Special Election Sept. 24

**NOTE: Absentee ballots are no longer available for this election. Sept. 17 was last day to receive absentee applications by mail. 



PROCOLOMATION FOR SPECIAL ELECTION


ELECTION OFFICERS


VOTING MACHINE INSPECTIONS

September 24, 2024, voting will be from 7:00am to 7:00pm in the following locations:



Ward 1 - Homewood Recreation Center

Homewood Park - 1632 Oxmoor Road


Ward 2 - Senior Citizens Center

816 Oak Grove Road


Ward 3 - Edgewood Elementary School

901 College Avenue


Ward 4 - Homewood Public Library

1721 Oxmoor Road


Ward 5 - Shades Cahaba Elementary School

3001 Independence Drive

In February 2024, the city council voted to look at the possibility of changing the form of government in Homewood to allow for a City Manager (watch the video at the bottom of the page to see the presentation of this proposal). Currently, the city does not have a full-time executive. 


The mayor handed it off to the council to investigate the options. The council created an ad hoc committee made up of councilors, department heads, residents, business leaders, and community leaders to look at the various possibilities. They looked at three models that have city managers- Hoover, Mt. Brook and Vestavia Hills, and unanimously believed that the Vestavia's model was the best fit for Homewood. After many months of research, the committee felt comfortable with the statutory model which has the mayor as part of the city council, and then the city manager as the chief executive of the city, called the "Council/Manager" model. 


A petition garnered enough signatures from Homewood voters to have a referendum. A special called municipal election has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 24, 2024 for the purpose of determining whether or not the qualified voters of the City of Homewood approve the adoption of the "Council/Manager" form of government. Absentee ballots can be downloaded or obtained at city hall starting August 27th, 2nd floor city clerk's office. 


Video - view the special called council meeting that approved all resolutions needed to have this election.

*This deadline has passed


If you have not already registered, the deadline to register to vote was September 9, 2024.

The council created an ad-hoc committee made up of councilors, department heads, residents, business leaders, and community leaders to look at the various possibilities. 


The committee reviewed three cities with city managers: Hoover, Mt. Brook, and Vestavia Hills. They all agreed that the "Council-Manager" model from Vestavia was the best fit for Homewood. This decision came after they interviewed city managers from each location. Of all options available to attain a city manager for Homewood, the committee believed this was the best option to hire a city manager since the process and responsibilities are guided by state statute and it meant that the position will be accountable to the full council, including the mayor. This means the position can't be eliminated or altered on a whim. No other option to add a city manager has this.

 

As part of adopting this government style, a referendum must take place (Sept. 24), which lets the citizens vote on the change. 


It is important to note that boards, including the school board, will NOT change under this new model. They all stay the same.


This new government would reduce the number of councilors from eleven, to four, each designated to represent one of four wards (shown below). There would also be a mayor elected city-wide who would hold a dual role as council president. That would make it a five person body to vote on matters of the city. There are 11 other cities in Alabama, of similar size, with a five person voting body. Five is the "norm" for cities our size and is the reason leadership chose it instead of a seven body model.


This new model allows for an appointment of a city manager by the council to supervise the day-to-day operations of the city, with accountability to the entire council and mayor. This is the only option available to the city that assures of guidelines dictated by state statute for the responsibilities of the city manager, while making sure the position can't be eliminated or altered on a whim.


The proposed ward map with four ward boundaries, instead of five, was redrawn by the state according to census data (shown below). Right now, Homewood has five council wards, each with two elected officials – a council president and mayor.

Proposed Ward Map if Referendum is Approved

VIEW PDF

Why does the current structure have to change and why have a city manager? City leadership felt comfortable with the statutory model which has the mayor as part of the city council, and then the city manager as the chief executive of the city. To adopt this structure, the city must switch to a council/manager form of government. By law, this shift changes the entire government setup. You can't alter the council composition or the mayor's role without changing the government form. To achieve this, a referendum is necessary. The video below provides an explanation as to why city leaders believe a city manager is important.

Presentation of this proposal from February 2024

Information Session Videos


Tuesday, June 4

Full meeting video: https://youtu.be/XqveKBEyLjs

Sam Gaston, presentation only, video: https://youtu.be/7K2CsAVd-Z8. This was a presentation from Sam Gaston, current city manager of Mountain Brook, and a Q&A session. Find his Powerpoint he presented HERE



Friday, June 14

Meeting video: https://youtu.be/iIoHbrV-I8o. This was a Q&A session that included Gretchen DiFante, the current city manager of Pelham.

