Homewood — The Homewood City Council unanimously approved the city’s 2025–26 budget and a series of contracts, appropriations and administrative measures at its Sept. 29 meeting, while several contested ordinances were carried over for later action.

The council voted 11–0 to adopt the consolidated budget (resolution 25-175), which includes a 4.5% cost-of-living adjustment for city employees, merit increases required by the Jefferson County Personnel Board and funding for capital projects such as design for a replacement Fire Station No. 2 and the city’s share of the I‑65 Lakeshore diverging diamond interchange.

“First, we are giving our employees a 4.5% COLA,” Councilor Kale Smith said during the budget presentation. Smith, who led the finance committee’s work on the plan, said the budget also covers an estimated 4.75% rise in employee insurance costs and preserves a tiered year-end bonus program contingent on a year-end surplus.

Other measures approved by unanimous votes included:
- Authorization for the city manager to execute an amendment to a contract with Kimberly Horn for HRF design (resolution 25-169).
- Authorization to contract with Burchfield Architects for design work on a proposed Fire Station No. 2 (resolution 25-171).
- An intergovernmental reimbursement agreement with Jefferson County for the I‑65 Lakeshore diverging diamond project (resolution 25-172).
- Setting the Oct. 2, 2025 bid date for the Shades Creek Greenway Trailhead Pavilion and related procurement steps.
- Acceptance of a standard fiber-optic franchise first reading (carried over after a unanimous-consent motion failed; see separate article).
- Declaration of certain fleet and traffic items as surplus and authorization to auction them (ordinance 29-53).
- Approval of additional street lighting along South Lakeshore and at the South Lakeshore trailhead parking area (resolution 25-173).
- A one-year agreement for email filtering and incident response with Moncast for IT security (resolution 25-174).
- Two-hour time-limited parking on specified Edgewood-area streets and lots (ordinance 29-54).
- Approval of September vouchers (resolution 25-176) and a late appropriation to The Exceptional Foundation (resolution 25-177).

Council leaders said the budget process this year included additional pre-meetings with department heads and review sessions intended to reduce line-by-line debate during the full council session. The budget resolution ties the full spending plan together in a single exhibit attached to the approving resolution.

The meeting also included a number of routine procedural items: approval of minutes, appointment of Karen McClure to the Ward 4 Beautification Board (11–0), and several committee referrals. Several ordinances that required unanimous consent for immediate final action did not receive unanimous approval and will be considered at the council’s Oct. 13 meeting.

Votes at a glance
- Budget adoption (resolution 25-175): Approved 11–0. Mover: Councilor Kale Smith; second: Mayor Lloyd Andrews. Key details: 4.5% COLA, funding for design of Fire Station No. 2, city share for diverging diamond interchange, three new fire trucks included in capital plan.
- Burchfield Architects contract (resolution 25-171): Approved 11–0. Committee motion made by Councilor Brandt; second by Councilor Guatney.
- I‑65 Lakeshore intergovernmental agreement (resolution 25-172): Approved 11–0.
- Shades Creek Greenway Trailhead Pavilion bid date set (bid date 10/02/2025 at 3:00 p.m.): Approved 11–0.
- Surplus fleet and traffic equipment (ordinance 29-53): Approved 11–0.
- South Lakeshore and trailhead lighting (resolution 25-173): Approved 11–0. Estimated annual cost cited during committee: approximately $2,972 per year to Alabama Power.
- Moncast email filtering (resolution 25-174): Approved 11–0.
- Edgewood two-hour parking (ordinance 29-54): Approved 11–0; council discussed timing of implementation and the Dawson parking deck opening.
- Vouchers (resolution 25-176): Approved 11–0.
- Exceptional Foundation appropriation (resolution 25-177): Approved 11–0; this was added as a late appropriation after staff confirmed the prior-year payment had not been processed.

Why it matters
The consolidated budget sets pay and benefits for city employees, funds capital projects that affect traffic, public safety and parks, and commits the city to near-term design and construction work (including Fire Station No. 2). Several operational items approved this month (streetlights, IT security services, surplus disposals) reflect ongoing maintenance and public‑safety priorities.

Ending
Several contested or newly introduced ordinances failed to obtain unanimous consent and will return to the council Oct. 13 for a full vote after additional public input and committee follow-up. Councilors and staff said they intend to continue coordination with nonprofit partners such as The Exceptional Foundation and with Jefferson County on large projects in the months ahead.