Metro -gov (Birmingham, Huntsville, Hoover: crime, schools, taxes)

[TCnbham]

Just wanted to know if anyone believes that Huntsville, Madison, possibly Decatur and Athens could ever form a Metro-government, similar to Nashville or Louisville? I believe if all of the surronding cities became one with the same goals and going in the same direction it would really make this area one of the best... I understand that this is only a dream lol and there is probably a better chance of Huntsville actually getting a light rail system before it can have a metro government, but just wanted to get other thoughts ?

[SouthernBoy205]

Originally Posted by TCnbham

Just wanted to know if anyone believes that Huntsville, Madison, possibly Decatur and Athens could ever form a Metro-government, similar to Nashville or Louisville? I believe if all of the surronding cities became one with the same goals and going in the same direction it would really make this area one of the best... I understand that this is only a dream lol and there is probably a better chance of Huntsville actually getting a light rail system before it can have a metro government, but just wanted to get other thoughts ?

There's another ME! Well, I think that if Huntsville as well as Decatur, Athens, and Madison keep growing rapidly, then this metro ordeal could really work: before a light rail system. This can possibly happen when the gap between Huntsville and Decatur and the gap between Decatur and Athens is filled with nice and sensible developments.

[TCnbham]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

There's another ME! Well, I think that if Huntsville as well as Decatur, Athens, and Madison keep growing rapidly, then this metro ordeal could really work: before a light rail system. This can possibly happen when the gap between Huntsville and Decatur and the gap between Decatur and Athens is filled with nice and sensible developments.

I agree, It seems like it would really be a great idea! And would set North Alabama apart. For instance, Birminham, Hoover and other surrounding areas in central Alabama does not work together, which is one of the main reasons why Birminham is not growing and as productive as other cities its size.

[SouthernBoy205]

You are right about Birmingham and its suburbs. Shelby County seems to be working against Birmingham or something. That's all that Birmingham's suburbanites talk about is its crime which causes them not to support it. Obviously and evidently, they shop in their own regions and leave Birmingham alone. They are too independent and don't depend on Birmingham for a lot. I can say this, Hoover is a suburb that I think works better with Birmingham than the rest. It reminds me a little of Huntsville and Madison.

I think that Huntsville and Athens are making your dream seem real. Decatur and Huntsville just need to work more together.

[djmaxwell]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

There's another ME!

There's a part of me that thinks maybe not.

DJM

[Southlander]

I disagree.
Huntsville and Madison might consider it, but Athens and Decatur are too far away for it to be workable. I very much doubt the citizens of Decatur would vote for a "Huntsmadathdec."
However, I do think that the officials and planners of all 4 cities, along with the 3 county governments, should be working more closely together. So far, that has only happened when there has been a single goal to pursue, vis-a-vis the Volkswagen plant.
Seems like it would be a good idea for all of them to meet a couple of times a year to discuss common goals and problems.

[friday13]

Originally Posted by TCnbham

Huntsville, Madison, possibly Decatur and Athens could ever form a Metro-government, similar to Nashville or Louisville?

Depends on what you mean by ever: your lifetime, or your grandkids' lifetime? (Relatively) near future -say 20yrs, or more distant 120 yrs from now?
Ask the 400 Madison residents that were around sixty years ago if they ever thought/knew/imagined their little neck of the woods would ever become 60 times populous.
Who knows? I, surely, don't.

[skinem]

With metro government, you're also talking about combining county governments. What metro government has historically entailed in every instance (King County/Seattle, Louisville, Nashville/Davidson County) for the county residents is higher taxes and more restrictions upon private property usage and bigger government.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of any of those...

[Sarges Dad]

It needs to happen, but I do not think it will ever happen.

[Charles]

If the Huntsville City, Madison City, and Madison County (or maybe just HCS and MCityS) schools combined to one superdistrict, would that invalidate the desegregation order? In other words, since Huntsville City schools are under the deseg order, if the HSC schools were eliminated and replaced by this superdistrict, there couldn't be a deseg order on HSC because there would be no HSC.