By AJ Narasimhan/bcnews@trcle.com
Residents of land the city of Burleson wants to annex repeated concerns Thursday about being annexed in a second public hearing before the city council.
Though Thursday’s meeting did not exceed the six hours taken mostly for public hearings at the council’s Oct. 11 meeting, residents were still fired up over three of the four proposed annexation sites.
The first hearing of the night was held for the largest area proposed for annexation. It encompasses 1,208.18 acres along Interstate 35W. The property is south of Bethesda Road, east of Briar Oaks road to County Road 513 and north of Asher road and runs north and south along the interstate.
Though the sentiments of the residents who spoke on the issue were the same as at the first hearing, residents directed more questions to the council as opposed to simply voicing opposition.
Ramon and Lucy Martinez posed several questions to the council, and Mayor Ken Shetter became a little impatient with the Martinezes.
“I’m done,” the mayor said when asked about the tax money that would be collected by the city if approved.
One elderly resident drew cheers and laughs from the crowd when she said she would haunt the council when she dies if the property is annexed
“I hope y’all believe in ghosts, ’cause I’m a coming back for you,” Elcee Taylor said.
Several residents spoke about the freedoms they believed the annexation would prohibit. A few mentioned the Boston Tea Party as a reference point to their cause.
Robert E. Smith, one of the most animated, vocal opponents of the annexation, noted the historical trend among annexations in the city’s history.
“Since 1969, there have been 11 voluntary annexations and 60 involuntary ones,” Smith said. “This is not the ‘City of Character,’ it is the city of captives.”
James Countes compared the council’s intentions to oppressive activities in Communist Russia. He said the United States was built on people wanting change from European powers.
Shetter reiterated the services that would be provided to those annexed, and City Manager Curtis Hawk made note of a new exemption.
“If a person has an agricultural exemption from the county and maintains that exemption, we will not annex that property,” Hawk said.
Shetter’s main stance on wanting the annexation remained steady from the first hearing. The annexations would allow the city to prevent unsavory businesses from setting up shop in the highly visible area and would give the council the power to determine what land uses are given to businesses that remain a top priority for the city.
But residents were not buying into it.
“I am still opposed,” Darryl Beakley said.
At the first meeting, residents from the Wildwood Estates subdivision were first on the hearing agenda, mainly because of the elderly population housed in the area and the time it would take to hear every resident’s concern.
This time, those residents were forced to wait until the end.
Residents from Wildwood Estates, which is completely surrounded by the city, also opposed being annexed.
With several residents on fixed income in the area, many noted the implications of paying city taxes. Still others made historical references to the 1980s when residents of the area asked to be annexed but were denied by the council.
“We took care of our own sewage problems and have 100 percent of our neighborhood against it,” Pam Smith said.
“Just respect us, leave us alone,” Roger Kaufman barked.
James Cain delivered an emotionally charged speech to the council, wrapping it up with, “vote with your heart and not your head,” which then drew a heavy applause.
Another hearing affected residents in the southeastern corner of East Renfro Street and Fox Lane. The city wants to annex 172.56 acres of the area.
Many residents who spoke on this annexation spoke of the country living they sought when moving to the area.
For the second consecutive meeting, no residents spoke on the proposed annexation of one acre, located at 1280 Hidden Creek Parkway.
The council will wait until Nov. 29 to hear a first reading of the annexation. They will then have the option of implementing it in December.
After the hearings and late in the night, the council issued a gas well permit after a lengthy presentation by Paloma Energy and residents in the affected site.
The site will be located on the border of Burleson and Joshua, and most residents spoke in favor of permitting the site.
J.D. Crawford, 84, signed a contract with Paloma saying the drill site was acceptable, but he initially opposed the site in the hearing. After a break in the meeting, he withdrew his opposition, and the well was approved unanimously, despite Mayor Pro Tem Stuart Gillaspie voicing concerns over uprooting trees.
A waiver for two septic systems was also approved.
