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Marvin Village is the perfect example of the abuse of the
State Statutes.
Forced annexation is “taxation without
representation.”
Marvin is planning to collect taxes and
fees for everything you want to do with your property but
Marvin does not offer any services. WE RECEIVE AND PAY FOR
SERVICES IN OUR UNION COUNTY TAXES ALREADY AND WILL CONTINUE
TO RECEIVE ALL THOSE SERVICES FROM UNION COUNTY even if
annexed into Marvin.
The Marvin Village council has been
asked repeatedly by the public, but refuses to disclose the
motivation for collecting estimated surpluses in excess of
$700,000 from the proposed annexation area alone!
Marvin is
not a municipality from where we derive any benefit. Marvin
wants to have an equestrian community and because of that
focus, Marvin is not pro-business and is not seeking to
diversify the revenue base. Marvin does not want places for
us to shop, dine, or work in Marvin unless you are employed
in the paper pushing bureaucracy of Marvin Town Hall.
The
commercial businesses in the proposed annexation area know
Marvin will make it difficult to remain if annexed into
Marvin. Marvin has no sanitation, no garbage or solid waste
removal, no health department, no environmental health
department, no public works department, no water and no
sewer. Marvin does not maintain streets, street lights,
street signs or deal with traffic improvements. There is no
Marvin police department, court or jail, no sports
facilities, no cultural facilities, no library and no parks
in Marvin. There is no fire department, no rescue squad. No
services! The Office of The US Postmaster has not even
established a US Post Office in Marvin. Marvin specifies
planning and zoning as services, but like ALL of Marvin’s
administrative services, every property owner in the
proposed annexation area receives the services of Union
County Planning and Zoning already!
Marvin needs to
reestablish as an EQUESTRIAN CLUB and stop trying to reach
in our wallets to fund their hobby.
Most
importantly, just 2 years ago, in January 2006, the North
Carolina Supreme Court held in Hemphill-Nolan v. Village of
Marvin, that the NC Annexation Statutes requires a
“meaningful extension of public services” to any property
being annexed. In the opinion of the Supreme Court, “The
Village of Marvin did not substantially comply with
statutory procedures for an involuntary annexation because
the services provided simply filled needs created by the
annexation itself, without conferring significant benefits
on the annexed property owners and residents. Although the
administrative services which the Village proposed to extend
were the only services provided to existing residents,
N.C.G.S. – 160A-35(3) is grounded in a legislative
expectation that the annexing municipality possesses
meaningful services to the annexed property.” Marvin has no
meaningful services. Renting a few County Sheriff’s Officers
is not “conferring significant benefits on the annexed
property owners” but is an abuse of the Statutes. The
Village doesn’t even have police vehicles! The vehicles
Marvin uses are the property of Union County and I suspect
that as Union County tax payers we pay for the vehicles,
vehicle maintenance, fuel, vehicle insurance and insurance
for the Officers in our Union County taxes!
We, the
people should be able to determine whether we approve of an
annexation and in a Report dated April 18, 2008 the North
Carolina Association of County Commissioners Subcommittee
recommended the State Statutes “Require a referendum on a
proposed involuntary annexation in areas where services are
already in place – water, sewer and solid waste.” Please,
contact our state representatives and tell them to stop
involuntary annexations.
We, The People
Need To Stop Involuntary
Annexation
by Marvin and in North
Carolina
On April 23, 2008 the North Carolina House Select Committee
on Municipal Annexation recommended that North Carolina ban
cities and towns from forcing annexations through June 30,
2008.
The North Carolina Legislature may consider this moratorium
as early as May 17, 2008.
One of the main reasons for this consideration is many
municipalities in North Carolina are stretching, abusing and
violating the annexation Statutes.
As Representative Nelson Dollar, R-Wake stated, “Those
citizens have absolutely zero rights, zero protections under
the current system”. Only North Carolina and 3 other states
allow involuntary annexations with no referendum for
property owners permitted. Our neighbor South Carolina
requires approval by a minimum of 75% of property owners
representing a minimum of 75% of the property value in a
proposed annexation area.
nvoluntary annexation is immoral and unethical. The North
Carolina legislature needs to reform the laws and restore a
vote on annexation to the people, so we, the people can
decide if we want to be annexed.
Please send a note to our representatives and tell them to
stop involuntary
annexations.
Representative Curtis
Blackwood
CurtisB@NCLeg.net
4620 Homestead Place
Matthews, NC 28104
Senator W. Edward
Goodall
EddieG@NCLeg.net
132 Greenbrook Parkway
Weddington, NC 28104
Governor Michael F.
Easley
Governor.Office@NCMail.net
20301 Mail Services
Center
Raleigh, NC
27699-0301
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StopNCAnnexation