Pre-Council & Council Meeting Dec. 22, 2025

Pre-Council Meeting December 22, 2025


This pre-council meeting was brief, with three public hearings carried to January 12, including 1625 26th Ave S, Homewood Community Church’s amended plan for a new 30,797 square foot two story building, and Brookdale University Park. The main discussion was an FY 2026 budget amendment cleanup to fix fund deficits, using carryover fund balance and corrections without changing current operations, plus a quick look ahead at an on street parking ordinance on Linden Avenue.


Agenda: https://bit.ly/44KjgsG

  • Details

    Item 031225, this was a public hearing about moving forward with consideration and condemnation for 1625 26th Avenue South. Council said they did not want anyone to have to come out on December 22, so they decided to push it to January 12, carried over


    Item 041225, this was a public hearing for an amended development plan for Homewood Community Church, to allow a new two story building totaling about 30,797 square feet, plus parking, landscaping, and other site work in the Lakeshore Renewal District. Council chose to delay the hearing so residents would not need to come during the holiday week, carried over


    Item 051225, this was a public hearing for an amended development plan for Brookdale University Park. Council said they were not discussing it on December 22 and moved it to January 12, carried over


    Item 081225, this was a request for group budget amendments for Fiscal Year 2026. Acting City Manager Cale Smith explained that budget amendments can move money between line items or use carryover fund balance when costs change, and said this set of changes was mainly correcting issues from numbers not being entered right in the finance system, which caused several funds to show deficits on paper. They also described cuts and adjustments in the general fund and capital fund, including delaying some projects and removing certain vehicle purchases from this year’s capital budget.

    Item 021225: This item was a request to add a marked crosswalk at the intersection of Shades Road and Westover Drive where new curb ramps have already been installed by Public Works. It is separate from a previous stop sign request at the same intersection but ties into that overall effort to make the area safer for people walking. 


    Item 061225: This item was a request to appoint Sam Gaston to serve as a special assistant during Homewood’s transition to the council-manager form of government. Acting City Manager, Cal Smith, shared that Sam has been a mentor for many years, has deep experience in local government, and will work up to 20 hours a week under a salary cap of $38,000 due to his retirement and pension limits. Council members and staff expressed strong enthusiasm, noting Sam’s love for Homewood and the chance to benefit from his leadership as “big time” for the city. 




Council Meeting December 22, 2025


This council meeting opened with a special invocation and pledge led by Trussville City Clerk Dan Weinrib, followed by liaison assignments, and several items carried over to January, including street parking restrictions, condemnation, and development plan hearings.


Agenda: https://bit.ly/4p9gFzJ

  • Details

    Item 011225: This item was a request to restrict on street parking on the east side of Linden Avenue between Reese Street and Oxmoor Road. The item was carried over to the January 12 meeting.


    Item 031225: This item set a public hearing for January 26 at 6:00pm to consider condemnation of property at 1625 26th Avenue South. No discussion took place at this meeting since it was only a scheduling action. It was carried over.


    Item 041225: This item set a public hearing for January 26 at 6:00pm to consider an amended development plan for Homewood Community Church, allowing construction of a new two story building with parking, landscaping, and site improvements. This item was carried over.


    Item 051225: This item set a public hearing for January 26 at 6:00pm to consider an amended development plan for Brookdale University Park to add a pickleball court behind the senior living facility on an existing paved area. This item was carried over.


    Item 091225: This item covered approval of vouchers from December 9 through December 22. The item was approved.


