[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.] [0:02] Brief agenda. So let us go ahead and begin. And we can socialize and enjoy [0:11] ourselves and have a great time when we get through. [0:15] This time I'd like to [0:17] reconvene the meeting of September 12th. Is there any business to transact out of [0:21] that meeting? Any old business? Seeing none, that meeting is now adjourned. [0:29] I'd [0:29] would you please call the row? Commissioner Bowlin? Commissioner Knight? Commissioner [0:36] Scales? Good morning. Commissioner Tyson? Commissioner Stephen. Good morning. [0:42] Invocation is going to be held. I'm going to turn over to Commissioner Knight to [0:47] introduce his pastor. Our invocation this morning is by pastor Draper [0:53] Rogers. He is the pastor of youth families at the Gardendale First [0:58] Baptist Church. He is from Auburn, Cal, so I know I told him he might need to [1:07] pray for them too, by the way. [1:12] He's a great guy, he does a great job, and he's [1:15] very instrumental in the community of Gardendale. So Pastor Rogers, if you'll [1:21] step to the mic, stand for the prayer, and then you pledge. [1:27] Before we pray, I [1:29] give you four scripture verses that are instrumental in my prayer life every [1:34] single day. Matthew 11 verse 28 Jesus says come to me all who are weary and [1:40] burdened and I will give you rest. Psalm 37 3 trust in the Lord and do what is [1:46] good. Dwell in the land and live securely. Matthew 6 33 but seek first the [1:52] kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be added to [1:56] you. And finally, second Chronicles chapter one, verse 10, give me wisdom and discernment [2:02] so I can lead this nation effectively. Let's pray. Father, as I read those scriptures, [2:09] that is the prayer of our heart today. We say, Lord, that we would come to you because, [2:14] Father, if the people in this room are like me, Father, they're weary, they're burdened, [2:19] and Father, they need you in their life. They need a touch from you, a word from you. Father, [2:26] I know each person there on that panel, Deloitte, that leads this great county of ours. Father, [2:31] they need wisdom. They need discernment on the things that needs to be done in their district. [2:36] So Father, would you please guide them and lead them? And I pray just for all of our [2:41] county workers, Deloitte, that give so much of their time and energy going over and beyond [2:46] what's called of them. So Lord I pray for them, I pray for their safety. Lord I pray [2:51] not only for Jefferson County but for Birmingham City and for all our [2:54] municipalities in that make up Jefferson County. Lord would you just have [2:57] your hand upon them all? Father I pray for this meeting today that you would [3:02] have your way. I pray that all would go well. I pray that the the business [3:06] will be taken care in orderly and friendly fashion. Father please have [3:11] your way today. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Amen. [3:18] Thank you [3:33] Pastor Rogers. [3:40] We appreciate [3:40] you pal. See you down the road. Okay ma'am. [3:46] Commissioners, we have the minutes from our [3:49] September 12th meeting. [3:52] If we follow our normal pattern and practice of behavior, we're going [3:56] to let Alicia off and not have her read these minutes, but I'll need a resolution to do so. [4:06] I move that Alicia not read the minutes, [4:16] and then we adopt them as written. [4:18] All right. We'll have a motion and a second, and Alicia, you're off another time. [4:23] All in favor say aye. [4:24] Aye. [4:26] Any opposed? Of course, there is no opposition. [4:30] I have no presentations, we have no public hearings. [4:33] Can you believe that? [4:34] Wow, hallelujah. [4:36] That is, we do have 61 resolutions and two items of new business. [4:41] One is coming from the DA, the assistant DA that would allow the commission to participate [4:49] in a grant process and we need a resolution to do that and the other is an inadvertent [4:56] But ARPA, [5:01] true up from, I believe it's either Macadora or Macaulah, Macaulah from Macaulah [5:09] to straighten up that, as we did with all of the others on Tuesday. [5:17] So if we could- [5:18] Mr. President, I move to adopt the two items of new business. [5:22] I have a motion for two items of new business. [5:26] Would you call the roll, and a second, would you call the roll please? [5:30] Commissioner Baldwin? [5:32] Yes. [5:32] Commissioner Knight? [5:33] Aye. [5:34] Commissioner Scale? [5:35] Yes. [5:35] Commissioner Tyson? [5:37] Commissioner Stephen. [5:38] Yes, thank you very much. [5:40] We have a motion for the consideration of 61 items