BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The Birmingham city council approved an amendment Tuesday to an existing contract with Alabama Power that will add about 20 new public safety cameras and license plate readers (LPR’s) to Alabama Power-owned poles around the city.
The agreement allows the city to use Alabama Power poles and electricity to power public safety cameras. Those cameras are connected to Birmingham’s Real Time Crime Center for use by the Birmingham Police Department, and are maintained by Alabama Power as part of the agreement.
The approved amendment raises the cost of the city’s contract with Alabama Power from about $5 million to almost $10 million. The first phase of cameras was largely funded by a $4.5 million federal grant secured by Alabama Senator Katie Britt in May of 2024.
Tuesday’s vote comes one week after the amendment was proposed to the council by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. The council delayed voting at the July 1 meeting, with many council members concerned about the significant cost increase the amendment would bring.
To alleviate those concerns, the city council held a special called Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, July 7. Representatives from Alabama Power, along with Woodfin and Chief Michael Pickett with the Birmingham Police Department, fielded questions from the committee about the need for more cameras and the costs of installing and maintaining them.
A persistent question from city councilors was how the city would pay for the increased cost of the contract once the current federal grant money runs out.
Woodfin indicated that the city would apply for more federal grants to continue funding the contract. If the city is not awarded more federal funds in the future, Woodfin said the city would budget for the rest of the contract to be paid out of the city’s general fund through the rest of the contract term. The increase would require about $2 million per year, according to Birmingham City Council President Darell O’Quinn.
“I think a lot of the concerns were related to the cost and trying to understand, ‘Okay, what it is that we’re actually getting?’” said O’Quinn, after the special called meeting.
“In terms of public safety, it gets into the realm of, well, can you place a value on public safety?” said O’Quinn. “And when you talk about preventing violent crime, and that sort of thing, I think that’s kind of priceless. But, again, we have to live within our means.”
The mayor celebrated the amendment’s passing Tuesday.
“The truth is, one homicide is too many,” Woodfin said. “But it’s important that we made this issue a priority of public safety, particularly around decreasing gun violence. And especially around decreasing homicides, and we’ve done that with over 50% decrease in homicides.”
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