More

April 10, 2026
FREE live music is coming to downtown, Saturday, April 11 . Join the Homewood Arts Council for the Yacht Rock Spectacular at SoHo Square Plaza from 5:30pm to 7:30pm . Enjoy classic hits from the 1970s and 1980s made popular by artists like Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, Ambrosia, Toto, and Christopher Cross. See you there!
April 8, 2026
The Planning Commission discussed a request to rezone two properties on Montgomery Street from a neighborhood shopping district to a central business district so a local fitness studio could move into a larger space. There was discussion about parking and noise, with a nearby property owner raising concerns about overflow parking and loud music. The applicant explained that parking would meet requirements with about 21 spaces and that the business operates by appointment, limiting traffic. They also shared plans to add soundproofing to reduce noise. The owner agreed to restrict certain uses on the property, including no drive-throughs, gas stations, liquor stores, smoke shops, auto parts stores, or theaters. The Planning Commission approved the rezoning with conditions tied to the site plan, parking, and use restrictions, and it will now move to City Council with a positive recommendation Agenda: https://bit.ly/3PQ7et2
April 6, 2026
As part of spring cleaning across Homewood, crews have been replacing old and aging street signs. So far, about 547 of the city’s roughly 572 signs have been updated, with the remaining to be finished by the end of May. They are made in house by our Traffic Department, led by Randy Hambly. His team designs, produces, and installs them. This includes street name signs, parking signs, speed limit signs, and warning signs like school crossings, pedestrian crossings, dead end signs, and stop ahead signs. Producing these in house saves money each year and allows crews to respond faster by designing, making, and installing signs without waiting on outside vendors. On average, the city makes about 250 to 300 signs each year. Materials are sourced from trusted suppliers, including one based in West Homewood, which allows for quick turnaround on orders and keeps the process moving efficiently. This is one of many ways the Traffic Department works each day to serve our residents and keep things running smoothly across the city.
April 4, 2026
Crews will begin milling and paving 18th St South from Oxmoor Rd to Rosedale Drive starting Monday, April 6.  Work will take place at night beginning at 8pm and finish each day before morning traffic to help reduce impacts.
April 4, 2026
At the April 2, 2026 meeting, the Board of Zoning Adjustments approved a fence variance on Irving Road to improve accessibility, and a carport enclosure on Edgemoor to create more livable space without changing the home’s character. The board also approved additional signage for a Lakeshore Parkway business to help customers better find the location, while a couple of cases were pushed to May at the applicant’s request. Agenda: https://bit.ly/4duWxpB
March 24, 2026
Pre-Council Meeting - March 23, 2026 Council worked through a short agenda, focusing on a few key items including a request to use a parking space for a crawfish boil in April and a proposal tied to landscaping extending into the right of way near Whitehall. They also reviewed surplus equipment headed to auction, an HVAC repair needed to keep part of a HPD functional, and a shift in authority for signing opioid settlement agreements to the city manager. Agenda: https://bit.ly/4bKstE3
March 10, 2026
Pre-Council Meeting - March 9, 2026 Amy Weis, caretaker for Sims Garden, shared an update on plans to become a stronger community resource and teaching space. The garden is a city owned park with deep local history. Councilors also reviewed a budget amendment for Trane services that helps manage City Hall systems and saves money, discussed a retaining wall at 521 Edgehill Drive that extends into the right of way, and considered an annual spring cornhole series in front of City Hall. Agenda: https://bit.ly/40n8iXl
March 9, 2026
Homewood uses two services to collect garbage and debris . Each one handles different materials: Amwaste – Garbage and Recycling The Amwaste truck collects household garbage and recycling on your regular pickup days. Household garbage should be bagged and placed in your garbage cart, and boxes should be broken down before putting them in the cart. Carts should be placed out by 6:00am on your pickup days. Reminders: Residents can place up to three carts at the curb. You can use other types of cans/carts as long as they are 45 gal and larger. They don’t have to be an Amwaste or Republic cart. As long as you have one black Amwaste cart, or blue Republic cart, Amwaste will not provide any more. But if you have not received a black Amwaste cart, request one here. If you have (3) bags or less of small debris, leaves, pine straw, grass clippings, or small limbs, place them in your garbage cart to be picked up by Amwaste, not at the curb. City of Homewood Claw Truck – Debris and Bulk Piles The City of Homewood operates a “claw truck” that collects large debris piles such as tree limbs, brush, and other bulk yard debris placed at the curb. The truck runs weekly Monday through Thursday based on your neighborhood schedule, and residents do not need to request pickup. Please do not place debris near mailboxes, utility poles, signs, walls, or storm drains. The truck has to position itself to reach your debris pile. Reminders: Small debris, leaves, pine straw, grass clippings, and small limbs should be bagged, and you must have a minimum of (4) bags to place at the curb to be picked up by the claw truck. If you have (3) bags or less, they must go in your garbage cart for pick up by Amwaste, and will not be picked up by the claw truck. Single branches will not be picked up. It must be a pile. All construction or landscaping debris must be removed by the contractor.
March 8, 2026
At the March 5, 2026 meeting, the Board of Zoning Adjustments reviewed several variance requests, approving a signage request for Pickleball Kingdom on Lakeshore Parkway and a second story setback at 422 Woodland Drive, while denying requests at 504 Hampton Drive, 301 Ascot Road, 837 Forest Drive, and the carried over case at 320 Le Prado Circle. Agenda: https://bit.ly/4b98PBj
February 26, 2026
The deck is open! The 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of the Dawson Baptist Church parking deck are now open for public use during these hours: Monday-Saturday 7:00am - 12:00am This provides over 300 additional parking spaces for the Edgewood business district. We are grateful to Dawson for making this space available for the city to lease and for partnering with us on a solution that serves the whole community.
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