and two items in your business. [5:48] Second. [5:49] Motion and a second. [5:50] Are we okay the way? [5:51] You have to roll a call. [5:52] Roll a call on the two items and then you can do it. [5:56] Then we vote on it. [5:57] So you made your motion to the roll call vote to consider the two items? [6:02] We just didn't. [6:03] Now we just need to vote. [6:04] But now the roll call is going to do a new business. [6:07] One through 61 you can do as well. [6:10] Okay, fair enough. [6:11] We have a, let's go ahead and do the new business first. [6:17] I moved items, two items and new business. [6:20] Second. [6:20] I'll have a motion and second, two items and new business. [6:24] Yes. [6:25] Roll call. [6:26] Commissioner Bowden? [6:27] Yes. [6:28] Commissioner Knight? [6:29] Aye. [6:29] Commissioner Scale? [6:30] Yes. [6:31] Commissioner Tyson? [6:32] Yes. [6:32] Commissioner Stephen? [6:33] Yes. [6:34] Thank you. [6:34] Move Adams 1 through 61. [6:38] I'll second that. [6:41] All in favor say aye. [6:43] Aye. [6:43] Any opposed? [6:46] All right. [6:48] That brings us to the end of the meeting, believe it or not. [6:53] County Manager, give us some news. [6:58] Well, I just want to thank all the great employees of Jefferson County for a great year. [7:04] We got a lot done. Thank you all for your leadership and funding and investing in the infrastructure, [7:09] but looking forward to another great year and thank you employees for working hard [7:16] and working in Jefferson County and making it a great place to work. Thank you. [7:23] County attorney. No news is good news. Is that what you just said? When you say [7:30] things it easily cost us money so we'd like for you to be quiet. We do have [7:41] some things that we need to remember the folks in Florida and Georgia and [7:46] and East Alabama in our prayers. [7:49] This is supposed to be a generational type storm, [7:54] similar to Katrina. [7:57] It's huge. [8:02] All we can offer is our prayers right now. [8:05] But if we will do that, it would be greatly appreciated. [8:10] And now I'd like to offer all the commissioners. [8:16] Commissioner Bowling, would you like to say anything? [8:17] I [8:32] hope Auburn does a good Saturday as well. [8:35] We don't turn the ball over. [8:37] No. [8:38] Mr. [8:44] Toss. [8:45] I wanted to announce that Saturday the Brunner-Brown Bulls and Buddies Breast Cancer Organization [8:54] is doing a sister strike. [8:57] We're inviting everyone out. [8:59] So I said 730 at Legion Field. [9:02] It's a, this is a very good organization and it fits in the gap with women in the community [9:13] that do not have health insurance. [9:16] They supply free breast cancer screenings, mammograms, rides to the doctor, light cleaning [9:27] of the homes. [9:28] No one in this organization get paid. [9:31] I have volunteered with them self for several years. [9:35] I think this is the 13th year I've been volunteering for maybe 10 other 13 years. [9:42] And I'm just asking for everyone to support this organization. [9:46] It is definitely there for the community. [9:48] Commissioner Titian, what's the name of the event? [9:51] It is the Brunner Brown bosom but it's Breast Cancer Walk and it's named after a three-time breast cancer survivor. [9:59] But you said something about a strut. [10:01] It's a strut. [10:02] Women don't walk their struts. [10:04] Can you demonstrate for the audience here [10:09] what that strut is? [10:11] You know my foot mist. [10:13] So this would be the bosom hop. [10:18] It would be a drag. [10:22] So y'all please come out and support this organization. [10:26] It is definitely worth it. [10:28] It is and what's something that we've done in the past and we've always [10:32] Kind of help promote this and it is it is a very good job [10:36] Commission of Scales good morning. Good morning. Yes, sir. Thank you, miss president [10:42] I do want to ask everyone in the midst of while we're talking about families who may be affected by [10:50] The possible hurricane coming in our direction, but we know that they're touching down in other places [10:57] pray for the city of Birmingham I am on between yesterday and well yesterday just [11:06] around the corner for me had someone killed at Captain D's had someone shot at [11:14] the gas station around the corner and then late last night someone was I don't [11:21] think that person may have made it either. Another shooting is real when it's right there [11:28] at your doorstep. So I encourage everyone to pray for Birmingham. I'm very thankful to [11:36] this commission. I've said this privately and publicly, so I'm going to say it from [11:40] this day officially. The commission has given a lot of money to