Woodfin Details Where Money is Spent During Birmingham’s 2024 Budget Town Hall

By Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson | For The Birmingham Times Hundreds packed the second floor of the Boutwell Auditorium on Monday to hear Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin discuss the city’s budgeting process during a 2024 Budget Town Hall which lasted about two hours. For the first hour, the mayor gave a detailed look at budget allocations — specifically what departments are funded and how that money breaks down and answered questions for the final hour. Woodfin said blight removal and street paving are areas where he gets the most questions from residents. “In six years, we spent about $60 million in street paving,” said Woodfin. “That’s probably the highest thing spent (in operating expenses) because it’s the number one consistent request over and over, every single year.” The city’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 and in the current fiscal 2024 more than $437 in business taxes are expected, compared to the second highest revenue source, which is property taxes, which total nearly $36 million, he said. “The city of Birmingham, as it relates to our ability to collect taxes in return for new city services for you and your neighbors, is heavily dependent on small businesses,” he told...