By Shavonne Potts
Salisbury Post
ROCKWELL ó Rowan County residents west of Rockwell may not be the town’s only new taxpayers if proposed annexations occur.
In addition to an annexation westward from the town’s limits to Nazareth Home Road, Rockwell officials are considering a smaller area extending eastward along Main Street from the corporate limits toward Eastern Avenue.
The eastern areas included in the proposal are the Huntington Ridge Drive area, Sunshine Manufacturing, Paul Road and one or two other homes located on U.S. 52, according to a March 10 report.
That annexation would add 127 people on 88 parcels to the town’s 2,015 current citizens, according to the report.
The area under consideration west of town is larger, with 301 parcels and 532 people, according to an annexation report for that area.
A public information meeting on the proposed annexations is set for April 10, with a public hearing April 28. Both meetings will be held at town hall and will begin at 7 p.m.
Town Clerk Sue Morton said Tuesday that Rockwell mailed letters a couple of weeks ago to people who would be affected by the annexations and has gotten telephone calls from about four people concerning the matter.
As with the western annexation area, the smaller eastern area would bring the town additional revenue and expense.
Property tax revenue would increase by $33,680 and the town’s portion of the local option sales tax would go up by $11,007, according to the annexation report. Rockwell would also get $5,651 more in utility franchise tax reimbursements, $3,029 more in Powell Bill funds and $2,062 more in motor vehicle taxes.
Added expenses would include $14,704 annually for five years to the Rockwell Rural Fire Department for loss of fire tax revenue in areas it currently covers that would come under the town’s fire protection and a $10,800 yearly cost for a new part-time firefighter.
Other additional costs would include $2,133 for patrolling about 1.5 miles of new streets, $1,858 for streetlights and $1,646 in administrative costs.
Salisbury provides water and sewer service to Rockwell, but Alderman Bill Ridenhour said this week that Salisbury will not extend lines to the newly annexed areas. Under state law, the services must be provided to annexed areas, so the town would have to foot the bill for that also, he said.
The Centralina Council of Governments prepared the annexation study for Rockwell. The organization is also managing Salisbury’s planned annexation of areas along N.C. 150 west of the city.
Residents in that area are fighting the annexation and Rowan County commissioners have joined them by hiring a law firm and asking the state for a moratorium on annexations while the General Assembly considers making changes to current law.
Contact Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253 or spotts@salisburypost.com.