Upcoming Meetings
City Council Committees meets next on Monday, January 31 at 6pm.
Below is a list of other upcoming meetings, as well as a link to public notices.
- January 31: City Council
- February 1: Abatement Board (AGENDA)
- February 2: Board of Zoning Adjustments
- February 6: Council Committees
- February 7: Planning Commission
- February 13: Beautification Board
- February 13: City Council
- February 14: Historic Preservation Commission
- February 15: City Manager Meeting
- February 20: Council Committees
- February 21: Environmental Commission
The agenda and other details for upcoming meetings can be retrieved in the coming weeks via the "Meeting Calendar" button below as those agendas are confirmed.
Board Vacancies: The below Board Vacancies close this Monday, January 30. If you are willing to be considered for any of these roles, please email your resumé and interest to melody.salter@homewoodal.org be the deadline.
- Board of Zoning Adjustment (Ward 1 and Ward 5)
- Park Board (Ward 5)
- Beautification Board (Ward 2)
State of the City Address: Mayor Patrick McClusky presented his State of the City address at the Chamber's January luncheon. At the meeting, he also recognized the Police, Firefighter and Employee of the Year. Please see below for the honorees, and an excerpt from the Over the Mountain Journal, covering the Mayor's address. Congratulations to this year's winners and we are grateful for all of our City employees!
Police Officer of the Year - Vernarr Hughes
Firefighter of the Year. - Craig Bullock
Employee of the Year - Bo Seagrist
OTMJ: "Mayor McClusky painted an attractive portrait as he delivered his annual State of the City address at the Jan. 17 meeting of the Homewood Chamber of Commerce at The Club.
“Homewood defines itself as a beautiful mixture of charming neighborhoods, an unmatched community presence, incredible walkability and a tapestry of the most amazing businesses that any other 8-square-mile area would be happy to have,” he said. “Our businesses help us make us who we are and we’re lucky to have so many others just waiting in the wings to come into Homewood.”
Those businesses generally did well in 2022 as the city brought in $1.8 million in sales taxes, an increase of 7% from the previous year.
...Homewood finished fiscal 2021-22 with an estimated surplus of just more than $400,000 in the general fund. The surplus was amassed without having to access any reserves, including the Economic Uncertainty Fund, he said.
The mayor pointed out several details from the city’s finances. Among them:
- Property taxes decreased by $200,000, or 3% percent, from the previous year.
- The city brought in $61,000 in business licenses, which was an increase of 15% over the previous year.
- The lodging tax of $930,000 reflected an increase of 30% over the previous year. He attributed this to the addition of the new Valley Hotel and the increase in visitors from COVID recovery and the World Games.
- Building permits decreased by $46,000, or 4%, from the previous year. The mayor said local builders report that renovations have been more popular than tear-downs.
Full Article Here: state of the city | Homewood: McClusky Touts Charm, Neighborhoods, Businesses - Over the Mountain Journal (otmj.com)
City Manager update: The consideration of a City Manager and potential changes to the City's style of government continues in 2023. Last year, Council created a committee to study three City Manager structures in follow-up to a presentation and charge from Mayor McClusky. The committee includes residents, City staff and Council members. After researching styles, the committee held a public meeting in November, and a panel discussion was facilitated by President Wyatt at the December Homewood Chamber luncheon. The next committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 15, and there is an expectation that the work will come back to Council for next steps later in 2023. Here is a Homewood Star article covering the December panel.
(Photo cred: Erin Nelson, Homewood Star)
Ways to stay informed and provide input
- Email nick.sims@homewoodal.net to provide input or request a meeting.
- Attend a meeting at City Hall. The public are allowed to speak directly on all items in Committee, as well as on specific items at Council when a Public Hearing is set.
- Provide feedback or submit other requests via the Citizen Portal.
- Sign-up to receive text alerts from the City by texting "HWDINFO" to 888-777
- Follow social media for occasional updates between newsletters and meetings.
