The forced annexation show down is slowly gathering steam in the Legislature. A public hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday, preempting a study commission at some time in the near future.
Who’s shouting their face blue in protest? Ellis Hankins, N.C. League of Municipalities’ director. In the Charlotte Observer, Hankins had this to say about the importance of forced annexation:
“Clearly, Charlotte would not be as great a city as it is without the authority to annex areas as they have developed.”
It’s no surprise that Hankins has chosen Charlotte has his poster city in the annexation debate. In no other city in the state could the semblance of success-through-money be more apparent.
Schools, transportation, tourism, police protection, taxes: all issues near and dear to residents, happily married in accord with the needs of a great city? No? Is something amiss? Yes — despite all the money that pours into these areas, the solutions, it seems, cannot be bought. Because money is not a solution.
Hankins and others would have you believe that by simply gathering more money — and annexation is a great way to do this because you can spread the tax burden over a greater population, thereby making it seem as though each individual resident is paying less for more — you can eventually buy a solution.
Heralding Charlotte-style scheduled forced annexation as a way to plan for growth and development is just a way to keep fiscal responsibility off the discussion table. By maintaining this schedule, officials insure a new infusion of money and keep their bond rating low — guaranteeing that even more money can be borrowed.
And what are the people doing? They’re stuck either paying taxes deemed necessary by the city, or what’s worse, thinking that doing so is not only necessary, but right.
