Annexation an annual process in some cities

While the city of McMinnville considers annexing property near Red Road and Smithville Highway, other Midstate cities are also taking steps to grow.

In Cookeville, annexation is an annual process, according to city planner James Mills, who says Cookeville has increased its land area by one-third since 2000.

‘If there’s an area we believe should be in the city, we work to annex it,’ said Mills, who helped McMinnville on annexation matters in the 1980s and ’90s. ‘If you don’t grow, you’re going to die. It’s detrimental to the city if you don’t grow.’

Mills said Cookeville has annexed more than 10 square miles this decade, including 2,500 acres for an industrial park in 2002. He says in addition to annexation triggered by the city, property owners frequently request annexation because they want the services the city provides.

‘You also need to have areas for future developments, new subdivisions, new commercial developments,’ said Mills.

Since Tennessee established the Public Chapter 1101 growth plan, Mills said it made annexing property easier. Those were comments echoed by Manchester codes and safety director Paul Guess, who said Manchester has annexed new property every year for the past five years.

‘When the state made us have growth areas, that made annexing a lot easier for cities,’ said Guess.

Under Chapter 1101, areas that can be annexed by municipalities are placed in urban growth areas. Guess said that lets residents in those areas know they could be annexed in the near future, and it prepares them for that event.

‘With water and sewer and sanitation, a lot of people like annexation, especially with the drought,’ said Guess. ‘People may have had trouble with a septic tank or a well and they don’t want to mess with it anymore.’

Since 2004, Guess said Manchester has annexed 1,042 acres, which includes 789 acres in 2006.

In McMinnville, city officials are currently considering annexation for property around Newtown, Smithville Highway and Garth Circle off Red Road. City planner David Baird said the next step is for him to conduct a cost-benefit analysis.

‘That will let us see how much it’s going to cost the city for potential upgrades,’ said Baird.

Alderman Billy Wood has been critical of city officials for not being aggressive enough in annexation efforts. According to McMinnville City Hall, the city has annexed 151 acres since 2003.