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. 



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


More

By Brian Wallace March 18, 2025
Finance Highlights 03/17/25 Item 06.02.25: Committee approved a request for consideration of an unsolicited proposal regarding the old Police Headquarters. Developer Mike Mouron has floated the idea of turning the site into a steakhouse, surrounded by a walkable, family-friendly park. There was a lot of discussion about whether or not other entities should be allowed to offer a design or solution for this piece of land. Mayor Wyatt explained how the property has been vacant for a long time, and that not only is this developer offering to do this with no incentives, he will also foot the bill to build the park that will remain city property. The council will now discuss this at the next council meeting March 31, 2025 at 6:00pm. Item 04.03.25: The committee approved allowing the mayor to sign a contract with EDT, Inc. for design services to plan a new crosswalk and parking layout at the main downtown intersection. The city will also replace the blinking lights with stop signs. Agenda: https://bit.ly/4kyKxVc Upcoming meeting schedules: https://bit.ly/3bvufcT Archived meetings: http://bit.ly/2UiSIaA Watch the full video above to learn more about all the items presented.
By Brian Wallace January 19, 2024
From Mayor Patrick McClusky: As I reported to the City Council a few weeks ago about this meeting, the Cahaba Solid Waste Authority (CWSA) and representatives from Homewood, Hoover, Mt. Brook, Vestavia Hills, Pelham, Trussville, Clanton, and Fultondale met with Amwaste today, January 19, at Hoover City Hall, to express our complaints and concerns, and also to hear updates from Amwaste on resolutions for these ongoing problems. It was expressed through the representatives of each municipality that the level of service has been, and continues to be (in some areas), unacceptable based on the needs and requirements of the cities under contract with CSWA. Continually missed routes, multi-day delays, and the holiday disasters were all addressed in the meeting. Amwaste recognized and agreed with the shortfalls in these areas and have put together actions plans to address these issues as soon as possible. From a Homewood standpoint, we expressed that whatever needed to be done to ensure that the garbage was picked up on the day that it is scheduled is our number one priority. If there is a truck that breaks down, that another truck is immediately dispatched to finish the route on the same day, even if it’s pushed to later in the evening. We no longer need to wait and finish the route the next day, or later in some cases. Monday and Tuesday are Homewood’s heaviest days for collection, so making sure those routes are finished to completion will alleviate the issues of using Wednesday as a “catch up day”, and keeping us on track for Thursday and Friday pickup. Action plans for Homewood include possible additional trucks, additional dispatcher, additional route manager, route completion process, training, and more. The CWSA also asked about the partnership with Re-Power, and whether they were still working with them on the recycling trips. Amwaste representatives informed us that they are still taking daily trips to Re-Power in Montgomery for recycling purposes. Homewood continues to stay in constant communication with Amwaste representatives on their immediate action plans, and we will have another meeting with them in 60 days for a review of these implementations and see how things have progressed. I expect to see positive change in the service levels from all aspects. It was mentioned in the meeting that even missing ten houses in any one of these cities is perceived as failing, so we remain hopeful that Amwaste will right the ship in the very near future. We will also continue to educate the residents on proper garbage protocols and make suggestions for the busier times of the year (holidays, spring cleaning, etc…) to help alleviate future issues. If you experience an issue, we continue to ask that you use See-Click-Fix , that can also be found on our website from THIS PAGE . This provides us with the information we need when we meet with Amwaste for their review, and gives us data to see how their services are trending. Thank you, Patrick A. McClusky Mayor / City of Homewood pmcclusky@homewoodal.org
By Brian Wallace November 8, 2023
