[Date]

Representative Susan Fisher
North Carolina General Assembly
Raleigh, NC 27601-1096

Re: Annexation Reform - House Bills 86 & 87

Representative Fisher,

Please pledge your support to Representative Thomas & Representative Goforth, and their co-sponsors, in their efforts to get both House Bill 86 and House Bill 87 through Committee, and voted into law as soon as possible.

Clearly, you are familiar with how the current related statutes are being applied across the state, and in Buncombe County in particular, and how it is causing undue hardship, and major turmoil. As you know, areas that are forcibly annexed are unfairly tax-burdened, and typically do not receive compensatory services in line with their newly imposed taxes. In addition, areas targeted for annexation are not able to vote for or against the City Council members who propose to annex them, raise their taxes, and impose their rule. This is a fundamental injustice.

Thankfully, with the NC Supreme Court ruling "Nolan vs. the Village of Marvin" in January 2006, the legal system is starting to recognize the unjust ways the laws have been applied over the years. It's time to take legislative action to avoid further costly court battles, and make our municipalities return to fair and responsible governing, rather than wasting City tax payers’ dollars on costly court battles!

If annexation reform legislation is not voted into law this session, the likelihood of costly, prolonged legal battles arising due to the City of Asheville’s continued attempts at forcible annexation will almost assuredly end with the wasting of many City tax dollars, and a legal victory for those areas targeted by the City who are not in need of City services. It’s fair to guess that your City constituents will ultimately become disenchanted with the purported wisdom with which you represent them.

The money the City would need to invest to attempt to forcibly annex areas like Biltmore Lake would surely be better spent on enhancing the City’s existing infrastructure, and your constituents would see an immediate return in that enhanced infrastructure, rather than a draining of the City coffers for a very unworthy cause that has little hope of fruition. This alone should be reason enough to compel you to support annexation reform.

There is a ground-swell of support for this new type of legislation, and voters are taking notice. This is the year to act, and bring North Carolina's annexation-related statutes up to date with the rest of the majority of our great United States. Please put forth every effort to get these bills through Committee, and voted into law!

Again, I urge you to vote with Representatives Thomas and Goforth to get these Bills, and any other annexation reform bills introduced this session, through Committee, and passed into law as soon as possible.

Respectfully,
[Name]
[Address]
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