On June 24 the Kannapolis City Council will consider the remote annexation of approximately 124 acres located on the Cabarrus/Mecklenburg county line off of Shiloh Church Road in Cabarrus County. This annexation is not in the best interest of Kannapolis taxpayers, Cabarrus County school children or the residents in the annexation area. Objections to the annexation go much deeper than lifestyle; they are about safety, financial management and taxpayers’ ability to pay.
Once again schools in western Cabarrus are at or approaching capacity enrollment. The expected zoning for the 124 acres is 3.3 residential units per acre, or approximately 406 houses. At an estimated .8 children per house, this will bring in an additional 325 students. All Cabarrus taxpayers are responsible for school debt.
Shiloh Church Road was not designed or built to handle the traffic load. Council members have said that roads are not their responsibility. They are correct. Paying for roads is taxpayers’ responsibility; safety is theirs. If the road is improved, you will pay for it. Until the road is improved children will be on school busses careening on a winding, hilly, narrow road that was not designed to handle the traffic of all the subdivisions already approved by Kannapolis. School buses and dump trucks, concrete trucks, delivery trucks, and trades trucks will be competing for space.
Kannapolis taxpayers just got hit with an increase in city taxes and water rates. Residential construction does not pay for itself and does not bring in permanent jobs. You will bear the cost of increased demand for fire, police, school construction, road construction and 911 services. You guarantee the debt. This is being done in your name. Even while Kannapolis is considering assuming new debt, it is lobbying the state and federal government for grants because of a downgrade in Kannapolis’ credit rating. This is not good financial management, especially in a doubtful economy when so many taxpayers are stretched so thin. Only you, the Kannapolis voter can stop this.
— Marlynn Burns

Concord