January 29, 2008
RALEIGH – North Carolina’s annexation laws should be “significantly reformed to protect the citizens of North Carolina,” according to a Statement of Principles adopted by more than a dozen North Carolina groups, including the John Locke Foundation.
Click here to view and here to listen to Daren Bakst discussing this press release.
The groups unveiled their statement today as the N.C. House Select Committee on Municipal Annexation prepared for its first meeting. The select committee meets at 10 a.m. in Raleigh.
Existing annexation laws “are not achieving the goal of providing urban services to communities that truly need services,” according to the statement. The laws “encourage the duplication of services to communities that do not need urban services,” and they are “inherently flawed because municipalities have a disincentive to help communities most in need and have an incentive to annex communities for financial gain.”
Instead North Carolina’s annexation laws should “reflect the reality that sound urban services can be provided through private sources equally as well as government sources,” according to the statement. The laws “should provide property owners subject to possible annexation a direct and meaningful representative process to challenge the annexation,” and they “should ensure that annexations, both involuntary and voluntary, are applied in an equal manner to all individuals and communities.”
In addition to the John Locke Foundation, groups endorsing the statement are: Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina, Biltmore Lake Community Action Committee, Blue Springs-Hoke County Community Development Corporation, Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities, Cumberland County Citizens United, Fair Annexation Coalition, Good Neighbors United (Wayne County), Johnston County Citizens for Justice, North Carolina FreedomWorks/CSE, North Carolina Property Rights Coalition, North Carolina State Grange, StopNCAnnexation, StTOP (Stop the Taking of Pinewild), and Voices for Justice.
“The willingness of these groups to unite behind these basic principles demonstrates the clear need for substantive annexation reform in North Carolina,” said Daren Bakst, JLF Legal and Regulatory Policy Analyst. “All of these groups agree that North Carolina’s citizens need significant annexation reforms to protect them from the major flaws imbedded in the existing laws.”
The full text of the Statement of Principles is printed below:
Statement of Principles Regarding North Carolina’s Annexation Laws
Whereas North Carolina’s annexation laws are not achieving the goal of providing urban services to communities that truly need services;
Whereas North Carolina’s annexation laws encourage the duplication of services to communities that do not need urban services;
Whereas North Carolina’s annexation laws are inherently flawed because municipalities have a disincentive to help communities most in need and have an incentive to annex communities for financial gain;
Whereas North Carolina’s annexation laws should reflect the reality that sound urban services can be provided through private sources equally as well as government sources;
Whereas North Carolina’s annexation laws should provide property owners subject to possible annexation a direct and meaningful representative process to challenge the annexation;
Whereas North Carolina’s annexation laws should ensure that annexations, both involuntary and voluntary, are applied in an equal manner to all individuals and communities:
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the undersigned organizations, North Carolina’s annexation laws should be significantly reformed to protect the citizens of North Carolina.
Adopted January, 2008 by:
Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina
Biltmore Lake Community Action Committee
Blue Springs-Hoke County Community Development Corporation
Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities
Cumberland County Citizens United
Fair Annexation Coalition
Good Neighbors United (Wayne County)
John Locke Foundation
Johnston County Citizens for Justice
North Carolina FreedomWorks/CSE
North Carolina Property Rights Coalition
North Carolina State Grange
StopNCAnnexation
StTOP (Stop the Taking of Pinewild)
Voices for Justice
For more information, please contact Daren Bakst at (919) 828-3876 or [email protected]. To arrange an interview, contact Mitch Kokai at (919) 306-8736 or [email protected].