Healthy tension: city of Vestavia Hills, schools compete for finite resources

Jeff Downes well remembers when he was hired to become the city manager of Vestavia Hills in 2013.

One of his main charges was to help the city grow economically so that it can provide the high quality of life and amenities that Vestavia Hills residents expect, he said.

Knowing that schools are the primary reason people move to Vestavia Hills, he quickly scheduled a meeting with then-schools Superintendent Jamie Blair and asked Blair how much growth was acceptable to him.

At first, there was silence. Then Blair told him he didn’t want to see growth, Downes said.

It was clear there was some tension there, and that tension became even more evident when Blair said the school system’s budget was tight and asked how much money the city could afford to support the school system’s budget, Dow