Lancaster annexation opponents start fighting

by Brian Allen of Best Southwest Citizen

Knowing that annexation proceedings are very often contentious, one of the pieces of literature Lancaster city officials provided at Thursday’s night town hall meeting was titled “Annexation: It Isn’t a Four-Letter Word.”

But if the reaction at that meeting is any indication, it’s not a word residents of the affected area want used in polite company. Assistant City Manager Opal Mauldin-Robertson said city staff had fielded as many as 60 calls before the meeting. But even staff were surprised to see a crowd so big fire regulations wouldn’t permit any more people to enter the Lancaster Recreation Center’s Grand Hall.

Lancaster seeks to annex an eight-square mile area near Lancaster Municipal Airport. The land is within the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, meaning the city is within its rights under state law. But the opposition to annexation, at least among this group, seemed unanimous. Opponents of annexation hammered Lancaster for its roads, its schools and its crime rate. One speaker said most of the people in attendance at this meeting took Nocomis Rd. to get there, and he referred to the road as “a washboard.”

“You can tell right when you hit the part where the county maintenance stops and city maintenance begins,” he said.

Lancaster Mayor Marcus Knight has less than a year in office under his belt and this looks to be the biggest fight he’s taken on so far. Knight said Lancaster is taking steps to rectify everything from the roads to the number of police on the streets, but noted the city will not get there overnight.

“We need to ask for your patience and understand that’s a lot to ask,” Knight said.

There was precious little patience among the residents that attended this meeting. Mannix Smith said for there to be any real progress, the city needs to be honest about why it wants the land.

“This is a land grab and we all know it,” Smith said. “This is all about getting more land and then being able to use eminent domain once we’re inside the city limits. We know the Allen Group (developer of an inland port in southern Dallas County) is driving this.”

Suzie Wade is leading a petition drive against the annexation and she said these efforts are nothing new from the City of Lancaster.

“This is the third time they’ve tried this in the 30 years we’ve been out here,” Wade said. “If the city can’t take care of the land and the citizens it has, why are they constantly trying to bite off more than they can chew and swallow?”