City council members spent substantial time debating wording in a proposed ordinance to register vacant commercial structures, focusing on whether the draft would create a city "duty" to register properties.

A council member (Speaker 2) said the language in "page 5 item d" appears to create two methods of compliance — voluntary registration and city-initiated registration — and argued that the item reads as if the city would have a duty to register and maintain vacant commercial structures. Speaker 2 asked, "If I own a building in Downtown Mobile... and I use it for 1 day a year, would I be subjected to registration?"

City staff (Speaker 3) responded that the ordinance, as drafted, does not impose a duty and sought to clarify the enforcement framework: "A duty to all is a duty to none," the staff member said, explaining that the ordinance provides one enforcement approach: either a property complies (requiring no enforcement) or it does not (triggering enforcement). Staff described the draft as allowing voluntary registration or a city request for registration when appropriate.

Speaker 3 presented a consolidated amendment package described on the floor as the "Reynolds Ingram version of the document," which would remove duty language from section d, incorporate a Dr. Ingram amendment, and include suggested mayor's-office references related to duty. Speaker 2 said they would offer an amendment and incorporate the requested language to avoid conflicting motions on the floor.

Council members also sought clarity on how the city would determine whether occasional use (for example, one day per year) amounts to regular business activity exempting a building from being treated as vacant. Staff said the city would evaluate usage and look for evidence of legitimate, regular business activity rather than one-off uses intended to skirt the registry.

The council did not record a final vote on the ordinance language during the portion of the meeting in the transcript; members discussed amendment logistics and asked staff to prepare the combined language that would be presented as an amendment on the floor.

The question of how to define vacancy, how the city would determine regular use, and whether the ordinance creates an enforceable "duty" were the central points left for the council to resolve before a final decision.