Mayor’s Minute

Welcome to March! This is the season of high winds and taxes. By the end of the month, the winds will be gone, but we will still have our taxes to do!

Some city business to address this month includes:

► Vestavia Hills will host its second “Freedom from Addiction Coalition” (FFAC) awareness breakfast to address the epidemic of opioid addiction that is sweeping the nation, our state and our cities. According to the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the latest statistics show that in the United States, drug overdose deaths involving opioids rose from 8,048 in 1999 to 47,600 in 2017. According to Gov. Kay Ivey’s State Of Alabama Opioid Action Plan, the rate of overdose deaths increased by 82 percent from 2006-14. During these years, 5,128 overdose deaths were reported in Alabama. In 2016, 741 overdose deaths were reported, representing a rate of 15.3 persons per 100,000.  

The breakfast meeting will be held at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church on Thursday, April 4, at 7 a.m.  

This is an opportunity to learn about the opioid/heroin crisis and get information for your loved ones or someone you know. Our FFAC is committed to getting the information out and connecting citizens in need with the agencies that can assist them. If you would like a private meeting with any of the agencies, this can be done after the presentation.  

Please share this information with your friends and through your church.

► The Infrastructure and Community Spaces Plan will proceed to the Design Development Phase. In fact, this topic was discussed during the Council’s strategic planning session held Feb. 4-5. By the time this article is published, you should see progress with the Crosshaven Road improvements, as well as definitive design renderings for Wald Park, Cahaba Heights’ ballfields and improvements to the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex (SHAC).

► The city recently conducted a citizen survey titled “What are Your Priorities for 2019?” This survey was administered through the Vestavia Hills Listens portal of the city’s website. The information obtained from this survey was used by the City Council in establishing priorities for the 2019 strategic plan. With more than 900 responses, our citizens were able to rank the quality of the city services (such as public safety, parks and recreation, library, city streets, etc.). I will be able to discuss this further in next month’s edition.

On Feb. 4, Congressman Gary Palmer hosted the annual U.S. Service Academy Nominee Reception at Vestavia Hills City Hall. I am always amazed at the number of our high school seniors that are nominees for the different service academies. Some of our students receive offers from multiple academies. This is a tremendous honor for our students and a credit to the Vestavia Hills school system. 

Thank you Congressman Palmer for recognizing our students and promoting the service academies.