Photo by Jon Anderson.
Vestavia Hills Fire Station No. 4 in Liberty Park is set for a $5.7 million addition and renovation.
The Vestavia Hills City Council has approved a $123 million city budget for fiscal 2026 including $5.7 million for an addition and renovation to Fire Station No. 4 in Liberty Park.
- The budget also includes:
- $2.25 million for 9 miles of street resurfacing
- $1.3 million for a new southern gateway entrance along U.S. 31
- $1 million for pay increases for city employees
- $1 million for a new traffic signal and road resurfacing in Liberty Park
- $780,000 for four Fire Department replacement vehicles
- $650,000 for stormwater improvements
- $330,000 for pre-construction work for new police, library and maintenance facilities at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex
- $300,000 for a pool heater at the Vestavia Hills Aquatic Complex
- $250,000 for infrastructure improvements at The Bray at Liberty Park
- $175,000 to help build a veterans memorial at Altadena Valley Park
- $150,000 for two sand volleyball courts
Regarding the Liberty Park fire station, the plan is to add 3,900 square feet to the existing 9,400-square-foot station, Fire Chief Marvin Green said. The four bays for vehicles would remain largely the same, but the rest of the interior of the building would be completely gutted and renovated to expand the kitchen, living quarters and restrooms, Green said.
The station currently has 21 firefighters assigned to it — seven per shift, he said. But with call volumes increasing with growth in Liberty Park, the long-range plan is to add 12 more people there over the three shifts and add another fire engine, he said. The station currently has a rescue unit and quint-ladder truck.
The expansion will likely be gradual, with the first new firefighters likely coming in fiscal 2027 in conjunction with the new space, Green said. Construction likely will begin by the end of this year and take 12-14 months, he said.
City officials still are trying to figure out how to handle temporary quarters during construction, Green said. The goal is to maintain the current level of fire and emergency medical services throughout construction, he said.
The Fire Department plans to go ahead and order the new fire engine, but there currently is a wait time of two to three years for delivery, Green said.
Two other replacement fire engines for Fire Station 1 on U.S. 31 and Fire Station 5 in Cahaba Heights were expected to arrive in September. Those engines were ordered previously and cost about $900,000 each. They will be paid for incrementally through financing, City Manager Jeff Downes said.
The city’s reserves have grown enough to allow city officials to pull from them to pay for the fire station addition, Downes said. From fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2024, the city’s general fund surplus and fund balance have increased 98% from $16 million to $31.7 million, Downes said. An anticipated surplus of $1.75 million for fiscal 2025 should continue this trend and allow for some one-time purchases within the capital fund, he said.
The city will continue to have more than 90 days’ worth of operating expenditures in the reserve fund, he said.
The $123 million spending plan for fiscal 2026 includes all city funds and would be a 6% increase from fiscal 2025, while city officials plan to spend $80.9 million from the city’s general fund in 2026, up 10% from 2025.
Half of the general fund budget is to cover personnel costs of $40.8 million. The budget includes a 2% cost-of-living increase for non-public safety employees and a 3.5% cost-of-living and market-based pay increase for public safety employees, more money for longevity pay and education reimbursements for employees, a $30-per-month reduction in employees’ cost for health insurance and almost $70,000 more to pay for additional highly trained master police officers.
Overall personnel costs are projected to be about $1.26 million higher than in the 2025 budget.
The breakdown of general fund expenses by department includes $27.5 million for citywide expenses, $16.5 million for the Police Department and $14.7 million for the Fire Department, $7.1 million for public services, $5.6 million for parks and leisure services, $3.4 million for the library, $2.5 million for administration, $1 million for information services, $1 million for inspection services, $661,000 for the city clerk’s office, $449,000 for the municipal complex, $403,000 for human resources and $92,000 for the City Council.
A few other items of note mentioned by department heads in budget hearings included replacing Fire Department thermal imaging cameras and cardiac monitors, replacing the remote library book drop at the Cahaba Heights fire station, adding two more license plate reader cameras, replacing aging drones, replacing more lights in the pool at Wald Park, resurfacing the pickleball courts at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex, replacing a concession stand roof at Liberty Park, replacing more park lights and hiring a new public works construction crew member and part-time custodian for the library.
The increase in spending for 2026 should be made possible by a projected 6% growth in revenues. Sales tax revenues, which make up about 41% of the city’s general fund revenues, are projected to grow 9.5% to $32.1 million, while property tax revenues, which represent 33% of general fund revenues, are projected to climb 3.4% to $24.9 million.
License and permit fees, which represent 12% of the general fund revenues, are expected to decline slightly to $6.9 million. That includes business license fees and building permit fees, and the decline is expected due to a moderation of new construction compared to rapid growth in the previous couple of years, city officials said.
Utility franchise fees — money the city receives from utilities for using city rights of way — are predicted to remain steady at about $3 million.
“The city is in good financial health,” Downes said.
