Alabama's largest city will now be spread across four counties after the Huntsville City Council voted Thursday night to annex over 1,000 acres, including part of Marshall County.
Running along McCutcheon Loop Road in Morgan County and Vaughn Road in Marshall County, the annexed area — roughly 1,014 acres — is primarily industrial, bordering the Tennessee River.
Wiz Kidz LLC and Hollingshead Materials LLC requested the annexation to encompass their rock quarry, Smyrna Ready Mix (SRM) Concrete LLC, which they operate. With added tax revenue and no services required by the city or impact on schools or residents, Huntsville City Councilwoman Jennie Robinson said it was a win for the city.
Huntsville's manager of planning services, Thomas Nunez, said the concrete company was already using city roads to access the site and has offered to supply materials for infrastructure improvement. The city will now be able to help protect the riverfront, as well, he said.
Robinson reportedly told WAAY 31 that Marshall County commissioners were "on board" with the annexation, and Nunez said during the meeting Thursday that the Marshall County Commission had been part of discussions for "more than six months." However, Commissioner Ronny Shumate, whose district would be partially annexed, told 1819 News that he had never heard of the plan until the day of the council's vote.
Shumate said he's happy to have Huntsville take one of the area's only roads off his hands, but neither he nor the other commissioners knew it was up for a vote until the day of the meeting.
"I don't have a problem with them taking it because it's going to save the county time and money from working that little six-tenths of a mile, but my issue is, I haven't been contacted. Nobody has said anything to us or the county commission, period," he said. "Apparently, there is a law on the books for Marshall County that says we can deny any municipality or any other county from coming into our county if we so choose."
Shumate said Huntsville tried a similar annexation several years ago but was stopped by the Marshall County Commission.
The city first annexed property south of the Tennessee River in 2018 in Morgan County. Huntsville also extends through Madison County into Limestone County.
To connect with the story's author or comment, email [email protected] or find him on X and Facebook.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
