Minutes 06-01-2021 Virtual Business meeting

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17 annexation. He said there are standards that a municipality cannot satellite annex any property that is closer to another municipality. Craig Benedict said Mebane would have the ability to annex in Area B, if an applicant came forward. He said Mebane does not have any satellite limits, except for if the satellite is closer to another jurisdiction. John Roberts said there are a number of rules that apply to annexation. He said involuntary annexation is still permissible, but is not usually practiced these days. He said annexation is primarily voluntary now. Commissioner Dorosin asked if a landowner wanted to be annexed, and Mebane approved it, the County would have no say in it. He asked if it is correct that the County has no legal authority to prevent it. John Roberts said that is correct. He said if it was the first time Mebane was annexing into the County, it would need approval from the County. Commissioner Dorosin clarified that the only restriction is that it has to be within 3 miles of the primary corporate limits, and closer to Mebane than any other city. He said looking at the map, the city limits for Mebane are scattered throughout the focus areas. Chair Price asked if there has to be a way to connect water and sewer to an annexed area. Craig Benedict said it is the decision of the municipality if it wants to annex. He said the state statute says that the municipality has to decide if it can provide public services to an area. Commissioner Dorosin asked if Mebane has a vision for the growth of its corporate limits. Tom Altieri said the City of Mebane does not have a definitive line of its future incorporated area. He said there is no way to determine what areas might be annexed and what might not. Commissioner Greene said when the Board met with the Mebane City Council it seemed like there was a possibility that the Council may want to come to an agreement with the County for what their future limits will look like. Commissioner Dorosin clarified that the City Council did not define it, however. Chair Price asked if there is a timeline for responding to the City of Mebane. She said she is focused on responding to the residents of Orange County, but the Planning Department is focused on responding to the City of Mebane. Craig Benedict said it is a two-step process. He said the County staff could go back out to the residents and discuss the frequently asked questions. He said Mebane has requested that the County tell the City what it wants. He said the desire is to determine the areas where the City and the Council are on the same page. He said the timeframe is just to be reasonable, and not take years to move forward. Chair Price asked if more clarification could be provided on additional outreach. She asked if it will just be answering frequently asked questions, or will it be incorporating more public comments. She said when COVID-19 pandemic restrictions end, staff could go out and have more face-to-face interactions. Commissioner Hamilton said it is really important to go out into the community, not just in Area B, but also in Area A. She said many of the residents in Area A are elderly, African- American, and are not aware of what is going on. She said these residents need to know how it will affect their property, and not everyone has Internet access. She said she found the frequently asked questions section to be very helpful. Commissioner Hamilton asked if clarification could be provided on not developing south of West Ten Road. She asked if more information could be provided about traffic impacts on West Ten Road.