Pell City Council faces big decisions
Growth and progress can be seen throughout Pell City, with a veterans' home, hospital and new businesses and restaurants coming to town.
The City Council is also taking big steps forward to help ensure city services keep pace with the growing demands brought by progress.
Monday night the council unanimously approved a plan to bring in a professional city manager to help do just that. The city will still have a mayor elected by the people, but one who will not have the responsibility of running the day-to-day operations of the city.
Council members are also in the process of reviewing and selecting a new map defining voting districts within the city. Their selection must pass muster with the Justice Department before implementation, and once in place it will be in effect until the 2020 Census is completed. Justice Department oversight is intended to ensure that minority voting strength is not diluted across district lines.
Council members rejected Map 1, submitted by the Regional Planning Commission of Birmingham, saying they want to look more closely at two other maps before making a choice.
This council has moved forward with some big decisions that will affect the city for years to come. Realignment of districts is a decision that can be swayed by political maneuvering, rather than by considering the good of the city as a whole.
The decision to hire a city manager demonstrates these council members can cooperate in the best interest of the city. Let's hope that same spirit prevails in drawing the new voting district lines.
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