Bill won’t kill annex plans

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January 14, 2010

Anonymous The Kokomo Tribune Thu Jan 14, 2010, 07:23 PM EST

State Sen. Jim Buck has opposed Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight’s annexation plan since its unveiling in April 2008. Though the Kokomo Common Council cut about 2 square miles from the West Side Ordinance that included Buck’s home, it was no surprise when the then-freshman senator told us in July 2008 he would propose a bill to make it more difficult for cities to annex.

He fulfilled that promise – and improved it this year.

Buck’s bill for the 2010 General Assembly would put a 10-year limit on any waiver of remonstrance signed after June 30, 2010.

Last year, Buck’s first attempt at addressing annexation also would’ve:

• Reduced the number of signatures required on an annexation remonstrance petition from at least 65 percent of property owners to 51 percent.

• Mandated cities have a revised fiscal plan in place before final passage of an annexation ordinance.

The Kokomo Republican’s 2010 bill is a vast improvement upon an anti-annexation measure from the 2008 legislative session. That bill passed the Senate but thankfully was defeated in the House. It would’ve terminated waivers homeowners already had signed, promising not to fight future annexation in return for city sewers and other services.

Had the plan passed, it could’ve retarded home construction across the state.

Let’s say Developer X approaches the City of Kokomo with a plan to develop housing within several acres adjacent to the city. The developer wants city sewers extended to the proposed subdivision.

Why? Developer X can subdivide the acreage into smaller lots. Homes with septic systems require much more land to allow for leach fields.

Under the 2008 bill, what motivation would the city have to extend sewer and water? Without the possibility of eventually capturing more tax money through annexation, the city might pass on Developer X’s plan.

And without city services, Developer X might scrap the planned subdivision altogether. His return on investment would be reduced significantly if he had to account for leach fields.

Two years ago, we cautioned Buck to be careful while crafting language for his first annexation bill. He was.

Though his new bill makes annexation a bit more problematic for cities, it also encourages them to annex sooner rather than later those areas receiving services.

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