Police jurisdiction is a misleading title. It means you pay two cents on every dollar you spend for police and fire protection you don’t get until after the fact.
Unfortunately, if you live in the police jurisdiction, protection doesn’t happen. What you get is a police presence after a crime has already been perpetrated. Why? Because the City Council doesn’t feel that it’s financially able to pay for the gas it would take to patrol these areas.
The Calhoun County commissioners are as much to blame for this as the Anniston City Council. It was they, after all, who agreed to this deal. Most areas in the police jurisdictions have volunteer fire departments at their disposals. We don’t need the fire service. When my house burned, Anniston’s fire department was too far away to be of any use. The volunteer fire department in Coldwater and the Anniston Army Depot’s fire department were much closer and of much more use. I consider that to be some of my tax dollars wasted on Anniston’s coffers.
We in the Wellborn area do not want to be annexed by Anniston. Those services are not now and never have been wanted, needed or asked for. As a matter of fact, we would like to stay as far away from the council and its childish antics as possible. The council is an embarrassment and is in need of immediate removal.
Please, if you really wish to do what is best for everyone, resign — all of you. It would be in the best interest of the people. The only people benefiting from this relationship are Anniston’s councilmen. One would surmise that they really need the money to bolster their travel budget. Lord knows, the money isn’t being spent on anything of worth in Anniston.
Marty Rollins
Anniston
