Sarasawumaola?
Intriguing but unlikely consolidation of Saraland, Chickasaw, Satsuma, Creola
By Chip Drago
Mobile Bay Times
The mayor of Saraland expects the north Mobile County city's population to more than double in the next four years and possibly more than triple if a remote, politically daunting bombshell occurs and three nearby municipalities dissolve in favor of annexing into Saraland.
Saraland Mayor Ken Williams was quick to express his skepticism that even one, much less all three, of the communities of Chickasaw, Satsuma and Creola would pursue such a move.
"We would welcome them in if they wanted to come," Williams said. "I don't see it happening, but we would welcome them if that's what they wanted to do. We are growing here. We're one of the hot spots of the entire South.
"I heard from a group (of investors) just the other day out of Fort Worth, Texas. I've met with people, gee minetty, some commercial folks out of Jackson, Mississippi; two out of Tennessee; groups of developers I've heard from, let's see, Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas, and Tucson.
"I've heard from an African country. Don't ask me to pronounce the man's name. There must be 26, 28 letters in it. I call him 'Baba.'
"I was in Montgomery the other day and there were two more trips to Montgomery and one to North Carolina. I can tell you how many pine trees there are on the side of the road to Montgomery.
"Let me think of some others -- Miami, White Plains, New York, Indianapolis, Lansing, Michigan, Dayton, Ohio, another place in Michigan, another group out of Jackson, Mississippi and quite a few from Birmingham."
Saraland's decision to form its own school system ignited the new bustle as much or more than the ThyssenKrupp $3.7 billion steel plant just to the north at Calvert or the big Alabama Motorsports Park project, said Williams.
"I think we've got more pride here," in the wake of creating a city school system, said Williams.
According to Williams, Saraland has been approached by the owners of 2,700 contiguous acres about annexing into the city.
"The number one (drawing) card is the school system," he said. "I would estimate that 60 to 70 percent of the new residents (tied to Thyssen Krupp will choose to live in Saraland) because of the school system and I might be a little conservative with that. We've already got some buying houses here now."
There are more than a few instances of west Mobile residents relocating to Saraland because of the new school system, said Williams who plans to run for re-election this summer.
Williams pegged Saraland's present population at about 14,000. By 2012, regardless of any unexpected developments involving Chickasaw, Creola or Satsuma, the population should soar to 30,000, he said.
The prospect of a larger, single municipality straddling the I-65 corridor in north Mobile County was intriguing to many with an interest in the area.
"What an interesting concept! At first I thought 'Hey, that would re-unite my old House District.' But realistically, there would be some advantages to such a merger:
- The other municipalities could be involved in Saraland's new school district. Not only have many citizens in the other cities expressed such an interest, but also better educational facilities with local control is always a plus for attracting industry.
- Each area has its own water, recreational, and -- for the most part -- sewer systems in place. Those united under one board could be an asset to any prospective business venture. Pooling resources for other infrastructure would also be beneficial, providing outstanding services for the citizens.
- Co-operation between the municipalities along I-65 would lead to organized development of those areas, as opposed to the conflicts such as Satsuma and Creola have been undergoing.
On the other hand, achieving such a merger would be quite difficult:
The historically independent development of each town would lead to a problem. Each has long had its own governing body and a certain 'hometown pride.'
Relinquishing the authority and control of the infrastructure developed would also cause conflict. 'It's my ball and I want to play by my rules!'
Many folks who live out here do so because we do not want to be a part of a big city. We figure we are closer to city hall when the city is smaller, and each citizen feels he has some control over his own affairs in a small town. We have historically stood firm against Mobile turning us into part of a mega-city.
Anyway, it is an interesting concept, but don't look for me to be saying 'Citizens Unite!' any time soon."
-- Jeanette Greene,
former state legislator, Saraland
"I have been an advocate of a merger of some or all of the northern
municipalities for sometime. While growing up in the area I rarely
distinguished one city from another. My neighborhood was literally on the border between Saraland and Satsuma, I attended church in Saraland and elementary school in Satsuma, we went to the barber shop, bowling alley and the city pool in Chickasaw and I played youth baseball at Amelia, Neighborhood, Lyon's and Wright Parks at different times. It was all 'hometown' to me despite municipal corporate limit signs.
When the Delta School Association first floated the idea of a single unified school district for Saraland, Chickasaw, Satsuma and Creola, I felt the time had come to seriously consider consolidating the small, sometimes struggling, municipalities into one serious regional player. Now with the recent economic development news (TK, racetrack, etc.) directly impacting the area I think such a movement could take hold and gain traction.
Obviously compromise of political power is never easy and many municipal leaders will see merger as a dilution of present political alliances. However, the citizens should see an opportunity for two major benefits.
First, a merged city will have a school system with sufficient facility
assets in place and with an expanded tax base to operate at a high level for many years. While Saraland, according to the experts, can make their system work alone if Satsuma and Chickasaw were joined with, and merged into, the City of Saraland the new system would automatically have four or five additional properties with only a marginal burden of additional students.
