forced annexation

Click here to listen to Daren Bakst discussing this report. RALEIGH — North Carolina has an “extreme” annexation law that needs major reform. That’s the assessment of a John…

Forced annexation is a kind of city-initiated annexation that allows municipalities unilaterally to force citizens living in unincorporated areas into the municipalities. North Carolina has an extreme annexation law even among states classified by recent studies as forced-annexation states.

Municipalities legally can acquire unincorporated areas next to their borders without the consent of the residents living in those areas. This process, called forced annexation, was supposed to promote sound urban development in areas that need municipal services. Instead, it has created a system in which cities ignore the areas most in need of annexation. Even worse, forced annexation is undemocratic and has contributed to the exclusion of minorities from municipalities. Forced annexation needs to be eliminated immediately, and significant annexation reform needs to be adopted.

RALEIGH – North Carolina needs to scrap forced annexation laws that violate democratic principles, help cities ignore their budget problems, and exclude minority neighborhoods. That’s the conclusion of a new…