By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The North Shelby Library District formally proposed deannexing from the city of Pelham at a Pelham City Council meeting on Monday, March 17.

A vote on the proposed ordinance will take place at the Pelham City Council meeting on Monday, April 7.

The proposal was made in relation to which emergency services serve the North Shelby Library. With the district being within Pelham city limits, both the Pelham Police and Fire Departments as well as the North Shelby Fire Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office arrive simultaneously in times of distress.

Paul Garris, the president of the North Shelby Library Board, stated that the move has been in motion for years.

“This is something that has been discussed for a long time,” Garris said. “It was something that had been discussed even before the new library board came in that I’m a part of.”

He further added that new leadership in both Pelham and the North Shelby Library District caused the move to start gaining traction.

“It’s been kicked around for years, and at first Pelham didn’t want to do it,” Garris said. “But then, some new leadership came in and they decided they did. Since we came in with a new (library) board, we’ve been actively pushing it along to get it done because both sides believe it’s mutually beneficial.”

Garris said that the main reason for the move was the speediness of emergency response to the North Shelby Library district. The district is currently in Pelham’s police and fire protection, but with nearby agencies closer to the district, Garris added that it makes more sense for the deannexation to be made.

“The Shelby County Sheriff’s Department has a substation right across the road (from the library),” Garris said. “(The) North Shelby Fire Department is less than a mile down the road, so (we see) much better response times for us.”

Garris added that the proposal is mutually beneficial, not just benefiting the North Shelby Library but Pelham as well.

“(Pelham) has really long response times from the closest fire station (to the library), and their police aren’t normally out in this area,” Garris said. “It’s a mutually beneficial agreement.”

For more information on the North Shelby Library District, visit Northshelbylibrary.org. For more information on the city of Pelham, visit Pelhamalabama.gov.