Amwaste Update
The City of Homewood Finance Committee received an update from
Amwaste detailing the first 13 weeks of their garbage service for the city. Representatives outlined many of the hurdles they had faced and their plan to address issues that still arise. They explained many of the missed pick ups were either an underestimation of trucks needed, broken down trucks, or mis-communication among their employees that led to carts being missed. With over 6,400 residential addresses in Homewood, the issue of repeated missed pick ups in a particular area was improved tremendously as new drivers learned the routes.
Adding to this issue, was an original estimation that 400 homes would utilize the "back-door" pick up provided for residents qualifying for a medical disability or 65 years of age or older. However, the response exceeded over 800 residents requesting this service. A smaller truck is used for this route to better navigate narrow streets and tight turnarounds, such as cul-de-sacs. A second truck was acquired to expand this specific service and has reduced missed pick ups.
Trucks start their routes at 6:00am after a safety meeting every morning. Amwaste is striving for an earlier finish time. Mondays & Tuesdays are finishing up around 5:30pm while Thursdays & Fridays are done by 1:30pm. Amwaste's goal by their six-month mark, February 2024, is a finish time for Mondays & Tuesdays by 3:00pm.
With over 166,400 pick ups, Amwaste is reporting a 99.3% success rate, with a goal of 99.7%. To help achieve this mark, Amwaste has employed a staff member dedicated soley to handling ticket submissions through the SeeClickFix portal. Automatic ticket clearance before an issue is resolved no longer occurs. We encourage residents to submit a ticket HERE with any problems, as this process is crucial for data collection to improve overall service.
REMINDERS
- Monday and Tuesday are mixed pick up days. Anything and everything is allowed in the cart including household trash and recycling. If your pick up is missed on this day, the subsequent pick up will still be taken to RePower. Learn more about RePower HERE.
- Everything in carts on Thursday and Friday goes to the landfill.
- Carts should be facing toward the street, within two to three feet of the curb, so that the truck’s arm can pick up and empty the bin.
- Carts should NOT be located within four feet of any fixed object (mailbox, fire hydrant, etc.), in any direction.
- On pick up days, please make every effort to park cars away from carts to allow trucks to reach them.
- Do not pile bags around carts. Make every effort to place all bags inside the cart. It is okay if the lid is slightly or even fully open. If you have a larger load, contact the city’s Public Works Department at 205-332-6819 to let them know and the claw truck can come and retrieve larger loads.
If you would like to watch Amwaste's update given Monday, November 13, 2023, watch the video below:
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The City Council approved a request to place a shared toy box for Hot Wheels cars along the edge of Morris Boulevard. Andrew Elliot, the driver behind this project, worked closely with neighbors and hopes it will become a small gift to children who pass by. The idea grew out of the Elliott family’s own story. Their boys love Hot Wheels, and they first saw something like this while visiting grandparents. Their five year old helped build the box with his grandparents, and both boys plan to serve as ‘Hot Wheel-brarians.’ They already have an inventory ready so empty spaces can be filled again. They have spent many hours racing cars at home, naming each one, and turning simple toys into fun family championships. They hope this box invites other families to get outside and enjoy the surprise of finding a new car on a walk or a bike ride. Their hope is simple: “We hope the box serves as a blessing to others in the neighborhood! What's the most exciting toy / hot wheels car for a kid? A new one that you don't already have! Part of the ambition is that it gets kids around the neighborhood excited to go out on a family walk, bike ride, etc. - knowing it will result in bringing a new hot rod home!” Stop by and feed your inner vroooom!
