Mayor Bryan R. Van Devender

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of discussion about Sheffield's K-9 program. Rather than let speculation continue, I wanted everyone to hear the facts directly.

WAAY 31 joined us at the Northwest Alabama Search & Rescue training facility, where Hulix is continuing his journey toward a new role in public service.

Hulix was not decommissioned because the City of Sheffield couldn't afford a K-9 unit. That simply isn't true.

After careful evaluation, it became clear that Hulix's future was no longer as a patrol K-9. Instead of ending his service altogether, we made the decision to give him the opportunity to continue serving our community in a role better suited to him through search and rescue and, potentially, human remains detection.

I'm grateful to Colbert County Animal Shelter Director Corey Speegle for taking on Hulix's rehabilitation and training. His expertise has given this outstanding working dog the opportunity to continue doing what he was bred and trained to do—serve.

I also appreciate WAAY-TV for taking the time to tell the complete story.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to learn the facts. Now, let's put the misinformation behind us and move forward.

Sheffield police dog gets new role with search and rescue Officials say Hulix’s removal from patrol was based on health concerns, not budget, after he spent about a year off duty.

What an incredible day for Sheffield!

Many of you have seen a photo of me wearing a backpack blower from yesterday making the rounds on Facebook. While I'm grateful for the encouragement, I wanted to share the bigger story.

Nearly 100 volunteers and our entire City Council invested their Saturday serving our city.

Church of the Highlands selected Sheffield for this year's Serve Day and was joined by volunteers from several Sheffield churches and members of our community. Together, they refreshed all 20 of our downtown landscape beds, completed extensive work at the Michael Center, picked up litter, spread fresh mulch, planted flowers, and made a visible difference across our city.

It was an honor to spend the day working alongside so many people who simply wanted to serve.

My sincere thanks to Church of the Highlands, every Sheffield church that participated, Keep The Shoals Beautiful group, every volunteer who gave their time, and everyone who helped make today such a success. Your generosity, hard work, and servant's heart were a tremendous blessing to Sheffield.

I'd also like to thank local photographer and filmmaker Andrew Johnston for donating his time to document yesterday's effort. The photos that follow tell the story far better than I ever could.

I hope you'll take a few moments to look through them and join me in recognizing the people who made the day possible. Sheffield is grateful for each and every one of you.

I've said many times that Sheffield's future will be built by people who are willing to invest in this community. Tomorrow (8a-1p), we're going to see exactly what that looks like.

I'm incredibly grateful that this year's Church of the Highlands SERVE DAY has chosen Sheffield as its focus. Volunteers from this local Florence church, along with several Sheffield churches and community partners, will spend the day serving our city through projects in Downtown Sheffield and at the Michael Recreation Center.

These men and women aren't coming because they have to. They're coming because they believe serving others matters. That kind of spirit is contagious, and it says a great deal about the people who are giving up part of their weekend to make our community a better place.

If you're looking for an opportunity to get involved, the public is welcome to join us. Whether you can help for an hour or the entire day, your contribution will make a difference.

To every volunteer, thank you for choosing Sheffield. Your generosity, your servant's heart, and your commitment to community are deeply appreciated.

I'll see you tomorrow.

BVD

Today, America turns 250 years old.

Think about that for a moment. Two and a half centuries of perseverance, sacrifice, innovation, and an unwavering belief that freedom is worth defending.

Our nation has faced wars, hardship, division, and uncertainty, yet generation after generation has answered the call to leave this country stronger than they found it. We enjoy the blessings of liberty today because countless Americans, including many from communities just like Sheffield, were willing to serve, sacrifice, and stand for something greater than themselves.

As we celebrate with family, friends, cookouts, and fireworks, let's also take a moment to thank God for His continued blessings on our nation and remember those who have made our freedom possible.

May God continue to bless the United States of America, the great State of Alabama, and our beloved City of Sheffield.

Happy Independence Day, and Happy 250th Birthday, America! 🇺🇸

I’m looking forward to joining Mayor Billy Hudson, Mayor T.W. Billings, and Mayor Ron Tyler for the Shoals Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mayor’s Luncheon on Wednesday, August 26th.

This is always a great opportunity to discuss where each of our cities stands, what we’re working toward, and how the Shoals continues to move forward together.

I’m especially excited to share what we’re engaging in here in Sheffield; from Sheffield 365 and our continued push to raise the standard, to the momentum we’re building around modernization, cleanup, infrastructure, economic development, and community pride.

There is a lot happening in Sheffield, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of this important regional conversation.

Sheffield has a strong story to tell right now, and I’m ready to tell it.

