Reviewed by: Pat Byington
Hoover mayor says city will not ‘accept decline’ in State of the City address
Reading time: 5 minutes
After completing his first 80 days in office, Hoover’s mayor, Nick Derzis, delivered the annual State of the City address Thursday, Jan. 22 at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa.
Derzis’ speech hit optimistic notes on the future while emphasizing the urgency with which the city should address some key problems — particularly regarding the Riverchase Galleria and Patton Creek.
Take a look at our top three takeaways from the event.
1. Safety is the top priority
Derzis began his address discussing public safety, the improvements that have taken place since he entered office and what still needs to happen.
“A safe city is the foundation on which everything else was built. The economic development, neighborhood stability, quality of life. Public safety is not an expense, it is an investment…
“Nothing else matters if our residents don’t feel safe.”
One of Derzis’ campaign promises was to restore public safety funding for the police and fire departments, the budgets of which he said were cut by 10% by the previous administration.
In December, Derzis’ city budget approved $2 million to be spent on nearly 30 new vehicles for the Hoover Police Department, which he said has been neglected for too long.
This summer, several months before Derzis took office, the Hoover Fire Department sought federal funding to address staffing shortages, which the mayor said this week caused temporary closures of the Ross Bridge and Legacy fire stations.
“There were times that those guys had to take vehicles for emergency medical calls, and when they would leave the station, that station could be closed for hours at a time. It’s insane…
“That’s a life and safety issue.”
2. Restoring public trust + accountability
A major theme of both Derzis’ campaign and State of the City address was accountability.
Derzis said that the city was misappropriating “front door fees,” which were fees placed on homeowners who were building new homes, that Hoover claimed were going to schools. However, Derzis said in his speech, the school system continued to receive the same amount of money every year.
The mayor pledged to reallocate those fees to the schools.
“Supporting our schools isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s smart economic development…Our future depends on the education of our kids…
“Strong schools attract families, businesses and opportunity.”
Another tax that the city was misallocating, he said, was the $2-per-night hotel tax passed back in 2018 that was enacted to fund tourism promotion and economic development. He also pledged to redirect 100% of that money to marketing and development for tourism.
3. Capitalizing on Hoover’s commercial potential
A major shortfall of Hoover, Derzis said, was that the city has allowed properties like the Riverchase Galleria and Patton Creek malls to decline, which damages resident satisfaction and the city’s image.
“There is absolutely no reason that both of properties cannot be destination retail locations again…
“We’re not going to accept decline…We deserve better than watching the slow erosion of our most visible, commercial site in the city.”
Rejecting the argument that the malls are failing due to location, Derzis said the properties have:
- Heavy daily traffic counts
- Strong surrounding household incomes
- Access from all directions
The day after the election, Derzis said he called the owners of both malls to discuss future plans, a path forward and partnerships that could bring the Galleria and Patton Creek back to life again. “Failure is not an option,” he emphasized.
“We’re not going to accept putting lipstick on a pig. We’re talking about true reimagination.”
Derzis also brought up that Hoover is “losing, at minimum, $10 million a year” due to the state’s redistribution formula for online sales tax revenue. Since his inauguration, the city has joined a lawsuit filed by Tuscaloosa challenging how Alabama allocates those funds.
“Our city is losing at least $10 million a year. Imagine what we could do with that.”
Partnership is the way forward
Derzis punctuated his 40-minute address by emphasizing the importance of partnership between the city and entities within it.
“Government cannot and should not do everything alone.
“Success depends on partnerships — with the chamber, businesses, schools, nonprofits, leaders and engaged citizens.”
The cities priorities, he said, will rely on those partnerships to truly succeed in areas from safety to business growth.
What do you think of Mayor Derzis’ vision for Hoover? Let us know on Facebook and Instagram @bhamnow.
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