Baldwin County delegation gives favorable report to Daphne annexation bill despite one dissent

The Baldwin County local legislative delegation voted to give a favorable report to an annexation bill that would bring four parcels into the city of Daphne, a sponsor said, while one member announced a dissenting vote to represent constituents in Belle Forest.

The sponsor, identified in the meeting as the bill’s moving representative, told the delegation the measure would annex four properties into Daphne and that “all of the landowners are supportive.” He described the parcels as: Parcel B, Coastal Church (undeveloped); Parcel C, a Circle K; and Parcel 4, an apartment complex where phase 2 is proposed. The sponsor said city staff provided a map showing the parcels and that landowners had been contacted.

The sponsor told the delegation that Daphne staff had mailed certified notice to one apartment-complex parcel in January and had “not heard anything negative.” After brief discussion and a motion for a favorable report, the delegation voted in favor; the chair announced that the “ayes have it.”

Representative Donna Giddis identified herself during the meeting as representing Belle Forest and said she voted against the bill for that reason. “I want to explain to you why I voted no,” she told the delegation, adding that she had no personal ill will but was representing constituents who live in Belle Forest.

During discussion, another member noted that the delegation’s practice over the last several decades has not been to pursue forced annexation and thanked sponsors for conducting due diligence. Members said the parcels’ legal descriptions matched the city-provided map.

The delegation’s action is a favorable report from the local delegation; the transcript does not record additional legislative steps, implementation dates, or a numeric vote tally for the floor or final legislative passage.

Copies of the map supplied by the city of Daphne and certified-mail notification to the apartment parcel were mentioned during the item but no written exhibits were entered into the meeting record during the deliberation.