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| The Fight
Against Forced Annexation By John Hopkins |
In 1959, during the heyday of support for communism by
American intellectuals, North Carolina enacted a law
allowing cities and towns to annex adjacent property in
unincorporated areas without the consent of those being
annexed. It is important to understand that those who oppose
involuntary annexation do not oppose annexation itself, just
the right of cities and towns to FORCE annexation upon
people against their will and without their consent. The
people being annexed have no input into the process, yet
they will have imposed upon them taxation and regulation by
a group of people they have never voted for or had the right
to vote for. Sadly, forced annexation generally does not
achieve the results that its supporters hope for. Yet,
cities and towns across North Carolina continue to use
forced annexation because it is a way to increase the power
of elected and non-elected municipal leaders.
It is perhaps helpful to understand the history behind
forced annexation. North Carolina is only one of 7 states in
the United States that allows for involuntary annexation of
properties by municipalities. North Carolina, Tennessee,
Idaho and Kansas are the only states where annexation
without the property owner's consent is permitted.
Louisiana, Illinois and Oregon allow it only in limited
cases. The NC Legislature passed this law in 1959 to shift
the approval process on annexation from state
representatives to individual municipalities. Prior to 1959
the General Assembly was required to approve all
annexations, and a referendum was required if 15 percent of
affected residents signed a petition. However, that soon
became a burden and annexation was shifted to
municipalities. Property owners no longer had an option to
force a referendum or vote as equal partners.
One of the major proponents of forced, involuntary or "City
Initiated" annexation is the NC League of Municipalities.
The league's main argument is that forced annexation
provides for the well being of North Carolina cities and
points to the decay of several cities in the northern US as
their justification. But I would personally argue that the
lack of a forced annexation statute is not what brought down
these great cities. That would be too simplistic an
argument. A changing economy, unchanging union regulations,
and the numerous liberal "save the world" programs would be
much more viable suspects. Here in NC, while the initial
intent of the forced annexation law may have been to close
"doughnut holes" in municipalities so that services could be
provided in a more cost-effective manner, municipalities
across the state have been abusing the spirit of the law.
Many are now arbitrarily land-grabbing properties in
outlying areas to "grow" their tax base, to increase their
own personal and political power and (in many cases) cover
up financial mismanagement.
In a recent memo to supporters, the League of Municipalities
argued that "Annexation opponents don't want a vote; they
want a veto." Well of course we do! Think about it for a
moment. In the case of Winston-Salem, if you own a home
valued at $100,000 (which is not a very expensive house in
today's market), you will be looking at an increased tax
bill of around $500. Now if someone hands you a bill for
hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, would you not want
to have some input into that process? A vote, a
veto…SOMETHING? Of course you would, especially when you
realize that that is a recurring bill that you must pay
every year. Yet members of the NC League of Municipalities
act as though we are somehow "picking" on them, that we are
somehow being "unfair" to them because we want some input
into the process. If Winston Salem can sell itself to Dell,
why can't it sell itself to us, we the people?
The city of Winston-Salem tells us that their annexation is
"The right thing to do." I'm sure this will soon join the
lexicon of famous sayings like "We were only following
orders", "This won't hurt a bit", and my favorite "I'm from
the government. I'm here to help you." If annexation is such
a good idea, if it has so many benefits, then why aren't its
advocates willing to put it to a vote of the people? One of
our founding fathers, James Madison, is quoted as saying:
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If
angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal
controls on government would be necessary." Voting is the
best way to curb governmental abuse, especially in regard to
annexation.
For more information on the fight against forced annexation
visit us at www.stopNCannexation.com or contact the Forsyth
Citizens Against Forced Annexation hotline at 336-922-1944.
To help us in our legal fight against the city of
Winston-Salem, please send a contribution to Forsyth CAFA,
Post Office Box 5853, Winston-Salem, NC 27113. Thank you for
your support and please keep us in your prayers!
John Hopkins, President
Forsyth Citizens Against Forced Annexation
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