The board had defused much of the fireworks by making dramatic cuts in the proposed annexation during a meeting last week. The initial plan took in 508 acres and 900 residents with assessed property value of $32 million. The cost of extending water and sewer service to those areas was projected at $6 million.

The new plan takes in 154 acres with 311 residents and a property value of $14 million.

One alderman said the town has, in effect, created a moratorium on growth with its dilapidated sewer and water system.

At the outset, Mayor Joseph Sloop told the nearly 75 people attending that the board isn’t ready to vote on any annexation plan. He said more meetings and more information are needed.

Before and after the session, residents looked closely at large maps, showing the original annexation areas, and the new scaled-down areas.

Some speakers, including former Mayor Jim Morton, encouraged the town to go forward with annexation as a way of controlling growth. He urged the board to take a pro-active stance in preparing to deal with growth.

Some residents in the areas proposed for annexation wanted to know what benefits they will get.

“What does the town offer me I don’t have,” asked Casey Karriker of Miller Road.

“We do not want to be annexed,” said Jerry Huffman, one of the owners of Grove Supply on U.S. 29. Huffman said he sees no benefits to his business, but he will have to pay more taxes.

Huffman warned that while the town is casting about trying to land big businesses, officials need to think about small businessmen.

Richard Deal, a member of the Planning Board, warned against “stretching ourselves too thin.”

Deal worried aloud that if the town saddles itself with too much debt, it will be unable to seize opportunities that might arise, such as a providing water and sewer to a new industry that might want to move nearby.

Luke Hamady said he is happy with town services and believes he is getting value for his tax dollars.

“Act decisively, act boldly,” advised Hamady. He said he is willing to pay more taxes if needed. “If we can only act as a poor town, we will be a poor town.”

“Move to Charlotte,” suggested a spectator.

Former aldermen and longtime critics of the town board got in their shots.

Harold Coley said the town’s seniors can’t afford higher taxes or higher water bills. He recalled that 10 years ago the water and sewer bill was $10 for three months. Coley said last month he paid $49.

He said he knows of one elderly resident who can’t afford to heat his house. He said the person gets in an old car and sits there for hours for the warmth.

Former Aldermen Rachel Masagee and Troy Elliott also expressed concern for seniors.

Masagee criticized Benchmark, the Kannapolis-based firm which provides planing services. Elliott criticized overall management of the town, citing increases in the tax base. “Somebody is not managing our money,” said Elliott.

Later, Elliott agreed with Alderman Vernon Johnson that previous town boards had failed to keep up the sewer and water systems. “I couldn’t get nothing done when I was on the board,” said Elliott.

Bill Duston, a planner from Centralina Council of Governments, made a pitch for annexation, saying the town can hold down taxes and fees by increasing its tax base.

Duston warned against playing the game of annexing before somebody else gets it. He suggested trying to get written agreements with Landis and Salisbury, instead of getting into a territory battle.

The mayor encouraged board members and the public not to rehash history and try to blame the current problems on past action or inaction.

Nonetheless, history came up.

Johnson, who heads the Public Works Department, read off a list of seven problem areas that he encountered when he was elected to the board in 1997. He cited substandard sewer lines, lack of fire protection in some areas, an antiquated lift station and a dilapidated sewer trunk system that is taking in thousands of gallons of rainwater.

Alderman John Miller said the town has used sales tax money to keep water and sewer rates low. Miller traced the usage of sales tax funds from the 1960s through 1998.

During the last fiscal year, the town used $101,000 in sales tax money to help pay for water and sewer services. The town took in $1.2 million from water and sewer customers, but paid out more than $1.3 million to Landis for water, Salisbury for sewer treatment and other costs.

Engineers and planners praised the town’s effort to replace and upgrade its water and sewer system.

Don Garbrick, president of J.N. Pease, the Charlottte engineering firm, said the town is positioning itself for growth.

While town maintenance workers did much of the sewer and water work years ago, that’s not feasible or permitted by the state now, Garbrick said.