We're getting annexed :(

farmrbrown · #21 04/19/14, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTG_zoo

I'm just devastated, we're loosing everything that is good about this place we live in.

We're getting annexed by the tiny town nearby. They're annexing us so the larger town further away can't.

Our taxes are going to to up to the state capped limit.
We're going to loose the ability to have livestock, discharge a firearm, store various things outdoors, allow vegetation to grow more then 1 foot in height, burn things, make noise, and mow the lawn after 8 pm (that is a problem for me!).

We're going to have to hook up to city utilities, back fill our septic tank, get building permits, register our cats and dogs in the city and spend more then I make a year doing all this.

In return, we get city maintenance of our road which is not really a benefit as the nearest road that they already maintain is the worst road I drive on most days. We'll also get their fire department, but we already have that due to contracts with the county. We'll also get their police protection which is no real benefit to me.

I have no idea how to finance this change over. We may have some time, as they have to run the utilities out to us, and then we get 60 days to get ready ourselves. Can one get loans for this kind of thing?

I can't really pack up and move right now, the house is a modular and the odds of selling it and breaking even are very slim at this point. If I could, I would though.

That's where the problem lies, being forced to spend money for something you don't want or need.
There's a reason some of us choose to live where and how we do. If you had chosen to live in city limits then I'd say you had chosen city utilities, but that's not the case here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTG_zoo

They've been trying for awhile and now have 51% of the house hold in the area agree to voluntary annexation. People agreed brace the next larger town has ben trying for years and that would be worse to get annexed by.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTG_zoo

They are allowed to annex an area that shares 1/8 of it's border withe the city border. We are in the county, in the country on 3 acres, surrounded by fields. The area includes about 300 households & 53% of them volunteered to be annexed.

Some of then say that town council members told them we won't lose our zoning or property rights. City ordinances read to the contrary. The city has not done the details yet, so there is hope of grandfathering. That would be the best of the worst. Right now I have no livestock. The lady block of property they annexed is still agricultural, but I don't see any livestock there. They don't have city sewer / water yet.

There is very little hope of not getting annexed. They've won over too many of the neighbors.

This answers most of the legal questions.
Once they got over 51% to agree, that's pretty much it as far as they (the city and their attorneys) are concerned.

I've faced a few of those types of battles in the past such as declaring a section of town a "historic district". Sounds all nice and harmless until you read the fine print that you are no longer allowed to paint your house a different color, or make improvements or renovations without consent from the city.
They went ahead anyway and I simply them I surrendered no rights to them no matter what ordinance they passed and their enforcement was going to require more than a monetary action - it would require blood.
Theirs, mine or both, makes no difference to me.

Never had a problem with them, they knew to leave me alone.

Dixie Bee Acres · #22 04/19/14, 03:11 PM

Grandfather clause. Look into it.
Property I use to own outside of Crawfordsville, in, it was just outside of town. Everyone had private well and septic. City ran water mains to our area, but, according to what i was told, they couldn't force anyone to hook up. Some did, some didn't. That was just before I bought the place.
I did find out, that since our property was hooked up, we could not unhook and go back to private well.

In otherwords, if you comply, you can't change your mind later.

bluemoonluck · #23 04/19/14, 03:21 PM

This isn't the same thing, but I know my FIL owns property that used to be country and now has several large neighborhoods surrounding it. He has well and septic, and he's allowed to keep that as long as he owns the house. As soon as he sells it, whoever buys it will be required to "update" to the county's water and sewer.

See if you can work something out like that, worst case. Yes, that makes it harder to sell your home in the future, because there is that expense. But if you're planning on staying there long-term, and you can't get grandfathered in, that may be an option for you to consider.

What happens if you tell the city that you cannot afford their required upgrades? You may want to make an appointment with the person/committee responsible for the annexation and explain this to them. May get you somewhere, may not, but I think if you explain it's a financial hardship and you'd hate to have to get lawyers/media involved you'll get some traction.

Good luck.

Belfrybat · #24 04/19/14, 04:14 PM

As others have said, look into grandfathering in, especially the well and septic. Also, you mentioned keeping livestock in your OP, but later said you don't have any. If I were you, I'd get some pronto before the annexation actually takes place. Let someone run a couple of head of cattle on your place and get some poultry. Then try to get livestock use grandfathered in as well. But if you don't have livestock, you wont' be able to get "future" livestock grandfathered in.

