Unofficial election results show the City of Helena victorious in an annexation referendum in the Indian Ford Fire District that was the subject of a battle between it and the City of Hoover this summer.
The Fire District is an unincorporated community in both Jefferson and Shelby Counties. Residents in the part of the district located in Jefferson County were set to vote on August 8 to decide whether or not their neighborhood would join the city of Helena.
The City of Helena and the Fire District's board of directors have worked together since earlier this year. They managed to acquire 200 signatures from residents in favor of annexation into Helena.
But Helena Mayor Brian Puckett accused the City of Hoover in July of cherry-picking commercial properties for annexation in the fire district. He said Hoover officials promised particular businesses in the area tax abatements in return for signing a petition to annex into Hoover instead.
Circuit Court Judge David Hobdy granted a restraining order against Hoover on July 18. This kept Hoover from attempting to solicit votes for annexation in the Fire District until after the Helena annexation election.
The following Monday, Hobdy amended the lawsuit to allow neither Hoover nor Helena to campaign landowners for annexation until they receive approval from a Jefferson County Court.
After the restraining order expired after 10 business days, Helena delayed the annexation vote via a court notice. Probate Judge James Naftel II rescheduled the vote for Tuesday.
In response, Hoover filed a motion to the Alabama Supreme Court, hoping the court would direct the circuit court to dismiss the entire case. Hoover's attorneys argued now that the restraining order was over and Helena had decided to delay its election, the issue was moot.
According to WBRC, Hoover City Council president John Lyda asked Indian Ford residents to vote against the Helena annexation last week, arguing residents would be able to decide individually which city they'd like to join instead of all joining one by majority rule.
Nevertheless, unofficial results show Indian Ford voters favored annexation 74.76% to 25.24%.
Though annexation sometimes impacts school zoning, at this time, it does not appear that this particular annexation will affect school zoning. This would only be the case if Helena created its own school district separate from the county school systems in the future.
Students who reside in the portion of the Fire District in Jefferson County, which is the part of the district up for annexation, are currently zoned for McAdory High School.
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