No Annexation

Sign at Monkey Junction, near where we live, suggests annexation of this area is under discussion, is coming?:

I’m out of it. Are we about to be annexed?

We’re just outside the city limits here in Masonboro; Whiskey Creek is the southern edge of Wilmington proper. We’re on a well, and get county services like trash but not city goods like recycling, which DIY activity takes up not a small part of our time.

Not sure what all it means — you hear about how much extra it costs when you’re annexed. Someone told me you’re obliged to pay a couple grand for the water hookup sometimes *years* before there’s water running out of it, and that each month you do not use the city water you’ve hooked into, you’re fined (sic!).

[where: 28409]

This entry by ian was posted on Thursday, December 20th, 2007 and is filed under Issues & Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
« Going Green in NC
How does this happen? »

11 Responses to “No Annexation”

  1. Ranald on December 20th, 2007 at 12:35 pm

    From a Dec. 8 Star-News story:

    http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20071208/NEWS/712080429/1005/NEWS

    Here’s what people seem to resent:

    “City residents pay both city and county property taxes. The owner of a $200,000 house in the county pays $840 in annual property taxes. The owner of a house of the same value in the city pays $1,440.”

    BTW, Google “wilmington nc annexation” and this comes up 2nd and the Grove Project comes up 3rd.

  2. Ian on December 20th, 2007 at 12:52 pm

    Well, that shows how little online discussion there is about this: We’re substance-free here!

    As I told you, Ranald, GP has been getting search hits for annexation a lot lately. It’s in the zeitgeist….and it had me wondering about it anyway when I saw the monkey.

  3. Ian on December 21st, 2007 at 6:15 am

    More from that Star News article, which I now remember seeing the headlines for:

    The Wilmington City Council is considering pushing the city limits south to Monkey Junction, taking in 900 acres that include one of the area’s major commercial corridors featuring a Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement.

    I assume this means all the way to the water on the Masonboro Loop side.

  4. Ian on January 15th, 2008 at 6:07 am

    And in today’s Star News:

    Annexation vote likely later this year

  5. Ian on January 15th, 2008 at 6:11 am

    And in “Squall Lines”, a local blog:

    Annexation, Wilmington Style

  6. Ian on January 20th, 2008 at 8:54 am

    From the discussion that’s popped up everywhere about this possibility, it sounds like the annexation is to be of that area between College and Carolina Beach Road — largely an acquisition of the commercial property and its tax revenues in the southwest quadrant of the College and CBR cross-hairs, in other words.

    Has anyone seen an actual map for the proposed annexation?

  7. editor on January 23rd, 2008 at 8:59 am

    From WWAY TV:

  8. Ian on March 30th, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    From today’s news:

    Annexation, pay raises on agenda

    The tight times are a major reason for the interest in pushing the city limits to Monkey Junction, which would absorb valuable commercial land that includes Wal-Mart, Home Depot and other large retailers - as well as about 3,000 residents. City estimates indicate the move would bring in $2.3 million in annual revenue.

    The potential move has angered many in the area. On Friday, dozens of people gathered on the steps of City Hall to protest against being annexed, which would lead to big tax increases for them. Council members such as Laura Padgett, however, have maintained that it’s fair to ask urban areas close to the city to pay for the benefits of that proximity.

  9. Ian on May 9th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

    My neighor sends me missives from the ridiculous (and) anti-annexation group “Americans for Prosperity“. And then there’s this annexation FAQ at Snow’s Cut Monthly, which includes the earnest question, “I own chickens. What will happen to them?”

    http://snowscutmonthly.com/?q=monkey-junction-annexation/05/2008

  10. Save Monkey Junction on May 20th, 2008 at 10:50 am

    Sign the petetion to save Monkey Junction:

    http://www.petitiononline.com/91028412/petition.html

  11. The Grove Project » Americans for Prosperity of one kind or another on June 12th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    […] funny…. WHQR reports that the anti-tax (and anti-annexation) group “Americans for Prosperity” is staging a protest against Senator Boseman because […]

Leave a Reply