Planning Commission meeting, November 7, 2023 highlights: 1. Commission will pass along to the full city council a favorable recommendation (vote of 8-0) for an approval of an amendment to the Final Development Plan for Samford University to permit the proposed construction of a new five-story, 515-bed, Freshman Residence Hall, comprising a total of 142.737 GSF, intended to accommodate the University's on-going student housing needs. 2. Commission will pass along to the full city council a favorable recommendation (vote of 8-0) for the approval of a resurvey to subdivide the subject property and the new development plan to facilitate "The Edge" development. Agenda: https://bit.ly/3snqyTe Upcoming meeting schedules: https://bit.ly/3bvufcT Archived meetings: http://bit.ly/2UiSIaA
By Brian Wallace November 7, 2023
City Council meeting, November 6, 2023. Highlights of some of the items discussed: 1. Item 08.10.23 & 09.10.23: Council approved rezoning 1906 Courtney Drive from C-1 (Office Building District) to C-2 (Neighborhood Shopping District) and approved a final development plan to facilitate the redevelopment of the Homewood Piggly Wiggly grocery store. 2. Item 10.10.23: After a lengthy public hearing that had dozens of citizens speak for and against a proposed rezone of 1300 Columbiana Road, Second Presbyterian Church, from I-2 (Institutional District) to C-1 (Office Building District), the applicant asked to carry this item over to work through more options in light of all the comments shared. Council approved carrying it over to the next council meeting which is November 27, 2023. 3. Item # 14.09.23: Council approved a request to make changes to the city's credit card purchasing policies. Some of the highlights of the new policy include only assigning cards to department heads; in the travel section, itemized receipts will be required for food charges; charges above the rate or not allowed will be deducted from employee's pay; no cash advances or alcohol purchases are allowed on city credit cards. All employees will be required to sign this new policy. 4. Item # 19.10.23 Council approved a request for consideration for a one-time offer concerning retiree health insurance. In 2021, the city extended an early retirement opportunity, but only a small number of employees chose to seize it. So now the city is presenting another unique chance for many employees who have shown interest in early retirement. From ages 55 to 65, these employees will continue to pay their current health insurance rates, provided they retire by December 31, 2024. To take advantage of this opportunity, employees must inform the city of their retirement plans by December 31, 2023. 5. Item # 07.03.23: Council approved a request for consideration of adjustments to criteria for approval of events impacting normal street flow and access. This includes raising the fee to $250 per race; race details (e.g. route, time, etc) shared with the city via portal 30 days (min) in advance of race; race route signage posted by the race organizer on major thoroughfare intersections and locations that will impact normal neighborhood access (For example – Central Avenue and Manhattan, Roseland Drive and Broadway, etc); race details and map posted on the city website; plans to be reviewed and approved by Homewood Police Department as such not to fully restrict access in/out of neighborhoods; HPD to handle rate adjustments for off duty police support and staffing levels deemed appropriate. Agenda: https://bit.ly/49ppI8S Upcoming meeting schedules: https://bit.ly/3bvufcT Archived meetings: http://bit.ly/2UiSIaA
By Brian Wallace October 3, 2023
The Homewood City Council has given its approval to initiate the process of establishing a new council/manager system of government. This proposed model signifies a significant shift in the city's governance structure. Under this model, there would be four city councilors, each designated to represent a specific ward, and a mayor elected citywide who would also hold the position of council president. Additionally, the proposal introduces the appointment of a city manager by the council to supervise the day-to-day operations of the city, with accountability to the entire council.  Presently, Homewood is divided into five council wards, each represented by two elected officials. To implement this change, the ward boundaries would need to be redrawn according to census data by an impartial third party. Over the next year or so, there will be public meetings to provide comprehensive information about this substantial alteration to the city's government structure. Subsequently, a referendum (vote) by the citizens of Homewood will be required for adoption, expected to take place in either 2024 or 2025. For more in-depth information and details, please refer to the full video above.
By Brian Wallace October 1, 2023
Expect delays all day, this Monday, October 30th on Oxmoor Road, right in front of Oxmoor Automotive and Nexus Fitness! This will be for work to install a sewer main extension. Map view here: https://bit.ly/46LHy4d + attached.