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.

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We Are Listening!

December 18, 2025
We are listening! We recently spent time hearing directly from residents about how the City communicates. The message was clear: people want information they can trust, delivered in ways that fit their daily lives. This conversation was an important first step in a larger effort to better understand what matters most to our community and how we can continue to improve. Based on this feedback, the City of Homewood is looking at steps to improve how we communicate using these as a beginning guide: Be a trusted source of information Using clear, short messages Pushing information through the channels residents use most, directly to them Promoting our website as a place to find important information Highlighting how residents can report issues and share feedback  This is a starting point. The City plans to continue gathering public input and refining how we communicate over time. We appreciate everyone who shared their perspective and look forward to additional opportunities to listen, learn, and improve how we serve our community.

Scam Alert! Cyber-Criminals Impersonating City Officials

December 15, 2025
If you pay invoices to the City of Homewood, you need to be aware of this scam and potential cyber fraud! The City has recently been made aware of cyber-criminals impersonating city officials and sending fraudulent invoices to residents who have applied for Planning Commission or Board of Zoning Adjustment cases. If you receive an invoice and have any questions about its authenticity, please contact the City’s Finance Department directly before making payment: ap@homewoodal.org

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!
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