On February 22, the Huntsville City Council addressed the controversy of long-term board appointments, called for public interest in city government, accepted a large grant for Huntsville Fire and Rescue, and approved $129K in condemned firearm sales.

Four Board of Zoning Adjustments members reappointed

Nominees Kimberly Ford, Wendy Lee, John M. Ozier, and Bert Peake were reappointed to their positions on the Board of Zoning Adjustments, all of whom have served on the Board for 10 years or more.

At the request of Councilmember John Meredith, Shane Davis of Urban and Economic Development explained that, for the benefit of the public, the Board of Zoning Adjustments deals with a variety of issues pertaining to variance from building codes.

“A lot of what they deal with is structural or engineering type building codes where they’re willing to deviate from international building codes, so the board needs to have that type of knowledge to be able to determine on behalf of the city whether or not we should take that exception or request or grant that variance,” Davis explained.

Meredith pointed out that, although he had no issue with the nominees or their qualifications, the Huntsville City Council has spoken about looking for “fresh blood” across Huntsville’s city boards.

The consensus was to vote in those nominees as they have the qualifications and experience, and there is not much expressed interest from others wishing to join the committee, which sometimes has meetings lasting from 6 to 11 p.m.

The council encouraged those interested in joining city boards, including the Board of Zoning Adjustments to reach out and make their interest known, giving boards the benefit of new perspectives.

$60K Fire and Rescue grant acceptance

City Council authorized the Mayor to accept a $60K grant from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The funding is directed to Huntsville Fire and Rescue to support the regional hazardous material unit as administered by the Huntsville-Madison County Emergency Management Agency.

Police Department sells $129K of condemned firearms

Huntsville City Council authorized the Mayor to enter into a Purchase Agreement between the City of Huntsville and King’s Firearms, selling a total of 425 condemned Huntsville Police Department firearms for a total of $128,505.

For more information or to tune into the next meeting, please visit www.huntsvilleal.gov/government/city-council.