Satsuma, Chickasaw and Creola residents would get to participate in the new school system instead of having their children sown to wind by the Mobile County System.
The second obvious benefit would be the consolidation and improvement of basic services. A unified city would unify water and sewer services, improve police and fire protection both as to full-time manpower and available equipment and have resources to respond to infrastructure needs.
Part of the difficulty with promoting and sustaining growth in that area of the county is the diffuse network of utility providers, planning jurisdictions and permitting agencies that developers must deal with in
order to get projects off the drawing board. One municipality could
consolidate those services, institute smart growth policies to insure
long-term viability, provide property value protection and enhance the
overall quality of life for residents of the area.
The most logical course of action would be for Chickasaw, Satsuma and Creola to dissolve their corporate entities and then be annexed into Saraland.
Each entity brings unique advantages to the table: Saraland enjoys a stable retail base and room to grow westward; Satsuma has the school property and areas for residential development; Creola brings large tracts of land ripe for both commercial and residential development as well as its position at the I-65/Hwy 43 interchange and Chickasaw brings existing city service, deep water access and industrial property for development.
Separately their potential for growth is limited by geography, population and infrastructure but collectively they are not just a force but a new dominant force in Southwest Alabama.
Sarasumachickeola or Creosawsatland may be a tough on sign makers but with a little vision that sees past the next election cycle north Mobile County could truly be the next Hoover, Madison and/or Prattville in our state in my humble opinion."
-- Mark Erwin,
Mobile attorney
"What needs to happen up there is for Satsuma and Creola to merge or Creola to dissolve and annex into Satsuma.
Creola has land but no money and poor city services. Satsuma has services, sewer and some money but is land locked.
I don't think the other cities would merge."
-- SCL,
Mobile professional with dealings in the area
"Never thought about it; however, the North Mobile combination might be a serious force to reckon with IF the utility services could be provided for all of the vacant land and the projected population boom occurs in part due to the EADS tanker deal, the TK deal and other development. It is attractive for some to more quickly access downtown and central Mobile without having to fight Airport Boulevard traffic like the West Mobilians."
-- William M. "B.J." Lyon, Jr.
McFadden, Lyon & Rouse, L.L.C.
" This is the first I have heard of this idea."
-- Rusty Glover,
state senator, Semmes
"The tax review of course would be the major advantage I would think. Federal funding possibly? Availability of land for development? In my opinion there aren't but about two maybe three areas where the road system would allow for large commercial development and I'm not sure but I don't believe Chickasaw or Satsuma would be able to participate since these sites aren't in their city limits."
-- Merrill Thomas,
developer, Mobile
"From a development viewpoint, I think is a great idea. Developers would not have to deal with so many different municipalities in getting their projects permitted, and instead would only have one set of rules. A larger municipality like you described would be in a stronger bargaining
position to offer inducements for new development, plus would have more consistent planning and zoning. However, getting the people in Chickasaw and those in Creola to get along is like getting the Hatfields and McCoys together."
-- Douglas L. Anderson,
attorney, Mobile
"I proposed legislation to accomplish that very thing and they nearly ran me out of town."
-- Ken Malone,
ex-state legislator, Chickasaw
"No really easy answer to that. From a site location consultant's
perspective, we look at regions first and then communities after that.
Regions market themselves but economic development is always sold on a local level.
Clearly, small communities are able to achieve economies of scale if they are able to coalesce into one. That can work if the boundaries between communities are mostly seamless. The problem those particular communities have is that they have their own heritage and are proud of it and that's difficult to let go."
-- Jay A. Garner,
president, Competitive Strategies Group
"My opinion. Chickasaw is developed out with nowhere to go and a shrinking sales tax base. Mostly older citizens. The other three have a lot of undeveloped land and could benefit from a consolidated government with improved planning and services."
-- Pat Ogburn,
real estate, Mobile
"The area consists of approximately 15 miles of interstate frontage - or almost the same as Mobile (after adding I-10 and I-65). The potential for development is tremendous.
A single governing body could provide a much better coordinated marketing of the entire area.
The political history, however, is such that a merger of the existing
municipalities is highly unlikely. Most of the cities were created by
residents who, for whatever reason, were adamantly opposed to annexation by an adjoining city.
Additionally, there are currently 24 elected officials. It would be virtually impossible to persuade three-fourths of them to give up their positions."
-- SBZ,
professional, area native
"My initial response to that question is that that would be a positive step if it could accomplish some of the following.
- 1. Centralized permitting with knowledgeable and adequate planning staff
- 2. Ability to fund infrastructure including roads, water and sewer, etc.
- 3. Assist in securing governmental assistance/funding for projects.
- 5. Create new and consistent zoning regulations.
- 6. Create economies of scale and eliminate governmental redundancies."
-- Adam Metcalfe,
Metcalfe & Company
"I think if there is an advantage to any of the communities mentioned, it
would have be in Saraland's interest to expand it's land area. Chickasaw is in a state of virtual economic stagnation. It and Satsuma are for all practical purposes landlocked. Saraland holds the key to development in the region due to the availability of sewer and major thoroughfares.