Pre-Council Meeting December 8, 2025 Council members walked through the upcoming agenda, and heard updates on items like restricting a few on street parking spots on Linden Avenue, adding a crosswalk at Shades Road and Westover Drive, tightening oversight of vouchers and credit card use, and cleaning up shared dumpsters behind downtown businesses. The highlight was an item to appoint Sam Gaston to serve as Special Assistant to the City Manager, bringing his decades of experience to help guide Homewood through its transition to the new council manager form of government and support long term planning. Agenda: https://bit.ly/3YdB0J5
Homewood has voted to appoint Sam Gaston as the Special Assistant to the City Manager. This is a steady step as our city moves into a new form of government. Sam will work with city leadership and help guide the transition as we look to find a permanent City Manager. Sam brings 45 years in local government management and planning. He recently retired after more than 32 years as the City Manager of Mountain Brook. His roots run deep in public service. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in public administration from Auburn University. He has served as president of the International City County Management Association, the Alabama City County Management Association, the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association, and the Homewood Mountain Brook Kiwanis Club. Mayor Graham Smith of Mountain Brook offered this statement, "Sam’s decision to serve in Homewood is a gift to our entire region. He is one of the most respected municipal leaders in Alabama," she said. "His experience and steady leadership will be exactly what Homewood needs as it moves into this new government structure. Mountain Brook has benefited from his wisdom for decades and now our neighbors in Homewood will share in that same strength." Homewood Mayor Jennifer Andress shared this, "We are excited and grateful to welcome Sam Gaston to Homewood as Special Assistant to the City Manager," she said. "Sam is the gold standard for city managers in Alabama. He encouraged our move toward a Council Manager form of government and we are thankful to have him join Cale Smith in this important season." We are proud to welcome Sam and look forward to the experience he will bring to our city.
Homewood is rolling out text alerts. You can sign up for as many as you like, or choose 'HWDALL' to receive all alerts. Even if you subscribed before, you will need to sign up again using the info below: Text HWDALL to 38276 to receive ALL alerts Text HWDINFO to 38276 to receive news alerts only Text HWDSTREETS to 38276 to receive street closure info only Text HWDEMERGENCY to 38276 to receive emergency alerts only Text HWDGARBAGE to 38276 to receive holiday garbage schedule alerts only.
Board of Zoning Adjustments December 4, 2025 The Board of Zoning Adjustment approved three variance requests including a detailed appeal from the owners of 800 College Avenue to rebuild on their existing footprint with strong neighbor support, and granted requests to add a second story at 564 Forest Drive South and extend a front porch at 600 Handball Avenue. A fourth case for 1707 Reese Street was continued to the January 8 meeting. Case Packet: https://bit.ly/48M4fc3
Planning Commission December 2, 2025 The Planning Commission addressed items that included a pickleball court addition at Brookdale, a large two-part request from Homewood Community Church, and a Frisco Street re-survey. Most of the night centered on the church’s proposal, with neighbors raising concerns about traffic, construction access, buffers, lighting, and flooding; the applicant responded in detail, committed to no construction access on Columbiana, and the Commission sent both items to Council with favorable recommendations. Agenda: https://bit.ly/48M4fc3
Pre-Council Meeting November 24, 2025 The council moved through a handful of items including the TAP multimodal facility contract coming in under budget, a budget amendment to complete the project this year, and the continued 80% reimbursement through the TARP grant. They also discussed new fleet-maintenance tools that will help recruit and retain technicians, an ordinance to clear out old committee language that does away with the old style of committees and now has become one "Pre-Council" meeting, tiered year-end employee bonuses supported by a strong surplus, and a new agreement with Carr Riggs & Ingram to continue supporting the finance department. Agenda: https://bit.ly/4rhpXMe
City of Homewood staff and leadership enjoyed an early Thanksgiving meal thanks to the Homewood PTO. This annual tradition rotates around our elementary schools. Edgewood Elementary School hosted this year. It is their delicious way of thanking our city employees for all they do for us!
The Board of Zoning Adjustments has an open supernumerary position and applications are welcome from anyone interested in serving the city. This is a meaningful way to assist the vision of Homewood and learn how zoning decisions can shape our community. The deadline to apply is November 24 . To apply, send your resume and cover letter to bo.seagrist@homewoodal.org If you have questions about the scope of the work itself, email emily.harrismiller@homewoodal.org
Council Meeting November 10, 2025 The council opened with a proclamation honoring landscape architect Jane Reed Ross, announcing that the large Shades Creek Greenway bridge will be named for her, then moved through business, awarding the Homewood Public Library phase four renovation bid, approving contracts including one for acting city manager Cale Smith, and giving the city manager authority to sign contracts up to $100,000. Agenda: https://bit.ly/3JV3BPS