DAPHNE, Alabama— The Daphne City Council set a public hearing date concerning the zoning and annexation of the property behind Tiawasee Trace that is set to become The Retreat at Tiawasee.

Residents of Tiawasee Trace are concerned over traffic and access issues with the proposed development. The Retreat at Tiawasee would not have its own access to the main road, County Road 13. Residents are also upset over the planned use of the Tiawasee name.

“An additional development should not be allowed to use the name Tiawasee when the planning isn’t consistent with the current Tiawasee developments,” the Tiawasee Trace Property Owner’s Association President Page Mims said. “ We are a small planned community trying to preserve our green space, our beautiful natural setting and our unique community spirit.”

It was announced at the city council meeting that the public hearing is set for Jan. 22

When giving his department report, Police Chief David Carpenter addressed the council about Baldwin County School Superintendent Alan Lee’s proposed new plan to have an armed officer in every school. Carpenter told the council that the police department was running the numbers to see if any extra officers would need to be hired to accommodate Lee’s plan and how much it would cost the city.

Fire Chief James White told the council that the fire department had collected 150 toys for needy kids for Christmas. White said he was proud to say that the fire department would be matching those 150 toys bringing the total amount collected to 300 toys.

During public participation, Willie Robison, a member of the Board of Zoning Adjustments, asked the city council to consider moving the Jan. 7 council meeting to a different day because “that’s a holiday.” On Jan. 7 the Alabama Crimson Tide will play Notre Dame for the BCS National Championship. Council members did not vote to reschedule the meeting but did promise to cut the meeting short so everyone could get home before the game starts.

The council ended the meeting by going into an executive session. City attorney Jay Ross stated the reason for the session was to discuss some pending litigation.