New town born in Baldwin County, Alabama

New town born in Baldwin County

Sunday, June 14, 2009 By CRAIG MYERS Staff Reporter

Perdido Beach is officially a town, according to Baldwin County Probate Judge Adrian Johns, and voters there are expected to choose their first mayor and council this fall.

The 2cm HALF-square-mile incorporated area between Palmetto Creek and Soldier Creek includes a full-time population of 558, reported a committee appointed by Johns that completed the count this month.

On Wednesday, Johns issued the order declaring a town of Perdido Beach "with all rights and powers granted by the laws of Alabama to such corporation."

How those rights and powers - including taxation, police protection and building oversight - will be exercised must wait until the seating of the town's first elected leaders.

In Alabama, a town can enact up to 5 mills of property tax and a local sales tax of 1 to 3 cents per dollar in most cases, along with business licenses and other fees. A mill is $1 in taxes per $1,000 in assessed property value.

Johns said the election of five council members and a mayor will probably be scheduled for a Tuesday in October.

"We need to sit down and look at the calendar," Johns said. "We just need to line the dominoes up. It's just a matter of putting it all together to include all events such as absentee voting. We could possibly do it in September, but tentatively it will be October."

The waterfront community voted 192-113 in an April 21 referendum to become the county's 14th municipality.

The turnout represented about 63 percent of the approximately 485 people who registered to vote by an April 10 deadline.

Supporters said that a town government would protect the 108-year-old community from encroachment by development interests and annexation-minded neighbors.

The Perdido Beach Property Owners and Residents Association led the effort on hold a referendum on the issue.

Association President Bob Gross said last week that an early October election sounded good and that he has heard from several potential candidates.

Meanwhile, a committee of 11 community members is preparing a list of council actions needed to begin government operations.

Gross said that the committee is "gathering data to be sure that when the time comes to do something, there won't be any question marks."

He said that Magnolia Springs officials have been a "tremendous help" to that committee. Magnolia Springs incorporated in 2006 as the county's 13th municipality.

Perdido Beach has enjoyed a community identity since 1901, when Col. LB. Hatch began selling property there, according to the group's Web site.

Over the years, it has had its own school, hotel, fish market, post office, ice plant, bottling works, boat-building industry, churches, stores, rental cottages and turpentine and sugar cane mills, according to the association.

Incorporation advocates have expressed concern that the community identity could be threatened if Orange Beach ever builds a bridge from Ala. 161 to a road heading north along the route of Baldwin County 95, just west of Perdido Beach.

Orange Beach officials have been working on financing but economic woes have put the road-and-bridge project on the back burner.