City has talked annexation but taken no action
Although McMinnville?s Building and Grounds Committee has talked about annexing certain properties lately, none of those has been the area along Highway 55 in Smartt Station.
Discussion of annexing the area began in December 2006 after a request from a area landowner who was interested in establishing a future industrial park. The park, as well as annexation, started a flurry of controversy regarding the need to annex.
According to Mayor Royce Davenport, the city needs to grow in order to guarantee the continued growth and economic development of the county.
?If you are trying to develop a community, and I?m talking about the whole county, the county seat has to grow,? said Davenport. ?Cities need room to grow and develop or they just won?t grow. Warren County isn?t going to grow beyond a certain point unless the city of McMinnville grows. TML (Tennessee Municipal League) refers to cities as the economic engine of Tennessee and that?s true.?
The city needs to annex land in order to draw in new businesses and create jobs. Currently the city has only five acres of land within the city limits that could be used for industrial purposes and that?s not enough for development.
Annexation is necessary for growth but costs the city more than it gets in return.
?It costs us more to give them services than they will pay in taxes,? said Davenport. ?When we annex, they are going to have to pay city taxes. I can?t say they will save as much as they will pay but in some cases they make money by being in the city with the difference in insurance rates.?
If a reduction in insurance rates isn?t enough to cover the added cost in taxes, Davenport says the benefits are still worth it with trash and debris curb side pick-up, a faster response time from emergency services, the sidewalk program in which the property owner buys the concrete and the city supplies the labor, lighted streets, maintenance of the street services, water, sewer, etc.
Despite the need for land, there is no set time for the committee to talk about annexing the Smartt Station area. There is no draft ordinance. Nothing has been discussed and no maps have been drawn.
The word that annexation of the area seems to have halted is welcome news to one resident.
?We don?t want an industrial park in this area,? said Alexander Hill. ?We don?t want to be annexed either. I?m glad they aren?t talking about it but it makes me wonder why they haven?t.?
As always, adequate notice will have to be given regarding all committee meetings. A public meeting will have to be held when it comes to annexation.