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Hearing Tuesday on plans to annex Northshore area in Benton |
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Monday, 30 June 2008 |
A second public hearing concerning the city of Benton’s intentions to annex land surrounding the Northshore Drive area will be held Tuesday.
The hearing is before the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, which is chaired by George “Bucky” Ellis, an attorney.
The hearing will start at 5:30 p.m. at Benton Municipal Complex.
The city was required to have only one hearing, but officials decided to call another one in response to complaints that some residents did not receive notification of the city’s intentions to annex the 2,500 acres.
At the first hearing held June 10, many Saline County residents spoke against the proposed annexation, contending that the city couldn’t offer them anything better than what they already have.
City officials, however, tried to convince opponents otherwise. Marsha Guffey, director of community development for Benton, said wastewater service might extend toward that direction. She added that the new city residents would be serviced by Benton and Bryant fire and police personnel.
Guffey said annexing the land into the city will make it easier for emergency services to figure out who should serve which area.
Some residents are concerned about having to adhere to city codes if they are annexed. Concerning residents with livestock, Guffey said those residents could be “grandfathered” in.
Residents also are concerned with street maintenance. Some have argued that Benton doesn’t do a good job of maintaining the streets it has.
Other interested parties in this matter include Alcoa and Almatis. Representatives from each company spoke at the first hearing. They expressed worry over what negative effects, in terms of cost, there would be to being part of Benton. They mentioned higher taxes and the capacity to adequately serve their utility needs.
Following Tuesday’s hearing, the proposed annexation likely will go before the City Council for a vote in an upcoming meeting. If aldermen approve the measure, opponents could file a lawsuit in Circuit Court if they choose to continue fighting the annexation.
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