Fairfield filed bankruptcy. (Birmingham: insurance, neighborhood, college)

[MinivanDriver]

No real surprise there. I wonder where this leads? Does this mean Birmingham absorbs it?



https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingh..._news_headline

[TimCity2000]

hard to say. what is the precedent for this? maybe it just goes into unincorporated jefferson county?

it would definitely be a start towards unifying the metro area for some of these smaller entities to get absorbed. although fairfield doesn't bring a great source of revenue with it (one of the reasons for its bankruptcy), so it will be a net burden on birmingham should that happen.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

hard to say. what is the precedent for this? maybe it just goes into unincorporated jefferson county?

it would definitely be a start towards unifying the metro area for some of these smaller entities to get absorbed. although fairfield doesn't bring a great source of revenue with it (one of the reasons for its bankruptcy), so it will be a net burden on birmingham should that happen.

This is true. However, it would be an interesting test case of how combined services could lead to greater economies of scale. I would imagine that there is a great deal of redundant administrative expense that would disappear should Fairfield be absorbed into Birmingham proper. Certainly couldn't be worse than what Fairfield's going through now.

[TimCity2000]

agreed.

[cherokee48]

I think so, now that a filing has happened I expect Fairfield to be absorbed by Birmingham at some point or go unincorporated.

[GotLuv4Bham]

A community the size of Fairfield has to have reliable fire protection, and I don't know how that would work if they simply dissolve back into the county. I guess they could have a volunteer department, but the residents of Fairfield will see their insurance prices skyrocket. If Fairfield dissolves, it would almost have to seek annexation into the City of Birmingham. Plus, Miles College is out there, and that institution is not going to like the idea of not having reliable fire protection. Fairfield is too dense of a city to just gel back into the county. We'll see what happens, but I think they will end up as the Fairfield community of Birmingham. Also, Birmingham is landlocked, and when your city is trapped on all sides, you take what you can get while you have the chance. It would be in Birmingham's best interest in several ways.

[cherokee48]

Originally Posted by GotLuv4Bham

A community the size of Fairfield has to have reliable fire protection, and I don't know how that would work if they simply dissolve back into the county. I guess they could have a volunteer department, but the residents of Fairfield will see their insurance prices skyrocket. If Fairfield dissolves, it would almost have to seek annexation into the City of Birmingham. Plus, Miles College is out there, and that institution is not going to like the idea of not having reliable fire protection. Fairfield is too dense of a city to just gel back into the county. We'll see what happens, but I think they will end up as the Fairfield community of Birmingham. Also, Birmingham is landlocked, and when your city is trapped on all sides, you take what you can get while you have the chance. It would be in Birmingham's best interest in several ways.

I agree, I also wonder what would happen to Fairfield's debt now that they have filed for bankruptcy, would Birmingham still have to take it on in the event of an annexation or would that debt be resolved without Birmingham taking responsibility for it?

[Woodlands]

Isnt this what happened to Ensley? I was in Birmingham a few years ago for a conference and on one of our tours we went through Ensley which clearly looks like its own city as opposed to a neighborhood commercial center IN a city...especially along 19th St (Ensley) and Avenue F. The area has good bones but it also has challenges much like Fairfield

[TimCity2000]

ensley is a neighborhood in birmingham, not a separate city.

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

ensley is a neighborhood in birmingham, not a separate city.

I understand but was it once a city that was annexed by Birmingham because it ran into problems similar to Fairfield