Jackson board requires more of those seeking annexation

Subdivision petitioners seeking annexation inside Jackson's city limits will now have to share costs with the city to bring it up to Jackson's subdivision standards.

Jackson's Board of Aldermen unanimously voted Monday night to approve an ordinance that would require petitioners to help pay for utility, sewer and street upgrades.

"Sometimes developers don't follow our regulations when creating these subdivisions," said Jim Roach, Jackson city administrator. "They build substandard roads, use different utilities, there is no sewer and different electric."

City leaders felt the financial burden shouldn't fall on existing taxpayers.

Roach said to bring these subdivisions up to Jackson's standards, it could potentially cost up to $10,000 to $15,000 per lot.

As a condition of annexation, petitioners will be required to connect to the city's electric system.

Utilities are the main funding source in Jackson's budget, Roach said.

"The electric sales are what the city uses to pay for things like our police and fire services; it helps keep property taxes low," he said. "There is a misconception that we get a lot of money from personal property tax, but it's not enough to pay for things like snow removal from city streets or the police and fire safety costs."

The city has an approximate budget of $20 million in 2006 -- personal and property taxes bring in about $1 million of the budget.

Mayor Paul Sander said the purpose of the ordinance is to protect the city of Jackson and its residents.

"We want subdivisions to come into the city, but I don't think it's fair for the existing residents to bear the costs for getting these subdivisions up to Jackson's standards," Sander said.

In 1994, Grandview Acres, off Highway 25, was annexed into the city. Residents of the subdivision asked to be annexed in because of sewage issues.

"They had severe septic tank problems," Sander said. "It was so bad that the federal government came in and was going to levy extreme fines."

Sander said the city paid a high amount for sewer lines to run under Grandview Acres and brought the subdivision's streets up to Jackson's codes.

"It was a cooperative effort but the city did bear more of the cost than we would have liked," Sander said. "They were allowed to come in and had very little expense. But it was a good deal and good growth for Jackson, we're happy to have Grandview Acres."

While the Grandview Acres subdivision annexation has been the only major incident the city encountered substantial costs to bring up to Jackson's standards, Roach said the city doesn't want to have this problem in the future.

In the past year, more than 200 acres of land has been annexed into Jackson city limits.

Jackson city leaders want the city to continue growing and they welcome new subdivisions.

"We're not trying to force people in but you really need to think if you're a developer or home owner living outside city limits, you're either stuck or you can pay to bring your subdivisions up to our standards," Roach said.

jfreeze@semissourian.com