Indian Ford Fire District votes to be annexed into Helena

Residents in the Indian Ford Fire District in southwest Jefferson County voted Tuesday to be annexed into Helena despite efforts by the city of Hoover to entice some property owners to annex into Hoover instead.

Unofficial vote totals from the Jefferson County Board of Registrars website showed 231 voters (75%) in favor of being annexed into Helena and 78 voters (25%) against annexation into Helena.

The board of directors of the Indian Ford Fire District had petitioned Helena to be annexed, and the Helena City Council in June voted to approve the annexation, contingent on a vote of residents in the district.

Meanwhile, the city of Hoover, which was particularly interested in commercial property in the area and other property with the potential for commercial development, began efforts to annex parts of the fire district before the election for annexation into Helena could be held, offering tax breaks and other incentives to certain property owners.

Helena went to court to block Hoover’s efforts, and the dispute went all the way to the Alabama Supreme Court. A Jefferson County circuit judge sided with Helena and kept Hoover at bay until Helena could hold its annexation election.

“The Indian Ford residents won,” Helena Mayor Brian Puckett said Tuesday night. “We are excited to welcome them all with open arms.”

Puckett said he was not surprised by the election results. “We knew the pulse of the area.”

The residents of the Indian Ford Fire District knew Helena was interested in helping the entire fire district, not just parts of it with commercial revenue potential, Puckett said. “We’re not out here just to make a couple bucks,” he said. “We’re out here to continue to be there as a community.”

The Indian Ford Fire District has 979 qualified voters and an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 residents, Puckett said. Once the election is ratified by a judge, Helena’s population will grow to be about 25,000, Puckett said.

The Indian Ford Fire District covers about 1,245 acres spread out roughly along South Shades Crest Road and Morgan Road, according to a map provided by Jefferson County Probate Court. Puckett said it covers roughly 3.3 square miles in Jefferson County.

However, the fire district also provides fire service to about 500 properties in roughly 2 square miles in unincorporated Shelby County via contracts, he said. Helena already has a mutual aid agreement in place with the Indian Ford Fire District and will continue to provide fire service to those unincorporated Shelby County residents, Puckett said.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato on Tuesday night said the election results speak for themselves.

“It is what it is. We’re very disappointed,” Brocato said. “We would love to have annexed most of that area, but they voted that [other] way, and that is what they wanted to do, and that’s the way it will be.”

Brocato said having an election is the democratic way to do things, and people have to get out and vote to have their voices heard.

“Otherwise, a small group of people can decide your fate. It looks like that’s what happened in this case,” Brocato said, in reference to a 32% voter turnout. “We will continue to be good neighbors and work with them and help them in any way we can.”

Hoover also has a mutual aid agreement in place with both the Indian Ford Fire District and Helena Fire Department, and Hoover will continue providing assistance as needed, Brocato said. “You call us, and we’re going to be there no matter what.”