City cracking down on nuisance cases

By Staff
Rural Morgan countians resent city encroachment
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
That was the message rural residents sent to Morgan County’s municipal leaders at a public hearing at Sparkman School Saturday morning.
The meeting was conducted by the Morgan County Commission for the purpose of obtaining public input on municipal annexation and the creation or extension of police jurisdictions and planning jurisdictions.
Of the approximately 125 people present, 29 voiced opposition to any proposal by towns or cities to extend their boundaries. Several references were made to the town of Somerville regarding its police jurisdiction and a recent attempt to annex the property of eight individuals by legislative act. The cities of Huntsville, Arab, Hartselle and Decatur also were targeted in some of the speeches.
The tone for the two-hour session was set by Floyce Lovvorn, a Decatur area resident.
Ricky Brooks echoed those sentiments.
Harvey Kirby, a Six-Mile resident, said the businesses at the Highway 67 and 36 intersection were taken into Somerville’s planning jurisdiction without knowledge of what was going on.
Similar comments abounded:
Kenneth Freeman of Lacey’s Spring expressed concern about citizen apathy and reminded those present they need to continue to stand up for what they want to see get done in the legislature.
Other than the County Commissioners, the only elected official to attend the meeting was State Sen.Arthur Orr.
Orr said his support of a legislative act to annex the eight property owners who have agreed to be annexed was influenced by the town’s desire to build a sanitary wastewater system. However, he took another view when he realized that many other families would be affected by an enlarged planning jurisdiction.