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Birmingham, Alabama
| Birmingham, Alabama | |
 | |
| General information | |
Mayor of Birmingham
Randall L. Woodfin | |
| Last mayoral election: | 2021 |
| Next mayoral election: | 2025 |
| Last city council election: | 2021 |
| Next city council election: | 2025 |
| City council seats: | 9 |
| City website | |
| Composition data (2019) | |
| Population: | 212,297 |
| Race: | White 25.8% African American 69.9% Asian 1.1% Native American 0.3% Pacific Islander 0.0% Two or more 1.5% |
| Ethnicity: | Hispanic 3.9% |
| Median household income: | $37,375 |
| High school graduation rate: | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.4% |
| Related Birmingham offices | |
| Alabama Congressional Delegation Alabama State Legislature Alabama state executive offices | |
Birmingham is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama. The city's population was 200,733 as of 2020, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Click on the links below to learn more about the city's...
- Mayor
- City council
- Other elected officials
- Elections
- Census information
- Budget
- Contact information
- Ballot measures
- County government
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Birmingham utilizes a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[1]
Mayor
The mayor is the city's chief executive. The responsibilities of the mayor include proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations.[1][2] The current Mayor of Birmingham is Randall L. Woodfin (nonpartisan). Woodfin assumed office in 2017.
City council
The Birmingham City Council is the city's primary legislative body. It is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving mayoral appointees, levying taxes, and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances.[1][3]
The city council is made up of nine members. Each member is elected by one of the city's nine districts.[3]
The widget below automatically displays information about city council meetings. The topic list contains a sampling of keywords that Voterheads, a local government monitoring service, found in each meeting agenda. Click the meeting link to see more info and the full agenda:
Other elected officials
Ballotpedia does not cover any additional city officials in Birmingham, Alabama.
Elections
2021
The city of Birmingham, Alabama, held general elections for mayor and city council on August 24, 2021. A runoff election was scheduled for October 5, 2021. The filing deadline for this election was July 10, 2021.
2019
The city of Birmingham, Alabama, held special elections for the District 1, District 6, and District 7 seats on the city council on October 8, 2019. The filing deadline for this election was August 23, 2019.
2017
The city of Birmingham, Alabama, held elections for mayor and city council on August 22, 2017. A runoff was held on October 3, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 7, 2017.
Census information
The table below shows demographic information about the city.
| Demographic Data for Birmingham | |
|---|---|
| Birmingham | |
| Population | 200,733 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 146 |
| Race and ethnicity** | |
| White | 24.9% |
| Black/African American | 68.6% |
| Asian | 1.5% |
| Native American | 0.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% |
| Two or more | 2.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4% |
| Education | |
| High school graduation rate | 88.1% |
| College graduation rate | 29.4% |
| Income | |
| Median household income | $42,464 |
| Persons below poverty level | 19.7% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022). | |
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | |
Budget
The city's budget process operates by fiscal years running from July 1 to June 30 of the next year. The Mayor-Council Act of 1955 outlines the procedures for drafting and passing the annual operating budget. The mayor is responsible for proposing the budget to the city council on or before May 20. The city council will hold public hearings to allow for public input in the budget process. The city council must then enact the budget through a city ordinance by July 1.[4]
Fiscally standardized cities data
The fiscally standardized cities (FiSC) data below was compiled by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to make municipal budgets comparable across cities in the United States.[5]
| “ |
FiSCs are constructed by adding revenues and expenditures of each central city municipal government to a portion of the revenues and expenditures of overlying governments, including counties, independent school districts, and special districts. The allocations to FiSCs are estimates of the revenues collected from and services provided to central city residents and businesses by these overlying independent governments. Thus FiSCs provides a full picture of revenues raised from city residents and businesses and spending on their behalf, whether done by the city government or a separate overlying government.[6] |
” |
| —Lincoln Institute of Land Policy[7] | ||
The tables below show estimated finances within city limits. As such, the revenue and expenses listed may differ from the actual city budget.
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Historical total revenue and expenditure
To see the historical total revenue or expenditures as a rounded amount in this city, hover over the bars.[5]
Birmingham, Alabama, salaries and pensions over $95,000
Below is a map of the nationwide salaries and pensions in this city over $95,000. To search a different ZIP code, enter it in the search bar within the map.
Contact information
Mayor's office
City Hall, 3rd floor
710 N. 20th Street
Birmingham, AL 35203
Phone: 205-254-2771
City Clerk's office
City Hall, 3rd floor
710 N. 20th Street
Birmingham, AL 35203
Phone: 205-254-2290
Click here for city council contact information.
Ballot measures
The city of Birmingham is in Jefferson County. A list of ballot measures in Jefferson County is available here.
Noteworthy events
2020: Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
During the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, demonstrations and protests took place in cities nationwide, including Birmingham, following the death of George Floyd. Events in Birmingham, Alabama, began on Saturday, May 30, 2020, at Kelly Ingram Park.[8] No curfews were issued over the weekend. The national guard was not deployed.
