Columbus City Council moves forward with annexing
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – While there were some surprise moves at the State Capital, there was no surprise from the Columbus City Council.
On a 4-2 vote, the council approved moving forward with annexing two parcels on the city’s southern and eastern borders.
The city will officially begin the process of bringing in two areas along the eastern and southern borders of town into the city limits.
There was some debate about whether the plan is cost-effective.
Numbers from the study that led up to the annexation suggest that the cost of additional services will be greater than the potential additional tax revenue.
And there was even a question as to whether the city was in financial condition to extend some services.
Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacqueline DiCicco cited conversations with people in the most recently annexed areas who still aren’t receiving some city services 10 years after that annexation was approved.
But with the ball rolling, Mayor Keith Gaskin laid out what’s next.
“The next steps will be to file a city ordinance with Chancery Court. We will also publish notices in the local papers and in the areas that will be annexed. The law requires a 30-day period for understanding to make sure everybody is clear on the areas that are being annexed, and what the process is. Then, the Chancery Judge will set a date for a bench trial. The city will have the burden of proving that annexation is reasonable, and the judge will make a ruling, and both sides will have 30 days to appeal,” said Gaskin.
Gaskin said there is a bit of a time crunch, with redistricting needing to be complete in time for next year’s city elections.
