Neither do those in Branson, Adams said. But in a few cases, they've had to. Involuntary annexations require a ballot issue. The battle against sprawl While both Branson and Hollister benefit from land annexations, there are often some drawbacks, Lewis said. Sprawl is all about money, said Chris Hall, the county's planning administrator.
Someone wants to build a convenience store or a subdivision.
Land at the edge of existing development is expensive, so he or she hopscotches out a mile or two along a major highway. The developer may pay for sewer lines to that property that are large enough to handle that development's needs. But a few years later other businesses or homes will spring up in between, creating more demand for sewer capacity than the existing lines can handle. We need better guidelines on the type of infrastructure necessary so when development gets incorporated, we don't have a lot of expensive upgrades. Likewise, when a desired development springs up a little ways outside the city limits and a city decides to annex it, even if the annexation is voluntary the city may end up having to annex property in between the two that it doesn't want, Lewis said.