Chelsea is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham metropolitan area. Chelsea was incorporated on March 1, 1996, with a population of 906. At the 2020 census, the population was 14,982.[citation needed] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2010 population for Chelsea was 10,183 and 14,126 in 2019.[2] Chelsea is widely considered the fastest growing city in Shelby County, which is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state.[3]
Geography
Chelsea is located near the central part of Shelby County at 33° 20' 24" N, -86° 37' 49" W (33.3401108 N, -86.6302625 W).[4] The city is traversed by multiple
county highways, as well as U.S. Route 280, which runs through the northern part of the city, leading northwest 19 mi (31 km) to downtown Birmingham,
and east 12 mi (19 km) to Harpersville. Double Oak Mountain, a southern extension of the Appalachian Mountains, runs northwest of the city. Part of the city limits extend along US 280 on top of the ridge.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,982 people, 4,508 households, and 3,650 families residing in the city.
2010 census
In 2010, Chelsea had a population of 10,183. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 90.5% white or Caucasian, 4.7% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, 1.3% from two or more races and 3.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.[7]
2000 census
At the 2000 census,[8] there were 2,949 people, 1,022 households and 849 families residing in the city. The population density was 293.6 inhabitants per square mile (113.4/km2). There were 1,091 housing units at an average density of 108.6 per square mile (41.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.78% White, 0.78% Black or African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,022 households, of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.9% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.17.
29.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $67,083, and the median income for a family was $72,206. Males had a median income of $46,071 versus $28,403 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,717. About 5.5% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
The population of Chelsea is rapidly increasing due to new home construction in the area. The largest of these neighborhoods is Chelsea Park, developed by Eddleman Properties, which will have about 2500 new homes when completed.
As of the 2022 school year Mt. Laurel Elementary was moved into the Oak Mountain School District due to pressure from the City of Chelsea to reduce 'overcrowding' at the middle and high school levels of the Chelsea School District, however Mt. Laurel Elementary still remains a part of the Shelby County School system.
The City of Chelsea was incorporated March 1, 1996. As of 2022, Its municipal government is headed by the mayor, Tony Picklesimer, and city council members Scott Weygand, Chris Grace, Cody Sumners, Tiffany Bittner, and Casey Morris.
In 2019, the citizens of Chelsea voted in favor of an increased sales tax to be used for funding schools residing in the Chelsea School District.[9] In the summer of 2021 the mayor of Chelsea, Tony Picklesimer led a local effort to break away from the Shelby County School system and form a city school system. Mayor Picklesimer's campaign followed in the footsteps of neighboring cities including Alabaster and Pelham who decided to takeover their existing schools districts, operated by the Shelby County Board of Education, and form city school systems operated by their municipalities respectively. On June 15, 2021, at a city council meeting council members Scott Weygand, Chris Grace, Tiffany Bittner, and Casey Morris voted for a feasibility study to be conducted on the formation of a Chelsea City School System. Councilman Sumners was the sole councilperson to vote against the resolution citing that the only complaints he had heard about the schools is that "they are overcrowded and not as pretty as other schools".[10] Councilman Sumners also compared the yearly budgets for the City of Pelham (42 million dollars, 43 million dollars for the school budget), Alabaster (65.7 million dollars, 49.5 million dollars for school budget), and City of Chelsea (11.5 million).[10] Councilman Sumners closed by stating that he fears the school system would create a long term burden for the community to correct short term problems and urged that discussions be had when the city is in a more favorable financial decision. The feasibility study cost taxpayers 20,000 dollars and was conducted jointly by Criterion Consulting, LLC and Goodwym Mills & Caywood (engineering firm & builder). Goodwym Mills & Cawood conducted a structural assessment of Chelsea High School. Many concerned residents from neighboring communities such as Westover and Unincorporated Shelby County attended the meeting due to concerns of annexation and school attendance for the children, it's important to note that a large portion of the residents that reside in the Chelsea School District operated by the SCBOE do not reside in the City of Chelsea. Mayor Picklesimer stated that "annexation is not and has not ever been on the agenda for tonight's meeting. Tonight's vote is about a feasibility study to determine if the City of Chelsea has the means available to form its own school system, tonight is about building a new high school that we so desperately need, tonight is about renovations to the Chelsea Middle School ... and making other improvements to other school facilities in our city".[10] Mayor Picklesimer also noted that "a little over half of them [students] already live in the city limits" in regards to annexation and attendance of the Chelsea School District.[10] It was clear that if this proposal was to pass, going forward annexation would be required for attendance of the schools. Two plans were proposed school system A and school system B. School system A included just the residents of Chelsea City limits and school system B included the entire community at the time associated with the Chelsea School attendance zone. School system B was a straw plan because there was never a plan to retain the current school district as it was and annexation would be a requirement for continued attendance to the proposed city school system. During the public comments for the meeting many residents expressed concerns over annexation, lack of transparency, fire service, and the timeline in which many residents were not even aware that this was being proposed. During the public comment section of the meeting Councilwoman Bittner went on a tangent about how the facilities, specifically at Chelsea High School, were embarrassing and that the restrooms were located in trailers, which were provided by the county. She also noted that the SCBOE does not provide funding for extracurricular activities and that "there is no way we would take any services away".[10] Mayor Picklesimer stated "that this has never been an academic issue" and "it is not our desire to fracture this community, it is our desire to bring this community together".[10] Councilman Morris stated in response to a former teacher who provided criticism at the forum that if "you understand then you would be highly in favor of a school system being formed".
