Mayor says Birmingham $455 budget helps police and education

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Birmingham’s new city budget plans to tackle various city concerns, including public safety and education. The city council okayed the $455 million budget Tuesday. It saw an increase from last year’s $412 million due to the impact of COVID-19. The police department remains a top priority and Mayor Randall Woodfin said the city is doing what it can for Birmingham schools.

The BPD says reducing gun violence is a top priority. So far 1,400 illegal guns have been removed the streets. In addition, increasing the number of Birmingham police officers is considered critical to helping reduce crime.

“There are less people applying to become officers, therefore with our existing 815 officers it’s going to be important how we deploy them in the community to suppress crime,” Woodfin said.

The police department would like to see about 905 officers on the streets. Woodfin said new incentives are being looked at to keep officers and fire fighters on the job. He also hoped to use some of the federal American Rescue funds to purchase additional cameras around the city to pick up criminal activity.

“We need additional help in our city in the form of cameras strategically placed to help our ability to solve crime,” Woodfin said.

The city budget gives a million dollars to the Birmingham school system while giving two million dollars to the Birmingham Promise program to help fund college education for eligible students.

“That one million is targeted for our students for mental health services which we believed was very important pre-pandemic but definitely post-pandemic.,” Woodfin said.

The two million dollars provides internships and tuition for those students after high school graduation.

Mayor Wood said the Birmingham Board of Education has a $300 million budget plus they are also getting American Rescue Plan funds for their educational needs.

The mayor said the city will be depending on other law enforcement and fire departments in Jefferson County and the state to provide additional personnel in preparation for the World Games next year.

Copyright 2021 WBRC. All rights reserved.