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Challenges of growth: Bauxite also looks to expand borders |
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Sunday, 29 June 2008 |
While Benton and Bryant grab for land in Saline County, there’s another municipality in the backdrop looking to expand its boundaries.
The small town of Bauxite is considering two annexations. Both intentions are not official at this time.
The first proposed annexation is voluntary, meaning signatures of three of the four landowners are required to make it move forward. Landowners include the State Highway and Transportation Department, Alcoa mining department and Sanders Patrick and Conner Trustees.
The area runs from Bauxite Cutoff Road down Arkansas 35 near Shaw Recycling to below Sawdust Trail.
The second proposed annexation might be placed on the November ballot and would affect more residential property owners. This area runs from Bauxite Cutoff through Amber Acres and up through Crites Lane.
Bauxite Mayor Gary Duncan said the city isn’t certain it will move forward on the second proposal. He said if the voluntary annexation, which covers 760 acres all the way to the Saline River, is a success, then the city will have more incentive to try to annex the more residential area.
The first proposal “would give us access to the Saline River,” Duncan said, noting establishing a water source is an issue. “Alcoa has pumps and our policemen could control the pumps.”
If that annexation goes through, it would stunt Benton’s growth in that direction.
“I’m not sure why Bauxite wants the Arkansas 35 area right now,” Benton Mayor Rick Holland said. “We haven’t been looking to take any land to the south. Any that we would be taking would be voluntary.”
He questioned why Bauxite’s “volunteer fire department would want to drive past our full-time fire department to get to that area.”
“We’re more qualified to serve the area,” Holland added.
Duncan said Bauxite firefighters already help serve in the proposed annexed areas. “It wouldn’t be unusual or add something we’re not already doing,” he said.
Duncan noted some of the proposed areas are in the Bauxite School District. “We thought it was a good area. The city and school already work together.”
David Allinson, who serves on the Saline County Quorum Court representing Bauxite and the Shaw community, said he hasn’t heard from anyone who is for annexation.
“They didn’t get word of it until last week. They don’t know what Bauxite could offer them and there’s talk that it could hurt the local fire department,” Allinson said.
Allinson said he personally wouldn’t be affected by an annexation, but he knows many people, including family, who would be affected. “My area covers Bauxite, the Shaw community and part of Benton, and people I’ve talked to are not for it.”
In addition to voluntary annexation and elections, annexations may occur by petition and ordinance, which is commonly referred to as an “island” annexation.
Bauxite recently annexed a portion of Saline County along West Sardis Road to McGeorge Construction and north toward Bethel Baptist Church. That move caused a stir from area residents who contended some signatures were forged. They requested that the annexation be reversed.
The annexation still stands and the decision was not reversed because officials say it is not the county’s job to verify that the signatures match the signer, only that the property matches the name signed.
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