PUBLIC VOICES CONCERNS, DOUBTS AT BRENHAM ANNEXATION MEETING
Brenham officials received plenty of feedback Tuesday on the city’s proposed plans for annexation, and not much of it positive.
A town hall meeting at Brenham City Hall drew comments from several members of the public, concerning the near 240 acres of land being considered for annexation.
In May, the city adopted a resolution authorizing City Manager James Fisher to identify tracts of land for annexation and prepare service plans. The resolution was adopted ahead of the passing of House Bill 347, which disallowed municipalities to annex without the consent of residents. The bill does allow areas that are in the process of being annexed to be grandfathered under past laws.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
Currently, the city is considering 44 acres in the Southwest Industrial Park, bounded by Industrial Boulevard, FM 332, and FM 389; 6/10ths of an acre at Scenic Estates, along the west side of Old Masonic Road; and just under 195 acres on the east side of Farmers Road between FM 389 and Old Mill Creek Road, and the north side of Old Mill Creek Road between the current city limit line and Jackson Creek.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
One resident said he felt the city was “rushing into something”, in order to pass under previous state law. Another resident asked why annexation would be a good thing for him if it would just lead to increased taxes, with another echoing that thought, saying he did not see any benefits of annexation, only “a lot of extra expenses”. One person said this “seems like a land grab”.
Fisher said the purpose of these town halls is to gather information from the public, and added that the city still has a lot of work to do in a very short timeframe. He said the city could still decide not to follow through with annexation, if the process is considered unfeasible by the Brenham City Council.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
The public’s next chance to offer comment on the proposed annexation will be at a public hearing at the council’s next meeting, November 7th at 1 p.m. at City Hall. Another public hearing with the council will follow on the 14th.
The Planning and Zoning Commission will look at zoning for the tracts being considered on November 25th, before the council considers an annexation ordinance on December 5th and 19th. If approved by city council, the annexation would go into effect December 29th.