The House Select Committee on Municipal Annexation will soon submit a bill to the House concerning forced annexation.  The
bill, as it was originally passed
by the committee, was supposed to include a moratorium on both Involuntary
and Satellite annexation.  However, a moratorium on Satellite
annexation was curiously absent.  The committee seems to have
submitted something other than what they voted on. The language of the
bill was as follows:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to adopt a moratorium on involuntary
annexations, as RECOMMENDED by the House Select Committee on MUNICIPAL
Annexation.



The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:


SECTION 1. No resolution of consideration, resolution of intent, or
annexation ordinance may be adopted under Parts 2 or 3 of Article 4A of
Chapter 160A of the General Statutes from the date this act becomes law
until June 30, 2009. If any annexation proceeding has been initiated
under those Parts prior to the date this act becomes effective but the
annexation ordinance has not yet been adopted, any provision of law
requiring any action or notice by the municipality or any person within
a certain period of time is tolled during the suspension of authority
provided by this section.


SECTION 2. An annexation ordinance adopted under Parts 2 or 3 of
Article 4A of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes that has an
effective date on or after the day this act becomes law shall not
become effective until after June 30, 2009, unless the municipality by
ordinance adopts a new effective date later than June 30, 2009 for the
annexation ordinance. An annexation ordinance that was adopted under
Parts 2 or 3 of Article 4A of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes
prior to the effective date of this act and is the subject of
litigation in any court on the effective date of this act shall not
become effective until after June 30, 2009, unless the municipality by
ordinance adopts a new effective date later than June 30, 2009 for the
annexation ordinance.


SECTION 3. This act shall not apply to any annexation ordinance adopted
under Parts 2 or 3 of Article 4A of Chapter 160A of the General
Statutes that has an effective date on or before the day this act
becomes law, if the ordinance is not yet effective solely due to
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.


SECTION 4. If any municipality has adopted its budget ordinance for the
2008-2009 fiscal year prior to the date this act becomes effective and
the total amount of assessed valuation estimated in that budget
ordinance has been reduced because of this act, the municipality may
amend the budget ordinance to account for this act including
establishment of a different tax rate.


SECTION 5. This act is effective when it becomes law.
 

It’s nice to know that our
representatives are fully willing to bypass the legislative process on
an issue as important as annexation.