City Council approves annexation near Publix

A new parcel of property is now within Chelsea city limits. At its Aug. 16 meeting, the Chelsea City Council approved the annexation of a 1.79-acre property located on Old Highway 280 behind Publix.

The annexation request was submitted by Mark Byers with Partner Properties LLC. The property owners plan to rezone the property to B2 general business district, Mayor Earl Niven said during the pre-council session. Niven said he also talked to the owners of the adjacent property, who said they were OK with a business coming next door.

The council later unanimously approved the annexation.

Also during pre-council, Niven discussed the establishment of a municipal court, which has been a campaign point during the ongoing municipal elections. Niven said that during a recent mayor’s meeting, he asked the other area mayors their opinion on Chelsea establishing a municipal court.

“There were 12 mayors, there wasn’t one that said, ‘Have a municipal court,’” he said. “You’re going to lose money. Even if you have it one day a month, you’re going to lose money.”

Niven added that the city’s ordinances can be handled by the district court.

“We don’t have to have a municipal court,” he said. “You’re going to run into a lot of expense that’s unnecessary, but that’s going to be your problem to face, not mine.”

Council member Alison Nichols said she recently met with a judge who said that in Columbiana, he would not enforce any city ordinances. Nichols said she brought up the city of Chelsea’s contract with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office during the conversation, but the judge said he would not enforce those.

Niven then added that a sheriff’s deputy who came by his office said she needed to know which roads in Chelsea were private versus public in order to enforce city ordinances.

Council member Dale Neuendorf asked about the issue of public versus private roads, and Niven said an example of a private road would be a road in a subdivision where the developer’s obligation to the city — a top coat on the road — had not been completed. A gated community would also have private roads.

“What does that say? That our deputies should enforce,” Niven said. “So that’s something I just request y’all check out thoroughly. It’s not going to be a moneymaker like some of y’all think.”

Niven also provided an update on the Chelsea Sports Complex, which he said is coming along nicely. He discussed a possible idea for the sign to the complex, which he said he would like to represent the sports that had fields in the complex — baseball, football, softball, tennis and more. The sign would probably not be cheap, he said, but would be worth it for the ballpark.

Also at the meeting, the council:

► Approved a motion to promote the city through an advertisement on the game day program which will be distributed at each home football game.

► Approved to pay the city’s bills.