank and are in contact with owners of an adjacent vacant home that is heirs property. Spruill said the site is in the North Side/South Side framework plan area and that the rezoning process for the neighborhood is under way.

The council voted verbally; the motion to approve carried and the rezoning was recorded as approved.

A city staff follow-up noted: (1) staff will verify whether any recorded easements or legal instruments affect the shared driveway and will coordinate with surveyors; (2) ordinary permitting and stormwater reviews remain required before construction; and (3) zoning enforcement will monitor the community garden sites for code compliance.

Votes and next steps: Council approved ZAC2025-7 as presented; the applicant will continue permitting and site-control work before building permits are issued. The council and staff noted the lot-line, driveway and property-dispute issues raised at public comment are civil/property matters that may require separate legal or survey resolution.","The Birmingham City Council voted to rezone a 0.16-acre site in Fountain Heights from CR-4A to MUL to allow construction of an office, market and accessory kitchen for a community garden project after unanimous committee recommendations and neighborhood support; a neighboring property owner spoke in opposition citing a separate lot-line dispute.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6518138,"Votes at a glance: council approves rezoning, parking changes, grants and several contracts",5324,3608000,8932000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5399115-2d94af50bdd252958ae329ddcd1bb6bb&start=3608&end=8932","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5399115-2d94af50bdd252958ae329ddcd1bb6bb/thumbnail_3608000.jpg","/articles/6518138/Birmingham-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Votes-at-a-glance-council-approves-rezoning-parking-changes-grants-and-several-contracts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6518138-c48eaea67f7c77bb39ee487c1f207972/orig.mp4?Expires=1775386242&Signature=cqQLT2qAPDOhmPrRyaLph7y8JkINPsj5Oi~JdhjyOC0tKe8anXirPbgb4wFHjm8qNUeJiR4RTtF6Cr2AxAxscMHuFsKcumE9Ha1OQui47jJkwQjfZk-SEgU75oxDlU90-en7dSkV-mLgZuAyKe44qk6YsP0czLLQAdFP368hd96hpfkUwMpwlPjz15CmPk7XNZGRJOX1dDFGxjvrBRlroYHOcBAtMuSZIDDVfcaESFA6iOTFR3lIETXs5HYpQ6Ld8N0DcU9r-7xRnMG9IBc5fnEoHPKRZWVF9v9LSJQtZAPYZSm-M6vHWncOLPhOt0yUuwfbQwpDU862dppIw3c9oQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Birmingham City Council on July 15 took votes on multiple ordinances, resolutions and contracts. This roundup lists each item named in the public meeting transcript with the recorded outcome and key details as stated on the record.

Votes at a glance (items recorded in the transcript)

- Item 1 (ZAC2025-7): Rezoning from CR-4A to MUL for 1201 Sixteenth Street North — Approved by council voice vote. (See separate article for details.)

- Item 2: Amendments to zoning ordinance definitions (Title 1, Chapter 1, Article 3) — Approved (public hearing not requested; unanimous consent recorded).

- Item 11: Amend City Code Title 10, Chapter 14 (towing and impoundment rules) — Approved (voice vote). See parking article for details.

- Item 13: Contract/Agreement with Gtechna USA for parking-management software, equipment, license-plate readers and services — Authorized (amount cited in meeting: $395,239.89; three-year base with two-year renewal option) — Approved.

- Item 14: Resolution authorizing documents to subordinate city loans and related instruments for the Southtown Court Apartments 60-unit project (includes references to a $960,060 city home loan and a $1,761,000 loan; permanent financing by Alabama Multifamily Loan Consortium of $6,000,000) — Approved.

- Item 16: Resolution authorizing application and acceptance for ADOT FY2026 Local Road Safety Initiative funding for Winona Road (estimated project cost about $1,500,000; city match up to $750,000) — Approved.

- Item 17: Local cooperative agreement/grant for law-enforcement assistance (Alabama Gulf Coast High Density Drug Trafficking Area) in the amount of $70,521 — Approved by unanimous consent.

- Item 105: Accept lump-sum proposal from Johnson Controls Security Solutions, Irondale, AL for access-control equipment at the finance department — $11,180.46 — Approved.

- Item 108: Award to Tecta America Southeast LLC for roof repair work order contract — $182,000 — Approved.

