Birmingham-Jefferson County Port Authority
The Birmingham-Jefferson County Port Authority (BJCPA) is a public authority established in 2016 to promote development of Port Birmingham and the Black Warrior River. It was approved in August 2016 to operate under the Alabama State Port Authority, and is made up of five members appointed by the Birmingham City Council and the Jefferson County Commission.
Development of the Port Authority was conducted by Strada Professional Services under contract to the City of Birmingham, partly as a way to more effectively seek federal grants and tax incentives which could then be offered to operators. The city and county approved the plan in June 2016, jointly allocating $675,000 in operating costs to the authority, much of which was turned over to Strada for feasibility studies, marketing, development plans and technical consulting.
The BJCPA is in the process of developing a climate-controlled steel warehouse at the port under a joint agreement with Watco Companies, owner of the Birmingham Terminal Railway.
Members
- Brenda Phillips-Hong, 1 year term ended June 2017
- Monique Okoye, 3-year term ends July 2019
- Jonathan Porter, 5-year term ends June 2021
- David Roberson, 4-year term, resigned July 23, 2018
- Randy Wilhelm, 2-year term ended June 2018
References
- Gamlin, Rachael (June 29, 2016) "Formation of Birmingham-Jefferson County Port Authority approved." Birmingham Business Journal
- Edgemon, Erin (August 3, 2017) "Port Birmingham: Plans underway to expand gateway to world trade." The Birmingham News
- Edgemon, Erin (August 17, 2018) "Port Authority fires firm tied to north Birmingham corruption." The Birmingham News