Mayor David Frings presented his mid-year budget review during the Alabaster City Council meeting Thursday, May 6, while also giving an update on the possibility of a new city hall during his State of the City address.

During his address, Frings also touched on such issues as making budget cuts, fiscal responsibility, the new Senior Center, aggressive marketing for the city, traffic woes, street paving projects and expanded IT capabilities.

In dealing with the mid-year budget review, Frings announced a $490,196.04 decrease in revenue from $22,472,371 to $21,982,174.96. Frings announced a similar decrease in general spending.

Among those cuts are $616,207.60 from the administration budget and $215,000 from the Parks and Recreation Department, including $185,000 for equipment and field maintenance.

However, the city saved $335,553.22 by refinancing variable rate bonds to fixed rates, helping to alleviate cuts.

The city also moved $106,170 from the life insurance budget and $33,500 from the health insurance budget, but Frings said the money was overbudgeted and an oversight.

“We’re not cutting funds, we’re not cutting life insurance,” Frings said.

The mayor also announced plans to relocate city hall, and those plans included a possible location in a vacant building down the street from the current city hall.

Frings said the city was looking at three possible locations, but he showed architectural renderings of the former Halloween store next to the America’s Thrift Store.

Frings said the new building would allow the city to save money by placing all city employees under one roof, while also clearing the way for the police department to occupy the entire current city hall.

”We’re doing things that aren’t brick and mortar, but they are extremely important,” Frings said. “We’re certainly doing better than a lot of areas.”