How come Mobile isn’t commenting on this?  We’re all asking HOW the City is going to be able to handle this increased area when the police force is already SHORT on cops right now! 

Come on Sam Jones—how are you proposing that you are going to be able to take on additional area when you have all of these cops leaving the police department.  How can you PROMISE increased response times with even less cops?  We need answers!

BamaBob and others… read the article here: http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122198858486810.xml&coll=3&thispage=1  Be sure to click on the page 2 link at the end (it’s 2 pages long). 
An 18% increase in area for the understaffed police dept to cover if annexation in all 4 areas passes—that would mean they would need to add 96 cops to cover that area just to keep the lean police force at the same level. 
BUT, no, they only have plans to add 30 cops if all 4 annexation votes pass!!!  That means the police dept would be even 12% leaner than it currently is!!!
This is completely unacceptable.  The City is nothing but a greedy, land and tax grabbing machine.  No concern for the safety of hundreds of thousands in the City and in the Police Jurisdiction!!!

The first thing all of you and your friends and neighbors should do is write to Troy King, Alabama Attorney General and request an opinio on the legality of what Mayor Sam and his puppet council is doing in these annexations.  Since a large majority of Kings Branch (which for all practical purposes is going to decide the vote in the “Crawford” community) are minorities, this is blatant reverse discrimination of property owners and residents in the Crawford and Semmes area.  I have lived in Crawford since 1978, and not once has the City of Mobile been to my door to discuss annexation.  My area off Moffett Road is excluded from the vote, but will be directly affected by higher taxes and no other services if this annexation passes.  Those in the Tillman’s Corner/Theodore area face the same reverse discrimination in this annexation vote.  Might be something for Troy King and/or the Justice Department to hang their hats on!

Really, Mayor Jones? Those people approached you WANTING to be a part of the city? I hear quite a different story. Don’t think for a minute, that every person I have seen in the proposed annexation areas in my job as a home health nurse, I haven’t asked how they feel about it. I have seen the Crawford side and the Theodore side, sir. And they all say they will vote NO! People like things the way they are and want to retain the lifestyle they have now, without more government involvement.Want to give us some more slippery lies?

BAMABOB-GOOD TO SEE YOU BACK!YOU HAVE BEEN MISSED!!!

The city is playing musical chairs as it speedily tries to gain more City revenue by annexation, money that they can’t seem to manage anyway.  Why annex these areas?  Greed.  Greed in the Mobile City offices.  No different than the greed on Wall Street.  What is this city and country coming to.

I think Sam Jones needs to worry about city as it is now.  The crime rate in Mobile is on the rise and the police force has done nothing to stop the problem.  I don’t think the roadblocks are going to stop all of the bank robberies.  Sam Jones is going to keep forcing people that want a good life across the bay to Daphne, Spainish Fort and Fairhope. —Lets face it—all the new stores are being built on the eastern shore - all the best schools are on the eastern shore - and most people are moving to the eastern shore.  Way to go Sam—Next thing you know he will be trying to annex the eastern shore.

floyd wrote: “Someone also said that the Mayor made reference to the fact those in the county burn their trash and bury it, giving the impression that if you come into the city fold you would not have to do something so embarrassing.“
Well, actually, if you go into the City you might have to burn your trash because they only have trash pickup 1 time per week.  In the County, you have the option (depending on the trash service provider you choose) on 1 OR 2 pickups per week.  My family requires the 2 pickups per week.  If we had to go into the City, we’d have to GO BACKWARD to burning trash LOL!!!

floyd wrote: “Instead, businesses and residents just leave the city because they are not tackling the problems they are facing but using annexation as a band-aid.“
Floyd—BandAid “fixes” will not fix problems long term… just like the like annexation of the Schillinger/Airport area…  The City is still broke and still needing more and more revenue to fill that huge deficit and debt that they have.

BamaBob wrote: “Time to clean house at Govt. Plaza.  Every councilperson that voted yes for this vote without question has no spine or moral fiber.  They should be shown the door!“
The Vote IN FAVOR was 7-0…. So I guess that they all need to be swept out the door

It is great to hear that the Mayor wants to model Mobile after Birmingham - crime, traffic, and people living in the outlying areas - those small towns which Mayor Dow at the annexation meeting of the City Council said was clogging Birmingham.  Somehow I dont think that Birmingham and its struggles are what we should strive for - it has lost businesses and residents. Why do they think there are so many small communities around the Bham. The City should look to successful examples of cities that have revitalized downtown and promoted community and growth.  Instead, businesses and residents just leave the city because they are not tackling the problems they are facing but using annexation as a band-aid.  Residents in the unincorporated areas of the county and their tax dollars should not be the solution to the City’s problems.