try to support the [11:48] the Sheriff in order for the Sheriff's Department to be able to support Birmingham Police Department, [11:56] but it would behoove everyone to find out that the Sheriff does not control the police [12:01] chief. And the Sheriff's Department is doing the very best that they can with the resources [12:06] that they do have. And I just want to tell them thank you because we've had a lot of [12:14] assistance that are showing up in these communities but I'm going to be honest [12:19] with you I was talking to someone all the way to work this morning it's getting [12:26] very real and and we just can't make it make up excuses about this it's just [12:32] getting real and yesterday I could not believe it was not even 11 o'clock and [12:38] someone was already killed around the corner I mean it's just it's different [12:42] But I believe in this. If it works in one city, it can work in all. [12:48] We just got to be intolerable when it comes down to bad behavior. [12:55] And the good thing about being over here at the county is that you're over here at the county courthouses too. [13:00] Meaning that these judges. [13:02] And we're going to be calling on these judges to help lock these bonds so that by the time these folk go to jail there's not a catch and release that you were out by the end of the day. [13:12] But I want to say, you know, for us to continue not only to pray for Birmingham, but pray for [13:17] the people who live in Birmingham, pray for the people who do business in Birmingham. [13:21] We just need help. [13:23] And so, and I think this commission followed the help that they have done in a city where [13:27] I live. [13:28] So thank you so much, Mr. President. [13:32] Mr. Mott. [13:33] I just want to reflect the sentiments about the hurricane Helene. [13:40] We're going to be on the western edge of it. [13:43] so we shouldn't get the bulk of it. [13:47] Sometimes those things will wobble, [13:49] but generally when they get before land, [13:52] they jog to the right a little bit. [13:54] But we're still going to get rain. [13:57] We're still going to get winds. [13:58] And so our EMA is going to be on top of it. [14:01] I know that. [14:02] And I know we have some employees on standby [14:05] in case we need to go get some trees off the road [14:07] or whatever, so we appreciate them for being there [14:11] and taking on that role. Again, Angela, you and all your team, thank you for [14:18] getting the budgets done. We appreciate it. And roll tight. [14:27] You want to say something? [14:28] Yes. I forgot about the senior citizens exercise program, why you said they [14:37] will be starting on TV on Saturday mornings at 10 o'clock in the morning. [14:43] It's a big deal, it really is. [14:47] They started, I think, cutting their videos in the TV show two months ago. [14:55] So they will be shown, they will actually be televised now on the office. [15:00] Saturday mornings, it'll be every Saturday morning for an hour. It's also a [15:05] ballroom dance, I think 30 minutes ballroom dancing, and then the other one is [15:10] the get fit while you sit chair exercise. And our seniors are a huge part of it. [15:17] And I think they're in Chicago or either Detroit too, so it will not just [15:22] only be the state of Alabama, it would also be other seniors too, but I know we [15:26] have shot I think for two months. So they will start showing this Saturday. So everyone tune in on [15:34] is it CW channel 21? [15:40] Back here. Well I want to again commend our [15:46] employees for the good job that they do and [15:50] how they've been able to help elevate the quality of life of the citizens of Jefferson County. [15:55] And I'd like to also echo what Commissioner Scales said, is that [16:06] we can lose everything [16:10] we've gained by something that's not under our control. [16:16] We work hard, Commissioner Boland, management staff, we work hard to bring economic development [16:25] into the city and into Jefferson County and one random act of violence can [16:32] completely cancel everything that we've done. So life is about expectations and we [16:42] need to expect more and we need to demand more. Our children need a safe [16:52] place to grow up and be able to raise their family. We need safe thoroughfares to [17:00] and from working school. Our primary response is built in and I see Wayne back [17:06] there. Wayne, you do a good job. Sheriff, the department does a good job, but you [17:10] tell the sheriff that the commission does appreciate him and that appreciate [17:16] what he does and the way he's able to engage and put star one where it needs to be. [17:24] And we'd like to encourage him to work with our