City backs annexation laws

The Rocky Mount City Council publicly has declared its support of the state law giving cities the right to annex communities such as Oak Level without a vote by the affected residents.

Rocky Mount has joined other cities throughout the state in supporting a resolution opposing some proposed amendments to the annexation laws of the state.

Several bills are being debated in the N.C. General Assembly that would change requirements for annexation, including some that require a vote of the people in areas up for annexation.

The council already has voted to annex the Oak Level community, with strong opposition from some.

On Monday night, the council voted in favor of the resolution in a 6-1 vote, with Councilman W.B. Bullock voting against it.

The resolution states that the City Council believes that residents living near a city benefit from services being paid for by the city taxpayers, and that it is unfair for city residents “to shoulder forever the burden of paying for services that benefit the wider community.”

Kathy Warren, a lead member of the Oak Level Community Against Forced Annexation, said she was not surprised that the council approved of the resolution.

The resolution was forwarded to Rocky Mount from the N.C. League of Municipalities, which is asking cities throughout the state to approve of the resolution as legislators debate different versions of annexation bills.

“It’s (passing the resolutions) what they have to do because there is a huge grassroots movement across the state that has said, 'Enough is enough. We’re tired of you using taxpayer money to fight against us to take our property,’” Warren said. “North Carolina has the worst history of property rights abuses in the nation. It’s only one of two states that don’t allow citizens a vote that are being affected by annexation.”

She added that cities are passing the resolutions because they “know their backs are against the wall, and people are tired of their rights being taken from them.”

Rocky Mount’s resolution opposes legislation that requires that residents of areas proposed to be annexed have a vote on the matter.

The resolution also urges an N.C. Senate subcommittee debating the issue to require that people be made aware of potential future annexations in real estate transactions.

Bullock said he agrees with this sentence in the resolution, but he couldn’t bring himself to vote for the overall resolution.

“I’m certainly not against annexation in many cases,” Bullock said. “In this one, (Oak Level), I have not supported involuntary annexation. I’m very torn with this situation. I’ll be glad when it comes to a resolution.”

The council’s resolution supports changes in the law offered by the N.C. League of Municipalities through N.C. House Bill 727 and Senate Bill 472.

These bills do not require a vote of the residents for the city to annex an area.

According to a press release from the league, the bills, among other things, give residents more time to request individual water and sewer extensions to their property, require that more information is released about the annexation process and require that a city provide at least two of four major services in order to annex.

Margot Christensen, public affairs director for the league, said cities should be able to involuntarily annex areas next to city limits because residents who live there often benefit from the businesses and amenities the city has to offer, but they aren’t paying for the infrastructure that attracted the amenities.

“The city is the center for jobs, economic growth in the town,” she said. “They (residents outside the city) may benefit from institutions located in a city. For instance, a hospital may be located in a city. Doctors offices are next door. Those institutions are supported in some ways by city tax dollars.”