Laserfiche WebLink
• Contiguity. Territory to be annexed must be contiguous to the annexing municipality. Strip or <br />tentacle annexations along roads or easements, while held as legal in some cases, should be <br />avoided because oftentimes such annexations do not allow for area design and /or depth of <br />property to create well- designed and functioning developments of various types of land uses. <br />Densi . Territory to be annexed should have a population density sufficient to warrant the <br />extension of municipal services. The cost of providing services and utilities should not unduly <br />burden the tax rate of a potential annexing body. As stated, what is urban should be municipal. <br />Development of a sufficient intensity to require municipal services (public water, sewerage, etc.) <br />should become part of some municipality. in addition, areas not yet possessing urban character <br />that are in the path of impending urban development can also be good candidates for <br />annexation. <br />Who Should Annex? <br />After it has been determined that an area is suitable for annexation, a second question often <br />arises in many parts of the country where several municipalities are in close proximity to each <br />other. That is, which of two or three potential annexing bodies should annex it? Annexation of <br />an unincorporated area by one municipality or another can have many important physical, <br />social, and financial consequences for the area annexed as well as for the annexing municipality. <br />Four overall general goals that good annexations satisfy are: <br />• Community Identity. Annexations should encourage feelings of community cohesive -ness. <br />Businesses and residents should have a sense of belonging to the municipality within whose <br />corporate limits they live and /or work. <br />• Economy. Annexations should promote economy by minimizing the costs of providing services <br />to new areas and by providing opportunities to expand the local tax base. <br />• Convenience. Existing and future residents and /or businesses within annexation areas should <br />find it convenient to use the public and private services and facilities provided by the annexing <br />municipality. <br />• <br />Simplicity. Annexation boundaries should be regular and logical to facilitate administration of <br />services and further a sense of community identity. <br />12 <br />