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Council OKs October annex vote |
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Wednesday, 23 July 2008 |
Residents of the North Lake Road of Saline County and the nearby area will be voting Oct. 14 on whether that territory is to become part of the city of Benton.
Meeting in a special session Monday night, Benton City Council unanimously approved an ordinance calling for an Oct. 14 election to annex this area into the city.
The area targeted for annexation is the same property Bryant proposes to annex in a Sept. 9 election.
If both annexation issues pass, a third election will be held in which the residents of the affected area will vote to decide which city they wish to be part of, said Benton City Attorney Brent Houston.
In Monday’s meeting, Mayor Rick Holland commended the council members for the unified stance they were taking on the issue.
He noted that the action is “time -sensitive” and vital to the growth of the city.
“The council’s decision to focus only on the area also proposed for annexation by Bryant means that the issue will no longer be city versus county, but will instead be a question of whether residents will choose Benton over Bryant,” Holland said before the meeting.
Previously, the council had approved an Aug. 12 special election on the annexation of areas north and west of Hurricane Lake Estates, which would have included the North Lake area.
In the ordinance calling to annex the North Lake area, the residents are promised immediate fire and police protection after the annexation becomes final and all other services within three years.
The document notes that property owners desiring certain utility services may be required to participate in the cost of running extensions in order to connect their property to the city’s utility infrastructure as well as pay any applicable connection fees.
Last week, the council voted to cancel its planned Aug. 12 the election in response to the objections of Salem community residents who objected to becoming part of an incorporated area.
“The aldermen acted in response to the wishes of residents in the area and passed an ordinance repealing the planned Aug. 12 election.” Holland said.
The initial area targeted for annexation had included the Salem community, where many of the residents had expressed strong opposition to becoming part of Benton or any incorporated area.
Holland noted that the annexation originally was proposed in response to Bryant’s breach of a 2005 agreement that defined the areas in which Benton and Bryant would grow.
“We felt we had to protect our interests in this area,” Holland said. “We have put a number of infrastructure improvements in place to serve current and future residents, and we cannot afford to let these improvements be wasted.”
However, residents in the Salem community, in particular, have been passionate that they do not want to be annexed, he noted.
Holland added: “Even though we thought it would be beneficial to the residents of both areas, we care about what people in the Salem community think. We would prefer not to force anyone to come into Benton.”
Historically, Benton has grown through voluntary annexations, Alderman Doug Stracener pointed out in a previous council session.
Holland pointed to the recent annexation of 500 acres at Interstate Exit 114 as an example, saying, “We expect many other voluntary annexations to occur in the near future. As a result of all the publicity over the Salem annexation, a landowner in the Scott-Salem Road area asked to annex 200 acres, saying that he did not want to be in Bryant.
“We know that other people north and west of Benton value the benefits of living in our city,” Holland said. “We will welcome them with open arms if they decide to seek annexation. Even those landowners whose properties are not currently contiguous with the Benton city limits can be assisted with preannexation agreements.”
Holland explained that the annexation will have no effect on school district lines.
“We are fortunate to have three fine school districts in Benton,” he said, adding that “while the majority of Benton residents attend Benton schools, many others attend Bryant or Bauxite schools.”
City officials have pointed out that people whose properties are annexed will see little change in their lifestyles or financial status.
“While their property taxes may increase, they will no longer have to pay volunteer fire department dues and they may receive a decrease in homeowners’ insurance due to the low ISO rating (3) of the Benton Fire Department,” Holland said.
“As the county seat and medical center for Saline County, Benton has a lot to offer besides the history and beauty of downtown,” Holland said.
“We think the decision to live in Benton is a quality lifestyle choice. We hope the residents in the North Lake Road area will embrace Benton as their new hometown.”
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Razorbacks
