Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Annexation Of Hwy. 67 Area Being Considered Again (cont)

and Parker said this issue has been brought up at almost every council meeting since the first of the year, and has been well covered in the media.

When questioned about getting the Gurdon Primary School into the city limits, Smith said the legal paperwork is being done.

This annexation, he said, can be done by ordinance with the city contacting the property owner in this case the Gurdon School District and then passing an ordinance to annex the property into the city limits as it is encircled by the city.

Benefits of annexation along Highway 67, he said, include better police protection, animal control and getting the city street department the authority to work on streets in the area. In addition, the city would be responsible for street lights in the region.

Smith said if the annexation passes all three readings and the election, the city will work to get street lights on every other utility pole from GHS to the city park. This will provide better vision for driving at night, and more security for homeowners as most criminals prefer to work in darkened areas.

"I understand your feelings" Smith said, "but progress has a price. I'd like to keep Gurdon a small community. We don't want to be as big as Arkadelphia or Benton, but the city has outgrown its boundaries."

Once discussion ceased, the ordinance was read for the first time with the council voting to have a special meeting Monday, June 21, at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The sole purpose of this meeting will be the second reading of the ordinance and to get public reaction.