Over the long term, she added, city and county officials should work with residents to resolve - once and for all - the inequities created by city
annexations.
Lane County commissioners have called our motives "ethically suspect" or said they have "failed to pass the smell test" because the
annexation request originated from an EPUD board member.
After the Lane County Board of Commissioners refused to place the
annexation on the ballot, the utility asked the judge to order the county board to do so.
Among the possible changes would be including a statement to that effect - that "no forced
annexations will take place," Fleenor said.
Under state
annexation law at the time, the UGB residents could have vetoed the plan.
North Charleston annexed the acre into the city in late 2017, which opened the door to a 2,000-acre
annexation. North Charleston bought the one acre of land from The Whitfield Co., which owns the 2,000-acre parcel, in September 2017.
"The contrary view would eviscerate [the law's] requirements for a valid
annexation and would allow an annexing body to shield itself from outside challenges by simply claiming it is employing the 100% method when it is not actually doing so."
The company made offers to purchase the property contingent on the
annexation of the land.
But the
annexation reform discussion was just as prominent during the proceedings.
Oregon Communities for a Voice in
Annexations had written a bill, House Bill 2938, to stop cities from requiring
annexation when providing a county service (e.g., building permits) as a proxy for the county.
The affects of white outmigration in response to past
annexations continues to reverberate among city and county residents alike.
