DAPHNE, Alabama (GCN)— The City Council is expected to reconsider its earlier denial of the annexation of the Retreat at Tiawasee at tonight's council meeting.
“This has been going on for the last year and there have been several …
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DAPHNE, Alabama (GCN)— The City Council is expected to reconsider its earlier denial of the annexation of the Retreat at Tiawasee at tonight's council meeting.
“This has been going on for the last year and there have been several controversial points raised on it,” Councilman Randy Fry told The Courier this morning. “I was not comfortable with all the emotions around this. I felt I needed extra time to consider the issue. I just wasn’t convinced we made the right decision.”
On June 3, the council denied the annexation request in a close 4-3 vote.
Council President Ron Scott and Councilmen Robin LeJeune and Pat Rudicell voted for the annexation. Councilmen John Lake, Randy Fry, Joe Davis III and Councilwoman Tommie Conaway voted against the annexation.
Fry said he added the motion to reconsider to last night’s meeting agenda after having some time to consider the issue further.
“The Tiawasee Trace POA has been informed by Mr. Randy Fry that he is planning to make a motion to reconsider the annexation vote of the Retreat at the Monday night City Council meeting,” Tiawasee Trace Property Owners Association President Ann Strickland wrote in a letter to council members. “We are very let down that he feels compelled to reconsider.”
Fry said he tried to look at the situation from all sides before he decided to bring the subject back up.
“I’m not happy with how the issue of the access point was handled,” Fry said. “I’m in agreement with the Tiawasee Trace POA 100 percent on that issue, but it’s not something I can control. It’s very likely that this subdivision will be done anyway, just under the county’s control. Utilities, sewer, water, streets and so on, all decided upon by the county. We are in a better position if we are in control of the rest of this process and can handle it ourselves.”
Community Development Director Adrienne Jones has said that the plat that has already been approved by the Planning Commission was a preliminary plat, which is an initial step for a developer to start building roads, installing utility lines and the like.
