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June/July 2014
Lakeland Annexation, Take 2
BOC Requests Revised Feasibility Study of Smaller Area by August Meeting
By Terry Louderback
On May 8, Lakeland
Mayor Wyatt Bunker, the
Board of Commissioners,
and a crowd of annexation
opponents listened to Jim
Atkinson, Lakeland’s
Director of Planning present the findings of the
annexation feasibility
study for unincorporated
Northeast Shelby County.
Atkinson quickly explained that the study
presents two scenarios
annexing only part of the
area. Scenario #1 is areas
A&B; scenario #2 is areas
A,B,C & D. Area E is
eliminated from consideration for annexation by
Lakeland altogether.
To the palpable relief of
the annexation opponents,
the feasibility study ultimately recommended
against either scenario..
However this relief would
be short-lived.
Atkinson identified
several factors that made
providing city services to
the area costly and contributed to the recommendation.
Firstly, much of the land
is
classified
as
“Greenbelt,” which is
taxed at a lower rate and
would result in less property tax for City of Lakeland compared to residential or commercial property.
Estimated annual road
improvement costs for
annexed area for the City
of Lakeland would be
$461,000 for scenario #1
vs. $1.09 million for #2 in
years 1-5.
The Annexation Feasibility study shows capital
expenditures would exceed
property tax revenue for
the first 10 years after the
City of Lakeland annexation.
The study also shows
that the City of Lakeland
operational expenditures
would exceed intergovernmental revenue for both
scenarios.
After the Board began
discussion of the Feasibility Study Results, Lakeland Mayor Bunker
brought up the possibility
of commissioning a second
study of a smaller area,
possibly area A.
Commissioner Gene
Torrey requested that the
new study encompass part
of area A and possibly part
of B. The exact boundaries
of the new area of study
were not set by the Board
of Commissioners.
In the end, a resolution
passed unanimously to for
the City of Lakeland to
complete a new study of an
unspecified reduced area
for annexation by Lakeland within 90 days.
By David Peel
on their hands and
energy to spare.
When they ran out
of fun things to try,
someone donned a
bulletproof vest and
great joy was found
in shooting the
wearer. Turns were taken.
Raucous laughter, no
doubt, ensued.
But, one friend was not
quite as accurate as the
others. The .22 long rifle
bullet, missed the Kevlar
protection of the vest, and
buried into the young
man’s chest. Despite CPR,
the victim, in his mid-20s,
bled to death.
Now the friend, is
looking at five years in
prison, charged with
involuntary manslaughter
for the errant shooting.
We all did stupid things
when we were young.
Many jumped off the roof
with an umbrella, only to
find one does not, in fact,
float down gently. Some
farm boys urinated on the
electric fence, you know,
just to see what happened.
Few did that twice. Many
young men built elaborate
bike ramps and tried to
jump like Evel Knievel,
with similar results to his.
But, I