The Montgomery City Council voted Tuesday night to maintain the $50,000 spending cap on Mayor Steven Reed’s authority to sign contracts without council approval and approved a 90-day moratorium on issuing off-premise liquor licenses.

The contract cap measure passed by a 5-4 vote. Councilman Andrew Szymanski first introduced an amendment to preserve the $50,000 limit in a proposal that would have otherwise granted the mayor unlimited contract authority. Once that amendment passed, the council then voted on the amended version of the resolution, approving it by the same narrow margin.

“This is the third time we’ve had this conversation,” Szymanski said.

“Every time we’ve talked about this, we’ve talked about best practices and transparency. The law gives us the power to approve contracts, and that’s what’s in the best interest of taxpayer and citizen dollars. Just because we haven’t done it before doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing to do.”

During public comment, a representative of the South Johnson and South Montgomery Alliance urged council members to retain oversight authority.

“Without city council oversight, that means you are leaving your districts out of the decisions that will be signed off for the city,” the representative said. “Why would you give up your constituents and yourself to one person to sign the contracts without your approval? We elected all of you for those seats. We believe in you… Do not approve this.”

The representative added that city governance required continued checks and balances: “Oversight is needed from the beginning, not the end. If you’re not at the beginning, at the end of the table, you have no voice.”

The vote keeps the requirement that Mayor Reed seek council approval for any contract exceeding $50,000.

The council also unanimously approved a 90-day moratorium on new off-premise liquor licenses, allowing time to study the number and distribution of package stores across the city.

Councilman Oronde Mitchell, who introduced the measure, said the pause would help the city better understand how liquor store density affects communities.

“Within those 90 days, we want to do a study to see exactly how many liquor stores we have in the city of Montgomery,” Mitchell said. “We want to look at the number of stores, hours of operation, and how far they are from each other.”

The original proposal called for a six-month halt and included bars and lounges, but the council shortened it to 90 days and limited it to package stores. Council President C.C. Calhoun said the move would allow “a thoughtful look at density” without disrupting other local businesses.

The full video of the Nov. 4 meeting is below.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].