The Mobile City Council moved forward this week on a significant change to how police officers and firefighters are promoted within city ranks, approving a new outside contract intended to modernize testing procedures.
During a regular council meeting held at Old City Hall inside the History Museum of Mobile on South Royal Street, council members voted unanimously to authorize a three-year professional services agreement with Booth Research Group Inc., a Parker, Colorado-based firm, worth up to $514,570. Mobile Police Chief James Barber had petitioned the council for the contract, arguing it would improve both the efficiency and diversity of promotions within the police and fire departments.
The new arrangement is expected to gradually replace the promotional testing system currently administered through the Mobile County Personnel Board, which has long overseen advancement exams for public safety employees in the city.
Council members also spent significant time debating a request from residents of the Airmont subdivision to close a portion of Montclaire Way near its intersection with Airmont Drive. Eaton Barnard, president of the Airmont Property Owners Association, told the council that cut-through traffic had contributed to a spike in crime, citing 36 reported incidents among the neighborhood’s 26 households over the past year. District 5 Councilman Joel Daves said the area near Azalea and Cottage Hill roads had struggled with cut-through traffic for years, since the subdivision streets were never designed to handle that volume.
Not all council members were convinced. District 2 Councilman Levon Manzie voiced concern that granting the closure could invite similar requests from neighborhoods across Mobile, noting that many residents have dealt with cut-through traffic in their own areas. Ultimately, a motion to send the closure request to committee failed, as did the underlying motion to approve the closure itself.
Elsewhere in the meeting, Mayor Sandy Stimpson recognized the city’s technology task force for its work procuring a new Tyler Technologies system and highlighted a recent Bloomberg Philanthropies grant worth as much as $1.65 million over three years to support neighborhood revitalization and economic development efforts. Stimpson also announced that the city’s first Food Truck Friday would debut Dec. 19 in Bienville Square, with plans to make it a recurring event, and he encouraged attendees to bring canned goods for the Bay Area Food Bank or the Salvation Army.
District 1 Councilman Fred Richardson also used the meeting to present a newly created Good Shepherd Award to resident Irene Anton, praising her ongoing volunteer efforts looking out for her neighborhood.