Heads and tales: Rule of flaw

Conventional wisdom: A Senate committee approved 10-0 on Tuesday a bill allowing citizens to vote on a constitutional convention — after a House committee failed to pass it 7-7. The state’s 105-year-old constitution, amended countless times, has outlived its usefulness. If by some miracle the Legislature OKs the referendum, we predict the religious conservatives will spend millions to discredit the reform movement, and that voters will shoot it down by a 2-1 margin. On the plus side, we’ll never have to dream big again.
• Constitutional convention gets new life in Alabama Legislature [Associated Press]

Home overrule: The House hasn’t been entirely slacking. It approved 74-3 on Tuesday a bill allowing citizens to vote on whether to severely curtail the Jefferson County Commission’s ability to float bonds. If voters statewide approve, the five commissioners would no longer be able to raise money through bond issues without holding a referendum or by unanimous vote. We haven’t been big fans of the shenanigans at the county level, but we’re certainly not gonna let Greene County tell us how to run our bidness. If only we could fix the constitution …
• House OKs bill to limit Jeffco bonds [Birmingham News]

Heads in the clouds: Pemco Aviation Group wants Birmingham to cough up $2.5 million to help it win a military contract. Corporate welfare or patriotic duty? At stake, 500 new jobs if the contract is signed — or 500 jobs cut if not, say company officials. Birmingham also wants to give $11 million to lure Wal-Mart to the Eastwood Mall site. A few mil here, a few there, it starts to become real money.
• Pemco asks council for $2.5 million [Birmingham News]

You’re soaking in it: Hoover is leaving the Jefferson County Storm Water Management Authority, which oversees federal water quality mandates, Sept. 30. That’s because Oct. 1, annual fees increase from $5 to $12 for homes and $15 to $36 for businesses — the first such increase in 10 years. Outrageous!! The city’s pullout is likely to have a dramatic effect on the oversight group’s budget, while Hoover mayor Tony Petelos said the city will meet federal standards on its own. Maybe Hoover should start its own postal system, too, since stamps went up two whole cents.
• Water agency losing Hoover [Birmingham News]

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