2018: Mayor declares welcoming city
In August 2018, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said becoming a sanctuary jurisdiction did not go far enough. Instead, he said he wanted Birmingham to be a welcoming city. Woodfin explained,[9]
| “ | I think sanctuary city is narrowly tailored and isolated towards don’t have your police enforce certain things of rounding up and hurting people, which I agree with. ... But welcoming cities is more broad about, how do we help our immigrant community? And as I go to Birmingham city schools, I can tell you our immigrant community continues to grow. So it’s – for me it has a broader positive impact, whereas sanctuary [cities] don’t do this. Welcoming is … what we’re going to do.[6] | ” |
2016: Mayor bans criminal histories box on job applications
In February 2016, Mayor William A. Bell Sr. issued an executive order preventing applicants for city jobs from being automatically disqualified based on a criminal record.[10] The move came after President Barack Obama (D) called on the U.S. Congress to do the same for hiring by the federal government and federal contractors in late 2015. The move had already been done by several states, localities, and private businesses.[11]
2015: Altercation between mayor and city council member
On December 15, 2015, Mayor William Bell and City Councilman Marcus Lundy were involved in a physical altercation during a break from a city council meeting. According to a police report, Bell asked to speak with Lundy in private about a personal issue. The report indicated that as the conversation drew to a close, Lundy prevented Bell from leaving the room and grabbed the mayor by the neck.[12] The Birmingham Police Department issued a warrant for a third-degree assault charge against Lundy. That warrant was withdrawn on December 16, 2015, before a public reconciliation between Bell and Lundy.[13][14]
There were conflicting reports about the causes of the altercation. Council President Johnathan Austin claimed that Lundy was upset over Bell's efforts to remove the city's money from Regions Bank, where Lundy worked. A city spokesperson initially claimed that Lundy was criticized by the city's legal department over his use of a city car, but a second statement from the city dismissed a connection between that issue and the altercation.[12]
2015: Minimum wage increase
| Minimum Wage Increase Timeline | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Minimum Wage ($/Hour) | |
| 2015 | $7.25 | |
| 2016 | $8.50 | |
| 2017 | $10.10 | |
On August 18, 2015, the city council approved a measure 7-0 (with one absent and one abstaining) that raised the city's minimum wage. The measure raised the minimum wage annually from $7.25 to $10.10 by 2017.[15]
Johnathan Austin, who filed the ordinance, explained his reasoning, "We're just trying to do what we think is best for our citizens and our workers." Valerie Abbott, the lone member of the council to be present but not vote on the measure, voiced her concerns on the measure. She said, "We want to make a wise decision... and help people. Is anyone looking at this to determine possible repercussions? We don't want those unintended consequences that we often suffer when we rush to do something to make people happy."[15]
Advocates in Birmingham said they believed the minimum wage increase would have a positive impact on the lives of those living in poverty, including crime and divorce rates, in addition to also having a positive impact on the economy.[15]
2015: Study on city's nondiscrimination laws
In July 2015, the Movement Advancement Project described Birmingham, Alabama, as a city or county that did not prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity via ordinances that apply to public and private employers. At that time, a total of 71 of America's largest 100 cities prohibited private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, while 69 of those cities also prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. This did not include those jurisdictions that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity for government employees.[16]
Nondiscrimination laws can cover a variety of areas, including public employment, private employment, housing, and public accommodations. Such laws may be enacted at the state, county, or city level.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 City of Birmingham, "Mayor-Council Act," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Birmingham, "Office of the Mayor," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 City of Birmingham, "About the council," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Birmingham, "Budget Office," accessed August 23, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities database," accessed August 23, 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities," accessed August 23, 2023
- ↑ CBS 42, "Birmingham protesters demand justice for George Floyd," May 31, 2020
- ↑ Yellowhammer, "Mayor Randall Woodfin pledges Birmingham will be ‘more broad’ than a sanctuary city," August 29, 2018
- ↑ ABC 33 40, "Birmingham Mayor William Bell issues 'ban the box' order for city jobs," February 4, 2016
- ↑ The White House, "Fact Sheet: President Obama Announces New Actions to Promote Rehabilitation and Reintegration for the Formerly- Incarcerated," November 2, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 AL.com, "Police report released in fight involving Birmingham mayor, councilman," December 15, 2015
- ↑ AL.com, "Warrant against Councilman Marcus Lundy recalled; Mayor William Bell says for 'good of the city'," December 16, 2015
- ↑ AL.com, "Birmingham mayor, councilman embrace after City Hall fight," December 17, 2015
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 AL.com, "Birmingham city council votes to increase minimum wage," August 18, 2015
- ↑ Movement Advancement Project, "Local Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinances," accessed July 7, 2015
