NLC: The Key Moments

In this episode, we break down the key decisions and discussions from the March 24 Birmingham City Council meeting. Councilor Crystal Smitherman and Councilor Josh Vasa sit down to recap the 2026 NLC Congressional City conference. Plus, we share updates on upcoming events and other important information you’ll want to know.

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:04

Welcome to Motion to Adjourn, the podcast about the work that continues with the Birmingham City Council beyond what happens on Tuesdays during council meetings.

SPEAKER_04 0:13

All in favor, let it be known by saying aye.

SPEAKER_05 0:15

Or in the committee meeting. After the official motion to adjourn, the council's continue work on behalf of the city and its residents. Welcome to the motion to adjourn podcast. I am your host, Anaya Kenyan. I serve as project manager for the Birmingham City Council. On today's episode, we've got a full lineup from key council highlights to a recap of the NLC Congressional City Conference with Councillor Crystal Smithman and Councillor Josh Vasa, plus updates on upcoming events and important things you need to know. Let's get started. Today we are diving into some of the most significant items that were mentioned during Tuesday's council meeting. On Tuesday, the council voted to extend the District 1 funded nutrition program at Huffman High School. The Eat Your Way to Better Performance Nutrition Project, led by Bama Wellness, is designed to strengthen student athletic health and overall well-being. Here's Councillor Clinton Woods sharing why this extension is such an important investment in our students.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

We're extending it for the year at Huffman. They are also working with some other schools, but it serves as a club in the school when they're regularly coming in, they're bringing different healthy treats and meals for them to try, encouraging them to go home and take these meals and make them at home. And so we've seen an increase in just the number of students that are being intentional about a healthy diet, and we're seeing just really that spread, I think. One of the things that people have to understand is the impact of what you eat on your long-term health and medical diagnosis. And so we want people to be as healthy as possible and uh long-term, that saves you money from a dollars and cents point of view, but it also ensures that are you able to live a longer, healthy life.

SPEAKER_05 2:12

This extended agreement will continue supporting the program through September 30th. The council approved a $50,000 agreement with the World Dodgeball Association, paving the way for the city to host the 2028 World Cup. Now, let's hear from Councillor Hunter Williams as he highlights why this event is such an exciting opportunity for Birmingham.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

We have approximately 16 countries of folks that will be competing with a little bit over 600 registered athletes that will be actually participating in that. Same sport. There's an international league of adults that play in the sport and in that division, and they have a worldwide championship in it alternates countries and cities. And so that was we have won the bid for that, and that will come to Birmingham in 2028. It's one of those things where you know we're constantly competing trying to get different uh events. They might be unusual, they might be weird niche events. I would consider this not a typical sport that you uh that you attend seeing adults play dodgeball. Um, but if we can get uh 600 folks coming in from out of the country, uh staying in the city of Birmingham, we consider it an economic win.

SPEAKER_05 3:41

With an estimated economic impact of two to three million dollars, this event is expected to bring more than 600 athletes from 16 countries right here to Birmingham. Don't go anywhere just yet. Stay tuned to hear a one-on-one conversation with Councilor Crystal Smithman and Councilor Josh Vasa on their recap of the 2026 NLC Congressional City Conference. Stay tuned.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

This Women's History Month, we highlight the women making a difference right here in our neighborhoods. Advocates, educators, innovators, and public servants. Their work strengthens Birmingham and their stories deserve to be heard. Happy Women's History Month from the Motion to Adjourn podcast.

SPEAKER_04 4:41

Well, hi everyone. This is Crystal Smithman, Birmingham City Counselor for District 6. I'm here with one of my favorite new colleagues, Josh Vasa, District 3, and we're here on Motion to Adjourn.

SPEAKER_03 4:54

Welcome, welcome, folks. Glad to be here and excited to be talking about NLC.

SPEAKER_04 4:59

So, Josh, I think we recently took our first work trip together.

SPEAKER_03 5:03

Right.

SPEAKER_04 5:03

Yeah, we went to uh the National League of Cities Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, D.C. How did you like it?

SPEAKER_03 5:09

Man, I tell you, it was it was a great conference. It was a great opportunity to see government in action and to hear about, you know, legislation around housing, best practices around housing, um, not just things that are relevant to Birmingham and Alabama, but across the country. Um so I thought it was a wonderful uh opportunity to meet mayors and counselors and and commissioners from across the country and really talk about things that that that are affecting them.

SPEAKER_04 5:41

Yeah, I definitely agree. I think what's different about this year is that we had, and it was like this last year, but we had a lot of hot topics that they had workshops on, things that we were in the middle of, like, you know, data centers, short-term rentals. I think affordable housing is a hot topic every year, but I really was able to walk away with actionable items and good information that I can share with our residents and to stand to honestly our legal department, like Hayes. Here are some of the things other cities are doing. We should include this.

