Published: July 21, 2008 11:55 pm            

Be cautious, Sen. Buck

State Sen. Jim Buck has opposed Mayor Greg Goodnight’s annexation plan since its unveiling in April.

Though the Kokomo Common Council cut about 2 square miles from the West Side Ordinance that included Buck’s home, it was no surprise when the Kokomo Republican said last week he will propose a bill to make it more difficult for cities to annex.

Buck said he first will confer with Sen. Bev Gard, R-Greenfield. Though he hasn’t exact wording of the proposal, he said his purpose is to end involuntary annexation in Indiana.

To do that, Buck said he’ll propose requiring a simple majority vote from those being annexed before any such plan can move forward. And he’ll seek putting time limits on how long annexation waivers of property owners and developers can stay in effect.

Gard co-sponsored another anti-annexation measure, Senate Bill 114, during the last legislative session. It passed the Senate but thankfully was defeated in the House. It would’ve terminated waivers homeowners already had signed, promising not to fight future annexation in return for city sewers and other services.

Had the Drozda-Gard plan been passed, it could’ve retarded home construction across the state.

Let’s say Developer X approaches the City of Kokomo with a plan to develop housing within several acres adjacent to the city. The developer wants city sewers extended to the proposed subdivision.

Why? Developer X can subdivide the acreage into smaller lots. Homes with septic systems require much more land to allow for leach fields.

What motivation, under the Drozda-Gard plan, would the city have to extend sewer and water? Without the possibility of eventually capturing more tax money through annexation, the city might pass on Developer X’s plan.

And without city services, Developer X might scrap the planned subdivision altogether. His return on investment would be reduced significantly if he had to account for leach fields.

We don’t believe this is the time to get tough on annexation, particularly when home values are falling across the state and nation. However, Buck’s idea of putting a time limit on waivers isn’t a deal-breaker.

We encourage Buck to be careful while crafting language for his bill. He wouldn’t want to be responsible for slowing home construction or economic development across Indiana.

        

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