Annexation load on residents' shoulders

By Staff
May 24, 2004
The city of Meridian's decision to drop the G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Industrial Park from its current annexation plans has several ramifications:
First, various commercial interests now in the park will not be subject to higher city taxes something they told officials weeks ago would be detrimental to their operations;
Second, prospective new businesses interested in the Montgomery Industrial Park can be recruited without the added load of city taxes;
Third, the shadow cast by the proposed annexation now falls mostly on residential communities as the city reaches out to touch what its officials call the city's "natural growth pattern." The plan now includes more than 600 homes and less than 50 businesses. Not all of these communities are as upscale as Eagle Pointe and Briarwood Country Club, but they all can be certain their taxes will go up. Eventually, maybe a decade or so from now, they might even see improved services, which residents say they neither need nor want.
The group most active in fighting annexation Citizens Against Annexation is aggressively raising money to cover legal costs and plans to make its strongest arguments at an Aug. 2 trial. The city will be armed with its strongest arguments, too.
This is going to be an interesting case to follow.