Council approves resolution against deannexation bills
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on March 23, 2011 2:24 PM
With the threat of the deannexation looming, the Goldsboro City Council passed a resolution Monday opposing the bill filed by state Rep. Efton Sager, R-Wayne, that would remove the Buck Swamp and Falling Brook areas from inside Goldsboro limits.
A public hearing on the bill is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. in Room 643 of the Legislative Office Building in Raleigh.
Interim City Manager Tasha Logan said that she and other staff members will attend the forum which will allow for public discussion of the deannexation proposals outlined in House Bill 196 and Senate Bill 314. A city representative and a representative of the affected residents will each have three minutes to speak to the House Committee on Government.
After the council passed a resolution indicating the city's intent to annex the area on Feb. 2, 2004, there was a judicial review of the proposal that extended to the State Supreme Court. Both the language in the resolution and the discussion during the City Council's work session placed heavy emphasis on the Court's determination that the annexation was legal.
"Our general consensus has been the city has gone through the steps," Logan said. "This has been to the Supreme Court and we oppose the deannexation for this region."
Mayor Al King said the annexation had been examined at many stages and expressed mild disbelief that there were still those who felt the decision was not appropriate.
"And at every one we won," King said. "But somehow we did something bad."