Public meeting held on Jacksonville Annexation plan

A standing room only crowd filled the Jacksonville Community center Thursday evening with the  Majority of crowd came from the Whites Gap community wanting to express their opposition to the Jacksonville City Council's plan to annex their area into the city limits.

The majority of comments and questions had to do with the rural residents not having a vote on the annexation.  They also voiced displeasure with the decision being proposed by council members for whom they did not vote either.

State law will not allow the Whites Gap community to vote on annexation, due to Jacksonville's small size.

The area's state legislators, Senator Del Marsh and Representative K.L. Brown, attended the meeting.

The Jacksonville City Council will submit their annexation request to the local delegation to present for approval by the rest of the Alabama legislators.

Many of the rural property owners said they don't want to have to follow the same codes and regulations enforced on people inside city limits.

Resident Roscoe Shipman called the annexation a form of tyranny, and compared it with Russia's actions involving Crimea and Ukraine.

Senator Marsh said that was an unfair comparison.  He said the council did what it is supposed to do.

The senator said he would like to see the annexation proposal allow residential and rural property owners to opt out, or have a grandfather provision to exempt some people.

Marsh said there will be some people in that zone who want to come in, and pay city taxes to receive city services.

Opponents have more than 200 signatures on a petition to submit to Marsh and the legislature.

The council must advertise the annexation proposal in a local newspaper for four weeks before it can submit the request to the state legislature