NC FlagStopNCAnnexation
 A Grassroots Effort to End forced Annexation Abuse in North Carolina

"We lay it down as a fundamental, that laws, to be just, must give a reciprocation of right; that, without this, they are mere arbitrary rules of conduct, founded in force, and not in conscience." --Thomas Jefferson

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Annexation Law
(explained by Tharrington Smith LLP)

NC Annexation Statutes

HELP! #1

MORE HELP-#2

HELPFUL

BEWARE OF DELPHI


HELPING YOURSELF: How To Oppose Being Involuntarily Annexed!

What Can I Do to Try to Stop this Violation of MY Property Rights?

First off, remember that even with the annexation laws that exist here in North Carolina, we are still a government that is by the people and for the people.  In order to fight an unjust law, the first thing you need to do is get organized.  As the old saying goes, there is strength in numbers.  Since this will cost your neighbors more in taxes also, they most likely will be willing to help in some way.  The quicker you organize, the larger opposition you become.  Politicians do understand when large numbers of people raise their collective voice against the actions they are considering. 

Here is a list of ideas to help get you get hooked up with the other property owners that are about to be, like you, involuntary annexed.
 

  • Once you have found out that a municipality  is considering involuntarily annexing your property, quickly contact your neighbors and make them aware of it. They may not have heard about it yet!
     

  • Create a list of who you contact by gathering their name, address, phone number and e-mail address
     

  • Call around and set up a place where all the people whose property is under the threat of being involuntary annexed can meet to organize an opposition.
     

  • Have your neighbors help inform other neighbors to make them aware of what is going on.  Have them also pass along when and where your meeting will take place.
     

  • Consider setting up a Steering Committee or using your existing Homeowners Association as a base of operations.
     

  • When you tell your neighbors, encourage them to make a list of who they contact. If possible, have them gather the names, address, phone numbers and e-mail address.
     

  • Take time to gather local media information.  Call you local newspaper, radio and television stations (including your local cable TV provider)  Ask them how you can send them new releases.  Ask them for both their fax number and e-mail address to do so.  They will be happy to provide these for you.  Your issue is news, and they want to hear from you! 
     

  • For newspaper contact information Click Here  
    For TV Station contacts     Click Here 
    For radio station contacts     Click Here
     

  • Call the Municipal Clerk for information on when the Municipal elected officials are going to begin to address and act on this involuntary annexation process.  For how the involuntary annexation process is supposed to work Click >>>More HELP!  Ask the Clerk for the specific dates of each step in the process
     

  • Invite the Municipal Elected officials along with your County Commissioners, (Click Here to Find Yours) State  Senator, (Click Here to Find Yours) and State Representative (Click Here to Find Yours) to attend your meeting.
     

  • Send out a news release announcing when and where and what time your neighborhood organization meeting will be held and what elected officials you invited
     

  • At this meeting, don’t allow the municipality to "volunteer" to send their City/Town  Manager, planners or professional staff person.  They will just trip you up in your organizing effort.  Remember, it is the Municipal elected officials who will decide on this, not the staff.  Also remember that your organizational meeting is not so much a question and answer session (unless some elected officials happen to show up) as it is a formulate a plan meeting.  That fact of the matter is that the municipality is threatening to involuntarily annex your property.  Everyone will want to learn the details, but you will not even begin to be able to answer all the questions and learn everything there is to know one meeting. For those with questions, refer them to our HELPFUL section that goes over common talking points by BOTH sides of the involuntary annexation issue
     

  • Start your meeting off by having a place where everyone can sign in and provide their name, address, phone number and e-mail address.  Also have a petition ready for people to sign.  For a ready made petition Click Here (PDF doc)
     

  • Try to establish at least one, if not several group spokespersons.  The role of the spokespersons will be to learn as much as they can about the whole involuntary annexation process and be generally able to speak for the group at both public meetings and as a contact person for the media.
     

  • Try to establish someone who is willing to take minutes of your meetings.
     

  • Try to establish a treasure.  Ask for donations to get things started.  You will need money to establish a bank account, for meeting room rent, to pay for copies of public documents, for signs, for a web site and domain name, and many misc. items, not to mention legal help, if you so choose to use it.  Remember, if you can delay being annexed, you save everyone money in property tax payments.  Ask everyone to contribute part of this savings to fighting this injustice and vow to fight hard to stop or at least delay this process.
     