SPEAKER_03 6:11

Absolutely. Um it was it was great. And I think one thing that paired really well is that, you know, counselor, as you know, we uh were able to go to Hill Day, right? And sort of lobby uh, so to speak, or have conversations with our legislators. And it was wonderful to have a conference that really was geared towards educating us and giving us best practices for Hill Day. I feel like you did a great job with our legislation. And did you feel sort of prepared based on some of the workshops that we have?

SPEAKER_04 6:42

Yeah, I did. So I've been serving for the past few years on the FAIR Committee, that is the Finance Administration Intergovernmental Relations uh Federal Advocacy Committee. And so they give us some really good talking points, and I was able to ask uh Senator Tupperville's office about cryptocurrency and how it would be taxed, because that's something that the senator is very adamant about, making sure that Alabama is the second state to kind of use cryptocurrency more. So being able to take what you learned during those federal advocacy committee meetings, educate your colleagues, being educate the residents, and just be able to say, hey, like to our fellow representatives, we see what you're doing, we acknowledge what you're doing, but here are some things we want to make sure are actually being done to help our residents.

SPEAKER_03 7:29

Absolutely. And I'm I'm so glad that your experience and background put us in a good position to have those conversations with the legislators. Uh you may know I have some background in housing. And so it was it was really neat to kind of hear about what's working and not working in other parts of the country as it relates to affordable housing, as you mentioned, the missing middle. Um, and uh in different ways, different folks are working on that through zoning, et cetera. Um I'm curious to know how did this how did this NLC compare to previous ones for you?

SPEAKER_04 8:05

Uh uh like I mentioned, I do really feel like the workshops are some things I was able to be more informed on because some of these topics, you know, you're kind of learning as you go, but just learning from experts, like, hey, this is kind of uh how you should just giving some guidance on how to address these issues, being able to network with other counselors who have been in this space and dealing with those topics and kind of the success they had, the failures they had, the advice they had on things that work or didn't work. And so funny, um, I'd probably say the theme every year is that I feel like it doesn't matter what city I talk to, whether it's as big as New York or as small as a city with 1,000 people, like if if I took the name out and you started talking to that counselor, that mayor, you would think they were talking about issues in Birmingham, Alabama. And just know, you know, we all have the same issues, dealing with the same things, and residents just really want their quality of life to be improved.

SPEAKER_03 9:04

100%. I'm so glad you said that because, you know, again, as a newbie um this year for the first NLC Congressional City Conference, um, I didn't know what exactly to expect. But just like you said, there are oftentimes, you know, listen, we spend every week at city council meetings, we're at neighborhood meetings, we're, you know, doing the work locally, and it's very easy to kind of get this idea that the challenges that we face might be specific to the city of Birmingham. And while there might be some that are, really when you travel and meet other um other, you know, politicians and other community-related folks, um, they're dealing with the same stuff. And whether it's how to address our unhoused community, um, our housing, you mentioned data centers and short-term rentals, these are all relevant conversations that are happening across the country. Um, for sure.

SPEAKER_04 9:54

Yeah, and I really like the workshop on AI because they not only talk about, you know, data centers, but just AI in the workplace and how you can incorporate that because there are also vendors there that you can talk to about how to improve uh the effectiveness of city government as well on the city council and the mayor side. And you know, I always love talking to our fellow representatives to have that one-on-one conversation because they kind of tell us things are going on, like the government shutdown. We'll have another one, but I can't really say it's the first conference, but the government shutdown and the reason for why we're still having it. What's going on? Um, being able to ask them like the 21st century road to housing. Uh at in the midst of us preparing for NLC, it was in the Senate, then right before we got to um right before we got to NLC, um, then the Senate passed it. Now we were able to go to the House of Representatives and be like, hey, we know the Senate passed it. We really want you all to find some type of uh middle ground so both uh both parties and can pass something that is bipartisan for affordable housing, which hasn't been done in in decades. Right. Honestly. So just and and that's something to take away to the people back at home that hey, we're really fighting for affordable housing for you on the local, state, and federal level.

SPEAKER_03 11:10

Absolutely. And um, you know, to your point, uh uh one of the exercises that I found was my favorite is they said, all right, folks, uh you know, uh look at the you know, the colleagues that you have at your table. There was eight of us around the table, and they said, let's workshop some ideas. And so I think you know, housing was one, I think financing was the other. You were at the at the other table there. But it was so neat to see at the uh end of that exercise, like what's working, what's not working, what are some creative funding sources. Um and when folks went to the microphone, it was neat to see that like the menu of options is pretty large, uh, and that's where it gets specific to each local municipality, right? Yeah. Like there might be some municipalities that have more freedom or more ability within their state to do things than say Birmingham, or there might be others that you know are just looking at TIFF districts or looking at, you know, different funding policies. So it was neat to kind of also see that there are other ways of kind of achieving funding. And I know we're you know, the city of Birmingham's doing doing a good job in terms of um addressing grants and applying and and trying to find some items there. So uh definitely left me and I think you as well with an opportunity to to kind of feel positive about the work uh moving forward.