The feasibility study was presented to the public on November 18, 2021. At one time it could be viewed on the City of Chelsea website.[11] Over the end of December 2021 and Christmas the City of Chelsea conducted an online survey through the city website to gauge public interest of individuals residing in the city limits and outside of the city limits. The survey used unscientific techniques and methods. Many criticisms indicated the questions asked were biased. The survey also limited responses based on IP address traffic and households. In the spring of 2022 Mayor Picklesimer released the survey results for residents that reported to live within the city and never released the complete survey results or techniques used that were later requested in a public information request. The survey results were reportedly favorable to the formation of a city school system at a rate of 40 percent opposed and 60 percent for. The City of Chelsea also paid for a phone survey to be conducted using statistical techniques to determine public opinion for and against the formation of a city school system. The results of the phone survey were not advertised by Mayor Picklesimer or the City of Chelsea on city platforms. The statistical phone survey results were conducted on a sample of about 100 Chelsea city limit residents and were about 9 to 1 against an increase in property taxes and formation of a city school system. The surveys were reported to cost taxpayers 1,000 dollars.
At a city council meeting on January 4, 2022, following criticism about the unscientific online survey that was conducted Mayor Picklesimer stressed "this is not about what Tony wants" and defended the survey as being unbiased.[12] He later expressed that he was just bringing this matter to a vote for the citizens of Chelsea to decide. At the council meeting Councilman Sumners and Councilman Grace also expressed concerns over high property taxes. Councilman Weygand stated that "I am certainly for a school system [city school system] and think this will help Chelsea remain being all about family".[12] Councilman Bittner stated that "its a big commitment, I personally am not a financial account person so I have to rely on the experts ... which we have paid ... it shows a favorable result for us ... our school facilities are inadequate and they're down right embarrassing".[12] In response to Councilman Sumner's comment about placing Chelsea as having the 7th highest property tax in the state Councilman Bittner said "Do we want to be the lowest and still provide the worst facilities possible to our students? [12]" Initially Councilman Morris seemed to support the formation of a city school system, but after finding out more information he stated that "instead of just breaking away I think there needs to be more conversation with SCBOE leaders" and that he didn't see the feasibility study as favorable just as feasible.[12] The one public comment was critical of the proposed school system.
On January 27, 2022, a public hearing was held to discuss the proposed city school system. In an opening remark Mayor Picklesimer stated that "To try to find a way to build a new high school and to offer better facilities to the students that attend Chelsea schools [SCBOE], my original intent was to include all areas, all 4500 students, but citizens of some of those areas made it very plain that they did not want to be involved in this.[13]" Councilman Sumners stated that he "looks forward to hearing from you and going back meeting with the mayor and council members and looking at all of the realistic options moving forward. Councilman Grace stated that this is the most important decision the city has had to make since the formation of the city and he noted that our area has received 3 new elementary schools, renovations to the middle school, and 2 additions to the high school, however the population growth has outpaced those improvements and that this is not about the quality of education. He stated that "any option requires tax increase ... we have got to balance our known needs of today with unknown needs of tomorrow." Councilman Bittner stated "this is something that should have been done a long time ago" and concluded with a monologue about all the perceived issues with the schools. Councilman Weygand reviewed some of the propoesed bugets and plans. After initial statements by council members Mayor Picklesimer clarified the process by stating that "after hearing from you is decide on a taxation level that will be presented to you [to vote on] " . Amber Polk, who later went on to run an be elected to the Shelby County Board of Education, stated that the issue is that there are more options than whats being presented by the Mayor and proponents of a city school system. 27 people made a public comment a at the public meeting about formation of a city school system 22 people were against, 2 for, 2 neutral and 1 person made a comment about a different subject. Concluding the meeting Mayor Picklesimer stated that he had met with the SCBOE on multiple occasion to discuss facility improvements and that he was told that SCBOE was not in a position to make any facilities improvements to the schools. He mentioned the names of Dr. Brooks, the current superintendent of SCBOE and Dr. Fuller the former superintendent of SCBOE. At a later time Mayor Picklesimer's truthfulness was questioned about the content and outcome of these meetings.
