Kaufman County property owners make one last plea to avoid annexation
TERRELL (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Terrell's biggest annexation plans ever came to a head Tuesday night with a city council vote.
A number of property owners made one last plea to avoid annexation.
Ruth DeLeon has lived on the outskirts of Terrell in Kaufman County for nearly 50 years and would like to keep it that way.
"I'm a widow, and I'm by myself, and I'm on a fixed income," DeLeon said. "I don't want the city to tell me how 'you have to do this, you have to do that.'"
DeLeon was among those attending a Terrell city council meeting where a final vote was scheduled on annexing more than 5,000 acres, including her three acre property.
A number of impacted property owners told the council they don't want the city taxes that come with city services that they say they are doing just fine without.
"We have to reach out to everybody in this community and understand why y'all are doing this," one resident said.
"You have disrespected this community over and over, every one of you," said another.
Terrell's mayor says Kaufman County is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation and the move is needed for proper development.
"It's a great place to do business in Texas," said Mayor Rick Carmona. "It's a great place to do business in Kaufman County, and certainly in Terrell, Texas so we have to protect ourselves as we grow."
The city has won over some property owners with what it says are unheard of concessions.
Those incentives include 10 years of reimbursement on city taxes and an offer to put off annexation of agricultural properties for 30 years if they follow certain conditions.
Despite the incentive offers from the city, some property owners still fighting this say that they have one last recourse they are considering.
That involves taking legal action against the city to stop their annexations from going forward.