As Gardendale officials prepare for the next steps in forming their new school system after Tuesday’s property-tax referendum, some Mt. Olive residents is taking the next step on possibly annexing the unincorporated community into Gardendale.

MO Matters, a group organized to promote annexation, will hold a meeting next Monday, Nov. 18, in the Camelia Room of the Gardendale Civic Center. Those who support an annexation effort, or who would like more information, are invited to attend.

Under state law, a Gardendale city school system would only be able to include by default students who live within the city limits. As part of the Jefferson County Schools system, children who attend Mt. Olive Elementary School move on to Bragg Middle and Gardendale High schools. That status may be disrupted with the new system, however, depending on whether the newly-appointed Gardendale Board of Education allows Mt. Olive students to be grandfathered into the new system.

MO Matters’ effort is not without opposition; a Facebook group called “Mount Olive Residents Against Annexing into Gardendale” has already attracted 128 members as of Thursday afternoon, compared to 536 for MO Matters.