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Downtown Mobile Alliance seeks five-year renewal of ambassador services agreement
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Summary
Fred Renfrew of the Downtown Mobile Alliance presented a five-year baseline services agreement to the Mobile City Council pre-meeting, describing 14 full-time ambassadors who provide safety, motorist aid, hospitality and cleaning services across downtown city properties and committing annual reporting on service monitoring.
Fred Renfrew, representing the Downtown Mobile Alliance, told the Mobile City Council pre-meeting that the alliance is seeking council authorization for a five-year baseline services agreement that will fund and formalize downtown ambassador services tied to the business improvement district renewal.
"We have 14 full-time employees," Renfrew said, describing ambassadors who provide safety, motorist aid, hospitality, landscaping and litter collection. He said the agreement covers services on city-owned downtown properties including the Sanger and the city parking garage, the Explorium, the History Museum, Bienville Square and Cathedral Square.
The agreement coincides with a recent renewal of the Downtown Mobile business improvement district, Renfrew said, and will set a five-year operating funding commitment beginning in the fiscal year starting July 1, 2025. "This is the current program," he said, describing the five-year funding agreement as a continuation of existing services rather than a new initiative.
Council members asked for clarity about whether the text is substantially changed from previous years and requested more detail on reporting. One council member noted the need for annual monitoring of baseline services and asked the alliance to provide its reporting package to the council. Renfrew said annual reports exist and that the alliance can share them with the council.
The substance of the presentation centers on formalizing funding and reporting for downtown services that the alliance says improve public safety and the downtown experience. The council did not take a final vote at the pre-meeting; council members said they would review the agreement and follow up at the regular meeting.
The baseline services agreement will be before the council for further consideration; staff and the Downtown Mobile Alliance agreed to provide the requested monitoring and reporting materials to council members ahead of that vote.