- Item 115: Award to Norstead Communications (d/b/a Black Box Network Services) for premise-distribution and cabling services under state master agreement — Approved (unit-price/multi-department contract; amount not specified in transcript excerpts).

- Item 120 (listed as 1 20 in transcript): Purchase of a sewer-jet (vector impact sewer cleaner / jetter truck) — Samsung Equipment Co. invoice/payment in the transcript cited at $380,860 — Approved.

- Additional consent-agenda items: The council approved a large consent agenda that included dozens of routine items announced by item number; council removed several items from consent for separate consideration and then approved the remaining consent items by motion.

How votes were recorded: Most items were approved by voice vote or unanimous consent; the transcript records “aye” for passage. Individual roll-call tallies were not recorded for every item in the public transcript.

If you are affected by one of these items: For projects that involve construction, neighborhood impacts, or enforcement changes (for example, the parking ordinance and associated procurement), expect follow-up notices and implementation schedules from the responsible city departments. For procurement awards and grants, contract administration and vendor start dates will be handled by the relevant departments and purchasing.","The July 15 Birmingham City Council meeting included votes on a rezoning (ZAC2025-7), amendments to the city’s motor-vehicle code for towing, a parking-management contract, several grant-authorizations and multiple procurement awards. Below is a concise list of items the council voted to approve as recorded in the meeting transcript.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6518145,"Council authorizes application for ADOT road-safety grant to add guardrail on Winona Road",521,7878000,8399000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5399115-2d94af50bdd252958ae329ddcd1bb6bb&start=7878&end=8399","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5399115-2d94af50bdd252958ae329ddcd1bb6bb/thumbnail_7878000.jpg","/articles/6518145/Birmingham-City/Jefferson-County/Alabama/Council-authorizes-application-for-ADOT-road-safety-grant-to-add-guardrail-on-Winona-Road","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6518145-71e438a1d1fbcc7b313aa1b6bf3520bb/orig.mp4?Expires=1775386242&Signature=OGgMKTQSSr2mWQ3kLo5JbE3vo3t2ui3gyr5Cti9AoIaqSIOdseYLK4c4KH3phb~Q3sXgMAxUyXnPd3Ew3y-WjfS2D0fqkhSuNMCE9qmrT61fNvf84SFjOz3l3KyOohpFXbtO6IhQED15QVdIRE8QJ7cMmveEPciMpi~uQ8OTlIV-lm0Cnm38MJ36cCnNuZcb9QxgB1YAdSLRgZaQY62AqdSzzZgL~ldyTBOgi3XPHGWmZGeReyFlDBtYwixDmnJxpbRS2MdBEYoQaxk9R3gZJgWmHnijHilXCWhn~0ui~e24jccoJWwKmPRhzZgSGZOpS8h0EVSTVaS7abtBQJpa6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Birmingham City Council on July 15 authorized the mayor to complete and accept a Local Road Safety Initiative (LRSI) grant application to the Alabama Department of Transportation for safety improvements near the Winona Road and 20 Second Street Southwest intersection.

BDOT program manager Colin Alexander told the council the project (estimated total cost about $1.5 million) would repair a shoulder and install guardrail in a corridor where residents and the Transportation Infrastructure Committee have expressed safety concerns. The city would provide a local match of up to $750,000 under the application; Alexander said the city applied for the same program last year but was not awarded funding, in part because the requested state share was large relative to available statewide funds.

Alexander said the administration is resubmitting with a higher local match to increase competitiveness. Staff also supplied crash data and site photos to committee members and said funding from ADOT would be required before construction can proceed.

Council approved the resolution to pursue the LRSI grant and authorized the mayor to sign grant documents and accept funds if the city is awarded the grant. Staff said they will notify neighborhood groups and report back to council on any award and the next steps for design and contracting if funding is secured.","The council approved a resolution to pursue a FY2026 Alabama Department of Transportation Local Road Safety Initiative grant for safety work at Winona Road and 20th Street SW; the city will match up to $750,000 on a roughly $1.5 million project to install guardrail and other improvements.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council approves towing ordinance and parking-management contract to back new enforcement policy

Council approves Fountain Heights rezoning for neighborhood market and community kitchen

Votes at a glance: council approves rezoning, parking changes, grants and several contracts

Council authorizes application for ADOT road-safety grant to add guardrail on Winona Road