Emily Featherston
Jason and Stephanie Robinson explain the measures they plan to take to improve their new home on Dolly Ridge Road.
The Vestavia Hills City Council voted unanimously to annex the property at 2419 Dolly Ridge Road, despite reservations expressed by the board of education.
The property, owned by Jason and Stephanie Robinson, is surrounded on multiple sides by Vestavia properties.
Place 4 councilor George Pierce explained that the annexation committee reviewed the couple's application and found that the home's assigned value of around $160,000 was below the usual threshold for annexation of $225,000. Pierce also explained that the BOE representative had expressed concern that the family has three children, which Place 2 councilor Kimberly Cook further explained stems from the recent capacity concerns at city schools.
Mayor Ashley Curry countered the expressed doubts with items he said he thought were of equal concern to the city.
“I think there are other things that we have to consider, other than the value of the house,” he said.
He said that, realistically, the city is already providing services like police and fire, because public safety officers won't refuse a call to a location surrounded by the city, a fact further explained by City Manager Jeff Downes.
Additionally, he said, the impact of three students coming from a lower-valued home is offset by the property owners who pay ad valorem taxes who don't have school-age children.
Place 3 councilor Paul Head pointed out that because the property is not within city limits, city officials cannot enforce property value related ordinances like fence limits – or raising cows and chickens. By bringing the property into the city, he said, the council is protecting the surrounding property owners from losing property value by being adjacent to the property.
The Robinsons explained to the council that like the two other homes they've lived in as Vestavia Hills residents, they plan to fix up the interior and exterior of the home, hopefully raising the property value.
Other Council Business Included:
- The council voted to codify the city's code of ordinances by adopting supplements, updating the code with the measures that have been passed since the last update.
- Voted to repeal and replace the resolution outlining the selection process for BOE members, adding a question about conflicts of interest and measures for modern technology.
- Voted to officially dedicate Pump House Lane as a city street, as the subdivision under development by Pump House Partners nears completion.