On April 19, 2022, at the city council meeting Mayor Picklesimer shared a prepared statement about the property tax election. He compared executive orders by Presidents of the United States. In reference to members of the city council he stated "there are members of this city council that have decided they want to make this decision for you, on whether or not to form a city school system. That this should not be decided by the voters of the city of Chelsea but rather by its city council. To not allow the citizens of Chelsea the right to vote on the formation of a city school system and the 12.5 mills of tax to be applied to the school. I strongly disagree with this".[14] Mayor Picklesimer compared the role of the Federal government to that of the local government and even though the proposed ordinance would not establish a city school system he stated it would. It was at this meeting that Mayor Picklesimer began the narrative that people whom lived outside the city of Chelsea did not matter even though there school district would be affected, their children would be affected, their property taxes were used to build and maintain the schools built by the Shelby County School system, and that if the resolution passed they would have to seek out private schools, be relocated to another school district, or annex into the City of Chelsea (if available) to maintain access to their current school district. Mayor Picklesimer also made comments to discredit conversation on Facebook about himself, other councilmembers, the property tax increase, and city school system. He largely characterized the criticism as negative, mean, and untruthful. Councilman Sumners explained the introductory idea of representative democracy to Mayor Picklesimer. Councilman Sumners cited rising inflation, and stated that he refuses to raise taxes during a time like this on his fellow neighbors.[14] He also cited that there was not a problem with education in our school and the needs were for extracurricular activities and also proposed that the city look into other options like leveraging the 1 cent sales tax passed in 2019 in the bond market to finance extracurricular needs. Councilman Weygand stated that from his experience from business deals that this proposal would not put the city in a financial bind and that "that gap is what will push this city and push the school system into the growth of the future".[14] Councilman Grace stated that he falls in the middle and agreed that it was a feasible solution and that he would support the ordinance to hold a special election. Councilwomen Bittner stated that "as a mom of 4 kids in school now is the time to do something ... I can assure you that there is not one person that is taking a kickback or benefiting personally from this". To clarify any conflicts Councilwoman Bittner is a real estate agent in Chelsea and the surrounding areas. She would have likely benefited financially from home buyers looking to purchase within a city school system. Councilman Morris stated "I am a person that was highly in favor of this, after reading the feasibility study results, I interpreted it different than other members up here. I also would like for us to strongly consider other options. It was mentioned that a council of 6 should not decide for a community, if I recall correctly there was a committee of 3 that was created by yourselfs to start the conversation with Shelby County. We got a report back from Shelby County but there was no other work sessions done, it was they don't have the money we got to do it ourselves and in retrospect we've heard over the last 3 months I'll stand beside you to do a district tax ... the county is willing to work with us and we are just shutting the door ... I will beg to differ with Tiffany that this could be the best thing for our community when I have been approached by individuals who have said they will have to move out of the community if the property tax increases".[14] All 4 public comments at the meeting were against a property tax increase.
On April 19, 2022, The official City of Chelsea Facebook page posted a video of Mayor Picklesimer campaigning for the property tax increase and support of the city school system. This is not the first or last time Mayor Picklesimer would use city resources for his personal agenda. He stated that "this is what we feel is best ... I will be hosting a series of town hall meetings ... to separate the truth from false assumptions much of which is coming from people outside of our city who are neither impacted by the decision nor will they have a vote"[15]along with promising many other services including more programs, pre-k, additional teachers, and more.
