Published in Raeford and Hoke County, North Carolina since 1905

County commissioners join annexation foes Over-budgeted jail, public improvement projects debated by commissioners By Victoriana Summers Staff writer Hoke's board of commissioners passed a resolution on Monday evening at its regularly scheduled meeting, denouncing forced and unfair "involuntary annexation" of counties by municipalities and deeming the current statewide policy "unnecessary." The unanimous passing of this resolution follows the City of Fayetteville's controversial annexation last year of massive acreage in north and southwest Cumberland County that stretches almost to the Hoke County line. The board hopes its resolution will send a message that would thwart any future annexation of Hoke's territory by Fayetteville. A decision on how the board would also pay for more than one-half million dollars requested by Hoke Sheriff Hubert Peterkin in over budgeted expenditures on medical care and out-of-county incarceration for inmates was postponed until the next meeting. The board recently approved an additional $200,000 for the Hoke County Jail operation, but Peterkin requested another $450,000 to tide the jail over until June 30. He cited overcrowding and more criminals being arrested as reasons for excessive expenses. "We have a lot of people housed outside the county," Peterkin said. "Every time we get a bill, we have to come back to ask you to pay the bill." A perplexed Commission Chairman Bobby Wright questioned the request, saying "We appropriated $200,000 in a budget amendment for nine months and now $425,000 for three months?" Peterkin said Hoke Jail is actually "behind" on bills owed to surrounding jails housing Hoke inmates. Commissioner Bill Cameron requested Peterkin to wait until the next meeting to address the situation Peterkin told the board during the meeting that he is working on a pre-trial house arrest program with Hoke district attorney Kristy Newton and Cumberland DA Ed Grannis for nonviolent offenders awaiting trial. He and Captain Jackie Brewington, chief jailer, estimated that 40 inmates could be placed on house arrest once the program is implemented to save on food, medical and other costs associated with jail detention. "I think Sheriff Peterkin is just playing with those numbers so he will be sure he gets the new jail addition, and I do not think he really needs that much money," a skeptical Commissioner Charles V. Daniels said afterward. "It would allow us to get some of those people out of the jail," Peterkin said. Against annexation Hoke commissioners have continued to remain foes of municipalities that cross over county lines to expand tax bases and duplications of services. The consensus of the board has been they would fight any annexation movement if Fayetteville officials attempted to enlarge their boundaries into Hoke territory on the northern perimeter or northeast into Rockfish. "We may not be able to completely stop it, but we can certainly delay it for a very long time," Commission Chairman Bobby Wright warned last week prior to the vote on Monday. Hoke joins other counties such as Buncombe, Forsyth and Granville, supporting orderly annexation and a future legislative bill to discontinue involuntary incorporation. In Buncombe, commissioners also called for a "moratorium" on annexation until the N.C. General Assembly can address the concerns of counties. "If this had been done by folks in Raleigh before, we would not have seen the controversy that has occurred in Cumberland County," Wright said of the proposed changes. "We hope this (Fayetteville¹s) annexation will not extend to Hoke." "I am against involuntary annexation. I think people have the right to have a say on how they pay their taxes." Commissioner Charles V. Daniels echoed Wright, saying, "I agree with you 100 percent." Hoke's anti-annexation stance follows a statewide coalition against forced annexation that is being spearheaded by StopNCAnnexation, a statewide group opposing incorporation without the consent of citizens. "North Carolina's involuntary annexation statutes were enacted in 1959," Cathy Heath, acting president of StopNC, wrote recently to the N.C. Association of county Commissioners. "Under these statutes, a municipality may annex an area against the will of those being annexed and without their consent." "Until a recent North Carolina Supreme Court decision, the municipality could provide few municipal services in exchange for the increased tax revenues it received." "North Carolina is one of only four states that still allow forced, involuntary annexation without any referendum by those being threatened with the annexation," she wrote. "County commissioners now are realizing that this highly controversial practice of forced involuntary annexation is harmful to the residents of their counties and must be discontinued." Wright and the board are only in support of "annexation by petition" from citizens who are interested in being brought into the city limits of a municipality. The board is also planning to contract a firm to complete a comprehensive study on past and future annexation impact, examining the detrimental effect future annexation might have on Hoke¹s budget, sales tax and the citizens of the areas proposed to be annexed. Improvements sought In major projects, the board passed another resolution to request an approval from the N.C. Local Government Commission on approving $6.4 million in public projects. A public hearing will be held later this month at the second commissioners¹ meeting, according to Linda Revels, clerk to the board of commissioners. She said the hearing would be legally advertised. The county plans to seek loans to acquire land for the Hoke County Regional Industrial Park, totaling $3.9 million; $1 million to install modular units at Hoke County High, additional school projects of $750,000; land for the future Parks and Recreation Center in south Hoke, totaling $450,000 for 90 acres, and $300,000 for repairs and improvements at the Hoke Department of Social Services Building. County Manager Mike Wood indicated in the resolution that will be submitted to the LGC after a public hearing that the county would seek competitive installment loans rather than use a bond referendum. Installment financing allows the county more flexibility with long-term repayment of loans, Wood added. He also said any funds already extended for these projects would be reimbursed to the county after lenders approve the funding. http://www.thenews-journal.com/