October 14, 2008 11:11 pm
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By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — There were no speakers Tuesday night when the Carthage City Council conducted a final public hearing on a proposal to annex the South Wind Acres area at Grand Avenue and Fir Road.
About a half-dozen residents of the area attended the session, but none voiced an opinion about the issue that will be the subject of a vote among residents of that area and of Carthage in the Nov. 4 election.
After the meeting, a resident of the area proposed for annexation, Norman Rush, 2892 S. Maple St., told the Globe that he and neighbors had made their opposition clear at earlier public hearings.
“The people there are 100 percent against it, and we’re not going to say anything that will change the council’s mind,” he said.
Scott Hurrell, 2953 S. Maple St., said after the meeting that he had made yard signs that he and other residents were displaying that express their attitudes.
“They say ‘We love Carthage, but leave us out,’ and that’s how we all feel,” he said.
Rush said he attended the session just in case officials imparted any additional information about the proposal. Council members and city staff members also did not speak, except to note that fliers had been prepared addressing frequently asked questions on the annexation, from the perspective of South Wind Acres residents and those inside the city. The fliers are available at City Hall, said Tom Short, city administrator.
The area, which includes commercial and residential property, is surrounded by Carthage, and city officials say the annexation is necessary to address issues including zoning and land use, health concerns involving sewage treatment, and safety concerns such as the lack of building and fire codes.
If the annexation is approved, residents would receive police and street-maintenance services, and still would be served by the Carthage Fire Department. They would no longer pay a tax as part of the fire district, but they would pay city taxes.
In other business, the council:
Authorized the mayor to enter into a contract with Services Unlimited for the demolition of a house at 1017 S River St.
Approved Mayor Jim Woestman’s appointments of Buddy Garner and Mark Simpson, and the reappointments of Larry Graham, Bud Rogers, Jeff Neely and Chad Reed to the Carthage Affordable Housing Task Force.
Approved a recommendation by the public services committee for the purchase of more than $189,000 in golf course maintenance equipment, and advanced on first reading a plan to finance the equipment though a lease-purchase with UMB Bank, at a rate of 3.6 percent.
Annexation law
Under state law, the annexation must pass in both Carthage and the annexation area to be approved. If it is rejected in the annexation area, the measure can be resubmitted to voters. In that case, it would be approved if it is endorsed by two-thirds of the total vote.
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