Central is Annexing Property?
8/6/2024
News from the Mayor regarding lastest Annexation Plans
The purpose of this isn’t to change anyone’s mind; it’s to explain what Town Council is proposing with regards to annexation. Whether it’s a good idea is up for each person to decide. And that’s OK. Reasonable people can disagree. Reasonable people should disagree. But let’s agree or disagree from a shared understanding. Fair enough?
OK. Now that that’s out of the way, how about we talk about South Carolina annexation law? (Try not to get too excited.)
How Does Annexation Work in South Carolina?
In South Carolina (just like every other state), annexation can be complicated. Just take a look at South Carolina Code of Laws Title 5, Chapter 3. Or the Municipal Association of South Carolina’s Annexation Handbook.
So, let’s (try to) make it a little less complicated.
The process of annexation starts when the owner of a piece of private property asks a town or city to include that owner’s property into the town or city limits. This is done in the form of a petition (in this case, a Petition of Annexation.)
The Petition of Annexation is presented to the municipality’s governing body, which decides whether to write a new law that grants the petition (by incorporating the property into the town or city limits.)
But before that, the municipality must determine whether the property to be annexed is adjacent (contiguous) to existing town limits. In other words, are the properties right next to each other? If so, the municipality’s governing body can proceed with creating a law that brings this new property into town limits.
This is simplest method of municipal annexation. Under South Carolina Law, this method is known as Annexation by Freeholder Petition and Ordinance.
So, let’s use all of that in an example.
Bruce Wayne owns a piece of property right next to Gotham. Bruce (the “freeholder”) decides he wants to annex into the city. So, he fills out a form and brings it (the “petition”) to City Hall. The city clerk of Gotham looks at the petition, compares it to tax maps and sees that, sure enough, Bruce’s land is right next to city limits (i.e., it’s “contiguous”). So, the clerk files the petition and tells Gotham City Council that they have a petition of annexation to consider. Gotham City Council drafts a bill that decrees Bruce Wayne’s property should be inside Gotham City Limits. They debate, and then vote. If it passes, the bill becomes a law (the “ordinance”) and, voila! Bruce Wayne’s property is part of the City of Gotham.
That’s it. That’s “Annexation by Freeholder Petition and Ordinance” in a nutshell. This is the method Central Town Council is considering right now.
(By the way, there are procedures in South Carolina for annexing property owned by more than one person. You are welcome to learn more about those procedures here, but none of them are relevant to the annexation Central Town Council is considering at the moment.)
The Current Annexation Debate in Central By the Numbers
In recent months, several separate landowners have agreed to present the Town of Central with annexation petitions. These individuals own a total of 28 parcels of land, all of which are contiguous to Town of Central limits. In total, those 28 parcels add up to about 690 acres (give or take a few.)
Rather than list the tax map numbers for each of those parcels, I thought it would be easier to see them for yourself. So, here’s a map of the general area, with the parcels numbered:
Why Annex These Properties?
The biggest reason is that AnMed is among those who have petitioned to join the Town of Central—and they want to build a medical facility on those eight acres of land (a story I’m sure you’ve already heard.)
So, the reasons to annex that property is pretty simple: we are honored that AnMed wants to build the facility in our Town—and think it’s a great idea to have a medical facility so close (especially one operated by a healthcare organization as respected as AnMed.)
Many of the other properties will be adjacent to the site of the proposed medical facility. Therefore, having those properties inside Town of Central limits will bring enormous benefits down the road as the land is developed.
Finally, that leaves us with another 609 acres that have nothing to do with the AnMed property.
So, what’s happening with those pieces?
For most of them, the answer is: nothing. The property owners have no plans to develop or sell those properties. Could that change? Of course. But for now, those property owners simply petitioned the Town of Central for annexation, and we are voting on those petitions.
What’s Next?
Today (August 5), beginning at 6:45 p.m., Council will hold a special called meeting to vote on the proposed zoning of each parcel that is being annexed.
That follows a Regular Town Council meeting held last month (July 8) in which Council voted to approve the annexation of each parcel on first reading. Council will vote on second reading on Monday, August 12 whether to grant final approval of the annexation petitions.
And that’s where you come in.
Do you think annexing these properties is a good idea? Why or why not? As always, we have time set aside on our agenda for public comment. And, as always, you are more than welcome to share your thoughts and feelings. We will listen attentively prior to any vote to move forward with annexation.
The Bottom Line
Really, the arguments are pretty simple: if you don’t want things to change from what you’re used to, then you’re not in favor of annexation. And that’s OK. Everyone has a right to make up his or her own mind.
You may look at the Town of Central and think, “I always want it to be exactly the way it is right now.” I respect that mindset. I understand that mindset. I grew up in a very small town—one smaller than Central—and I can remember never wanting it to change. If that’s where you’re coming from, I suspect you aren’t in favor of annexation of any kind. And, again, that’s completely fair.
What I hope this newsletter has done is help illuminate the process of annexation, why Council is moving in this direction, and how you can provide feedback. It is not an attempt to change your mind.
At the end of the day, we all have to decide for ourselves what kind of town we want.
READ the entire post: MAYOR NEWSLETTER