The funding of a new Kingston fire station continues to be a source of contention between the Birmingham city council and the mayor.
The old station was in such bad shape that it was closed in early May. Everyone agrees a new one needs to be built, but how to fund the project is where there are differences.
Mayor William Bell wants to use money from phase two of the bond projects. According to his office, there are $4 million available. $3 would be used for the fire station and one million to partially restore the Carver Theatre.
"The Fire Station is a critical need for this community. They have waited long enough," Bell said in a press release. "While we support the Carver Theatre, the fire station is a public safety issue. Lives are dependent on our firefighters' response times."
Firefighters estimate that without the station, their response time to the Kingston area increases by approximately two minutes.
The council, however, wants to use some of the money that is going towards the city's new Freedom Center and Public Policy Institute. They say that way the station can be built and the theatre fully restored. However, the mayor's office says that money is not available and has already been put into use.
"We know that based on the information that we have, only about a half a million dollars of the ten million, has been encumbered not even spent," said Council President Johnathan Austin.