Hoover City Council approves consent agenda, continues December minutes and delays Resolution 8359-25; resident asks about Kroll responses

The Hoover City Council on Monday, Jan. 6, approved its consent agenda, continued approval of minutes from two December 2024 meetings and voted to continue consideration of Resolution 8359-25, while a resident pressed the council for a timeline on responses from Kroll and raised a question about a reported $14,000 payment to an outside firm.

The approvals on the consent agenda included a special retail alcohol license for a Homewood Suites hotel, authorization to donate property to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) for the I‑459 Exit 9 interchange project, and authorization for the mayor to sign a contract with 5th Asset Inc. (doing business as DebtBook) for software to help comply with GASB 96 lease-accounting requirements. Council members moved and seconded the consent agenda and the council voted to approve it without discussion.

Why it matters: several consent items affect public property and future construction tied to the I‑459/Exit 9 project and create ongoing administrative obligations for the city (for example, the DebtBook agreement to assist with GASB 96 compliance). The public comment also underscored continuing local interest in the Kroll review and transparency about payments to outside firms.

Most important actions

- Consent agenda approved: The clerk read the consent items that the council approved in a single motion and vote. Those items, as read into the record, included payment of bills; a special retail alcohol license for Appleton Hospitality Management, Inc., doing business as Homewood Suites Birmingham — South Inverness, at 215 Inverness Center Drive, Hoover; an amendment to a prior resolution accepting public improvements for Trace Crossings 21st Sector to clarify the requester as USS Real Estate; a resolution authorizing donation of certain property to the Alabama Department of Transportation for the I‑459/Exit 9 interchange project; a declaration that specified city property is not needed for municipal purposes and authorization to dispose of it; and authorization for Mayor Brocato to execute an agreement with 5th Asset Inc. (DebtBook) for software related to GASB 96. The motion to approve the consent agenda passed on a voice vote; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the minutes read into the record.

- Minutes continued: Councilmember Murphy moved to continue approval of the minutes for Dec. 12 and Dec. 16, 2024; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

- Resolution 8359-25 continued: Councilmember Murphy asked to continue Resolution 8359-25; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote, continuing the item to a future meeting.

Public comment and Kroll questions

During the public comment period, resident Ross King of Bridal Parkway said citizens had submitted a list of questions to the city’s retained reviewer, Kroll, and asked for a timeline for a response. King also referenced reporting that suggested a $14,000 payment to an outside firm related to the matter and asked whether council statements describing earlier comments as false should be revisited in light of that reporting.

Council Pro Tem Posey responded, “They have been sent,” referring to the questions to Kroll. Posey later added, “I do not. I’ve emailed to try to get a find out when it might be, but there was a number of questions that they have to go through.” The council did not provide a definitive timeline for Kroll’s response during the meeting and did not confirm the $14,000 payment King referenced.

Procedural notes and next steps

The consent agenda was approved as read; no individual consent items were pulled for separate discussion. The minutes for Dec. 12 and Dec. 16, 2024, were continued for later approval. Resolution 8359-25 was continued at the request of Councilmember Murphy; the council set no new date for further consideration during the meeting.

The meeting opened with recognitions and acknowledgments, then proceeded through the consent and regular agendas. No public hearings or formal roll-call vote tallies were recorded during the items taken by voice vote.

Ending: The meeting adjourned after council comments and the public comment period. No additional dates were announced for follow-up on Resolution 8359-25 or a published timeline for Kroll’s responses.