Florence, Alabama Development News
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City of Florence Work Session 7/21
Published: Jul 22, 2026
Attention Homes Seeks Funding, Highlights Impact on At-Risk Youth in Northwest Alabama
Ally Lee, Executive Director of Attention Homes of Northwest Alabama, presented the organization's work serving youth on juvenile probation. Attention Homes provides a safe, structured residential program for referred youth who have made poor choices, experienced trauma, or come from unstable homes. The program focuses on accountability, supervision, and structure, offering services such as daily school attendance, individual and group counseling, mental health treatment, and life skills training (conflict resolution, budgeting, job readiness, healthy relationships). They work closely with families to ensure a stronger foundation upon return home and to prevent recidivism. Lee emphasized the extensive community partnerships required, including Riverbend, Health Connect, Transitions, school systems, healthcare providers, juvenile probation officers, law enforcement, and courts. Attention Homes serves youth from Lauderdale, Franklin, and Colbert Counties, with Florence being home to their girls' facility and Lauderdale County being the largest user of their services. Last year, they served 30 Lauderdale County youth, providing approximately 900 nights of care, which averted significant potential costs associated with juvenile detention. Lee highlighted that they never charge youth or families for services, relying instead on city/county partnerships, grants, fundraising, and donors. She noted the impact of inflation on operational costs (food, utilities, insurance, staffing, programming) and expressed gratitude for the City of Florence's past support, promising to be a good steward of funds and strengthen community partnerships.
City Council Approves Various Contracts and Agreements for Infrastructure, Software, and Property Acquisition
Item G involved a payment of an invoice and maintenance agreement for Quadant, identified as an envelope sorter feeder [cite: 576-578]. Item 11H concerned the renewal of endpoint protection software under a three-year agreement, funded by budgeted funds [cite: 583-586]. Item 11M presented a contract with Creative Parking Concepts, the exclusive agent for WPS, a Nashville company providing software and online support for the city's ticketing kiosk and gate systems for the parking deck. This annual agreement, commencing September 1st, costs $11,600. The city had to scramble due to their current vendor dropping out, but the end supporter (WPS) remains the same, ensuring a seamless continuation of services. Onsite support is available at $160 per hour [cite: 590-614]. Item 12D and 12E involved contracts for the acquisition of two tracks of property for improvements at the intersection of Gresham Road and Seville, with Track 1 costing $31,63 and Track 3 costing $35,342. These were requested to be removed from the agenda by a council member due to a communication breakdown regarding a third property. Item 12F presented a contract with JC Hammond Sons for the Cypress Creek wastewater treatment plant SCADA control room to add a specific cooling unit due to heating issues caused by equipment [cite: 718-731]. Item 12G involved the contract to purchase two properties, one on Marion Street and one on Rickwood, for $109,620 from budgeted funds to gain more space for gas facilities and future expansion, with plans for a storage facility and potential expansion related to the Rickwood property [cite: 732-794]. Item 12H was a recommendation to award the Brier Cliff lift station improvements project to BH Craig for a specified amount from budgeted funds, noting the critical need to upgrade the aging lift station [cite: 843-852]. Item A involved an agreement with Central Service Association for a non-disclosure agreement related to changing the customer information/MDM system [cite: 886-892]. Item B was a contract with Southern Mobile Welding Repair and Services for cutting steel poles purchased years ago from the state, needed for transmission system upgrades [cite: 894-912]. Item C was a yearly maintenance agreement with EA Nelson Company for large air compressors in the garage [cite: 913-917]. Item D was a yearly agreement with United Power Services for transformer oil testing [cite: 918-922].
City to Study Solid Waste Enterprise Fund Amidst Rising Contractor Costs
A contract with Jackson Thornton Advisors was discussed for a study of the solid waste enterprise fund. The city is currently in a deficit budget for this fund, partly due to a significant price increase from their contractor, Waste Connections. Waste Connections' price per ton for hauling waste has nearly doubled, from approximately $37 to $65 per ton, resulting in an annual increase of almost $900,000. The contract with Waste Connections expires in August of the following year, and further CPI increases are expected. The study will also consider plans for a transfer station as a potential future solution to control costs. The council was informed about a rate increase of $2.50 in 2024, with a recommendation of $25 at the time, which came in at $22.50. Waste Connections is presented as the only vendor with the capacity to haul the city's waste. The study aims to provide an independent evaluation of all operations to inform the council's decisions, with Jackson Thornton being a reputable firm for such an assessment. There was also discussion about past rate adjustments and the limitations of other governmental entities' capacity for waste hauling, reinforcing the potential benefit of a transfer station for cost control.
City Council Considers Owner's Representative for New City Hall Project; Hears Presentations from Freedom and VULKRIT
The City Council heard a presentation from Freedom, a company seeking to be selected as the owner's representative for the new city hall project. Freedom emphasized their experience as an employee-owned company, their team's background, and their commitment to delivering projects on time and within budget. Gary Mann, a Florence resident and owner's representative for Freedom, highlighted their focus on four key risks: budget, schedule, neighbor impacts, and logistics, stressing their track record of delivering projects in budget and their commitment to transparency. He also noted his extensive experience with local subcontractors and his understanding of MEP systems. The presentation included details on Freedom's day-to-day operations during pre-construction, construction, and close-out phases, emphasizing minimizing disruption and protecting city interests. Brian Shiff, Director of Facilities for Alabama A&M University, provided a testimonial, detailing his positive experiences with Freedom's project management on multiple campus buildings, highlighting their ability to manage scope creep and deliver projects within strict budgets. The company also presented its diversified business model, emphasizing their owner's perspective and local accountability. They showcased previous successful collaborations with Robins & Morton and LED, the other key firms involved in the city hall project. VULKRIT, another firm, also presented its qualifications for program and construction management services, detailing their experience with various local projects including the Florence City Schools, UNA engineering building, Madison County Courthouse, and the Tuscaloosa Saving Center. They outlined a four-phase approach (pre-construction, design, construction, post-construction) and their robust quality control and customer satisfaction processes, using project management software for communication and documentation.
City Council to Consider Tax Abatement for Wilson Hotel; Discusses Property Acquisitions for City Expansion
The council discussed a resolution to approve a tax abatement agreement between the Industrial Development Board (IDB) and JAR Properties for the construction of the Wilson Hotel in downtown Florence. Mayor Tyler indicated this agreement is consistent with a previously approved tax abatement for another downtown hotel project. He planned to offer further comments during the official council meeting and allow public comment, while asking the council to approve the tax abatements. A separate discussion involved the acquisition of two properties, one on Marion Street and one on Rickwood, for a total of $109,620, intended to increase space for gas facilities and future expansion. The property on Marion Street already adjoins current gas facilities, and the city hopes to acquire another piece of property (Rogers Barber Shop) in between their existing property and the Rickwood parcel. The plan for the Rickwood property's use would depend on the acquisition of the barber shop property. Both properties were reported to have demolition notices, which the city became aware of on the day of the meeting. There was also discussion about vacating a street and installing fencing and gating for the acquired properties. The acquisition of two other tracks of property (Track 1 for $31,63 and Track 3 for $35,342) at the intersection of Gresham Road and Seville for road improvements was also on the agenda but was requested to be removed due to a communication issue regarding a third property.
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City of Florence Council Meeting 7/21
July 7: Florence Council Meeting
July 7, 2026: Florence Council Work Session
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