Mobile’s pursuit of a population that could make the city the second largest in Alabama is likely to be a slower process, and one that faces some studies in the months to come.
A proposal by the council’s three Black members requests the council vote on an ordinance amending the city code requiring feasibility studies and a cost-benefit analysis before annexing can go forward.
The proposed ordinance is sponsored by Council President CJ Small, William Carroll and Cory Penn. It would establish requirements that include, among other things, a study that shows how the city can afford the costs of providing additional public services to a newly annexed area over a 15-year time frame.
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“We want to get a plan in place and get this to start working,” said Penn. “Right now, there is nothing in place (on annexation). It’s important not just for now, but for the future that we have something in place, so we are prepared and move forward when we might have an opportunity to annex.”
The ordinance proposal is likely to stir debate among council members who have already had some spirited talks this year on annexation, even if no concrete plan has surfaced from the mayor’s administration that is available for public viewing.
The council is set to meet again on Tuesday for its weekly 10:30 am meeting at Government Plaza.
“I will have more to say once I understand what this is and their rationale behind it,” said Councilman Scott Jones, who favors annexing unincorporated areas west of Mobile into the city limits. “On the initial read, it doesn’t make sense to me at all, it just seems like a political game they are playing to stall the annexation package from coming to the City Council agenda to act on it.”
Councilman Ben Reynolds said he believes his colleagues are “asking for good information” that any council ought to consider when pursuing an annexation deal.
“You want to know if you are doing the right thing financially and for the health of the city and for its future,” said Reynolds.
He said he disagrees with the way Small, Carroll and Penn are approaching the matter by crafting an ordinance – a municipal law – that would apply for all future annexations.
Reynolds said the council should pass a resolution, and not an ordinance, to address the stipulations that should be considered with a current proposal.
“This is taking it a step further and I can’t see why it’s necessary nor is it useful in the future,” Reynolds said.
He added, “I’ll be on board on getting the information they are after. I won’t be on board with passing an ordinance requiring (the same information) going forward. We can do that by resolution for this council to address it. If we pass a law, it’s here going forward.”
Penn said that Reynolds raises a concern that will be worth diving into when the council meets.
“That’s a reason to have a discussion, so you are able to say, ‘Ok, what do we need to do at this moment?'” Penn said.
Reynolds said that Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s administration might already have some of the information that would be asked through a feasibility study and cost-benefit analysis.
Jason Johnson, a spokesperson for Stimpson, said the administration is “still evaluating” the ordinance proposal, acknowledging it will likely be discussed when the council meets for its pre-conference session at 9 am
A cost-benefit analysis and feasibility study from a third-party contractor was missing during the last debate over annexation a little more than three years ago.
In 2019, the council voted 4-3 along racial lines against a proposal to annex property into Mobile that would have changed the city’s 2010 racial demographics from 50.4% Black-45.4% white to 48.8% Black-46.7% white.
The city’s latest demographics, according to the 2020 Census data, are still 51.3% Black-40.8% white, a considerable shift from the 2010 numbers.
In 2019, the council’s four white members supported the plan, while its three Black members were opposed. Annexation of any kind requires a five-vote supermajority to pass, as is the cast for most non-budgetary items that are voted on by the Mobile council.
The previous annexation plan would have added around 13,000 residents to Mobile by including properties west of the city’s boundaries. At the time, some council members fretted over the lack of information about the operational costs of the city for adding neighborhoods.
Proponents for annexation argue that additional revenues would offset the costs. A larger city, they also argue, would allow Mobile more opportunities to secure grants to support annexation.
Carroll and the city’s other two Black councilors have argued in recent months that annexing territories would spread the city’s resources too thin, particularly for parts of the city east of Interstate 65 that have historically been disinvested.
Stimpson and annexation proponents say the goal of adding more properties west of the city limits is to grow the city’s total population by over 200,000 residents, making it the second largest city in Alabama. Mobile’s city population, as of the 2020 US Census count, was 187,041, making it the state’s fourth largest city behind Huntsville, Birmingham and Montgomery.
Huntsville, which continues to grow, has a population of over 216,000 residents.