Patti Dozier
CNHI
THOMASVILLE —
The Meigs mayor is not optimistic about some residents’ reaction to an annexation proposal.
“We’re probably not going to get 100 percent in favor of it. We’re probably going to get 100 percent not in favor of it,” Meigs Mayor Andy Wurst said.
Brent Layton, who lives in the proposed area of annexation, thinks at least 95 percent of residents are against the proposal.
Meigs City Council has not
taken action on the matter. A “fact-finding meeting” has been called for 10 a.m. Saturday to gain public input, according to the mayor.
Wurst said the proposed annexation plan would allow Meigs to grow.
The mayor is looking at expanding the city to Davis Road to the west, using Davis to the south and north as a boundary and as a truck route to steer heavy truck traffic away from downtown.
The proposed project also would call for paving a small stretch of road between Davis and Sealy roads to create the beginning of a truck route and to accommodate future city growth.
Zoning would follow. Wurst envisions areas for motels, apartments and parks.
“Let’s plan how we are going to grow Meigs, but not make the mistakes of the past,” he said. “ ... We have zoning laws in Meigs designed for a city the size of Albany, Ga.”
If residents are interested in a plan, “we’d like to do it right away,” the mayor explained. The plan would be for 15 to 20 years.
Wurst said 85 properties are in the proposed area of annexation. Each property owner was asked in writing to go to city hall and discuss the proposed project with the mayor.
Layton, a Ga. 3 resident, views annexation as a way for the city to realize more tax revenue. He sees the new streets as a means for the city to levy fines for speeding.
“There’s no other way out,” Layton said, noting that the area in question is primarily farmland and forests.
“The city’s not broke, but it’s certainly struggling as any other city is,” the mayor said. He explained that the city does not have the tax base to provide needed services.
“In that respect,” he said, “Yes, we need their money. Every city does.”
Wurst said the overall Meigs millage rate might be lowered if more people were paying city taxes.
“We would look at what our options are and go from there,” Wurst said, when asked if the millage rate would decrease with annexation.
If Meigs cannot handle its problems, the last alternative would be to turn the town over to the district’s county commissioner “and let him have it,” Wurst said.
Layton said it is not fair to him and other homeowners in the proposed expansion area to be annexed so the city can receive more revenue.
“This is plainly abuse of the annexation laws of Georgia,” he said.
Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820.
