Annexation proposal would add 17,000 people
MICHELLE CROUCH
Staff Writer
Once again, Charlotte is on the move.
A year after its last annexation, city leaders want
to gobble up more than 9,100 acres -- home to more than 17,000 people --
next year.
The annexation proposal, released in a recent report
to the Charlotte City Council, would add 14.3 square miles to the city,
increasing its size by 5 percent.
It would also extend city limits to Cabarrus County
for the first time.
"Annexations keep the city healthy," said
council member Malcolm Graham, whose University City district includes
several newly annexed areas. "You've got all these citizens using the
city's services without being a part of it. So it's good to make them pay
for what they're getting."
Annexations are almost always controversial --
mainly because property taxes often double for the city's new residents.
Already Sunday, homeowners in the targeted areas
were vowing to fight incorporation.
"I came out here to get away from the city, and
now here's the city coming after me," said Lee Garrett, 62, who has
lived in the Steele Creek area for 18 years. "They don't really want
me. They just want my money."
Garrett, who lives in a wood frame country-style
home on four acres, said he doesn't need garbage pickup or city water and
sewer service. His septic system works just fine, he said, and "I
know my well water tastes better than that city stuff."
Homeowners who fight annexation rarely succeed,
however.
N.C. law, unlike that in many states, lets cities
annex areas that meet certain criteria, such as a population density of
2.3 people per acre, without residents' consent.
For the last decade, Charlotte has been expanding
its borders every other year. By absorbing new land and people, Charlotte
has been able to constantly expand its property tax base, which has
allowed the city to keep a steady tax rate for 17 years.
But only about 100 square miles remain that are
eligible for incorporation, the city's annexation coordinator said. After
that, city leaders will likely either have to increase taxes or more
closely manage the budget.
This year's annexation proposal targets eight areas
in the city's sprawling suburbs, including fast-growing areas in southwest
Mecklenburg's Steele Creek area and the Old Stone Crossing neighborhood in
northeast Mecklenburg.
The city considered five of this year's proposed
areas in 2001, but they didn't qualify then, said annexation coordinator
Jonathan Wells.
"Quite candidly, those rooftops weren't there
last time around," Wells said. "The best example may be Old
Stone Crossing. It was just bare naked pasture land two years ago. Now
there are literally hundreds of homes out there."
Property owners in the proposed areas will be
officially notified in June. The City Council will get a report on the
areas in July, with a public hearing scheduled for Oct. 11. The council
will vote in November.
If the annexation is approved, the areas will become
part of the city on June 30, 2005.
City Council member Graham said the biggest
challenge will be making sure the city can provide appropriate service to
new areas.
"We do a pretty good job with garbage pickup
and new fire stations," he said. "But what we really struggle
with is roads. A lot of these areas are having tremendous growth, but they
still have farmer's market roads."
Growing City
17,506 people
9,151 acres
7,494 homes
14.3 square miles
