By Dustin Shipman

dshipman@joplinglobe.com

SARCOXIE, Mo. — The possible annexation of land near Interstate 44 by the city of Sarcoxie is being greeted by business owners with a combination of enthusiasm and caution.

The area in question includes a group of businesses directly off the interstate at Exit 29, including the new Kum and Go convenience store that recently staged a grand opening.

Alderman Denzil Thomas said the annexation is still in the planning stage, and that the town council has several variables to discuss before any proposal could come to a vote.

“Some of the property owners involved have been given the information that they need, but that is about as far as we have gotten on it right now,” Thomas said. “The response has been very positive. In fact, some of the businesses had come to us interested in this.”

Thomas said the council hopes that the land can be taken in via voluntary annexations, benefiting all parties.

Several of the business owners said the idea of being annexed into the city is something they would support, but that that support would come with conditions.

“I see it as a benefit, as long as with the annexation we also see utilities,” said Randy Weber, owner of the 44 Country Mall. “Without the utilities, the annexation means nothing more than more taxes and more red tape.

“Of course, with this we could see more development and more businesses, which would help everyone out. I think the benefits are going to outweigh the negatives. Right now, it seems to be a voluntary thing, but I don’t want to annex myself in and then not get utilities for 20 years.”

Gary Turner, president of the Sarcoxie Chamber of Commerce, said the possibility of the annexation would open up several new opportunities for the city as well as for the businesses in the proposed area.

Turner said the size of the area being proposed for annexation is not yet well defined, with most people in Sarcoxie simply referring to the section near the interstate exit as “the land up on the hill.”

“Any time that you can annex things into the city, it is important,” Turner said.

He said the annexation would be beneficial to the businesses in the area and would raise additional tax revenue that the city could use to pay for more projects to better serve residents and businesses.

“The more revenue that we can generate for the city, the more services that are provided to the community,” Turner said. “It would be nice that we could get to the point where we had 24/7 law enforcement, which we don’t have right now, along with a lot of other improvements. There are a lot of different things that are being looked at right now.