LOXLEY, Alabama — Officials with the town of Loxley say they are willing to work with developers of a local subdivision to provide water service, but say they need more time to put a system in place.

Richard Davis and Grant Rish with Stonebridge subdivision met with officials at the council’s regular monthly meeting on Jan. 8, presenting plans for the next phases of the subdivision, which are scheduled for construction over the coming months.

The subdivision was part of the former Golden Triangle development, which connects U.S. 31 and Alabama 59. In order to connect the subdivision with existing water lines it would take about a mile and a half of additional water line, officials said at the Monday meeting.

Last June, the council tabled plans for road maintenance after attorney Shawn Alves expressed concerns about the plans, later approving the road maintenance plan in October.

Officials said they are in negotiations with another utility company to provide water to the subdivision, asking that those plans not be made public until the negotiations are complete.

At the Jan. 8 meeting, subdivision officials presented a timeline of when they would need water service to the subdivision, stating that the first deadline would need to be June 30.

“Our goal is to have water to our customers at that point,” Davis said. “What we need from the town is to have an agreement in place that we will have that.”

What followed was a lengthy discussion with town officials countering that once negotiations are complete, it could take up to six to seven months to run the necessary water lines to the property, meaning that it could be July or August before a water system could be in place.

“In all of our talks so far, we’ve been told September, which is feasible,” said engineer Denise King with Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, “but if we need to have water out there by June, that’s definitely going to be a problem.”

That was followed by a discussion of whether or not a complete water system would need to be in place, or that only enough water would be needed to test the system before beginning road construction in the subdivision.

“We just need to get to a consensus of when we need to have everything in place and what is feasible for us to accomplish,” said Mayor Billy Middleton. “We want to do what’s best for you, and what’s best for the town. That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”

In other business Jan. 8, the council:

•Adopted an ordinance approving a petition for annexation by Kevin and Ashley Barnhill. Officials said once the annexation is complete, the Barnhills would have to come before the town’s Planning Commission to approve zoning for the property.

•Renewed the town’s sign advertisement at the Robertsdale High School baseball complex at a cost of $400.

•Approved a sponsorship request from Rosinton School for the annual Armadillo Dash in March at a cost of $150.

•Approved the 2018 election of officers for the Loxley Volunteer Fire Department.

•Approved the repair of a pump for a well for the town’s Utilities Department. Superintendent of Utilities Scott Bankester said the pump is currently not operation and it would take a couple of months to fix at a cost of a little over $21,000, adding that right now is the best time for the pump to be down.

•Approve payment of a bill with Aramark for workers’ compensation through the Alabama League of Municipalities at a cost of $2,395.07.