SPEAKER_04 12:33

Yeah, cuz and you know that's a lot of times that's the as you stated, the missing puzzle piece a lot of times with our projects is that federal funding is finding that gap because I end up finding out that one of my ARPA projects, you know, we were missing a few million dollars and really, you know, going to our fellow representatives and like, hey, this is a big project, um, this is gonna transform that whole area. It's like a mini choice neighborhood grant, but with ARPA funding and city funding, can you help us out? And so you just see what it looks like when you have collaboration, not working in silos.

SPEAKER_03 13:06

You're 100% right. Cities alone can't do the work, right? And we rely on our county governments, our state governments, and our federal to get a lot of things done. So um definitely enjoy the experience. And also saw you at the gym once or twice, right? Yeah, we did go to the gym together.

SPEAKER_04 13:23

I got Josh to wake up at 6 a.m. to go with me. So, you know, we're taking care of our mental, physical uh awareness as well. So it it's it's it was a great conference. It's not something where uh we just sit around, go to a workshop or two, really are waking up at five o'clock in the morning and go to bed at midnight, really uh just networking and working with people. So I guess last thing, what do you wish um you would have known before you had gone to the conference?

SPEAKER_03 13:51

Yeah, that's great. Um and and going forward for the next one that we go to, I mean, I think I want to lean into maybe doing a little bit more research on the items that are relevant for us on Hill Day, and then take that and then really just ask questions, right? Because you're in a room again with folks from California to New York, everywhere in between small cities, large cities, and so maybe taking some questions to some of my other colleagues across the country and and seeing what what's working with them personally because the relationship building piece is really important for those.

SPEAKER_04 14:25

Yeah, and I'll definitely say that's something that's been very beneficial. It's the networking part because now I have friends and colleagues from all over the country, and I will literally call and be like, hey, I have this issue, have you dealt with it? Can you give me some advice? And it's just been great just having that support there. So I'll probably say, you know, get out outside the workshops, network, make new friends, um, absorb everything that you can, and also just bond with your own colleagues because that's the time to know what your colleagues' priorities are and to learn their like communication style and how they are as a person. Because when you get to know your colleagues in a more intimate way, then you'll be uh it helps to collaborate more on helping to progress the city.

SPEAKER_03 15:05

100%. Yeah. So looking forward to to next year's uh conference for sure. Any last insights or what you're looking forward to for the next one?

SPEAKER_04 15:14

Uh I guess the next one would be City Summit. So definitely um just going there and learning more information.

SPEAKER_05 15:24

Enjoyed that conversation? Well, don't go anywhere just yet. Stay tuned to hear about some updates and upcoming events that you need to know about.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

March is Women's History Month, a time to honor the women whose courage changed our past and whose leadership is shaping our future. Here in Birmingham, we celebrate the women who build, serve, and inspire every day. Thank you for moving our city forward and happy Women's History Month.

SPEAKER_05 16:05

Here are some updates and upcoming events that you should know about. On Saturday, March 28th at 10 a.m., Councillor Crystal Smitherman will host the Keep It in the Family Estate Planning, Heirs Property and Home Ownership event at the Grove Beeham. This community education session brings together city leaders, real estate professionals, and legal experts to break down heirs property, wills, and estate planning in clear, accessible language, all with the goal of helping families build long-term stability and generational wealth. Who doesn't love that? The Indy Car Series Grand Prix of Alabama returns to Barbara Motorsports Park starting this Friday, March 27th through March 29th. It's one of the premier motorsports events in our region, and tickets are still available. The book Green Power, The Successful Way of A. G. Gaston audiobook, is officially live and available now on Audible, Amazon, or Apple Books. This book gives a powerful account of the man who has inspired generations and built an empire during one of the most challenging eras in American history. Make sure you visit Audible, Amazon, or Apple Books and get your audiobook today. Last but not least, don't forget our motion to adjourn mailbag is open, but we need it filled with your questions. Mailbag is your chance to connect directly with your city. Got a question, suggestion, or concern? We want to hear from you. Send us an email at bhamalcitycouncil at gmail.com and let your voice be a part of the conversation here on the Motion to Adjourn podcast. Again, that's bamalcitycouncil at gmail.com. Remember, together we're building a stronger community, one idea at a time. Thanks for listening to Motion to Adjourn. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast to learn more about your city and local government. Also, follow us on our socials on Instagram and Facebook at City Council Beham. Until next time, stay informed and stay engaged.