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Old 02-14-2008, 03:40 PM
 
1,326 posts, read 2,374,760 times
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This could be devastating in particular to Madison's further expansion plans. It could hurt Huntsville too but Huntsville can easily expand east or north if it wants to.


http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/ind....xml&coll=1

HSV Times Article
Bill to halt land grabs is in works
Thursday, February 14, 2008
By WENDY REEVES
Times Staff Writer wendy.reeves@htimes.com

Annexations inLimestone Countyfocus of measure

A bill to stop annexations of Limestone County land by neighboring cities could soon be introduced to the state Legislature.

The proposed constitutional amendment was still being put together in Montgomery on Wednesday, said state Sen. Tom Butler, D-Madison.
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Old 03-01-2008, 05:48 PM
 
11 posts, read 26,475 times
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What do the people already living in Huntsville stand to gain from annexing more land way out from the core of the city?
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Old 03-01-2008, 07:49 PM
 
Location: Madison, AL
410 posts, read 1,646,636 times
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It's not really what the people of Huntsville get -- its what the property owner being annexed gets. The people that own the property request that their property be annexed. Once in the city, then Huntsville has to provide services to the area. But of course they pay more taxes and have more rules about stuff they can and cannot do with their property -- so the city gets more property tax revenue. And in the case of retail development, more sales taxes, too.
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Old 03-04-2008, 09:24 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,604 posts, read 77,247,404 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NicoleC View Post
It's not really what the people of Huntsville get -- its what the property owner being annexed gets. The people that own the property request that their property be annexed. Once in the city, then Huntsville has to provide services to the area. But of course they pay more taxes and have more rules about stuff they can and cannot do with their property -- so the city gets more property tax revenue. And in the case of retail development, more sales taxes, too.
Growth can be a double-edged sword though, so be very careful what you folks in Greater Huntsville wish for. I live on the outskirts of the Pocono Mountains, which up until the 1980s was a thriving rural honeymoon getaway about 90-minutes from New York City. Over the past 20 years this region has seen tremendous residential and commercial growth and is now a full-blown suburb of the city as people gladly make four-hour round-trip commutes in an incessant quest for inexpensive housing, cheap taxes, good schools, less congestion, etc. Now the mass influx has generated the SAME PROBLEMS that these families sought to flee in the first place, and my own native Scranton area is next in-line for an influx of growth.

Initially municipalities here were laughing all the way to the bank as they realized greater tax revenues with every new housing subdivision they approved. Now though we've reached the point where any financial benefits a community may experience from new growth is more than absorbed by the costs associated with that growth. Property taxes have been escalating rapidly in the Poconos as new schools have to be built every few years in order to accomodate the transplant influx. Once scenic, narrow, two-lane country roads are now congested beyond belief, leading to flaring tempers at rush-hour. Gangs and other crime associated with urban areas have infiltrated the region, leading to higher taxes to fund larger police forces. Real estate speculation has led housing prices to mushroom.

Growth may initially seem like a win-win situation, but there is always the case of having "too much of a good thing." Be VERY weary of the dangers that rapid sprawl may bring.
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Old 03-04-2008, 12:20 PM
 
Location: Madison, AL
410 posts, read 1,646,636 times
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I don't disagree at all. Huntsville already has a sprawl problem, and there is zero hint of any leadership to address how incredibly unsustainable and unmanageable it is. The kind of long term planning you need to keep the infrastructure working 2, 5 and 10 years down the road is nonexistent.
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