Discussions surrounding annexation continued to heat up Tuesday.

At Tuesday’s Mobile City Council meeting, a couple of residents shared their concerns about the city’s proposal to annex territory west of Mobile, one day after the city released the results of a validation study from PFM group that largely confirmed city officials’ argument that annexation would generate more revenue than expenses for the city.

“Making Mobile bigger would not, in my opinion, make Mobile better,” Betty Shinn, a resident of Mobile said during the meeting. “Having a greater population base equates to spending more money.”

Robert Battles, a longtime community activist and former member of the Mobile County Board of Education, spoke against annexation at Tuesday’s meeting of the Mobile City Council. While discussions around annexation have been ongoing for months, the council will officially hear from PFM Group Consulting, LLC, on April 10 to discuss the study results.

Battles, who appeared with members of the Black nationalist group the Nation of Islam, argued that the city should focus on the neighborhoods it already has, rather than trying to bring in new people. He also argued that the city should survey its residents and see how they feel about annexation.