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The Shelby County Commission on April 11 unanimously voted against approving an improvement district in the Mt Laurel community.
During the commission's April 11 meeting, attorney Heyward Hosch explained the petition from Clayton Properties (doing business as Harris Doyle Homes) and EBSCO Industries.
If the commission had approved the district for The Hillsong at Mt Laurel development, the developers would have been able to save about $2 million by deferring infrastructure costs of $800 per year for things such as water, piping and asphalt for 20 years onto the homebuyers.
Hosch said this was not a statute that is necessarily designed to benefit a public body,city or commission.
“It's not always a benefit to the governing body that's asked to help,” he said.
County Manager Chad Scroggins said the request did not come before the county's planning commission, although that commission initially approved the development, which includes 170 lots.
“This was brought up in January originally, but there were no details, so we asked for details,” Scroggins said. “Ninety-five percent of developers do not use the improvement district to pay for it.”
Commissioner Robbie Hayes said that he has served on the commission for 17 years and doesn’t remember ever doing this.
“I'm confused as to why the county should get involved in this,” he said. “Other developers are dealing with this without putting it on the county. I don't see why the county needs to get involved, and I don't see the benefit of us getting involved.”
In other business, the commission approved a bid for a mobile health clinic trailer for $129,999, which will be purchased with funding from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, and also approved Major Jay Fondren to be appointed to the Community Health Foundation Board.