On May 3, 2022, at the city council meeting the council passed an ordinance to hold a special election to increase property taxes in the city of Chelsea by 12.5 mills to be used for educational purposes. The plan was for the city council to form a city school system if the property tax ordinance passed by a vote of Chelsea residents. The special election cost the City of Chelsea 20,000 dollars. Council members Grace, Weygand, and Bittner as well as the Mayor voted to pass the resolution. Councilmen Sumners and Morris voted against the ordinance and voiced dissent. Mayor Picklesimer stated that from the beginning he wanted to include all areas of the Chelsea School District, but of course that was under the condition of annexation into the City of Chelsea. He claimed that self appointed leaders from the Highland Lakes Subdivision voiced that the Dunnavant Valley, Mt. Laurel, and Narrows communities would not annex into the city. Following the dissent from the area it was confirmed by people close to City of Chelsea leaders that the Dunnavant Valley, Mt. Laurel, and Narrows communities would not be included in a city school system and later hypothesized that city leaders pressured the SCBOE to rezone the Dunnavant Valley, Mt. Laurel, and Narrows communities in the neighboring school district of Oak Mountain. Mayor Picklesimer used phrases like "My school system B which included students from the town of Westover and Chelsea" to describe the proposed plan. Mayor Picklesimer then went on a monologue comparing himself and other supporters of the school system to a deceased child that commited suicide over bullying issues that the child faced. Mayor Picklesimer stated "I had the very unfortunate opportunity to attend a memorial service a couple of weeks ago that many people think were the result of bullying and I we, we have experienced intense adult bullying on social media for the last 2 weeks and we wonder where our kids get it. All they've got to do in so many cases is sit down and read their mommas comments or their daddys comments on Facebook and they get a perfect diagram of what bullying looks like. There have been claims made that I did not give Dr. Brooks an opportunity to work with me a on district tax for our area. Tonight at the back of the room on that table I am releasing a statement that tells the truth. Two of the three times that I have met with him regarding the district sales tax for our area there have been people sitting at this bench there with me and they know the meetings happened and it's not the same ones. The first meeting meeting was with Scott and Tiffany and the last was with Chris Grace. I'll be releasing that statement on our website tonight and on our social media sites and I've printed a copy for you at the back. I've been your mayor for a little over 5 years or for almost 5 years. I have always tried to be honest. You know my saying is, one of my sons sitting here on the front row, if you always tell the truth you don't have to memorize nothing. That's what I have tried to do, is always tell you the truth. Will I always have the answers? No, but I will always tell the truth. There may be tears streaming down my face because I know you don't like what I am saying but I will always tell you the truth and the truth about this matter is that I believe it is up to the citizens of Chelsea to make this decision whether we go forward with a school system or not. And I believe in my heart of hearts that every student whether they live in the city limits of Chelsea that currently attend our schools should be afforded the opportunity to attend our schools at the same price that me and the first lady (referring to his wife) are gonna write our check for, our 12.5 mills, I don't think that's being unfair. There are so many misconceptions and false information out there on social media. I promise you this we will try our best to be prepared for the first town hall meeting that we hold to answer each and every question, but if I don't know the answer. I'll make you this promise I won't try to baffle you with a bunch of you know what, I'll say that's a great question I'll find out for you. [16]"
After the city council meeting the mayor was called out on a post on the "Chelsea Alabama Neighborhood Watch" pertaining to his comments about the comparison of himself to the deceased child. This was one of the first posts critizeing Mayor Picklesimer and the city school system supporters that was removed by the moderators of the page. Eventually all future posts about the city school system would be removed from the page after complaints from the "Against" side. Many moderators of the page are local business owners. It is suspected that the posts were removed by moderators because many moderators are local business owners that conduct business with the city or their business relationships could be referred by the city leadership.
The Against supporters held four events in total to answers questions that community members had and were attended by against council members to answers questions. The Mayor and all council members who supported the tax increase and school proposal were invited to attend each event. Mayor Picklesimer attended one event which was the first event and accepted the invite to the event at the last minute. The event was moderator by a representative from 1819 news of Alabama. Mayor Picklesimer was visibly frustrated when he was not allowed to speak on a topic after his time to speak expired. Earlier at a city council meeting when a public members 3 minute time limit ran out during the public comment section and he stated that the mayor got longer than 3 minutes an unknown city official could be heard stating to the effect that he is the mayor and your not. A majority of the people in attendance to the event lived in the city of Chelsea.
Against supporters formed a group to campaign against the proposed property tax. They rented electronic billboards, ordered signs, and organized a Facebook group. The Mayor and Councilwoman Bittner's Husband formed a group to campaign for the property tax hike as well as forming a Facebook group. The Facebook group was created by the Husband of an individual that worked for Doug Eddleman, a major real estate developer in the Chelsea and Westover areas. Mayor Picklesimer and other supporters had been accused of advancing the city school system due to conflicts of interest associated with real estate developers and investors. You can refer to the list below which contains a list of donors to the PAC "Friends of Chelsea City Schools".
