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Water and sewer are often the issue where the most heated controversy arises in involuntary annexation by a town. Cary's Comprehensive Annexation Program (2006) says there is "no requirement to connect to Cary utilities." Of course most residents slated for annexation don't want water and sewer hookups because of the cost, or the impact to the environment. But this remains a major and a complicated issue. If your read carefully, there is an important right of yours you can only exercise before you become an annexed citizen.
Read this very carefully in your area Annexation Report (look at the paragraphs under Cost of Water and Cost of Sewer) as it strongly impacts the costs put in the proposal the Town Council votes on. If you make this request within 5 days of the public hearing, state law requires Cary to provide you services within a 2-year time frame. Furthermore, the cost of providing services must be included in the proposal the Town Council votes on. Currently the cost of these services are not included in the Annexation Report. Providing services will be very costly to Cary taxpayers and a tough economic burden on Cary's budget. Our best shot at halting this annexation process is making a "business case" to the Town Council that this annexation will not be a good step for the Town economically. By preserving your right to water and sewer, the costs of providing it within 2 years must be set before the Town Council. And you as a property owner will have real numbers to plan ahead. Be sure to examine all the ramifications of requesting water and sewer both in this 5-day window and afterwards. In the event annexation does proceed, consider what happens to the saleability of your home if you are in Cary and pay Cary taxes, but do not have Cary utilities. It may be difficult to get your full appraised value, some real estate agents have suggested. Consider also that at some point, a septic system may fail and at that point Cary has the right to mandate hookups. There are cases where the county has refused a permit. There are other cases where the owner has to repair their septic system at great cost even though services are going to be laid in shortly. Each area for annexation must consider the options for their particular situation carefully, but knowing the costs and planning for the future is a necessity for all property owners. Note: this is not the contract to actually contract for extension of services, which will follow only if the annexation plan is approved and you have another 14 days to complete the "sufficient petition." Note also: reports indicate that recently in Rowan county an involuntary annexation was dropped when citizens opted to preserve this right. |