One off-topic question. You said the town doesn't allow vegetation above 1 foot tall. Doesn't anyone have bushes or a vegetable garden?

ntjpm · #25 04/20/14, 01:59 PM

Ugh I feel your pain, we were annexed about 7 years ago. Same deal one city did it before the other city could. We fought it and lost, and are still angry over it let me tell you. My neighbor who lives across the street from me, (in fact we can see in each others living room windows if we want) according the the maps he lives on a totally different street then me. Fed Ex HATES us and so many people get lost, because the street has two different names and house numbers make zero sense.

However the very best part is coming up for you, oh the joy of trying to convince your mortgage holder that your address has changed, BUT you have not moved. Oh the hoops I had to jump through, I finally threw up my hands and told them, I gave you the info what you do with it is your problem, but if you send me anything in the future to the old address and I don't get it that is your problem. They fixed it. The garbage company on the other hand, still has not changed it and I have sent them 5 separate letters including the one from the city saying "Congratulations you are now part of our city" (and we are gonna make your life miserable"

Again you have my sympathy, good luck, Tracy in WA

Harry Chickpea · #26 04/20/14, 02:38 PM

Worse comes to worse and the house is modular, you may be able to throw 15K at it and move it out of town. "Hey! Wait-a-minute! Wasn't there a house right here that we were going to get to tax?" I won't mention the other way that houses "disappear."

Stuff like this makes me glad we are REALLY out in the sticks.

OUVickie · #27 04/20/14, 03:54 PM

Apparently they tried something like that a few decades back, where we live, but the people that owned our acreage and 3 others fought it and were never annexed.
They created a rural water district several years ago, which I guess was good for some of the people that lived in the middle of town. We are on the outskirts and most in my area refused to sign-up. They were never able to force us to do it.
Fight it if you can and don't sign on to any utilities - like others said - once you start signing over your rights, you can't go back.

wogglebug · #28 04/20/14, 04:04 PM

QUICKLY get chooks, ducks, geese, dogs, cattle, goats, sheep, horses or ponies running on your property. Rent them if you must, or offer agistment. Just get them there, and get photos, to get into the grandfathering situation. You can decide what you really want later, but secure your options now.

PricklyThistle · #29 04/20/14, 04:11 PM

I'd probably refuse compliance and start my own backyard revolution.

**Terri** · #30 04/20/14, 04:18 PM

*IF* you have livestock now you can have them "Grandfathered in". That would mean that if you have 20 chickens you may continue to have 20 chickens, and so forth and so on.

Also, in the city where I live we are allowed to have CROPS that are taller than 12 inches, but not an unmown lawn that is taller than 12 inches.

Check the city laws carefully. They may not volenteer this to you but if you ask pointed questions you will get an answer. Do not accept a statement like "We do not recommend", instead ask what the law says.

Chief Cook · #31 04/20/14, 06:24 PM

So sorry that you and yours are having to go through this. I wish you all the best and good luck.

Sawmill Jim · #32 04/21/14, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Worse comes to worse and the house is modular, you may be able to throw 15K at it and move it out of town. "Hey! Wait-a-minute! Wasn't there a house right here that we were going to get to tax?" I won't mention the other way that houses "disappear."

Stuff like this makes me glad we are REALLY out in the sticks.

Bad thunder storm sometimes is a blessing

geo in mi · #33 04/21/14, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTG_zoo

They are allowed to annex an area that shares 1/8 of it's border withe the city border. We are in the county, in the country on 3 acres, surrounded by fields. The area includes about 300 households & 53% of them volunteered to be annexed.

Some of then say that town council members told them we won't lose our zoning or property rights. City ordinances read to the contrary. The city has not done the details yet, so there is hope of grandfathering. That would be the best of the worst. Right now I have no livestock. The lady block of property they annexed is still agricultural, but I don't see any livestock there. They don't have city sewer / water yet.

There is very little hope of not getting annexed. They've won over too many of the neighbors.

