LAUREL HILL — The City Council has deferred action on a proposed resolution defining the annexation procedure until after a Jan. 7, 2016, workshop.
The issue of having a set of rules governing how a property owner may request annexation into Laurel Hill's city limits arose after the city charged former Councilman Johnny James a $2,500 annexation fee, then the council tried to assess almost $1,000 more to cover consultant's fees.
Council Chairman Larry Hendren said the proposed resolution had nothing to do with James' situation, but was an attempt to codify the procedure to prevent similar situations.
Councilman Scott Moneypenny said he researched state statutes governing municipal annexations as well as another city's policy.
"I think we need to review what this city's done before we go deeper into annexation so we don't come across any problems in the future with fees or anything," Moneypenny said.
Moneypenny said city attorney Daniel Campbell needs to be involved in reviewing the materials and developing the resolution.
As Moneypenny distributed copies of his research, the council's newest member, Travis Dewrell, recommended that city leaders set a workshop to discuss the matter in greater detail.
Hendren, responding to a resident's question, said the reason the proposed resolution required a $6,500 annexation fee rather than the current $2,500 fee James was charged was to cover expenses including property surveys, a planning consultant and advertising costs for any necessary public hearings.
"The reason for the jump is the previous resolution was way outdated,” Hendren said.
When the resident inquired about annexation's benefits, among factors like attaining city services such as water and fire protection, Dewrell said city residents also don't have to pay Almarante Fire District's annual assessment.
"So in 65 years I'd break even with their $100 annual assessment," the resident said to laughter around the chamber.
Moneypenny said another benefit is property values are generally higher within a municipality. Having additional residents also benefits the city, he said.
"It increases the city's tax base," he said. "If development had ever taken place, that increases your population base which increases your tax base."
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill council defers annexation rules