Annexation is part of our general plan myself and many other residents didn't understand. However, this part of our plan is important and will be coming up for discussion to some degree on for combined meeting on the 12th with the Planning Commission, City Council and Staff.
Our Annexation Map - What is it?
You will see our annexation map included with our other general plan maps.
The areas that are in blue are parcels that are currently in unincorporated lands, not belonging to any surrounding cities. Should the owners decide to bring in any type of development they will need access to utilities and services. This is when annexation comes into play. The property owner will approach the city(ies) who have their property part of their annexation plan. It is common for neighboring cities to have the same properties on their annexation plans. For example, many of the lands that are in blue on the south side of our city are also included in Layton City's annexation plans. If the city chooses to annex, it is *not* buying that property. It simply agrees to provided services (water, sewer, storm drainage, road maintenance, emergency, etc.) to that land and in exchange that whatever revenue that development brings in - be it residential or commerical - will go to that city.
Property Owners & Annexation
Annexation will not happen unless the property owner requests it. There are some rare cases the city can request to annex property, but none of the parcels in our situation fall under those special circumstances. Annexation is a case by case basis, requiring formal request from the property owner, a review by the city, and time for open public comment (possibly including open houses) before a final decision is made. A city is not required to approve a request for annexation. A city will review the impact said development will have. This includes any revenue from the development (taxes) as well as the costs it will put on the city (services and utilities). In the case that 2 cities have a property on their annexation plans, the property owner has final say of which city who chooses to annex with.
Why This Matters
The properties that are in our annexation plans will be coming into discussion at the next meeting concerning our general plan because roads and access to these properties will need to have a plan, particularly for the property that lies at the south side of our city near Layton. The property that lies at the top of our slopes is currently in unincorporated territory. There are several different owners to these parcels.
The concern is that if these property owners choose to annex into South Weber, we will need to be able to provide them services and utilities, and a road for access will be required. While South Bench Drive is looking to be a dead issue, 1900 E would still make the most sense to connect. While some may argue we don't need or want to connect to Layton, others will argue that the amount of potential revenue that could come to South Weber should we annex these properties could be significant. Planning for future growth is a discussion that needs to happen.
Some of these properties will likely fall to South Weber on the basis of gravity. Layton will not want to annex because they lie below their city. It will cost Layton a great deal of money to pump sewage up hill for example. Should there ever be a problem and flooding occurs, Layton will be liable for whatever flows down into South Weber. Some have concerns that if we do not connect 1900 E we will lose the opportunity to annex. This means that we will have no control over what development occurs because Layton will get to decide.
These concerns, along with others I am sure will be part of the discussion of our general plan. If you have thoughts or comments, please make sure to email them to our city officials. We will not have the opportunity for public comment at this meeting, but we will be able to give more feedback when the general plan is opened back up to the public. If you aren't able to make it to the meeting I will do a recap that evening.
If you would like to learn more about annexation, I found this article helpful.
Below is the agenda for this meeting on the 12th. It will be at Highmark at 6:00 pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment