After weeks of discussion during town hall meetings, Selmont residents formed a citizens council Thursday to address problems and crime on the eastern side of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. 

During its Thursday meeting, the group officially decided on a name — Selmont Concerned Citizens — and elected officers, one of which is Dallas County Commissioner Connel Towns. Towns was elected to the group’s parliamentarian position.

Its top two elected leaders are Belinda Huff as president and Sonya Mills-McCall as assistant president.

Positions were chosen by a member volunteering or a recommendation.

Selmont Concerned Citizens’ next priority should be extending its reach to other area residents and addressing pressing issues, said New Selmont Baptist Church pastor David Perry.

“We are the gate to Selma,” Perry said. “You have to come through a gate that’s broken to get into Selma and it makes you think twice about investing in the community.”

The group won’t have any actual authority to enforce laws or draft ordinances. Though, Towns said he would attend meetings as often as possible and bring concerns to the Dallas County Commission. But even the Dallas County Commission may need some help to tear down crumbling houses and remove abandoned cars from streets.

“One of the bigger issues for the county commission is that we do not have power; we do not have the power to make people do stuff on private property,” Towns said.

Towns said he secured a commitment from State Rep. Darrio Melton (D-Selma) to introduce a bill giving Dallas County power associated with home rule.

Among other things, ome rule allows counties to pass ordinances like a city.

Currently, decisions such as pay raises for the sheriff or tearing down abandoned houses needs an act of the Alabama Legislature.

“We have all kinds of mom and pop junk yards popping up everywhere,” Towns said. “We pray and hope that the Legislature will pass a bill to give the county commissioners the power to enforce some codes in this town.”

The group’s next meeting will be at Thursday, Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. at New Selmont Baptist Church.