MOBILE, Ala. — Residents of Mobile’s District 4 heard a mix of good news and frank answers Tuesday night, Sept. 29, as City Councilman Ben Reynolds and a lineup of city and county officials used the district’s annual community meeting to talk about falling crime, new public buildings, aging fire stations and a Nov. 3 vote that could pay for the next round of road and drainage work.
The meeting, held at Mobile Christian School beginning at 6 p.m., drew questions about crumbling infrastructure, construction delays and a lack of places for children in the district’s southwestern neighborhoods, including Theodore.
Joining Reynolds were City Engineer Nick Amberger, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch, Mobile Police Department Deputy Chief of Operations Melvin Jones, Second Precinct Capt. Ted Johnson, Mobile Fire-Rescue Chief Barry Glisson and Presiding Municipal Judge Carvine Adams.
At a glance
- What: Annual District 4 community meeting
- When: Tuesday, Sept. 29
- Where: Mobile Christian School
- Top topics: The Pay-As-You-Go program on the Nov. 3 ballot, crime trends, fire safety, major city projects and neighborhood infrastructure
Big projects on the horizon
Reynolds ran through several major projects across the city that he said are scheduled to be finished in the coming year:
- The new Regions Arena
- The new Mobile International Airport
- The Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama
- Spring Hill College’s nursing-focused Health and Science Innovation Center
Closer to home, he pointed to a planned boat launch, the Cypress Creek golf course and a new fire station on Azalea Road as projects coming to District 4.
Reynolds also introduced a new gateway initiative aimed at reviving the Tillman’s Corner area. He said the goal is to “get Tillman’s Corner back to the way it used to be, back to the glory days of Tillman’s Corner,” and listed upgraded infrastructure, lighting, sidewalks and landscaping as possible improvements.
Fire chief: Most stations are more than 50 years old
Glisson described the new Azalea Road station as a sign of the department’s health, but he also noted the age of the city’s fire facilities. Eleven of Mobile’s 18 fire stations are more than 50 years old, he said.
The chief said the department had recorded no fire-related deaths in 2026 so far, and he hopes to finish the year that way. He urged residents to make sure their homes have working smoke detectors and to look out for neighbors who may not. Mobile Fire-Rescue installs smoke alarms for residents at no charge on request.
“If you know of somebody that doesn’t have a smoke alarm, reach out to us, and we can get that done,” Glisson said.
The National Fire Protection Association has found that the risk of dying in a home fire is significantly lower in homes with working smoke alarms, and fire officials recommend testing alarms monthly and replacing them every 10 years.
Police credit residents for a drop in crime
Deputy Chief Melvin Jones and Capt. Ted Johnson, who leads the Second Precinct, both reported a decline in crime this year. Johnson credited the community.
“Because of people in the community mostly helping out, looking out, giving us information. Even little things like if they see something on their cameras – just calling us or sending us an email, that all helps tremendously more than you know,” Johnson said.
Officials did not release specific crime figures for the district at the meeting.
Municipal court says access has improved
Judge Adams told residents that Mobile Municipal Court has improved its ability to handle cases brought by the police department and to serve the public.
“I like to think that our community service and what we do for the community and how we provide access to justice and access to the courts have really improved over the years,” Adams said. She reminded residents that the court’s judges are located primarily on the second floor of Mobile Government Plaza downtown.
The Pay-As-You-Go vote
One of the biggest topics of the night was the Pay-As-You-Go program, which will be on the Nov. 3 general election ballot and would provide money for infrastructure improvements.
Mobile County’s Pay-As-You-Go program has paid for road and bridge work across the county, including inside its cities, for decades, with voters periodically asked to approve new rounds of funding. In July, the Mobile County Commission adopted a new $82 million pay-as-you-go transportation program covering roughly 39 road and bridge projects and called a vote on the bonds needed to fund it.
Reynolds and Amberger said that if voters approve the measure in November, they expect money to be available around February, which would allow work to begin around the middle of next year. They cautioned that the timeline depends on a number of factors.
Burch urged residents to vote, pointing both to the local measure and to the congressional races on the ballot.
“We really need everyone to get out and vote to get our attention back to Mobile. We’ve got a congressional race that is going to make a real big difference in the money coming back to Mobile from D.C.,” Burch said.
Under the newly redrawn congressional map, Mobile sits in the 1st Congressional District, where Republican former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl faces Democratic nominee Clyde Jones.
Residents push on infrastructure and youth centers
Several residents, especially from Theodore, raised concerns about aging infrastructure and the lack of community centers for children in District 4.
Reynolds said the city has no current plans to build new community centers, but he believes the first step should be improving and updating the facilities that already exist.
Construction problems and project delays around the city also frustrated many in the audience. Reynolds and Amberger said the city does not always control how contractors prioritize their work and that many problems stem from limited available budget.
About District 4
Reynolds represents District 4 on the seven-member Mobile City Council, which covers much of southwest Mobile. He has been an outspoken voice on the council this year, questioning whether the city should go “all in” on a trolley grant application and, at the council’s Sept. 29 meeting, saying he hoped President Donald Trump’s visit to Mobile on Oct. 2 might bring relief from planned tolls on the new Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge.
What residents should know
- Smoke alarms: Mobile Fire-Rescue will install smoke alarms free of charge on request.
- Reporting information to police: Officials encouraged residents to share tips and home security camera footage with the Mobile Police Department.
- Voter registration deadline: Monday, Oct. 19.
- Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, when the Pay-As-You-Go program will be on the ballot.