Annexation reform desperately needed

After being forcibly annexed by Concord several years ago, a friend who had moved here 15 years ago complained about how backward and antiquated our annexation laws are. I agreed with him. I was born, raised and educated in North Carolina and am quite proud of our state, but he was right. Our annexation laws are backward and antiquated. They allow the cities to trample the rights of nearby county residents.

I told my friend that in 1958, while I was attending N.C. State, there was a big annexation fight in Raleigh but that everyone got to vote on it. We did it a better way then. But in 1959, the right to vote on annexations was stripped away, and the law is being abused by cities looking for easy sources of money to grab. We need to return to that better way that allows citizens to vote. We also need to have a moratorium on hostile annexations until the legislature can study our current law and make much needed changes to protect vulnerable citizens.

Just how bad the current annexation laws are was brought home to me recently when Salisbury made its hostile annexation attempt against us (along the N.C. 150 corridor). We defeated this money grab but only after spending thousands of dollars. N.C. citizens are against the current law. Those favoring it are city officials and the N.C. League of Municipalities. These groups get money when hostile annexations occur. This is a statewide problem, as citizens from the coast to the mountains are all fighting annexation attempts.

Three other states have annexation laws similar to ours. North Carolina should join the other 46 states and update its backward annexation laws.

Urge our legislature to support the forced annexation moratorium in HB 2367.

— Larry Wright

Salisbury

Scouting out a pizza

We, the leaders and Boy Scouts of Troop 206 of St. Enoch Church and their families, would like to thank Domino's Pizza of China Grove for most generously donating pizzas to our family night at Camp Barnhardt. Thank you for supporting the Boy Scouts and your community. We will be supporting the friendly and generous people at this Dominos in return. Thank on behalf of everyone involved with our troop.

— Mike Wilson

Kannapolis

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