Birmingham Mayor, Council to Host Budget Town Hall on March 18

 By Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson For The Birmingham Times Mayor Randall Woodfin and the Birmingham City Council will host a 2024 Budget Town Hall on Monday, March 18 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Boutwell Auditorium, located at 1930 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Boulevard. Council leaders say the town hall will not only educate residents about the city’s finances and, but it will also give them a transparent look at the work of City Hall. The initiative will “better explain how city government works,” which will include information about the city budget, how decisions are made and how the city supports its 99 neighborhoods, said Council President Darrell O’Quinn. “This is really a component of a larger education initiative. Folks often don’t realize that the same three branches of government that they see at the federal and state level also exist at the municipal level.” Councilor Crystal Smitherman added the effort is important for residents to see the community to see the mayor and council as “one government. We’re not separate. I know this is a big priority for the mayor,” she said. Smitherman said she can remember when her mother, Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Carol Smitherman, once served on...