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Non - Contiguous "Satellite" Petition <br />The Council, may annex by ordinance certain areas whose boundaries do not at any point touch <br />its primary corporate limits. The primary corporate limits consists of the boundaries of the <br />municipality as enlarged by contiguous annexations, and therefore, do not include existing <br />"satellite areas" that are within the Town's corporate limits. Non - contiguous "Satellite" <br />Annexation petitions must be signed by 100 percent of the owners of all real property located <br />within such area. Such annexations are subject to the following standards: <br />1) The nearest point on the satellite area must not be more than 3 miles from the primary <br />corporate limits of the annexing city. <br />2) No point on the satellite area may be closer to the primary corporate limits of another <br />municipality than to the annexing city. <br />3) Services to annexation areas must be provided on substantially the same basis as within <br />the primary corporate limits. <br />4) If the proposed satellite area is a subdivision, then all of the subdivision must be included <br />in the petition. If the proposed satellite area is a phase of a subdivision, then the entire <br />phase of the subdivision must be included in the petition. <br />5) The area within the proposed satellite limits plus the area within all other satellite <br />corporate limits may not exceed 10% of the total land area within the primary corporate <br />limits of the annexing municipality. <br />Public Hearings <br />For each of these three annexation methods, the State Statutes require the Council to hold a <br />public hearing on the subject of annexing the proposed /petitioned area. Notice of the public <br />hearing must be advertised in a newspaper having general circulation in the Town once a week <br />for at least two successive weeks prior to the date of the hearing. The Town usually advertises <br />on the Friday that is ten days prior to the hearing, and on the Sunday that is one day before the <br />hearing. For Town - Initiated annexations, the Town also notifies all of the property owners in the <br />proposed annexation area, as listed in County tax records. <br />Compensation to Rural Fire Departments <br />Also in accordance with the State Statutes, the Town is required to compensate any rural fire <br />department serving the annexation area, if the annexation would result in a loss of revenue for the <br />rural fire department. Accordingly, the Town is required to make a good faith effort to negotiate <br />a five -year contract with the rural fire department to provide fire protection in the area to be <br />M <br />13 <br />