*Apologies for some audio technical issues

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Council Meeting July 28, 2025

July 29, 2025
Council Meeting July 28, 2025 Council covered routine business including approval of several resolutions and ordinances related to budget amendments, surplus property, stormwater diversion, municipal court staffing, and equipment purchases. Council unanimously approved Sanford University’s stadium housing project which is housing right next to their football stadium.  Agenda: https://bit.ly/4f9rDBQ Meeting schedules & archives: https://bit.ly/3bvufcT

Committee Meetings July 21, 2025

July 22, 2025
Finance - July 21, 2025 The Finance Committee approved a long list of budget-related items including surplus library equipment, a new municipal court prosecutor, and the final change order for the Kenilworth stormwater project, which finished under 10% of the original bid. Other approvals included money for a new pothole patching equipment and truck, various budget transfers for fire and police departments, setting an August 19 bid date for Green Springs Phase 2, and approving money for a city ad in the Chamber’s Centennial Map Guide. Agenda: https://bit.ly/4l1bbFm

Mayor Wyatt Responds to Legal Filing Over Former Police HQ

July 17, 2025
Mayor Wyatt Responds to Legal Filing Over Former Police Headquarters “The City of Homewood has filed a Motion to Dissolve the Temporary Restraining Order and a Motion to Dismiss in response to a recent Petition that was filed against the City of Homewood involving the former Police Headquarters property. In these filings, the City outlines why it believes it has acted appropriately throughout the process surrounding the potential sale of the site. The City now awaits the Court’s ruling." Alex Wyatt Mayor of Homewood

Council Meeting July 14, 2025

July 15, 2025
Council Meeting July 14, 2025 Summary: The meeting opened with Dr. Wayne Harris calling for the release of bodycam footage in the Jabari Peoples shooting and threatening a coordinated boycott on business owners in The Homewood community if demands for transparency and reform are not met. During the meeting, council approved a traffic calming ordinance for Oxmoor Road to slow traffic down, several IT and maintenance contracts, and approved the list of election workers. Mayor Wyatt reiterated legal limits on releasing the bodycam footage and urged ALEA to grant the family's request. Read his full statement here: https://bit.ly/3TZ5HQp Agenda: https://bit.ly/4ngOSOa Meeting schedules & archives: https://bit.ly/3bvufcT

Mayor Wyatt Asks ALEA to Share Video with Family

July 14, 2025
Mayor Wyatt Renews Call for ALEA to Share Body Camera Footage with Family of Jabari Peoples Mayor Alex Wyatt released the following statement regarding the June 23 shooting involving Jabari Peoples: “As the Mayor of Homewood, I continue to urge the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to allow the family of Jabari Peoples to view the body camera footage from the June 23 shooting incident. Their request is completely understandable. Legally, we don’t have the authority to release the footage because ALEA has taken over the investigation and, under the law, it controls access to evidence because it is the custodian of the footage. We have made that distinction clear in our legal filings in Jefferson County Circuit Court. We know this is an incredibly difficult time for everyone involved and want objective results made available to the family and the public as quickly as possible."

BZA July 10, 2025

July 12, 2025
Board of Zoning Adjustments July 10, 2025 Two zoning variance requests on Devon Drive were denied, one for a partially permeable front parking pad and landscaping changes at 208 Devon, and another for an eight-foot fence setback variance at 401 Devon. Both petitioners cited safety and space concerns. Agenda: https://bit.ly/3GLQfDU Upcoming meeting schedules: https://bit.ly/3bvufcT Archived meetings: http://bit.ly/2UiSIaA For all the details about this meeting watch the video above.

Planned Water Outage in Homewood July 10

July 10, 2025
Water service will be temporarily shut off in parts of Homewood on Thursday night, July 10, as Birmingham Water Works crews replace two 8-inch valves. The outage is scheduled from 11:00pm Thursday to 6:00am Friday, affecting approximately 80 connections. During this time, customers may experience low water pressure or complete loss of service. Work will begin at Tamworth Lane and Devon Drive, with additional impacts expected on Rumson Road, Windsor Drive, and a portion of Highway 280. Once service is restored, water may appear brown or cloudy. BWW recommends running cold water for 5 minutes to help clear the lines.

Planning Commission July 8, 2025

July 9, 2025
Planning Commission July 8, 2025 The Planning Commission approved an amended development plan for a covered porch at 134 South Pointe Drive, with has no increase in the impervious area. They also approved a re-survey and rezoning request at 1833 29th Avenue South to support the development of a high-end restaurant and public park at the old Homewood Police Department site. Both items received a six-zero vote in favor. Agenda: https://bit.ly/3GDmp4t Upcoming meeting schedules: https://bit.ly/3bvufcT Archived meetings: http://bit.ly/2UiSIaA For all the details about this meeting watch the video above.
In response to the tragic events of June 23, 2025

A Message From Mayor Alex Wyatt

July 1, 2025
In response to the tragic events of June 23, 2025

Committee Meetings June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025
Finance - June 30, 2025 The Finance Committee accepted the annual audit showing a $4.9 million fund balance increase, and they approved multiple stormwater infrastructure contracts totaling over $51,000. This includes updating a drainage ditch behind Shades Cahaba Elementary that has long been an issue. Committee agreed to sign agreements for IT security, device management, and copier services. They also discussed a large retroactive insurance premium adjustment of $71,000, and provided an update on the parking deck lease with Dawson Memorial Baptist that is in the final stages of being completed.
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