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

More

Hot Wheels Swap Spot

December 9, 2025
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 & Council Meeting Dec. 8, 2025

December 9, 2025
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 Strengthens Its Leadership Team

December 8, 2025
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.

Sign Up For Text Alerts

December 8, 2025
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.

BZA December 4, 2025

December 5, 2025
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

December 3, 2025
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 & Council Meeting Nov. 24, 2025

November 25, 2025
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

Thanks & Thanksgiving for City Employees

November 19, 2025
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!

Want to Serve Our City? BZA Spot Open

November 13, 2025
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 Nov. 10, 2025

November 11, 2025
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
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