# City of Fairhope City Council Work Session October 26th, 2026

The City of Fairhope City Council work session, identified in the meeting title as October 26, 2026, discussed a proposed Fairhope Single Tax Colony–funded living shoreline demonstration at the south end of South Beach. Preliminary engineering, surveying, design, and budget work has been completed for a living breakwater, native shoreline planting, and pavilion, with a possible boardwalk or finger pier still under consideration. The project is intended to reduce erosion, provide an educational site, and improve park amenities; the council expressed support, but no approval vote or project dollar amount was stated. Staff also presented deliverables from a RESTORE grant received in March 2024, including a stormwater infrastructure GIS inventory, stormwater management manual, and flood-risk assessment. The city has also submitted an application for an Alabama Coastal Area Management Program grant to develop a low-impact-development ordinance.

Other spending and policy-related matters included an update on a proposed airport-area land agreement: the city would transfer about 107 acres to the Airport Authority for $100, with the Authority paying the city $1.3 million over 20 years. The update also cited a $3.5 million grant for improvements to the land, with additional funding being pursued; the agreement was discussed as a future council matter, and no vote was taken at this work session. The council also received a report on the city’s classification and compensation study, including proposed pay-scale changes and recommendations affecting 223 employees, but no dollar impact or new spending action was specified. Staff discussed adopting the 2024 International Building Code, with a public hearing scheduled for November 23. No votes were taken during the transcript.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Environment
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 27, 2026

### Sources
- [City of Fairhope City Council Work Session October 26th, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-Q8wx2cNyM) - City of Fairhope