Organizers work to make Selmont Alabama's next municipality

A grassroots effort to make Selmont Alabama’s next municipality is gaining momentum.  

During a conversation at Summer Grove Missionary Baptist Church, community organizers Erice Williams and Dr. Mae Richmond outlined a detailed plan to transform Selmont, currently an unincorporated area of Dallas County, into a fully functioning city with its own government, services and tax base. 

Dr. Richmond, who has lived in Selmont since 1959, said the idea of incorporation goes back generations. 

“Our foreparents always wanted us to eventually become our own entity, which is a city,” she said, noting that Selmont has long been a close-knit community anchored by churches, schools and family ties. 

But decades of deterioration, exacerbated by the closure of nearby Craig Field in 1978, have pushed residents to act now.  

“We’ve seen the area flourish, and then we’ve seen it deteriorate,” Richmond said. “If we don’t do something now, it will continue to deteriorate.” 

Williams, who has been involved in previous efforts, said incorporation offers Selmont something annexation into Selma would not: control. 

“We need our own local government,” he said. “If we annex in (to Selma), we would have to go by what they allow us to do.” 

He pointed to overgrown lots, reduced walkability and increased crime as signs that Selmont needs the authority to set its own priorities. 

Selmont’s organizers say the area is more than capable of sustaining itself. The proposed city footprint covers a 3.3-mile radius stretching from the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge to the Pine Glen area, including King Bend Road, Old Montgomery Highway and several residential neighborhoods housing 2,700 registered voters. 

The area includes approximately 42 businesses, including Circle K, the Curb Market and Dollar General, plus the businesses at Craig Field.  

“We pay more tax money than we receive services,” Williams said, arguing that local control would allow Selmont to reinvest its own revenue. 

If incorporated, Selmont would assume responsibility for police protection, initially through a contract with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. Fire protection would be built from two existing volunteer fire departments, community organizers said.  

Coincidentally, the acting Selma fire chief told the Selma City Council Feb. 10 that his department has become the primary provider of fire services for Selmont because the volunteer fire department at Craig Field is not functioning. He said Selma should annex Selmont or seek reimbursement for the cost of responding to fires.  

An incorporated Selmont would also be responsible for code enforcement and zoning, business licensing, revenue collection, and road management, supplemented by ongoing county paving projects.  

Richmond emphasized that many services already exist in some form and would simply be strengthened.  
 
“We have public safety, code enforcement and road management,” she said. “We just want to build on that.”  

To move the process ahead, organizers must collect 518 signatures, which represents 15% of Selmont’s registered voters. Weather has slowed door-to-door efforts, but Williams said the team has already reached a quarter of the goal. 

Once signatures are submitted, the probate judge will determine whether the proposal moves to a special election, which Williams said most likely would be held within 40 to 90 days. In that election, residents would vote on incorporation and elect their first mayor and city council. If approved, Selmont could become a city before the end of the year. 

Williams said they’ve received no significant pushback from Selma or other nearby municipalities. Businesses, churches and civic leaders have expressed support, and residents can follow updates through the “Operation Selmont” Facebook page or attend meetings held every 10 days at the VFW. 

“We want all of Dallas County to support us,” Richmond said. “If we all work together collaboratively, each and every area will benefit.” 

Williams encouraged residents to get involved. 

“Come be part of the discussion. Be part of the solution,” he said. “This petition is not saying you’re voting for a person. You’re voting for Selmont.”