DAPHNE — Mayor Fred Small wants to know how the public feels about the city’s plans to possibly annex some land east of town, primarily in the Belforest community.

“So far, when I’ve been talking with people about this possibility, the reaction has been positive. But I’ll also be interested in hearing if anyone might have an objection and their reasons for it,” Small said.

A meeting on the issue will be held Monday, 7 p.m., at the Daphne High School cafeteria.

Small, along with other city department heads such as public safety, will be on hand to answer questions, he said.

Maps will also be on display so the public will get a better idea of the area covered in the annexation proposal, Small said.

The boundary for the proposed annexation area is “on the eastern side of route 181 and all the way down to Dick Higbee Road,” Small said.

This idea has been under consideration for a while, he said. Small said he had previously formed a citizen’s annexation committee, aimed at getting early public input.

“I wanted the people to look at this, to tell what they thought; to even give me reasons why we shouldn’t do it,” Small said.

“We were really looking to see why it would not be a good thing. But everything I heard was that they felt we should do it.”

But Councilman Gus Palumbo is already wondering whether the city can presently afford the costs associated with annexation.

“I do think we need to take a hard look at our revenues and make sure that we can not only convince these folks that might vote to come into the city, but also convince ourselves that we can indeed fund the additional services required,” Palumbo said at Monday’s city council meeting.

While annexation may be a good idea in the long run, “in the short run it may become more problematic,” he said.

“With the construction necessary for the four-lane proposed for route 181, that may preclude any development for a while,” Palumbo said.

The area’s current rural nature may also be an issue in terms of generating enough revenues to pay for services provided by the city, he said.

Palumbo suggested taking a look at the city’s ad valorem taxes to “see if they will equal up to the services we’ll have to provide.”

Councilman Ron Scott is excited about the proposal and looks forward to sharing Daphne with others.

“We have to show these citizens the benefit of being annexed into the city of Daphne,” Scott said at Monday’s council meeting.

There are a lot of benefits to living here, he said.

“And we have to point out all these pluses, why it is great to be a citizen of our great city,” Scott said.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to point out some of the things we’ve accomplished in a positive way.”