Columbia aldermen unanimously approved an annexation ordinance Tuesday evening, which is a main step in the process after more than two years of study.
The ordinance officially defines the area to be taken in.
According to attorney J. Chadwick Mask, who works in the area of municipal annexation, a petition will be filed in Marion County Chancery Court in September, with the first hearing on the matter possibly taking place either the end of this year or the first of next year.
A public notice will run in The Columbian-Progress for three weeks before a court hearing.
A chancellor will determine if the annexation “is reasonable and is required by the public convenience and necessity” based on 12 standards laid out in the law, and parties opposed to the annexation would have the right to present their objections at the hearing.
At the City Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night the board voted to approve the ordinance with little discussion. In a motion made by Alderman Mike Smith and seconded by Alderman Edward Hough, the annexation ordinance was adopted 5-0 with Anna Evans, Wendell Hammond and Jason Stringer also in favor.
It’s the latest move in a process that began in July 2017 when board hired Oxford-based Slaughter and Associates to study potentially taking in areas surrounding the existing limits. Mike Slaughter presented Phase 1 of the study in February 2018, and the board later cut down on the size of the area it planned to take in. The area is mainly to the east and north of the existing limits, with a few small spots to the south and west, and the highest population density is in the Lakeview subdivision just east of the city.
Those annexed would potentially benefit from city services like police protection and a lower fire rating at a cost of higher property taxes.
Aldermen had already voted previously to move forward with annexation but had been waiting on completion of surveys giving a legal description of what to take in.
The ordinance passed Tuesday sets those parameters along with other details. A copy of the ordinance was not immediately available Tuesday evening before the C-P’s press deadlines.
A more in-depth story will be published in Saturday’s edition.
In addition to Mask presenting the ordinance, Engineer Jeff Dungan also presented plans and ideas to update the sewage flow, including replacing some pump stations and building a larger pump station behind the Shell Station on U.S. 98 to handle growth and annexation.
No action was taken on this part, but it was taken under consideration.
Pictured Above: J. Chadwick Mask, left, a Jackson attorney who works in the area of municipal annexation, speaks to the Columbia Board of Aldermen Tuesday as consultant Mike Slaughter listens. | Photo by Susan Amundson
