Staff and wire reports
Lawmakers reforming North Carolina’s involuntary annexation law are keeping a proposal allowing residents to vote on urban expansion under limited conditions.
With contingents from Rowan County on hand, a House budget committee decided Tuesday to allow a local vote on whether a city should annex neighboring property and then tax it.
But lawmakers refused to lower a relatively high barrier requiring signatures from 15 percent of voters in the annexing city before triggering a referendum.
North Carolina is one of a handful of states which allows cities to expand against property owners’ wishes.
People have complained for years about feeling cheated by being forced to pay city taxes they didn’t want. Municipal leaders believe the law has kept cities healthy.
An amendment to delete the referendum requirement was defeated by a 43-39 vote.
Several other amendments that would have decreased the number of signatures required to call for a referendum also were defeated.
The N.C. League of Municipalities continues to oppose the Omnibus Annexation reform bill because it includes the referendum provision.
Opponents of forced annexation in North Carolina also have trouble with the 15 percent petition requirement of registered voters in the annexing city because it would be tough to achieve, especially in the larger cities.
The bill is scheduled to be heard on the House floor today.
A dozen people representing Good Neighbors of Rowan County attended the House Appropriations Committee meeting Tuesday. Rowan County Commissioner Tina Hall also was in Raleigh, supporting the group.
Salisbury Planning and Community Development Director Joe Morris and Doug Paris, assistant to the city manager in Salisbury, were in the committee audience, too.
The Good Neighbors group successfully fought a 2008 annexation attempt by Salisbury along the N.C. 150 corridor.
Carl Eagle, vice president of the Good Neighbors group, reported Tuesday that Rep. Lorene Coates, D-Rowan, “was a strong backer of retaining the referendum and spoke in its defense.”
“Rep. (Fred) Steen was also a strong supporter,” Eagle said of the Landis Republican.