Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Annexation Is Opposed At City Council Meeting

It was a rare sight Monday night as the Gurdon City Council meeting played to a capacity crowd.

However, the annexation issue was what brought the audience into city hall and before the council.

More than 50 residents who live in the area the city is working to annex voiced their displeasure at the meeting.

Jackie Rhodes acted as spokesman for the residents, saying those in the area had not seen nor heard from the city about the ordinance concerning the annexation.

Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith pointed out the council had approved the ordinance's first reading at the July meeting, and it had been well publicized in the local newspaper and on an area radio station.

Several in the audience said they didn't believe anything they read in the Gurdon Times and didn't listen to the radio station in question.

Those opposing the annexation were informed by city attorney Eric Hughes they could challenge the election results should it pass on Nov. 5 in the General Election.

Hughes said they would have 30 days after the election to file their challenge in circuit court.

This point, among others, was belabored for about four hours as the meeting lasted most of the night.

Rhodes asked if all four areas mapped out would be annexed at one time or, if not, how the annexation would be done.

Smith said there had been a lot of legwork involved in the planning of the annexation, which would initially take in properties from the current city limits to the new Gurdon High School, along with Airport Road.

Two of the areas to be annexed are the city's cemetery and Gurdon Elementary School.

Smith said the reason for annexations are to provide services to densely populated areas. The region in question involves 96 properties and about 200 people.

He said those living in the area would receive all city services, including police and fire protection, along with the other city services offered to residents.

Rhodes pointed out the school does not belong to the city of Gurdon, but to the local school district. "This has nothing to do with the school," he said. "I talked with the school board president (Charles Ledbetter), and he knew nothing about it."

Rhodes said there were 109 signatures on a petition, which was presented to the council, of residents in the region who do not want to be annexed into the city limits.

He said the main reason people located there is because they wanted to be outside the city.

"They knew there was no police protection, water or sewer, when they moved there," he said. "It was a risk they were willing to take."

However, the biggest bone of contention appeared to be the residents in the proposed annexation area feel their voices mean nothing.

Rhodes, and others, said they felt the annexation was being "shoved down their throats," because they had not been individually contacted by members of the council, or the mayor.

"We feel we were shown no respect or courtesy," Rhodes said, "and you're trying to railroad us into something we don't want."

He then asked how money was involved in the process.

Smith said the personal and real taxes on the identified properties would amount to about $3,800 per year. The state turnback funds, he continued, average out to $62 per person, but varies. This would be about $12,000 annually. Funding for fire departments, Act 833 money, is also based on population. The annexation would provide more revenue for area fire departments, he said.

"The intention (of annexation) is not for Gurdon to make a lot of money," Smith said, "but for the other benefits the city can get."

Smith said the school is a factor in the equation. When the new 911 emergency telephone system goes into effect in November GHS will be in a fire zone protected by the Beirne volunteer fire department, a class 10 organization.

In fact, under the 911 system, all properties on the east side of Highway 67 will be in the Beirne protection area. Smith said the insurance rates of those living there could be affected and go up.

Rhodes said he had spoken to his insurance company and been told his rates would not go up or be affected by the 911 system. He said the company told him as long as a person lived within five miles of a class 8 or better fire department there would be no problem. The GFD is a class 7 entity.

He then brought up the fact the council had, several months ago, passed an ordinance which would allow people to subscribe to the GFD at a nominal fee.

Rhodes claimed there was no parity in how the department charged people when it responded outside the city limits to battle blazes. He said two people were charged $600 each, while another was not charged at all. This was a point which was brought up repeatedly and got the same response each time.

Smith informed the crowd the Gurdon Fire Department charges a flat $500 per truck and $25 per man responding.

The person not charged for a response by the GFD had only recently moved into the area and had spoken with the mayor about subscribing to the GFD.

However, the subscription issue has been pretty much dropped by the council because of problems which arose from 911.

Under the 911 system, fire protection areas are drawn by the county's Office of Emergency Services coordinator (Jim Burns in Clark County).

Smith said when a person has a fire and calls 911, the dispatcher will inform the department in the designated zone, unless the caller requests a specific department.

He added the council didn't know the extent of problems which would occur with 911 and a subscription system, therefore, the issue has been allowed to die.

Rhodes asked if anyone asked to subscribe to the GFD for the fee set by ordinance, if they would be accepted.

Smith said they would, but would still have to tell the 911 dispatcher to send the GFD in an emergency.

Changing topics and tactics, Rhodes questioned councilman David Williams, asking if there were no school in the area if the council would still want to annex it.

Williams said he couldn't answer yes or no. The ordinance, he said, will simply give the people in the region, along with the residents of Gurdon the opportunity to vote on the issue.

Rhodes blasted the council saying it will vote on the ordinance knowing how the people in the area feel, and knowing of the services the city is required by law to provide.

He said the entire issue boils down to money and the city doesn't have the money to provide all services immediately, otherwise, he continued, the city would be looking to annex other areas as well, or instead of this one.

Returning to the school, he said the board knew the proposed site was outside the city limits when it voted to build there. Other schools, he said, are not i