If you are surrounded by fields, yet the area has 300 households in it, it sounds to me like your upright, conservative, church-going city fathers--in cahoots with the farmer/owners(that's about all Indiana has right now...) have their eyes on those open spaces for something like....a new Wal-Mart, Lowes, an ethanol plant.....? This happened to the South side of Marion over the years....used to be one big bean field, now it's all concrete and asphalt and BB stores.

Hate to be so skeptical, but I would think about the option someone else has mentioned; that of making my property bare and clear, ready for profitable sale to the city-farmer oligarches and move the modular out of town to some real country. Realistically, there's no way you would be able to have animals on three acres in the middle of that. Sorry to express my own opinion that way.....

geo

Joshie · #34 04/21/14, 02:17 PM

Please bear with me because I haven't read through all the posts but is there any way your property can be grandfathered in so that you don't have to comply with city rules? I grew up in an urban area of about 300K. My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Peden, had a pony farm. The neighborhood was built in the 1900s to 1910s. Mrs. Peden's house was at the outside edge of the neighborhood but near the center of the city. The interstate abuts the property (and probably took some of it when they put it in the 60s). She kept ponies at least until the 80s. She had horses until she died.

When we looked for properties we found one a mile or two from a (different) city. Horses and livestock could be kept on the property but city said that if owners went more than 18 months without livestock then livestock could never be kept there again.

Grandfathering rules vary from place to place. A nearby small community became overrun by yuppies. A yuppie neighborhood backed up to a small farm outside town limits. The yuppies complained about the noise and stink so the small farmer put the pen for her grandkids' 4H hogs near the property line bordering the yuppies (You know the kind who says they want "quiet county living" but who complain about the noise and smells that come naturally with country living.) her spiteful actions prompted the village to annex her place into town and she lost her ability to have any animals at all. This village is a smaller town bordering the same city as my other example.

Urban sprawl is a huge problem here. Shopping centers and neighborhoods are being built where there was nothing but farmland for miles around less than ten years ago. It is a shame that almost no matter where you go you could end up in a city.

TheMartianChick · #35 04/21/14, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTG_zoo

They are allowed to annex an area that shares 1/8 of it's border withe the city border. We are in the county, in the country on 3 acres, surrounded by fields. The area includes about 300 households & 53% of them volunteered to be annexed.

Some of then say that town council members told them we won't lose our zoning or property rights. City ordinances read to the contrary. The city has not done the details yet, so there is hope of grandfathering. That would be the best of the worst. Right now I have no livestock. The lady block of property they annexed is still agricultural, but I don't see any livestock there. They don't have city sewer / water yet.

There is very little hope of not getting annexed. They've won over too many of the neighbors.

You really need to talk to a lawyer now, before it is too late. There is more than one way to grandfather and right now...you don't know what will come next! An attorney can also bring your concerns to the municipality on your behalf and they will carry far more weight.

The city could decide to grandfather the agricultural zoning designation which would allow you to still engage in agricultural endeavors. They also might decide to change the zoning to residential, but grandfather in existing uses, which is a whole different story.

Right now, you have no livestock and may or may not be engaged in farming of any kind. If they grandfathered in your existing uses, then you still wouldn't have the right to have animals because you don't currently have them.

Talk to an attorney and get some clarity right now. A lawyer may advise you to hurry up and get some animals to preserve your right to have them. If you get animals without knowing what the outcome will be, then you could find yourself in a bind as far as getting rid of them if the municipality later demands it.

As to city water and sewer... Many years ago, a property that my parents owned was deemed to be in the water/sewer district. The homeowners were allowed to opt in or opt out. I do hope that you'll have the same choice!

Pokletu · #36 04/22/14, 03:05 PM

Here's a website link you can investigate. The Financial Leadership Academy. Don't close your mind to the name; I know... These guys handle money for the elite 1%, and now they want to empower the other 99...

"Our Mission Statement

In an effort to please our creator we will fill the public's need for accurate and reliable financial information, and connect them with competent and accountable financial professionals."

I found him(Rodney Ballance) when he was giving an interview with Lindsey Williams. I just got started with him, myself; but I have some prior knowledge into some of their operating principles; including:

Something called a "Land Patent", for one; which is how Disney built his kingdom; and why Florida cops can't go into it;

Holding Trusts and corporations; etc.

http://icontrolmymoney.org/

Be confident that they're not selling the instruments to you; they're letting you know about them. Hope this helps. God bless you...