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Challenges of growth: Bryant could double in size, maybe |
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Sunday, 29 June 2008 |
Benton’s plans may pose problem
Officials in Bryant are hoping to nearly double the size of the city limits with a new annexation proposal, but officials from Benton are contesting a portion of the property included.
“Currently, the city limits of Bryant is 18.99 square miles,” Planning Coordina-tor LaVenia Jones said. “If approved, it would make the Bryant city limits 34.9 square miles.”
The areas in the proposed annexation include Springhill, Midland, Hilldale, Northlake, Wilkerson and property surrounding the new Saline County Regional Airport. Jones said there are about 1,200 homes in the proposed annexed areas.
The current dispute between Bryant and Benton concerns land south of Northlake Road. Benton Mayor Rick Holland said that both cities had an agreement in 2005 over the territorial jurisdictions and that Benton controls the areas of Northlake.
A May 2005 map supporting Benton’s position bears the signatures of both cities’ planning commission chairmans that designated land south of Northlake Road for annexation into Benton.
Bryant officials contend, however, that Benton broke that agreement when they designed a new planning map in 2006.
“When I actually started working on this annexation [in March], I was going by the 2005 agreed-upon map,” Jones said. “I had Metroplan to pull up the county planning jurisdiction so we could look at where our planning areas are and we noticed that, surprisingly, Benton had changed their planning jurisdiction. We were originally working on that 2005 agreed-upon planning area map, but we discovered that the city of Benton adopted a new one two years ago in 2006.”
In a memo to Bryant city leaders, Jones said Metroplan, a regional planning commission, was asked to redraw a planning map “in accordance with the statutes” and that Jones immediately contacted Marsha Guffey, director of community development for the city of Benton, about the issue.
On June 9, the Bryant Planning Commission voted unanimously at a public hearing to place the annexation proposal on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. That same day, Benton City Council adopted an ordinance calling for an Aug. 12 special election to decide whether to annex land south of Northlake Road.
On June 23, the Bryant City Council replied to Benton with its own ordinance for a special election on Sept. 9.
“It’s a timing issue with Benton,” Bryant Mayor Larry Mitchell said. “They have set up a special election and we have to hold ours within 30 days of theirs.”
If both annexation proposals pass in the two special elections, residents in the Northlake area will vote in a third election to decide whether to annex into Benton or Bryant.
Mitchell said that many of the neighborhoods in the annexation area already receive services from Bryant and that he feels everyone would benefit from the proposal.
“Most of the residents in the areas in question have been supportive of the idea,” Mitchell said. “They see this as an opportunity and see advantages of being in the city limits. A lot of the people’s children go to the schools here, they get city utilities and other services. Bryant has been growing so much in that area, and we want to make sure that future development grows with the city and city codes. I think it will be beneficial for everyone.”
Reasons that some people oppose the annexation varies, Jones said, but a common concern is that if people become part of the city, they will fall under stricter laws concerning firearms and animal control. However, she also said she has received phone calls from people in favor of the annexation for those same code enforcement issues.
Jones said if the annexation is approved by voters, the residents would be in one of the state’s lowest millage-rate cities.
“The millage rate in Bryant is 1.8 mills,” Jones said. “It will take them about 18 months for the millage to take effect for those new citizens, but it is another positive reason to be annexed into the city.”
Mitchell said another benefit for the residents in the proposed annexed areas is a lower fire Insurance Services Office rating, which could translate to lower insurance premiums. And Fire Chief Randy Cox said if the city limits are expanded, the department could possibly build new fire stations.
“We have a business plan to build two more fire stations and hire more firefighters within three years if the annexation passes,” Cox said. “Right now we are looking at two areas: one at the Springhill, Springdale and Hilldale area and another one around the Midland and Hilldale area.”
Police Chief Tony Coffman said he also has a plan in the works for his department to expand with the city.
“I have asked the City Council for nine more officers, and we will soon be going mobile in our patrol cars,” Coffman said. “When we go mobile in the cars, an officer can basically take his or her office with them. Instead of leaving the scene and coming back to the office to write the report, they can stay in the area and send the report through a computer system. I think those things alone would help response time to those areas tremendously. This will also help save our department on the cost of fuel, too.”
Coffman said that in the future, the department would consider setting up substations in the areas on the annexation proposal.
Jones said residents of the Bryant territorial jurisdiction have much in common with residents inside the city limits, including the following:
• Their children go to Bryant schools and play on Bryant athletic teams.
• The neighborhoods are developed to urban densities and with urban infrastructure, which are indistinguishable from the rest of Bryant.
• The sales tax dollars contribute significantly to the city’s budget when shopping in Bryant.
• Residents of the areas work and own businesses in Bryant.
• Residents are members and serve on the boards of Bryant’s civic, charitable and religious organizations.
“As a community banded together, residents would have better opportunities for federal and state financial aid, which are based on census figures,” Jones added. “With the 2010 census looming, there are economic advantages to annexing these properties now rather than waiting to annex properties individually after being developed. ... Residents in the proposed annexed areas would be able to share in any federal and state financial assistance provided to the city.”
Residents also could save money on services they already receive, Jones said, because those outside the city limits who receive city services such as water and sewer pay more than those residents in the city.
“Some people are paying about one and a half times more than a city customer,” Jones said. “Once a person is annexed into the city, they would pay what a city person pays for those utilities.”
Details about the areas in the proposed annexation and a master street plan can be found on the city Web site, www.cityofbryant.org. For more information, call LaVenia Jones at 847-5559, ext. 227.
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