Mark your calendars for our Annual Mayors Luncheon, presented by NEXTGen I.T., on Wednesday, August 26 at 11:30AM at Pickett on Court!

Enjoy a panel discussion emceed by Rep. Kerry Underwood, featuring our quad-cities mayors: Ron Tyler, Bryan Van Devender, T.W. Billings, and Billy Hudson.

🎟️ Tickets include admission and lunch: https://business.shoalschamber.com/events/details/2026-mayors-luncheon-12532?calendarMonth=2026-08-01
To purchase a table, please select 8 tickets.

Thank you to our gold sponsors Clear Choice Window Cleaning & Tennessee Valley Authority.

One of the commitments I made when I took office was to raise the standard throughout Sheffield.

Over the past several months we've launched Sheffield 365, secured THE BEAST RIG, and are preparing to begin corridor beautification efforts across our city.

Today we're hiring the first founding member of Sheffield's new Beautification Team.

This is an opportunity for someone who takes pride in their community and wants to be part of a team that will have a visible impact on Sheffield for years to come.

If that sounds like you, I'd encourage you to apply.

Apply online 👇

Application For Employment – City of Sheffield, Alabama 35660 The City of Sheffield is accepting applications for a Beautification Team Leader as part of the Sheffield 365 initiative.

Another significant economic development announcement for the Shoals.

All.Space, a global satellite communications technology company serving the defense and aerospace sectors, has selected the Shoals as its U.S. technical and manufacturing hub as part of its relocation to the United States.

This is exactly the type of investment our region should be pursuing: advanced manufacturing, high-technology jobs, defense-related industry, and companies building products that compete on a global stage.

Congratulations to the entire team at All.Space on this exciting decision.

A special thank you is due to Congressman Robert Aderholt, whose leadership and support helped make this opportunity possible, as well as Kevin Jackson and the team at the Shoals Economic Development Authority for their continued work promoting our region. Appreciation is also due to State Representative Kerry “Bubba” Underwood State House District 3 and the many local and state partners who work behind the scenes to position the Shoals for opportunities like this.

The Shoals has always had the talent, work ethic, and strategic location to compete. Increasingly, companies around the world are recognizing it as well.

Welcome to the Shoals, All.Space. We are glad to have you here.

All.Space chooses the Shoals for its U.S. technical and manufacturing hub The company’s Alabama location will serve as a focal point for its U.S. operations.

The TimesDaily covered the City Council’s approval of our new civic communications platform: 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗟𝗗 · 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀.

The article is behind a paywall, so I want to share a little context here.

This is something I promised during the campaign and began developing before taking office: a more coordinated, professional, and reliable way for Sheffield to communicate with our residents.

For too long, our public communication has been fragmented. Residents should not have to guess where to find accurate city information, updates, resources, public progress, school news, utility updates, public safety information, or community announcements.

At this stage, the Sheffield City Council has approved and adopted this platform on behalf of the 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱.

The next step will be approaching the other proposed participating entities to discuss adoption, coordination, operations, and implementation. Those include Sheffield City Schools, Sheffield Utilities, Sheffield Parks and Recreation, Sheffield Housing Authority, Sheffield Police Department, Sheffield Fire Department, and Sheffield Public Library.

So to be clear: this does not mean the full platform is published today or tomorrow.

This will roll out over the next several months in phases.

𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗢𝗳𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 will serve as the central hub for this effort once the platform is implemented.

This platform does 𝗻𝗼𝘁 replace the identity or communication channels of our city departments or partner institutions. Each entity will maintain its own role, mission, logo, and voice.

What this does is give us a shared civic communications standard; coordinated, consistent, professional, and built to last beyond any one person or administration.

Part of that structure will include modern automation tools and AI-assisted workflows to help reduce repetitive workload, keep information organized, and improve consistency. But let me be clear: public-facing communication will still require human review and accountability. The technology supports the work; it does not replace judgment.

A city that is modernizing cannot communicate like it is still operating 20 years behind.

This is not a one-time announcement. It is a platform. The value will come from disciplined use over time.

My goal is simple: residents deserve clear information, steady updates, and a city that presents itself like it knows who it is, where it is going, and why it matters.

Thank you to the City Council for giving this effort a vote of approval.

Sheffield is not waiting on someone else to define our story anymore.

We are organizing the work, raising the standard, and communicating with the discipline this city deserves.

This is part of the new Sheffield.

City moves forward with strategic communications plan SHEFFIELD — Councilmembers have given Mayor Bryan Van Devender proposed communications plan a vote of approval.