Letter From The Mayor OCTOBER 7th 2025
- Robby Howard
- Oct 7
- 4 min read
October 7, 2025
Dear Residents of Morris,
I hope this letter finds you well. As your mayor, it is an honor and privilege to have served this community for the past 21 years. As we wind down the current term that ends in November, I want to highlight some accomplishments over the past five years. The progress made would not have been possible without the strong cooperation and support of our elected officials, Planning and Zoning Board members, city staff, and community.
I am especially pleased to share some recognition we have recently received:
The City of Morris Master Plan has been nominated for the 2025 Alabama APA Planning Awards.
The City is honored to have been accepted into the Innovate Alabama Network. In the recently released 2025 Niche rankings, Morris was ranked number 2 of 117 Best Place to Buy a House in the Birmingham area, number 5 of 95 Best Suburbs to Buy a House in Alabama, number 25 of 95 Best Suburbs to Raise a Family in Alabama. Other Morris rankings can be found at Niche.com
Accomplishments would not have been possible without approximately $1.5 million in grants received during this term.
Snapshot of Accomplishments of City Leadership:
Public Safety Initiatives:
Full time Fire Chief was hired and 24/7 paid coverage by Paramedics and EM Ts was established
A fire station addition has been built that provides a public receiving area for health concerns as well as living and office space for on-duty firefighters.
The police and fire departments continue to receive updated equipment and vehicles.
The Storm Shelter was built and serves as a safe place for the public during severe storm events.
Infrastructure Improvements:
Major road repaving projects have been completed.
Sewer access has been expanded into the downtown area to encourage and facilitate business growth.
An Advanced Planning Program and Logistical Engineering (APPLE) Study has been completed that will guide future traffic and pedestrian projects including sidewalks and crosswalks.
Community:
New events have been established including Friday Night Food Trucks, Morris Chili Fest, Children's Festival and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival.
The Children's Playground was completed in 2023
A pavilion for outside workspace and events is being built next to the North Jefferson Innovation Center. A stage is planned for the walking park to provide a space for entertainment.
Recently acquired Turkey Creek property will be developed into a new park for creek access.
Other investments in the community include support for our schools, Morris Youth Association, North Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, and the newly created Impact Arts Council.
Growth:
Although the city limits have expanded with the annexation of two new beautiful subdivisions, City leadership is focused on the need to ensure growth is in the best interest of Morris. As a result several actions have been taken to ensure commercial and residential growth is beneficial to the citizens and enhances our great community.
The Morris Planning and Zoning Board completely revised all zoning regulations as well as residential and commercial requirements. This was an extensive effort that produced regulations essential to guiding development and creating an orderly plan for growth while protecting health, safety, and property values of the community.
The City has engaged a number of professionals to ensure the highest level of performance. These include engineers, accountants, attorneys, consultants, as well as a strategic commercial development advisory firm to help identify and recruit new businesses.
The recently established North Jefferson Innovation Center will be a hub for business classes, events, and space for startups and new businesses to grow.
These accomplishments are representative of what we can achieve when we all work together with a shared vision and civic pride. Morris is unique and leadership strives to carefully maintain the quaint small town charm, history, and community that make our city a wonderful place to live. There is more work to be done and as we look to the future and a new term in office, we will continue to strive toward improvements to enhance the lives of our citizens. Your input and involvement will remain key as we move forward. The accomplishments mentioned above are just a few examples of the work completed over the past five years. A comprehensive listing of all achievements during this term is available at City Hall.
My hope is that this letter provides you information about the success of the past term as well as insight into some of the exciting things planned for the future. I encourage residents to shop local as dollars spent in Morris go toward maintaining and improving our streets, parks, and public safety. Also working together toward maintaining a clean city with no littering and property cleanup helps us keep Morris beautiful. I am proud of all our accomplishments and continue to look forward and am excited about our future. My door is always open for any concerns or questions you may have. Thank you for your trust, cooperation, and your dedication in helping to make life better for those who call Morris home.
Respectfully,
Joe Pylant
Mayor, City of Morris
Council Members:
Kathy Bolton
McKay Lyvers
Clark Raymond
Rusty Ward
Linda Willis
Former council members this term: Daniel Branum, Allen Sanders, Jack Womack
Planning and Zoning Board Members:
David Reilly, Chairman
Wanda Cantrell
Linda Butler
Jim McCool
Lynn Young
McKay Lyvers (Council Representative)
Joe Pylant (Mayor)
Jim Doss, Land Development Coordinator Click Here To See The Original Letter In .PDF Format
