Columbus’ 2011 annexation plan will go before a judge next week.
Judge Kenneth Burns will hear the case next week in Lowndes County Chancery Court beginning Monday at 9 a.m. According to court documents, parties who had obtained legal representation to contest the plan have dropped their objections and withdrawn from the case.
Columbus City Council Attorney Jeff Turnage confirmed the withdraws Wednesday but said there are still some unrepresented objectors who have the option of coming forward.
Even if there were no remaining objectors, Turnage said the hearing must still take place because the city has to provide a burden of proof that the annexation is needed.
The annexation would add about 1,462 residents, 638 homes and 44 businesses to the city, according to Lowndes County tax assessor Greg Andrews. That’s about 615 parcels with a total value of $64.4 million.
Two days are set aside for Burns to hear the case. Turnage said he will present a proposed decree for the court to consider, and depending on the process, a ruling could come forward next week.
“Sometimes they rule on the spot. Sometimes they take it under advisement,” Turnage said. “I think we’ll be finished putting in all the proof we need by midday on Tuesday.”
Urban planning company Bridge & Watson of Oxford assisted the city with determining which areas to annex. The areas they settled on bringing into the city limits include an area from the intersection of Hobbes Sheffield Road and Lehmberg Road to just past Dutch Lane. The plan also brings in the Riverwalk, as well as a single-family subdivision near Jolly Road near Highway 45 North.
Andrews told The Dispatch in April that a $2 million business in the county brought inside the city would have to pay $44,508 in property taxes a year. That same business is currently paying $25,521. A resident who has a parcel worth $100,000 in the county who is not covered by homestead exemption would pay $2,225 a year if brought into the city, instead of the $1,276 paid now.
The argument of annexation from the city standpoint is that doing so brings more property and sales tax money to city coffers and extends infrastructural and city services.
Columbus Mayor Robert Smith said he is hopeful Burns will rule in favor of the city.
“I hope everything works out in the best interest in the city so we can move forward with the annexation plan,” Smith said.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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