  • Try to find someone who is good with computers, in particular someone who can manage data bases and e-mailing.  A plus would be someone who can build a web site. This person should get copies of the sign in lists for data base entry and most importantly, the e-mail list.  Groups can communicate with each other and can create an email notification list at www.groups.yahoo.com.
     

  • Try to establish a list of “neighborhood captains”  (Click Here for an example) A neighborhood captain would be a contact person for specific areas. As an example, if there is multiple developments involved in this involuntary annexation, you should try to get at least one neighborhood captain from each development.
     

  • Then, within each development, this neighborhood captain should try to get a street captain from each street (minimum of 10 residents per street captain, maximum of 50 residents per street captain). This will make the street captain the one person who is the contact for the 10 to 50 people in a particular area or on a particular street. 

    While getting street captains is ideal (as you will read further) don’t waste a lot of time on it at the beginning. It is most important first to get a list of volunteers who want to be neighborhood captains.
     

  • Once you get this organization part done, begin the meeting by discussing what you know. What is happening, when it is happening, and why it is said to be happening.
     

  • Try not to answer the questions you don’t know. You really want to ask the Municipalities elected officials who are trying to involuntarily annex you!  If any of them are in attendance, have them answer the questions! Look for any other representatives in attendance for their help and support.
     

  • Establish your group's next moves.

  • Establish a time for your next meeting
     

  • Create a name for your group

Also during this meeting you will want to work towards: 

  • Creating a master list of all the property owners who are effected.  Your computer person and anyone who can do data entry should be able to do this.  Use a common program like MS Access or Excel to create this data base so it can be passed to other if need be
     

  • Creating a master e-mail list. This is extremely important to keep everyone notified.  Your computer person should know the best, easiest and cheapest way to do this.
     

  • Establishing a sign committee to post your groups meeting and other information by way of signs on streets and in the affected developments.  Check with ordinances about laws regarding sign posting. 
     

  • Encouraging phone calls to elected officials.  Get everyone making calls to voice their concerns about this involuntary annexation injustice.
     

  • Encouraging everyone to write letters to elected officials’
     

  • Encouraging everyone to write letters to the editor of the newspaper
     

  • Encourage everyone to send e-mails to elected officials
     

  • Encourage the circulation of a local petition in opposition to involuntary annexation.  For a ready made petition Click Here
     

  • Encourage everyone to sign the state wide on line petition. Click Here to view it or find it on the www.StopNCAnnexation.com home page
     

  • Having a public rally /demonstration in front of the Municipality hall.  Have someone check the requirements for permits for such an event.
     

  • Circulating information and /or a petition WITHIN  the Municipality that explains to the current residents that involuntary annexation of your properties could cost them more in taxes. 
     

  • Trying to establish a “Town Hall’ informational meeting (besides the one that the municipality is required to do) to get information and have questions answered about this specific involuntary annexation.
     

  • Contact other groups from around the State to find out what they have done when they were annexed.
     

  • Making a list of Senior Citizens on fixed income that additional taxation will effect and who live in the area to be involuntarily annexed.
     

  • Make a list of any Military Service Personal live in the area to be involuntarily annexed.
     

  • Make a list of Sewer/Water problems you are aware of inside the Municipality that is attempting to annex.
     

  • Get a copy of the budget of the Municipality that is attempting to annex to see the financial health of it.
     

  • Once the full involuntary annexation plan (a document that is required by law to be provided) is made public, get a copy of it, preferably in electronic format.  Use this to show city taxpayers the costs to them for the annexation.

Use the Links to other Groups in NC (in the upper right hand corner of this page) who are fighting annexation to study and learn from what they are doing and what has worked.

Next: Go to HELPFUL or BEWARE OF DELPHI

 

  

Group Sites Around the State:

Stop Cary

STOPASHEVILLE

www.StTOP.us

Chatham Co United

NW Cabarrus Co. B.L.O.C.K.

Texas:
 Citizens Against Forced Annexation Texas C.A.F.A.