other municipalities to create that task [17:33] force that the governor was talking about and change these expectations of these criminals [17:40] because you know two out of three says they're going to get away with it in [17:45] Birmingham and we do not want that. [17:53] We look forward to having great things come [17:56] from those meetings. Yes sir. And you know the study was done through youth [18:03] detention where over 95% of the people that has been shot and the ones that [18:12] during the shooting has went through the system some kind of way, and even their parents. [18:20] So you're looking at a study that have shown us for the last 15 years, this is what's happening. [18:29] Yeah, and I don't want any excuses. [18:31] When I see the word system and I see the word gun laying on the seat, I see somebody [18:36] going to jail, okay? [18:40] I don't say I can't touch them because I got a gun. It's an open carry law. No [18:48] That's not the way it works [18:51] That's not the way it works [18:54] That's enforced the laws [18:57] You're doing it. I know [19:00] Okay, yeah, we build our youth attention like we supposed to we got to do our head [19:04] Yeah, and we got up we got to get to the youngsters right those kids that'll come after this generation. Hopefully [19:12] it's it's it's it's a it's a hard sell now for them but these youngsters the [19:20] little kids now just we got to get some kind of intervention to so that they [19:25] don't follow that path and that's that's a real challenge this commission loves [19:33] the city in this county and we're gonna do everything that we can within our [19:38] power to make sure that it's a quality place and a safe place where you can live and raise [19:43] your family. [19:43] Ms. President? [19:45] Yes, ma'am. [19:45] If you don't mind, I'll say this in closing, especially one who works a lot with children. [19:52] The way you change the culture is you change the mindset. [19:56] You change the thinking and investing in their education and providing them equal access [20:03] to exposure opportunities outside of their communities. [20:09] That's how you're going to change it. [20:11] But I'm seeing, like I was telling someone this morning, [20:14] it's not just Mongeon folk. [20:16] This is anyone who wants to shoot just because you think you can. [20:19] But it's only limited to a particular area that allows it. [20:24] And I'm with you. [20:25] I'm not here, no excuses. [20:26] There's just no excuses. [20:28] If you look at AO.com as one of those media outlets [20:32] and Carol Robinson does a real thorough comprehensive writing and she talks [20:38] about you know what we have countywide versus what we have in the city I live [20:43] in all I can tell you is that Mr. President until we get to a point that [20:49] when we recognize it's broken you do everything to try to fix it try to [20:54] repair it is not going to change but at some point we're gonna I'm over the [21:01] blame game and so you know it just going to boil down to the fact that we just [21:07] going to have to be very militant in what we do and and bringing in the [21:10] national guard that's just a temporary fix that's not the police I mean police [21:15] is one of the things you pay taxes for so just like we have the sheriff and do [21:19] let me say this very quickly and close him as president you said something and [21:23] I want to again reiterate what I tell my constituents in the in the [21:28] district the sheriff's department polices unincorporated Jefferson County they [21:36] cannot override it is so important because a lot of times I think the sheriff's [21:42] department is getting a bad rap matter of fact I think they don't even get the [21:46] credit that they rightfully deserve because they are supplementing in a [21:50] lot of communities I'm talking about even outside of Birmingham you know [21:55] But at the end of the day, I don't think it's just an age bracket at this point. [22:00] I think it's just a matter of you take it where it's not hot. [22:04] But if you make it hot, I promise you, they know when they said 12 on such and such a block, [22:11] anybody that knows about WTAT, I would encourage all of us to go on that little social media site. [22:20] They know where it's hot. [22:21] And if you don't take it in certain communities because you know you go into jail, all we got [22:26] to do in Birmingham is just stop putting people in jail and I agree with you, Mr. President, [22:30] wholeheartedly. [22:31] Keep praying, but keep working. [22:33] And make sure we do our half and bill you for detention, like we supposed to. [22:39] This meeting is recessed. [22:40] as far as I know it is, yeah.