Vestavia Hills voters will choose their next mayor and City Council on Aug. 26. Former Vestavia Hills police officer Richard Cheatwood is challenging Mayor Ashley Curry for the mayor’s seat, and five candidates are vying to fill two other City Council seats on the ballot.
The candidates shared their views on key issues with the Vestavia Voice.
Q: Current elected officials have identified at least $30 million worth of capital projects they say are needed to handle growth in eastern Vestavia Hills, including a police substation and training center, a library branch, park maintenance and public works facility and parks and recreation field improvements. Do you agree those projects are needed, and, if so, how would you propose funding them?
MAYORAL CANDIDATES
Richard Cheatwood: I don’t think all of the $30 million in proposed projects are necessary right now. The police substation makes sense with the growth in eastern Vestavia. Public safety should always be a top priority. However, I don’t believe a separate training center is essential right now. I also question the need for another library branch. When it comes to parks and public works, I’d want to sit down with the new council and see what’s truly needed and what can wait.
Ashley Curry: The capital projects that you mentioned were discussed during the annual strategic planning workshop held by the City Council every year. The council unanimously approved these projects as the primary needs for our city. The city will fund these projects out of our capital fund and with reserves from our general fund with careful adherence to our adopted financial policies.
CITY COUNCIL PLACE 2 CANDIDATES
Kimberly Cook: Some projects are badly needed because they involve public safety. Fixing the dangerous turn onto Sicard Hollow for middle school traffic must be done. However, we must be careful spending money and have ordered more design work before making decisions. Possible funding sources are our excess reserve funds because our careful saving has put us in a good place to act. I will be listening to our community before deciding priorities, just as I did with our park projects.
Karl Julian: These types of capital projects are imperative to providing Vestavia’s residents both fundamentally necessary, and quality-of-life amenity services. This is especially true for the eastern portion of the city, given growth projections for that area. Adding first responder stations in that area would cut down on response time by about one minute, and a minute can make a life-or-death difference. My mother suffered a stroke in November and made a full recovery, in part because she got immediate care and intervention. All of our citizens deserve the very best we can provide. I would like to see these projects funded with minimal, if not zero, increase in debt. I’d like to take a look at seeing what partnerships could be achieved with sponsorships from local retailers that would possibly benefit from the proximity of the sidewalks.
CITY COUNCIL PLACE 3 CANDIDATES
Brian DeMarco: These projects — like a police substation, library branch, park improvements and public works facilities — are necessary because of rapid growth. Ideally, we plan for these needs upfront, and I know some of that was considered when The Bray development brought a $40 million budget increase. Moving forward, additional revenue from permitting, sales tax and other sources must be used wisely to fund these projects. We have to be responsible stewards of every dollar.
Jacob Pugh: I support these projects, which address key needs in eastern Vestavia Hills — public safety, recreation, infrastructure and quality of life. The city’s strong financial position, with healthy reserves and responsible spending, makes them achievable. While I’m generally cautious about debt, strategic planning can fund improvements through limited borrowing and smart use of reserves. We must stay fiscally responsible while ensuring our city continues to grow and meet the needs of all residents without overburdening taxpayers.
Michael Vercher: I trust our elected officials and believe that if they have identified a need for those improvements, then they are indeed a necessity. I would need to study the various ways to fund those improvements, but I believe that it can be adequately addressed with the issuance of bonds. I am cautious about incurring debt in either my family or business affairs. However, I believe that if it enhances the quality of life in a city, debt can be a tool that increases property value, and ultimately revenue for the city.
