Mayor Randall Woodfin presented a proposed $591,000,000 fiscal 2025–26 operating budget to the Birmingham City Council on Tuesday, May 20, saying it builds on recent investments in street resurfacing and public safety.

The mayor framed the proposal around four shared priorities — neighborhood revitalization, public safety, youth investments and services for the unhoused — and listed specific spending: $21.8 million for neighborhood revitalization (including $15 million for street paving); $6 million for rolling stock for public safety plus additional police vehicle funding; $1.5 million for community violence intervention; and an increase in homelessness services. Woodfin also told the council the city will contribute $40,000,000 for the municipal pension fund.

Why it matters: the package mixes one-time capital transfers, ongoing operating commitments and personnel costs. The mayor and councilors said the proposal is intended to maintain momentum on visible infrastructure and public-safety priorities while also expanding non-police violence-reduction programs and boosting employee pay and benefits.

Key figures and program highlights
- Total proposed budget: $591,000,000, presented May 20.
- Neighborhood revitalization (total): $21,800,000, including $15,000,000 for street paving; $3,000,000 for weed abatement; $2,000,000 for demolition; $1,000,000 for sidewalks; $500,000 for traffic calming; $300,000 for recycling. The mayor noted the city has budgeted more than $100,000,000 for street resurfacing since FY2019 and reaffirmed a $15,000,000 paving allocation for FY2026.
- Public safety and violence reduction: $6,000,000 proposed for rolling stock (police vehicles) plus an additional million dollars for police vehicles the mayor said; recruitment and retention initiatives previously funded at $15,800,000 will continue; $1,500,000 proposed for community violence intervention programs separate from police funding; $1,000,000 for a Common Ground conflict-resolution partnership with Birmingham City Schools; a Park & Recreation Safe Haven line of $625,000 and $500,000 for a youth sports reboot.
- Youth and education support: the mayor noted the City’s $87,000,000 annual ad valorem support for Birmingham City Schools and proposed $5,000,000 in new investments including $2,000,000 for the Birmingham Promise, $1,000,000 for Fort Milter Health (as stated in presentation), $1,000,000 for financial-literacy programming, $250,000 for Small Magic (formerly Birmingham Talks) and $210,000 for a kids-and-jobs program.
- Services for people experiencing homelessness: the budget proposes $1,500,000 in new funding; the mayor referenced prior investments including $1,800,000 for the HEART program with Urban Alchemy and $2,800,000 for the Home for All initiative.
- Transit and mobility: the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) is proposed to receive $11,000,000; an express bus-rapid-transit line is proposed at $3,000,000 and Birmingham On Demand at $2,500,000.
- City employees and pensions: the administration would absorb $3,600,000 in employer health-care cost increases, propose a 5% merit pool ($3,900,000), $1,000,000 for longevity pay, and a 1% cost-of-living adjustment ($4,200,000). The mayor said the city will contribute $40,000,000 toward pension funding; the mayor also noted the pension board’s separate recommendation for a $400 monthly benefit was not included in the general fund proposal.

Council questions, follow-ups and process notes
Councilors pressed for more detail and implementation plans in several areas. Councilor Abbott asked for a line-by-line list showing which departmental requests were honored; Woodfin said the administration will return to department heads and share a response “in real time … the next probably 2 weeks or less.” Councilors asked for presentations on the youth-sports reboot and on a planned parks study; the mayor said the parks work is a multi-step consultant-driven process and the budget includes seed or matching funds.

Code enforcement, stormwater and fleet
Multiple councilors pressed the mayor and staff on code enforcement and related court and legal processes. Woodfin described a “triangle” approach involving the legal department, PEP (planning and economic development) and the police department and said Chief Michael Pickett plans to present a targeted enforcement plan to the council before the budget vote.

On stormwater and drainage, the mayor and councilors agreed the city’s needs outpace annual operating dollars and will require bonding or other capital financing; staff said individual residential and infrastructure repairs can cost millions and a systemwide study and phased capital plan will be necessary.

Fleet and equipment needs were discussed as a continuing priority for police, fire and public works; the mayor said the proposed budget includes rolling-stock purchases and the administration is pursuing leasing options to modernize the fleet over time.

Public hearing and next steps
Council members approved a resolution setting a public hearing on the mayor’s proposed general fund and capital budgets for June 4, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers; the resolution directs the city clerk to publish the hearing notice at least seven days before the hearing and makes online participation available.

What remains uncertain
The council asked for more budget-versus-actual reporting for FY2025; the mayor directed the finance department to provide more detailed midterm and year-to-date revenue/expenditure information. Several line items — including the park study’s matching requirements, the final structure of the youth-sports reboot, and the precise breakdown for the 1.5 million proposed for additional violence-intervention spending — will be fleshed out in follow-up briefings and supplemental documents the mayor’s staff said they will provide.