PHENIX CITY, Ala. - The Phenix City Council accepted a $2,395,000 low bid to build additions and renovations at the Municipal Building, 1119 Broad St., at its Oct. 20 meeting, according to the Citizen of East Alabama. The council also approved $530,000 for 60 new police radios and denied a request to remove a small piece of property from the city. A public hearing on two demolition cost bills is set for Tuesday, Nov. 17, the newspaper reported.

This summary relies on the newspaper's account of the Oct. 20 agenda, which said it would be updated with final votes after the regular session. The article did not state the vote result on every item, and where that is the case it is noted below. Residents who want official records can contact the city clerk or check the city's website.

The Municipal Building project

The council accepted the low bid from Ben B. Gordy Construction Company, Inc. for $2,395,000 to build additions and renovations at 1119 Broad St. The report did not say when work will start or how long it is expected to take. It also did not say how the project will be paid for.

Police radios

The council approved the purchase of 60 Motorola Solutions APX N70 radios and accessories for the Police Department at a cost of $530,000. The purchase was made under State Contract MA230000003341-2, according to the newspaper. That works out to about $8,833 per radio including accessories, a figure calculated here from the two totals and not stated in the report.

The Nov. 17 hearing on demolition costs

The council set public hearings for Nov. 17, 2026, on demolition costs at two properties. The newspaper lists Great Southern Furniture alongside both entries. The amounts are small compared with the building contract, but they are the next dated item to come out of the meeting.

The report also lists three older demolition liens whose public hearings were still to be scheduled. They were 1108 20th Ave. S. at $7,200, 218 11th Ave. at $4,850 and 400 11th Ave. at $3,950. No dates were given for those hearings.

Other actions

The council approved a mutual aid agreement with Columbus Water Works for emergency water service during outages or disasters. No cost was listed in the report. The article did not say when the agreement takes effect or how long it runs. Columbus Water Works is the utility on the Georgia side of the Chattahoochee River.

Other items from the meeting, as the newspaper listed them, are below. The newspaper's report did not give final vote counts for every item. Readers can ask the Phenix City clerk for the official minutes.

• A contract with the East Alabama Chamber of Commerce, not to exceed $35,000.
• An early $1,000 disbursement from 2026-27 funds to the Phenix City Tree Commission for school tree planting, right-of-way replacements and Arbor Day seedlings.
• A memorandum of understanding with BSI Engineering Surveying, Inc. for on-call engineering and design services on grant-funded infrastructure, recreation and economic development projects. No amount was listed.
• Rejection of the sole bid for right-of-way maintenance (Bid E26-06) from Pro Services because it exceeded the anticipated cost.
• A proclamation declaring Oct. 19-23 "Paint the Town Pink" Week, working with the West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition.

A de-annexation request denied

The council denied, at second reading, a request by property owner Joe Crawford to de-annex about 1.84 acres at Opelika Road and Gauntt Road. The report did not give the council's reasons or the vote count. Because the request was denied, the parcel stays inside the city limits as far as the report indicates.

The council also held a second reading of an ordinance for a Severe Weather Preparedness Tax Holiday. It would exempt "covered items" from sales and use tax from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28, 2027. The article did not state the result of that vote, so it should not be treated as final.

What to know

The Nov. 17 hearing is the next dated item reported from this meeting. The article did not name the time or place, so residents should confirm those with the city before attending. For general questions about city government, Phenix City's website at phenixcityal.gov lists its council meeting calendar.