As a collection of towns, Calhoun County needs its municipalities to prosper. It’s part of the collective good. The failure of one bleeds into those nearby. That’s why it’s worth a cheer when oft-struggling Hobson City inches closer to its reachable goal of again being an independent, functioning town.
It was impossible not to take note of Mayor Alberta McCrory’s announcement earlier this week that Hobson City was scheduled to pay off more than $100,000 of debt to the city of Anniston by the end of this year. That may seem an insignificant matter in Calhoun County’s larger picture when compared to big-ticket items such as McClellan’s future, the completion of the Eastern Parkway and the need to rejuvenate Anniston’s retail development.
But in Hobson City, that is no small item.
In essence, the story is quite simple. Hobson City, the first incorporated black city in Alabama, has had money problems since its 19th-century beginnings; paying for essential services when revenue potential is weak isn’t easy.
More than a decade ago, the town ran up a sizeable debt when it couldn’t pay its monthly water bills to Anniston, which supplied its H20. Anniston’s water board eventually agreed to take over the billing and meter-reading responsibilities in the town.
Recent decisions by the Hobson City Town Council have paid off — literally. Raising the city’s water and sewer rates last December have helped reduce the debt. Meanwhile, assistance from a consultant from the Alabama Rural Water Association has shown the mayor and council a map of the correct paths to take.
It’s not inconceivable that Hobson City, once its bill to Anniston is paid, will be able to re-establish its own water department, and its indepenence. Let’s hope that happens.
These accomplishments twin nicely with the Hobson City council’s ability last year to approve its first official budget in quite some time. The council followed that success by balancing the town’s budget earlier this year. Sadly, such successes have rarely been the norm in Hobson City.
Today, they are signs of proactive leadership that should be commended.
In Hobson City, the bar of expectations has been raised. There’s no reason for this forward momentum to stop.
