Wednesday citizens affected by Columbia’s annexation plan will have their opportunity to voice their opinions to the judge who will decide the case.
The hearing before Chancellor Deborah Gambrell is set for 9 a.m. in the Marion County Chancery Courtroom.
The judge will ultimately rule based on 12 factors of reasonableness established by the Mississippi Supreme Court.
If approved, the plan would add about 3 square miles and 945 residents to the city limits, raising Columbia’s population to just over 7,000.
J. Chadwick Mask, the Jackson attorney who is representing the city in the annexation, said most likely what will also happen is the chancellor will check the calendar and set the matter down for trial later in the year.
He said he has no idea if there will be opposition, but he believes there will probably be so.
“In most annexation cases there are usually opposition. It can be five or 50 people who show up for the hearing; you never know until you get there,” he said.
Jackie Stuckey, a resident in the proposed annexation area, said she objects to the plan.
“We like living in the county. We like not having restrictions for such things like fireworks and burning garbage,” she said.
Grant McArthur, who also opposes the annexation, said he believes it is just a money thing for the city.
“The affected people should have a say in the matter. There is no benefit to the people. If annexed I will be more than five miles outside from a city fire station, so my insurance would go up. Is the city going to build a new station and hire more firefighters and police?” he said.
McArthur also questioned where the money would come from to handle the expansion.
“The city can’t maintain what they have now; how are they going to handle more?” he said.
Another issue of concern for Stuckey is the increase in property taxes. People live on a fixed income and are not going to be able to afford county and city taxes, too, she said.
The annexation process began in July 2017 when the Board of Aldermen hired Oxford-based consulant 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 area presented to be annexed was eventually reduced.
Aldermen approved an ordinance officially setting the boundaries on Aug. 20, 2019.
City officials have said they consider annexation necessary for the long-term stability of Columbia, which has slowly seen its population drop for several decades.
The bulk of the population to be taken in comes from Lakeview and other subdivisions just east of the existing city limits.
If annexed the city would have five years to make improvements like drainage, sewer lines and street lighting. Annexed residents would also receive other city services like police and fire protection, animal control and garbage pickup as well as the right to vote in city elections.
The city would redraw the district lines for aldermen within six months of the effective date of the ordinance. The ordinance would take effect 10 days after the chancellor made her decision. If there were an appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court, the ordinance would take effect 10 days after the high court’s ruling.
