Residents of the North Lakeland Community Association (NLCA) met tonight (3.19.19) for their monthly meeting with de-annexation as one topic.
The residents met at New Salem Cumberland Presbyterian Church and listened as South Cordova resident Patti Possel shared her experiences with de-annexation in Cordova, saying North Lakeland residents cannot de-annex under current law.
Also on the agenda were high speed internet and selection of a representative to the newly formed Lakeland Citizen Advisory Board (CAB).
Ms. Possel said her South Cordova area was egregiously annexed by Memphis against the will of the residents. Lakeland residents came together as one community to incorporate at one time, she said. The bad news, she said is that under current law, Lakeland areas cannot de-annex because the annexation was approved by the residents.
She explained that in her seven years of research on de-annexation, she found massive corruption in Shelby County government. In 1998, she said, Public Chapter 1101 passed and Shelby County developed a 20-year growth plan. Everybody agreed to this plan except Lakeland, she said. All suburban cities were growing and had reserve areas but Lakeland never signed the agreement. She said during that time, it was all about cronyism.
Another issue, said Ms. Possel, is a City cannot be split. If the area is two miles from another city, like Lakeland, the northern area could not be split from the City, according to Chapter 1101.
The BOC (Board of Commissioners) could vote to de-annex North Lakeland but even if they did so, North Lakeland residents would continue to have to pay property tax to the City, said Ms. Possel.
She said Lakeland has no commercial zones and can’t sustain amenities like cleaning storm drains or road paving. She suggested finding another creative solution. And she said the City cannot afford a new school after looking at the City numbers. She said Lakeland is trying to be a Carmel IN or Franklin TN and, “You’re not there yet.”
Bill Smith, NLCA president, explained the process of annexation of North Lakeland. The City had lost Kroger and the Outlet Mall, he said, and Mayor Scott Carmichael asked if residents were ready to come into Lakeland. He said residents voted by referendum to come into Lakeland which stopped Memphis from annexing the area.
Ms. Possel said there is no relief in the law for residents who want out. “The power is in the hands of elected officials.”
What can be done to alleviate such issues of a section wanting to de-annex from Lakeland, asked Ms. Possel? “You could join me in creating a new state law which would give power to the people.”
Resident Randy Higdon introduced the topic of de-annexation, noting, “There are roadblocks at City Hall killing us.”
He said a school is not needed now. The City has no infrastructure to pay for it. “We pay more taxes than anybody around.” He noted that senior citizens will be forced out of their homes as increased Lakeland taxes are coupled with increases in Shelby County taxes and MLGW hikes.
Mr. Higdon said North Lakeland residents would choose to de-annex because they pay a lot for garbage pickup. Then he said there are other things which are not being serviced by the City like streets and ditches. He suggested the de-annexed area could be called “Cunninghamland” and asked why raise taxes to the highest in the state for garbage pickup.
Mr. Higdon said he talked with the Arlington Mayor who said Arlington will add onto to Arlington High School (currently Lakeland high school students attend grades 9-12 in Arlington through an interlocal agreement) if there is a need for more space. Arlington will accept Lakeland kids, he said, even if a Lakeland high school is built. They will even run buses to Lakeland, he added.
High-speed internet to North Lakeland
Resident Parker Agee said he started working on getting high-speed internet to North Lakeland because he has to drive to his father’s office in Cordova for better internet service for his home-based business.
After months of working with Ritter Communications, construction is expected to start soon on fiber optics internet in August to replace DSL. He said the new service will be 150-200 times faster than current service.
Mr. Agee said he created a website to gauge interest and residents at 50 homes indicated they were interested.
He said Ritter will offer TV, phone, data, home security and home automation.
Citizen Advisory Board (CAB)
Mr. Smith introduced Mayor Mike Cunningham to speak about the CAB and in turn, he introduced Shane Horn, Lakeland city manager.
The volunteer Board, recently approved by the BOC, divides the City into eight districts and seeks a representative from each district. Mayor Cunningham said Mr. Horn was the driving force behind getting the Board together. Mr. Horn said it was not his original idea but instead came from Commissioner Michele Dial.
Michael Green was nominated to be the representative from North Lakeland and his name will be submitted to the City by the April 12th deadline.
… Photos by Jim Willis, Lakeland Currents
