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Residents press council on stormwater rules, Municode entries and transparency
Summary
Multiple residents used public comment to urge the council to clarify whether a stormwater management ordinance and subdivision regulations were properly adopted, to address flooding in private yards tied to collapsed pipes, and to provide more detailed billing and project expenditure records.
During the public-comment period at the May 12 Hoover City Council meeting several residents raised concerns about stormwater management, municipal code entries and transparency of city expenditures.
Katie Thomas told the council: "Ordinances are the local laws of the city of Hoover. They are adopted by the Hoover City Council and may only be modified by the council." Thomas said planning and zoning had approved a document labeled "municipal code city of Hoover" and a "stormwater management ordinance" that she believes were never approved by the council and therefore are being treated as law without council adoption. She asked the council to review and provide answers about the status of those documents.
Resident Johnny Norris described repeated flooding at his property on Russet Woods Drive and said city Attorney Corley had advised his wife that "the city really can't do anything under a particular constitutional provision of the 1901 Alabama constitution unless we file a lawsuit." Norris said a collapsed stormwater pipe caused significant property damage and urged a policy response rather than relying on legal limits that he described as effectively denying relief to homeowners.
Paul Henman and a resident identified as G. Smith asked for clearer breakdowns of bills and disclosure of expenditures tied to specific projects. Henman said a public-records response he received about legal fees and project costs was incomplete and suggested that obtaining financial information might require court action.
Council President John B. Lyda responded to one request by saying staff would provide a link to a recent budget presentation online. The council did not take immediate remedial action on the stormwater complaints during the meeting; council members voted later to enter executive session to discuss a real-estate matter.
