Birmingham mayoral candidate Randall Woodfin accused the current mayor of "abuse and negligence of tax dollars" during a heated debate Thursday morning.

He said 101 employees are budgeted for the mayor's office, including 52 administrative assistants, at a total of $10 million.

"We are short in police," Woodfin, an assistant city attorney for Birmingham, said. "We are short in fire fighters so let's cut the mayor's office ...."

Mayor William Bell refuted those claims, saying half of the employees budgeted for his office actually work at the Birmingham CrossPlex sports venue.

"They try to paint the picture that I have all of these people sitting in my office working, doing nothing, but that's not true," he said. "We have the most efficient office possible."

The top three contenders in the mayor's race, Bell, Woodfin and Chris Woods participated in the debate held at The Harbert Center and sponsored by WBHM 90.3 FM and Birmingham Business Journal.

The municipal election is Aug. 22.

Woods, a contractor who spoke often of his Christian faith, accused the mayor of "backroom deals." He said Bell leads by "bullying."

He also accused Bell's brother, Michael Bell, executive director of the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority, of "pay for play."

Michael Bell sued Woods for slander in January, two months after Woods first publicly accused the mayor's brother of corruption at a Birmingham City Council meeting.

Woodfin repeatedly said Bell's administration doesn't "play well in the sandbox" with the council. He said the mayor doesn't put money into the neighborhoods for street paving. He said the mayor doesn't support education.

Birmingham only puts $1.8 million, out of a $428 million annual budget, into the city school system, Woodfin said.

"Check your priorities," he said. "The current administration has never been committed to education in this city, period."

Woods said Birmingham City Schools has lost 7,000 to 8,000 students in recent years. He said Birmingham is set to become the next Detroit.

Bell disputed that he doesn't work with the council. He said the council approves more than 95 percent of the items his office puts on the agenda.

He also disputed that roads aren't being paved. Bell said roads were paved two years ago, and more are being paved this year.

"This city is in the best condition that it has ever been in," he said.

In terms of fighting crime, Bell said he is advocating for "Ban the Box," a campaign that asks for hiring applications not to include a box asking applicants about their criminal record.

"We have to find a way to get (convicted felons) back into a job producing environment, back to being productive citizens," Bell said, adding if felons can't get a job when they get out of jail, they are going to revert back to crime.

He said Birmingham needs more police officers. "In this past legislative session, we went down to Montgomery to ask for the power to bring back retired police officers," Bell said, because now police officers can retire after 20 years of service.

"We lose the best, experienced officers due to retirement," he said. "I am trying to bring those officers back."

Speaking on inefficiencies in city government, Woods said it takes six to eight months for contractors, like himself, to get a building permit. He said he would do a better job of streamlining that process.

Woods said cutting waste and creating more transparency wouldn't require the elimination of any jobs. It would involve "not doing any backroom deals, not doing any deals under the table."

He accused Bell of spending millions of taxpayer money without council approval.

Bell said Woods' statement isn't true. He said it takes six weeks to obtain a business or building permit.

Speaking on incentives, Woodfin said the mayor is "giving away the farm" to businesses looking to operate downtown. "It is time to spread some of those incentives to other commercial corridors in town and support our existing small businesses ...," he said.

He said the city shouldn't be investing $40 million in restoring one building, the Ramsay McCormack Building, in Ensley. Woodfin said it is election-season maneuverer.

Bell also refuted those claims, saying the city has given incentives to Inland Seafood and P&S Transportation in Ensley to expand and add new jobs. Incentives have helped create 600 jobs on the east side of the city, he said.

Also, he said the city isn't planning to invest $40 million in Ramsay McCormack alone. He said the funds will be used for other buildings and projects related to the public safety complex.

Read more about mayoral candidates' views on Ensley revitalization.