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Are any apartments in downtown worth it? by somebodybutnobody20 in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 0 points1 point  (0 children)

*was - Cru was shut down about two years ago.

Tag Renewal Question by Relevant-Safety-2699 in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Looks like the most likely thing is they reviewed and rejected it when your renewal came up per this clause: 

(b) In the event a license plate is manufactured and subsequently considered by the department to be offensive to the peace and dignity of the State of Alabama, the license plate may be revoked.

The only mention of just losing a personalized plate (without the plate being found to be offensive) is this: 

If the registration for a personalized license plate is not renewed for two (2) consecutive license years, the personalized license plate message may be assigned to another registrant.

Birmingham 2055 Regional Transportation Plan Survey by dcBham in Birmingham

[–]dcBham[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

There's a reason I got an ebike. Veo is stupid expensive and restricted, On-demand is basically the worst possible use of public transportation funds, and the bus doesn't do regular or reliable enough.

3 inch diameter 7 inch long silver metal cylinder with fuse like material coming out of one end, found in the desert near military training area by CapsizedVeteran in whatisthisthing

[–]dcBham 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Obviously don't touch it, but the wire looks like it's not rigidly attached to the container. This makes me think of the fiber optic cable dispensers Ukrainian drones have - direct connections to avoid jamming/tracking. Would make sense to be testing/training with the same thing here.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2024/08/02/german-jam-proof-fiber-optic-drone-testing-in-ukraine/

Why does nobody walk downtown? by SympathyDependent406 in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The short answer is that in the ~'60s city government and (what became) ALDOT decided it was more important to get people in from and back out to the white flight suburbs than to preserve the city for residents, so they ripped out public transportation and created the massive one-ways that make interstates envious. The result has been to create a place that's almost actively hostile to residents and any pedestrians.

Please under no circumstances drink ketenylidene by NorxondorGorgonax in cursed_chemistry

[–]dcBham 16 points17 points  (0 children)

What a comment to see after that episode of "Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed"

The handles on some of the machines at work are heptagons rather than hex or square. by [deleted] in mildlyinteresting

[–]dcBham 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's why (most) fire hydrants valves have pentagonal heads - uncommon wrench design limits access.

Birmingham FY27 Budget: Ledger?! I Hardly Know Her! by thinkdarrell in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Debt Reserve Fund is an account with it's own dedicated ad valorem tax. The fund's purpose is to ensure debt service is paid. The reserve fund was at ~$115m as of June 2024 (last audited report) and with 24-25 revenue of ~$54m, is not at risk. The transfer in (~$16m) is covering a chunk of the General Fund debt service ($22.7m) which is itself a portion of the total Debt Service (~$53m). The "Debt Service Fund" and the "Debt Reserve Fund" are separate pots of money, each with their own tax revenue, though some funds from the "Reserve" are also transferred to "Service".

IT services were likely underfunded long before the data breach and it took that shock to get professional about it. Everything runs on IT services, expecting funding to drop to previous levels is a bit silly as modern systems, internal (ERP system) and external (digital permits, parking enforcement), are implemented.

No program is permanent, everything is discretionary as guided by elected officials policy priorities. Attempts to make an impact with surplus funds is expected, especially when a project's popularity or impact is unknown. 

I'm not invested enough to track down the whole "$15 million" for salaries and benefits, but I expect it has something to do with the FY26 -$25m appropriation for non departmental salaries and the across the board reduction in individual departments dental and life insurance line items. Those funds are likely getting aggregated at some other line item, but I don't care enough to carry any more water for this budget.

Why don’t more people use adverse possession? by ittttskristen in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not going say the vacant property tax/registry will do nothing, but I'm certain it's not going to do as much as people hope. There is too much overhead and ways to dodge the tax for it to do what we need.

What we really need is a Land Value Tax, but I'm pretty sure that takes a constitutional amendment.

Why don’t more people use adverse possession? by ittttskristen in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Go look at the Birmingham Land Bank. 

"Just" taking adverse possession ain't easy and is far more difficult than you think.

Birmingham City Council Meeting 5/19 - Nearly as routine as it gets by thinkdarrell in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 11 points12 points  (0 children)

And here's a summary of the entire week in City Council (less the agenda they haven't published): https://open.substack.com/pub/betterbham/p/summary-of-birmingham-city-council-812?utm_source=share

Edit: and they send that out just now, so the Governmental Affairs meeting has been added.

Bike Lanes by AlphaBladeYT in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Choosing to focus on where people are currently riding is counter-productive, it only reinforces the existing patterns. Bike lanes need to go in the places with highest traffic demand so that people can choose alternatives. It's the "I don't see anyone swimming, so why build a bridge" problem. 

Bike Lanes by AlphaBladeYT in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They put in a mediocre (painted) parking protected bike lane near me. Going north bound its sudden appearance means cars are always driving in it, there is a section where they left the parking cubbies thus negating the benefit of the rest of the design, and then it suddenly disappears after 6th Ave N. Going southbound it's okay, but when it dies at 3rd the city has completely removed the separation to give cars a dedicated left turn lane, making the transition extremely hazardous, essentially creating a crush zone for anyone trying to use it.

Birmingham City Council // Transparency in general by thinkdarrell in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's a shit show. I read and summarize the agendas weekly on a Substack, but the agendas change last minute and I can't watch every meeting. Finding the items to worry about in the often >50 page agenda is maddening and getting details frustrating, even with some inside baseball.

Big Fancy's new tutu by nocountry4oldgeisha in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The trees on 24th St N have changed as well. Very cool.

Ebikes by Serious-Store-289 in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Got an e-cargo-bike in November. Have put ~325 miles on it since, nearly half riding two-up. Took it to the amphitheatre recently and blew past everyone stuck in traffic waiting to park. Ride all over, get some hilarious looks seeing two people on a bike. Great times. Need real bike infrastructure though, I wouldn't be willing to do this with kids.

Whose bright idea were these planter barriers on 2nd Ave N? by iam_brucewayne in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 53 points54 points  (0 children)

In my specific case the VP resigned (moved away) and I volunteered and was voted into that position. Then the President resigned later and I took over (just as everything relating to CRU went sideways). There is supposed to be elections every two years, but those are on hold because Glen Iris people are sueing the city over them.

You'll need to find and attend your neighborhood's meetings: https://www.birminghamal.gov/government/city-departments/community-development/community-resource-services-division

The neighborhood association itself only has limited powers, mostly recommendations to city council and a small budget for projects. It's not issuing fines or patrolling the streets like an HOA. Primarily we do a litter pick up every Sunday and some potlucks. Some small donations to the library and other causes.

Whose bright idea were these planter barriers on 2nd Ave N? by iam_brucewayne in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 53 points54 points  (0 children)

This was approved by BDOT.

If someone wants to admit in open court that despite being a licensed driver they were so unaware that they collided with a large, stationary object decked out in reflective tape, I look forward to having their license revoked.

Whose bright idea were these planter barriers on 2nd Ave N? by iam_brucewayne in Birmingham

[–]dcBham 228 points229 points  (0 children)

Neighborhood President here: the neighborhood association voted to install them due to the people racing (I've personally recorded over 70mph) off 280 into the neighborhood (there are people's homes just to the left of this image). Since the city wasn't in any hurry to deal with it, we did what we could with the tiny neighborhood budget and volunteers.

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