Birmingham neighborhood association leaders are speaking out after Mayor Randall Woodfin cut their funding and challenged them to partner with the city to spend the money they already have in their coffers.

The city's 99 neighborhoods have a combined $3.7 million that they haven't touched, the mayor said.

Instead of giving funds directly to neighborhood associations in the 2019 budget, Woodfin is proposing putting those funds, nearly $500,000, towards weed abatement, demolition and other neighborhood improvements, he said on Tuesday.

Neighborhood leaders say the balances of their checking accounts don't tell the real story.

They try to spend association funds to benefit their areas such as on park and sidewalk improvements, but they said they face government red tape and denials from the city's law department, which must approve their requests. Projects that are approved take years to come to fruition.

Jimmie Coleman, president of Birmingham Citizens Advisory Board, which is made up of the presidents of the city's 23 communities, said neighborhood leaders are concerned about Woodfin's plan.

"I have had more presidents call me in the last five or six days, than they have in the last year," he said.

Coleman said he hasn't seen Woodfin's proposed budget, but he's against the mayor taking away the little funds the neighborhoods do receive. He said there's many needs in neighborhoods that associations can't afford to pay for, and the city isn't paying for.

After first addressing neighborhood's account balances last week, Woodfin admitted on Tuesday that neighborhood officers want to spend the money. They go through the process, but they hit a "trapdoor or an abyss" in city hall.

"I think those are fair concerns," he said. "The process sucks. We can be better."

Woodfin said his staff is going to work this month to make the process of moving neighborhood projects through city hall more efficient.

Council President Valerie Abbott said neighborhood officials need to be educated on how to spend the money and do capital projects. She said neighborhoods need to be partners with the city on projects.

Thomas Neighborhood Association President Alonzo Darrow said the mayor needs to slow down before making decisions that will directly affect the neighborhoods like taking away association funds.

"He just got there," he said. "He should take his time to find out what is going on. There have been a lot of projects that neighborhoods have put in, and those haven't been done."

Ensley Neighborhood Association President George McCall said he was shocked when he learned Woodfin pulled neighborhood funds. "It is a disgrace to the neighborhoods," he said.

"We try to do our best to make things better," McCall added. "We can't do anything without funds."

He said the city law department recently denied a request for the association to purchase a computer, which it needs to complete meeting minutes and do other business.

McCall said the neighborhood spent $20,000 on signs last year, but it took them four years to get the OK from the city.

Darrow said he submitted a request to put in curbs on some streets in his area last year. "They said no, we can't do that."

Several years ago, the Thomas neighborhood received approval from then-Mayor William Bell to build a pocket park at 4th Street and Ohio Avenue using private funds, he said. The association, though, was responsible for buying the equipment and paying for the maintenance and upkeep.

Darrow said his association has about $50,000 in its account. They keep a large balance in case park equipment needs repaired or replaced.

Coleman, who is also the president of the North Birmingham Neighborhood Association, said his neighborhood is saving its money to build a youth football field. He said youth leagues don't have their own field. They have to use the one at Carver High School.

Many years ago, the neighborhood was able to build a baseball field thanks to a partnership with Alabama Power who provided the lighting, Coleman said. Later, under then-Mayor Larry Langford dugouts were added. About three years ago, they were able to build a concession stand.

The field still doesn't have a scoreboard, though, he said.

According to the city, North Birmingham has $41,159 in its account. Coleman said it will cost $50,000 to $55,000 to build a small football field near the North Birmingham Recreation Center.

"It takes a long time to save money for the projects that are really needed," he said, adding that the neighborhood will never be able to build the football field if it loses its funding.

"It is just a shame that we have to go and beg the city for things they are supposed to fund," he said.

The amount of money given to neighborhoods varies from year to year, but in recent years its been about $3,000.

Also, according to city guidelines, neighborhoods have to spend 70 percent of their money on capital projects and 30 percent for non-capital projects such as community festivals known as "fun days."

When a neighborhood association meets and agrees to fund a project, they must submit a request to their community resource representative who worked in the city's community development department. Along with the request form the neighborhood must submit its meeting minutes and meeting sign-in sheet.

From there the community resource rep submits the request to the law department. If the law department approves the project, then the request goes to one of several city council committees for OK. The full city council must also give approval.

Five Points South Neighborhood Association Vice President Stephen Foster said he isn't worried about the cuts, at least, not yet. He said the association is wanting to see what Woodfin's plan is for the funds.

Foster said Five Points South partners with businesses and goes the city directly to get big projects done.

The association has nearly $27,000 in its account, he said, and that won't go far.

In partnership with the Five Points Alliance, the neighborhood association is looking at presenting a request to the city for a municipal bond to do major improvements to Valley View Park, Phelan Park and Brother Bryan Park, Foster said.

He said Brother Bryan Park is underutilized, and the neighborhood wants to convert half of it into a dog park, and the rest into a mixed-use park where they can screen movies.

City Councilor Darrell O'Quinn said even after a project is approved by council, it can still get hung up in government bureaucracy.

About a year and a half ago, as president of the Crestwood North Neighborhood Association, O'Quinn said he received approval from the law department, the council's public improvements committee and the council for design and engineering of a sidewalk on 56th Street and 5th Avenue.

He said that project now "seems to have gotten lost."

O'Quinn said he hopes the city will streamline the process for getting projects approved. He said community development needs to revisit the list of projects that are eligible to use with neighborhood association funds.

He said the Citizens Advisory Board developed a list of these items about three years ago. They include everything from infrastructure and landscaping improvements to education improvements for local schools, public transit systems and electronic equipment.

Updated at 8:08 p.m. to include additional information from Thomas Neighborhood Association President Alonzo Darrow.

Birmingham Neighborhood Association account balances by Erin Edgemon on Scribd