Mayor Woodfin Focuses on Cradle to Career, Infrastructure in Budget Surplus Plan

From the office of Birmingham Mayor Woodfin

Birmingham, AL — Mayor Randall L. Woodfin’s proposed $31.8 million spending plan to support his Cradle to Career initiative and investments in public infrastructure, neighborhoods, and the city’s human rights legacy received approval from the Birmingham City Council today. The plan will be funded by a surplus from Fiscal Year 2024.

“This plan invests in our youth, our neighborhoods, and a human rights legacy that transformed not just Birmingham, but the world and continues to expand. These are shared values and I am thankful to the council for their partnership,” Mayor Woodfin said.  

The $3.5 million Cradle to Career Initiative, a center piece of the plan, represents a transformative investment to support the next generation of Birmingham.  

The sweeping spending plan includes a $500,000 allocation for each council district, enabling councilors to support priority needs in their communities. Neighborhood investments also includes allocations for a Storm Water Master Plan, sidewalks repairs, interstate lighting, additional funding for the Messer Airport Highway Drainage Project, and Urban Villages Master Plans. The plan also expands life-saving medical devices, automated external defibrillators (AED), throughout the park and recreation system.

Under the plan, Mayor Woodfin puts surplus funds to work for city facilities such as Birmingham Park and Recreation pools, Birmingham CrossPlex, improvements at the city jail, and partner institutions such as the Birmingham Zoo, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, 16th Street Baptist Church, and the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.

A $2 million investment would support KultureCity’s National Accessibility Park at the historic Powell Steam Plant. The project would create the world’s first fully-integrated destination for individuals and families navigating life with a disability.   Previously, the council approved Mayor Woodfin’s proposed $3.6 million investment from the FY2024 budget surplus to provide $1,000 premium pay for all full-time employees in December.

Additional details and itemized funding is provided below.

Building a Better Birmingham Proposed FY2024 Budget Surplus Funding Allocations - $31.8 million

City Council - $4.5 million ($500,000 per district)

Cradle to Career Initiative - $3.5 million: Funding will develop a continuum of early childhood focused supports through Small Magic, including early literacy instruction, technical assistance focused on high-quality childcare, and expansion of the nationally recognized Birmingham Talks program, which has resulted in a 70%+ increase in interactive conversation for children in lower talk environments. This historic investment supports the creation of a best-in-class early learning ecosystem, a key pillar in Birmingham's cradle to career youth development strategy.

Interstate Lighting Project - $2 million: The city and Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) are exploring a pilot to split the ongoing maintenance costs for select sections of interstate.  Once the projects are finalized and bid, it may take 10 to 18 months to construct.

Messer Airport Highway Drainage Improvements - $5 million: Currently in the design review phase, the capital project is intended to mitigate flooding in the vicinity of the railroad underpass between 33rd and 31st Streets North. The estimated construction cost is $5 million.

Sidewalk Repairs - $2 million:  This project will supplement the existing sidewalk budgets to further sidewalk repairs across the city. The goal is to make a citywide project where repairs are as evenly distributed across districts as possible, similar to the street repaving process. Once funded, planned, and bid, this project is estimated to take approximately one year to complete.

Stormwater Master Plan - $1 million: This project will fund development of a Citywide Stormwater, Drainage, and Watershed Master Plan, establishing the technical framework, data standards, and prioritization criteria needed to guide stormwater infrastructure investments across Birmingham.

Urban Villages Initiative - $2 million: The initiative focuses on creating vibrant high-quality walkable neighborhood centers that function as livable resources for their surrounding communities.

Birmingham Jail Improvements - $5 million

Birmingham Park and Recreation Pool Repairs and Upgrades - $1.5 million

Cardiac Solutions AED Placement at Birmingham Park and Recreation Locations - $1.1 million: This initiative adds 217 AEDs to be placed throughout Park and Recreation locations including Legion Field and Birmingham Botanical Gardens. This allows Birmingham Park and Recreation to stay closer to the 3-minute rule of reaching an AED and returning to a patient to begin treatment in under 3 minutes.

CrossPlex Air Handler Replacement - $1.5 million

16th Street Baptist Church - $250,000: The allocation serves as a critical installment to the city’s commitment to support the church’s state of the art visitors and education center.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute - $500,000

Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument - $250,000

Birmingham Zoo - $500,000

KultureCity Redevelopment Project at Powell Steam Plant – $2 million: KultureCity plans to create the world’s first fully-integrated destination for individuals and families navigating life with a disability. The finished project will include the first-ever technical college in the U.S. built specifically to train, support, and place individuals with disabilities into meaningful employment; a disability navigation and education center; an exhibit hall honoring the disability rights and sensory inclusivity movements; retail and culinary spaces; and an inclusive outdoor park. The project is expected to be a major destination location.