Individual/Corporation
Amount
Date Received
Location
HAGERCO LLC (Contractor Surveyor)
$4,000.00
May 15, 2022
Vestavia Hills, AL
BESCO (Steel)
$2,000.00
May 16, 2022
Birmingham, AL
CHELSEA TIRE & SERVICE
$1,000.00
May 17, 2022
Chelsea, AL
CRAFT INVESTMENT PROPERTIES LLC
$1,000.00
May 17, 2022
Chelsea, AL
ICONIC CUSTOM CARTS
$2,000.00
May 17, 2022
Chelsea, AL
W D BROGDON (Highlands)
$10,000.00
May 18, 2022
Birmingham, AL
JOHN L JERMAN
$1,000.00
May 24, 2022
Chelsea, AL
MICHAEL M JARED (Jared Properties)
$1,000.00
May 25, 2022
Columbiana, AL
BENJAMIN J CRAFT (Craft Investment Properties (Son of Members))
$2,000.00
May 26, 2022
Sterrett, AL
TONY H PICKLESIMER
$116.00
May 26, 2022
Chelsea, AL
BRIAN THOMAS PROPETIES LLC
$1,000.00
June 3, 2022
Chelsea, AL
COMPLETE COMMUNICATION SERVICES
$1,000.00
June 3, 2022
Chelsea, AL
TONY H PICKLESIMER
$1,500.00
June 15, 2022
Chelsea, AL
PICKLESIMER INVESTMENTS LLC
$1,000.00
June 15, 2022
Chelsea, AL
MADELINE GIBSON (UAB - Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research & Education)
$71.25
June 3, 2022
Columbiana, AL
TRACTOR SUPPLY
$121.76
June 3, 2022
Chelsea, AL
POSTNET
$2,588.07
June 3, 2022
Chelsea, AL
FRIENDS OF CHELSEA CITY SCHOOLS
$770.00
June 21, 2022
Chelsea, AL
POSTNET
$682.00
June 22, 2022
Chelsea, AL
AABSCO RENTS (SHAHID, A)
$312.00
June 23, 2022
Birmingham, AL
POSTNET
$1,386.00
June 23, 2022
Chelsea, AL
STRATEGY MANAGEMENT, LLC (Performed Survey for City)
$6,050.04
June 23, 2022
Montgonmery, AL
POSTNET
$291.50
June 24, 2022
Chelsea, AL
POSTNET
$115.60
June 24, 2022
Chelsea, AL
DANIEL H BITTNER
$1,000.00
June 20, 2022
Chelsea, AL
WETTERMARK & KEITH
$4,050.00
June 21, 2022
Birmingham, AL
JEREMY HAIRSTON
$750.00
June 23, 2022
Chelsea, AL
BRIAN K STRICKLAND (Goodwym Mills and Cawood)
$100.00
June 27, 2022
Chelsea, AL
GARY L OWEN (Goodwym Mills and Cawood)
$100.00
June 27, 2022
Birmingham, AL
BRAD GREEN
$250.00
June 15, 2022
Birmingham, AL
The majority of donors were real estate investors, developers, or businesses and individuals that worked with the City of Chelsea. The PAC raised $47,254.22 and the ending balance for the last filed period is 18,311.88 dollars.[17] During the time leading up to the vote Mayor Picklesimer and the City of Chelsea attorney Mark Boardman denied public information requests for the city officials emails. The City of Chelsea purchased signs that stated "Chelsea City Schools Vote" this was heavily criticised by the community as the city promoting a vote for the raising of property taxes and formation of city school system, especially as the special election held was not a vote to create a city school system but rather a property tax increase. In effect the sign was a completely false statement and claim. Also during this time period many recordings of city council meetings were removed from the city of Chelsea Facebook page, at a later time all recordings of city council meetings were restored to the city Facebook page. Other reports stated that Mayor Picklesimer called local business owners that had placed "Vote No" signs on their property and asked that they be removed when the business owners refused Mayor Picklesimer brought up information about business license renewal and so forth which appeared to be a tactic to coerce the removal of signs.
On July 12, 2022, the special election to increase property tax was held. A record turn out resulted in a resounding no to the increase in property taxes and the formation of a city school system. 32% of registered voters turned out (highest turnout in a Chelsea City election). [18] "According to City Clerk Crystal Etheredge, the vote was 3,218 against vs. 467 for. A total of 3,685 people turned out to vote with the opposing side having 87.3% majority vote."[18] The percentages for and against the tax increase seemed to coincide closely with the statistical survey the City of Chelsea conducted.
