Mayor’s Proposed FY2020 Operating Budget
City of Birmingham’s FY2020 Capital Budget
Mayor Woodfin Presents Proposed FY2020 Budget to Birmingham City Council
Summary
I am pleased to present the Mayor’s Proposed 2020 Operating Budget to the Birmingham City Council and residents of our great city. This budget represents the next step in changing the way our city serves the people. Our absolute priority is neighborhood revitalization and we continue to uphold our commitment to employees. Be encouraged to review the budget at the link below. I hope that you will take an opportunity to learn more at the May 14 town hall at Birmingham Crossplex at 6 p.m., on our social media pages, and future events. Together, we can work to be the best version of Birmingham.
Sincerely,
Mayor Randall L. Woodfin
Key Points about the 2020 Budget
Neighborhood Revitalization
Our top priority is neighborhood revitalization. This proposed budget increases funds to achieve that priority.
- Street Paving – $8 million
- Demolition and Weed Abatement – $4.75 million
- Code Enforcement – $500,000
- Land Bank – $1 million
- Total: $14.25 million for neighborhood revitalization
Employees
This budget represents the city’s commitment to the 4,000 employees that provide services to our residents.
- Pension – $5.8 million increase
- Merit Raise – $3 million
- Longevity Pay – $2 million
- Increased Healthcare Cost – $3 million
- Total: $13.8 million
Online Budget Town Hall
Mayor Woodfin will be holding an online Budget Town Hall on Tuesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. Submit your questions ahead of time by tweeting/posting your questions with the hashtag #BhamBudgetQuestions.
Budget Schedule
The schedule below details the five-month process to prepare and submit an operating budget to the Birmingham City Council.
December 18 – 21, 2018 Budget Office review of revenue, expenses and positions
January 7 – 9, 2019 Budget Office meets with Chief of Operations on preliminary estimates
January 9, 2019 Distribute Budget Schedule of Events, Training Schedule and Budget Hearings Schedule
January 15 – 18, 2019 Departmental Training
February 1, 2019 Operating and Capital Budget requests forms sent back to the Budget Office
February 4 – 8, 2019 Budget Office Review of Departmental Requests
February 16, 2019 Departmental Budget Hearings
February 20, 2019 Departmental Budget Hearings
February 21, 2019 Departmental Budget Hearings
February 22, 2019 Departmental Budget Hearings
February 25 – 26, 2019 Budget Office prepares summaries of departmental requests
February 27 – 28, 2019 Preliminary Operating and Capital Budget Forecast presented to Mayor’s Office
March 4 – 6, 2019 Budget Office meets with Chief of Operations to discuss departmental requests
March 13 – 15, 2019 Budget Office receives Mayor’s Office Final Changes
March 25 – 27, 2019 Budget Office final meeting with Mayor’s Staff
April 2 – 21, 2019 Development of FY2020 Operating and Capital Budgets
April 24, 2019 Meet with departments to review preliminary budget
May 14, 2019 Mayor presented Proposed Operating and Capital Budgets to City Council
TBD City Council Workshops
July 1, 2019 Beginning of FY2019-2020
Previous Budget for FY2019
Open Checkbook
In 2018, Mayor Woodfin launched a transparency effort around city finances. Open Checkbook provides up-to-date financial information about the Town’s expenditures to help residents better understand how Birmingham allocates resources. This new online service provides deeper accounting information including vendor and payroll data by linking directly to the City’s accounting software.
Public Safety
One of Mayor Randall Woodfin’s six strategic goals for the City of Birmingham is safe, secure, sustainable communities. The city’s work toward that goal includes prevention, enforcement and a focus on successful re-entry for individuals who have been involved in the justice system. Mayor Woodfin successfully called for more law enforcement officers on the streets particularly during “high crime periods” determined by historical data. Since Police Chief Patrick Smith joined BPD on June 25, 2018, he has led efforts to enhance enforcement, investigation, recruitment and community engagement. These actions include:
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- The removal of more than 1,120 firearms from the streets since January 1, 2019. Through checkpoints, traffic stops, investigations and search warrants, more than 2,300 firearms were removed in 2018.
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- Through a renewed focus on detectives, the department has reorganized its detectives handling major offenses. Prior to Chief Smith’s arrival, the homicide unit had seven detectives. Chief Smith combined the homicide unit, the robbery unit and the criminal response team under one umbrella to form the robbery/homicide division. Now, the division has 51 detectives. The homicide clearance rate was 29 percent prior to Chief Smith’s arrival. Now the clearance rate is more than 50 percent.
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- Chief Smith is working to set up a “Real -Time Crime Center” at police headquarters. This is not a crime center that assists only in investigations but provides real-time data that will allow police to monitor active scenes and know the situation they face upon arrival. Funding for the Real-Time Crime Center is included in the mayor’s proposed operating budget for Fiscal year 2020.
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- Community engagement has increased through PEACE in the Park, youth programs and “meet and greets” such as Coffee with a Cop. Through the Coffee with a Cup program, residents are able to meet with precinct commanders in a casual setting.
- BPD has started a Police Cadet Program. In the past, several young people had expressed an interest in joining the police academy but have had to wait until they turned 21 to enroll. Police Chief Smith has now made it possible for people at the age of 19 and up to apply for the police academy and participate in the new Police Cadet Program. Enrollment is now open for those 19 and older. The next class will start July 8. Another academy will be held Oct. 14. The academy is for 22 weeks. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED. Upon graduation, those still under 21 will work for the police department until they can move into an expanded role in law enforcement. For more information, contact Officer Lisa Turner at 205-254-1712.