News & Updates

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle Presents FY 2016 Budget to City Council

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle will introduce the City’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget to the City Council at tonight’s regularly scheduled meeting. The $334 million total budget includes $192 million in operating funds. This figure represents a $4 million, or 2 percent, increase over the FY15 operating budget. It projects a three percent increase in sales tax revenues, which will be largely absorbed by employee costs and mandatory increases in operating costs. [ more ]

Healthy Huntsville Announces Mayor’s 100-Mile Walking Challenge

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and the Healthy Huntsville leadership team announced a new fitness opportunity. The Mayor’s 100-mile Walking Challenge, a citywide effort to encourage people of all ages to add physical activity to their daily routines, is challenging citizens to walk at least 100 miles from Sept. 1 to November 30. “Walking is easy, free, and pays big dividends for our physical and mental well-being,” said Mayor Battle. “It’s low-impact [ more ]

Huntsville Finance Director Moving to Airport Authority

Mayor Tommy Battle announced today City of Huntsville Finance Director Randy Taylor will be moving to the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority as its new Chief Financial Officer. Taylor, who joined the City in 1998, will officially depart September 1. “We are pleased Randy has the opportunity to work with our partners at the Airport Authority,” said Mayor Battle. “As a strong fiscal conservative, I appreciate Randy working with me since I [ more ]

Public Works Director Terry Hatfield Announces Retirement Sept. 1

One of Huntsville’s longtime administrators, Terry Hatfield, announced today he will retire September 1, after nearly 40 years of service with the City. Hatfield served as Public Works Director for the past seven years and previously held key positions as City Administrator, Human Resources Director, Legal Investigator and Planning Commissioner. “I have enjoyed being a part of the city’s dynamic change through the decades and seeing Huntsville evolve from an agricultural [ more ]

Huntsville Police Chief Lewis Morris Announces Retirement Sept. 1

City of Huntsville Police Chief Lewis Morris announced today he will retire September 1. The Chief’s long and distinguished career in law enforcement includes 38 years with Huntsville Police in positions as Officer, Investigator, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Chief, and ultimately Chief of Police. Through his tenure, he earned the respect of the force and the community he has capably served. “Chief Morris is a man of integrity and dedication, the [ more ]

High Cotton and Marble Columns

Preserving History Recognizing the historic significance of the First National Bank building the City of Huntsville has partnered with Bob Broadway, the current building tenant, and Big Spring Partners to place a historic preservation easement on the building.   A historic preservation easement is a legal document that runs with the deed, and protects the historic features aesthetic qualities of a historic property in perpetuity. A number of nonprofit and public-interest groups across [ more ]

Banking on History

A Brief History of the First National Bank Building The Branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama at Huntsville was established by the General Assembly on January 10, 1835.   Despite the lack of a building to house the bank, the state appointed a board of directors to oversee the bank’s progress on January 9, 1835. According to several primary source supporting documents, the bank building on Westside Square was [ more ]

Meet Huntsville’s Premier Architect

George Gilliam Steele (1798 – 1855) Considered to be the premiere antebellum architect for the city of Huntsville, George Gilliam Steele was born on April 1, 1798, to George and Sally Gilliam Steele in Bedford County, Virginia. Steele’s early life remains largely shrouded, and there are no known records that Steele received any formal architectural training, according to his obituary he was self-taught. Steele came to Huntsville from Virginia around 1818, [ more ]

Home Improvements

Hays Nature Preserve Summer Play Days

Operation Green Team Presents Play Days at Hays Terrame Natural Playground at Hays Nature Preserve Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-11am & 12:30-2pm Saturdays 10-11am & 1-2pm Sessions are FREE and promise to be fun and educational as children, with an adult, explore and learn about the great outdoors. July Schedule Thursday July 2: Investigating Insects (K -6th): Insects are fascinating six-legged creatures that have an important role in nature. Walking along the trails in the Preserve’s [ more ]