Annexation talk stirs

<p>Mayor Sam Jones&amp;#8217;s new motto might be Veni Vidi Vici. I came, I saw, I conquered. And it appears the Mayor&amp;#8217;s new annexation plan has kicked off with stellar success.

Already people – in one case an entire subdivision – are flooding City Council chambers begging to be included in the Port City. At the Aug. 19 City Council meeting, not a single person spoke against annexation in any of the four proposed parcels, but about 50 strong from Theodore literally stood up in support of annexation. Two other individuals spoke in favor and promised more next week. The Mayor was there beaming. Yet there appear to be strong undercurrents of dissent, especially in Semmes and Tillman’s Corner. One problem with the dissent is many of the people against annexation do not live in proposed areas – they live on the other side of a boundary, (for example west of Highway 90) or too far past the boundary, as in Semmes and Theodore – and therefore they will not have a vote in the matter. This doesn’t mean they can’t attend meetings and voice their opinion, but no vote. In the case of Semmes, the Mayor doesn’t want the mid or back end, just the part around the Wal-Mart Super Center. But is that Semmes? In response to a group organizing incorporation he told a P-R reporter that isn’t Semmes – the Welcome to Semmes sign is a mile down the road. Mayor Jones, who has mastered the art of side-stepping adversity, has a cookie-cutter flair. The beauty is it’s pure simplicity. Find out who wants in the club and pencil them in like an island. The island can have any shape. It’s called micro-annexation, and it works – usually – because it excludes most of those you suspect are going to vote against joining the city. Can you do that? Apparently so, and the legal basis is likely supported by residents and businesses in these areas asking the city to bring them in. But last year a state House committee in North Carolina voted 10-2 for a one-year moratorium on involuntary annexations – the taking of land that is not contiguous to existing city limits. A couple in Pinewald sued to stop annexation, arguing it constituted an "illegal taking," prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. What cannot be denied is the perks of being in the city, especially if outside the city you have to pay for them, like garbage and trash pickup. As I was writing this morning a street sweeper came plowing down my street. If a street light goes out I call the city. I have a lot of trees, and in winter pine straw and leaves. Hauling it off myself is time-consuming and I have to pay the landfill guys who have raised their prices because of fuel costs. In the city I just put it in garbage bags and stack it on the curb – twice a month, no extra charge. I have better police and fire protection than many residents in the county. It’s very hard to argue against these amenities. I guess one question is why doesn’t the county offer these services and collect a two or three cent sales tax to pay for it? Many want to live outside the city to escape regulations against farm animals, zoning codes, costlier business license and tax, higher property tax and regulations governing home-based businesses to name a few. Twice in the past West Mobile has tried to incorporate but failed. Semmes is now trying to incorporate, but such an effort will be tough since signatures of over 50 percent of residents must be acquired. They are also up against the neutrals – don’t care either way, but not going to sign anything, need to mull it over. The Mayor might have a tough time winning Semmes for the City, and Tillman’s Corner could also prove a challenge. There are strong pockets of support for annexation, in subdivisions Wellington, King’s Branch and Wynnfield. Dominion is also included, but no one spoke on their behalf on the 19th. Apparently people in these subdivisions got the ball rolling. County Commissioners Dean and Nodine are against the annexation. Logically they would be, as annexation eats away at their voter base, and perhaps they do not have confidence in the city to serve their more rural-based constituents. Nodine has said publicly the Mayor is handpicking tax-rich parcels, leaving thousands of residents outside the zone. Dean lives in one of the dead zones, just on the other side of a boundary and even he will not have a vote in the matter. Merceria Ludgood is neutral or willing to let the people decide; no part of her District 1 has been pegged for annexation. There is some indication Jones is going after certain tax bases, leaving thousands of residents on the periphery. Commercially the city would win a Wal-Mart Super Center, a Winn-Dixie, hundreds of Tillman’s Corner businesses and hundreds of Theodore businesses, especially along industrial-rich Rangeline Road. New city residents will have to adhere to the stronger city zoning and building codes, whereas in the county you can pretty much build what you want. On the positive side for some upscale homeowners the city can stop mobile homes from being parked near their properties, leaving the question where are poor people going to live? One might say they are being pushed over the state line. Finally, does the city have other motives besides reaching out and spreading good will to the folks who called and asked to be annexed? It’s hard not to consider the obligation in the ThyssenKrupp deal. A loan of $33.5 million, given to the steel maker, will have to be paid back by the city through selling of bonds, (selling debt and paying the buyer back with interest), which even if successful, may not garner the almost $55 million needed to pay off a 20-year loan at about 4.8 percent. Northrup-Grumman is promised $2 million a year for five years, and interest on that loan will also increase the burden. It causes one to believe the city needs money, especially in the near future and now is the time to find ways to get it. The ability to tax thousands of new citizens at 2 cents on every dollar, will add up to some nice change, even if the city is picking up the trash and mowing right of ways.