ANNEXATION
Annexation rule changes approved. The General Assembly gave final approval Tuesday to two bills that alter forced annexation rules in North Carolina for the second year in a row — this time to respond to a court ruling that struck down changes made in 2011. Without debate, the House completed the second of two required votes on Senate versions of a pair of measures.
Residents declare victory. A few Lexington residents showed up at the Lexington City Council meeting on Tuesday evening wearing bright red shirts, flaunting their victory on the two annexation bills that will alter forced annexation rules in North Carolina. Not too much was said about the final reading of the bill, but Gary Fancyand his wife, and two other residents stated their red shirts said it all. Fancy happily announced, "We won!" when several councilmen came his way at the end of the meeting.
Opinion: Reform will be good for North Carolina. ... Will forced annexations be more difficult for cities to implement? Yes. And that is the way it should be. These cities are going to have to do a great sales job on a targeted area. They are going to have to show how coming into the city is a good deal for both the city and for the annexed area. They are going to have to get their act together. I maintain that is a good thing, and should make these cities better stewards of the tax dollars they collect from both their existing residents and any potentially new ones.