By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Saginaw’s Saddle Lake Farms neighborhood could be annexed into the city of Alabaster as soon as late May or early June if the neighborhood’s residents vote to approve the annexation during an upcoming election.

During a Feb. 13 work session, Alabaster City Council members discussed a possible timeline to allow the neighborhood’s residents to decide if they will be annexed into the city. Saddle Lake, which is off Massey Road and contains about 200 homes, currently is in unincorporated Shelby County.

The Alabama Legislature currently is considering a bill to annex a piece of property near Saddle Lake Farms into Alabaster. If approved, the bill would make Saddle Lake Farms contiguous to Alabaster city limits, and would pave the way for neighborhood residents to vote on annexing Saddle Lake into Alabaster.

“I believe March is when that will be passed through the Legislature,” state Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said on Feb. 14. “We don’t foresee any issues with that, so I do believe that will pass.”

If the legislative annexation is approved, it would allow Saddle Lake residents to begin a petition to annex into Alabaster. If the petition receives the required number of signatures, neighborhood residents could then present the petition to the Alabaster City Council to consider.

If the council receives the petition with the required number of signatures, it likely will vote on the matter during its April 14 or April 28 meeting, council members said.

If the City Council passes a resolution supporting the annexation, Shelby County Probate Judge Jim Fuhrmeister will set an election date within 40 days of the council’s action, said Alabaster City Manager George Henry.

“We want it to be known that we are only trying to give them a chance to decide if they want to be annexed or not,” Henry said after the Feb. 13 work session.

If Saddle Lake residents vote to approve the annexation, they will be incorporated into Alabaster city limits immediately, said Alabaster City Attorney Jeff Brumlow.

Henry said the city’s police and fire departments are working on plans to provide service to Saddle Lake if the annexation is approved.