As much as real annexation reform is needed and the grassroots are making a difference, politicians are doing a lot of talking about reform, but not much else.
The Republicans like to claim that they are for real annexation reform. Yet recent evidence proves otherwise.
The worst gubernatorial candidate on annexation reform by far was the Republican candidate, Pat McCrory.
Who is the only Senator to have introduced a comprehensive and real annexation reform bill (SB 494)? That would be Senator Shaw (D-Cumberland).
The bill was introduced a month ago, and guess how many Senate Republicans have signed onto this bill? You guessed it, absolutely none! The Democrats are no better in terms of sign-ons–not one Democrat has signed onto SB 494.
On the House side:
Both Republican and Democrats have introduced a House version of Shaw’s bill (HB 645). The bill has a paltry 10 sponsors.
Other bills that exist are the League/Rand bills (SB 472 and HB 727). These bills don’t address any of the needed reforms: municipliaties wouldn’t have to provide meaningful services, there would be no oversight over municipalities in the annexation process, and there would be no vote. Obviously, these bills are a joke.
It is worth noting that HB 727 (the House version of the League/Rand bill) also has 10 sponsors: 6 Democrats and 4 Republicans–a bipartisan insult to anyone interested in annexation reform.
There are other sham bills, like Clodfelter’s SB 711 that is sponsored by two Democrats, Clodfelter and Swindell, and one Republican, Senator Hartsell. This bill actually would make it expressly clear that municipalities don’t have to provide water and sewer to annexation victims.
There are a few champions in the legislature on annexation reform on both sides of the aisle–it seems everyone else is too interested in politics.
