Asheville’s letter to state annexation committee

Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy and members of City Council had hoped to attend a public hearing on the state’s annexation policies to bemoan the city’s inability to use water services as leverage for annexation. But since the hearing was rescheduled for yesterday and conflicted with Council’s regular meeting, a letter will just have to do.

The General Assembly’s House Select Committee on Municipal Annexation was in town March 18 to hold a public hearing on annexation (originally slated for March 19), and Council sent a three-page letter pleading their case.

Since the passage of Sullivan Acts II and III in 2005 after the breakup of the Asheville/Buncombe water agreement, Asheville cannot require annexation as a condition of water service — a method used by other cities in North Carolina to bring urbanized areas into their city limits.

The letter reads, in part: “These legislative constraints, coupled with the further constraint of the inability of Asheville to change differential water rates, hamper Asheville’s ability to remain fiscally healthy.”

Further arguing it’s case for annexation, the letter states: “In the almost 50 years since the General Assembly expansion in 1959, Asheville has demonstrated a conservative and judicious approach to growth. Relative to other similarly sized cities, Asheville has grown at a moderate to slow pace.”

To see the entire letter, click here.

— Brian Postelle, staff writer

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Asheville’s letter to state annexation committee

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.