Jun 06 2008
Forced Annexation Foes Push One Year Freeze
The anti-annexation folks want the legislature to approve a one-year freeze on forced annexation. They said they did not want to be forced to pay taxes for services they don’t need.
The protesters have some legislators behind them. Forced annexation “hurts families, hurts individuals, hurts taxpayers and doesn’t benefit our community in any significant way,” said Republican Sen. Phil Berger of Eden.
Sen. Berger is correct. I can’t believe something as undemocratic as forced annexation is even allowed in this country. If I buy a house in the suburbs, I’ve chosen NOT to live in the city. And yet here comes the city, gobbling up land, annexing me without giving me any say or vote, and inevitably causing my taxes to skyrocket. It’s unbelievable!
Susan Burgess, Charlotte mayor pro tem and league president, said she did not sense any decline in legislative support for annexation.
Annexation has served the state well for nearly 50 years, she said, and is one of the reasons for the success of its cities.
Forced annexation has served Charlotte well, that’s for sure. One of the reasons I couldn’t support Pat McCrory in the primary was because of his atrocious record on this issue. He made a big deal about his record of low taxes- but neglected to mention that one of the biggest reasons he was able to keep them low was because Charlotte literally ate all its surrounding suburbs!
Residents should “participate in the support of the city from which they derive a lot of services,” she said, and cities should be ready to provide services to areas they annex.
Bull. I live in the Raleigh suburbs- not Raleigh. I contribute to Raleigh when they offer something that draws me in from the ‘burbs, such as theater, sports, restaurants, nightlife, and more. When Raleigh offers these things, I go and give them money by choice. If Raleigh doesn’t offer anything, I choose not to give them money. That’s how it works- it’s called capitalism. Raleigh doesn’t have the right to make me give it anything.