Although Chickasaw and Satsuma have interchanges, economic development near those interchanges has been slow in coming for a variety of reasons.
Saraland on the other hand seems to be trying to keep its density level in check while cashing in on the 158/I-65 boom.
I'm not sure the residents of Saraland would want to merge with the others and if they did , their plans for the new school system would have to be expanded immensely. Chickasaw residents would stand to benefit the most, followed by Satsuma.
Creola does have the capacity to expand northward should the need arise. With TK coming I doubt Creola would want to consolidate at this time anyway.
The local officials would want to protect their turf and I doubt the
residents of these communities would pass a needed referendum necessary to make it a reality."
-- Dale Mims,
real estate, Mobile
"Such a move would greatly enhance the development atmosphere: simplifying permitting, regularizing rules, regulations and zoning, not to mention greatly lowering the cost of government. It would also allow a consolidated marketing effort for industrial recruiting. Now, as to whether or not it will ever happen, I'm not holding my breath ...."
-- John Peebles,
commercial real estate, Mobile
"An advantage would be the elimination of multiple governing bodies that would allow for a uniform land and infrastructure plan that could
accommodate the oncoming growth that is immediately around the corner."
-- Matt White,
president, White-Spunner & Associates
"You want to get me in BIG trouble don't you! Well, let me say we try to work each city individually with a the 'Greater North Mobile' idea being the main mission.
During my first term I worked to get all of the area municipalities' mission statement, goals and website up and working. Alabama Power helped with a lot of this. That has taken about four years but it has definitely helped.
I don't think there is any movement towards a metro-city approach. It has some benefits and limitations as well. Chickasaw (historic -- landlocked and low tax base); Saraland (progressive -- new school system and potential new growth, tax base good); Satsuma (new growth potential, must open interchange at Baker Road to see growth, very little tax base.
It could be a strong area...I just don't think anyone would promote this."
-- Randy Davis,
state legislator
"Saraland is on the move a great deal at this time. When I talk to people from Chickasaw, they don't seem to be aggressive at all. I was looking for some sites there and they let me know that they are 'boxed in' with no place to expand.
Satsuma and Saraland could join together. However, the railroad runs along the east side of Hwy. 43, which limits any commercial expansion to the west side.
Creola, of course gets you closer to TK and the commercial property has increased in price considerably.
I have spent quite a bit of time out there lately, looking for sites for a client of mine, or else I would not know as much as I do.
Saraland, Satsuma and Creola might work, if they can agree with a plan."
-- Berney Malkove,
Malkove & Associates
"Right off, I'd guess it's not going to happen. Too many elected officials and hired hands feeding at the various troughs.
- First obvious advantage: Elimination of duplicated administration.
- Second obvious advantage: The myriad perks that attend larger census numbers. But don't stop with a "north Mobile municipality." If this is feasible for another municipal entity, why not just merge into Mobile?
- Third advantage: More and better governmental services.
- Fourth advantage: Power. Centralization means more power concentrated into fewer hands.
So, I'll list this last one as both an advantage and disadvantage, for the
obvious reasons.
- Disadvantage: To the newly incorporated areas, higher taxes and tighter regulations of every stripe. Another reason why it's not likely to happen. A lot of folks move from metropolitan areas just to escape taxes and regulations.
What I've written is just the tip of the iceberg. If I had more
time..."
-- Milton Brown,
real estate, Mobile
"Since Saraland has the lion's share of the existing commercial tax base and will continue to be the location of most of the commercial growth in the area, I would find it hard to believe that Saraland would ever be receptive to the combining of the different incorporated and unincorporated areas into one larger municipality.
If a combination were proposed, there would be a power struggle for control between the elected officials in Saraland, Satsuma and Chickasaw.
Since Chickasaw has very little commercial tax revenue, I think the more logical chance for any combining of areas would be Saraland and Satsuma. One potential economic benefit of that combination, would be the expansion of the new Saraland school system into Satsuma. That could provide a larger base to spread administrative expenses over as well as make Satsuma a more desirable area for families to locate.
Another obvious benefit would be the elimination of duplication of services and hopefully a lower overall administrative cost per resident of providing services.
The Birmingham metropolitan area provides a good example of the negatives that can occur when just about every interstate exit provides for a new municipality. The various municipalities fight hard for any commercial development coming to the area. In a lot of cases it boils down to which municipality is going to offer the most tax incentives to subsidize the project for the developer.
Another example of the taxpayer losing would be the Daphne, Spanish Fort battle for four new shopping centers located along I-10 at Hwy. 98 and Ala. Hwy. 181. If that area were all one municipality, you would not have seen the subsidizing of the four developments by lopsided tax incentives. Once municipalities are established, it's my feeling that it would be virtually impossible to ever get an agreement to combine multiple incorporated areas into one larger municipality."
-- Jerry O'Brien,
J. L. O'Brien & Associates
