Opinion ID: 1564070
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 34

Heading: Factor 6: The need for municipal services in the PAA.

Text: ¶ 99. This Court has set forth the following factors the trial court may consider in determining whether there is a need for municipal services: (1) requests for water and sewage services; (2) plan of the City to provide first response fire protection; (3) adequacy of existing fire protection; (4) plan of the City to provide police protection; (5) plan of City to provide increased solid waste collection; (6) use of septic tanks in the proposed annexation area; and (7) population density. Id. at 984. ¶ 100. The parties do not dispute that the PAA is in need of municipal services. [16] Jackson, however, contends that it has the ability to better serve and provide municipal services to the area's residents. According to Jackson, it plans to provide the PAA six police officers, two beats, and two fully equipped police vehicles. Jackson also contends that the PAA will benefit from its Class 3 fire rating, and it plans to add a fire station, a pumper truck, a ladder truck, and twenty-one firefighters to the PAA. Jackson further plans to increase waste collection in the PAA to twice a week and purchase an additional trash hauler and truck. ¶ 101. BI contends that Jackson seeks to provide services to portions of the Byram area that will financially benefit Jackson. The Objectors assert that the Jackson Police Department (JPD) is understaffed with only 486 sworn officers, and of that number, 100 officers are detectives and not beat-patrol officers. The Objectors also argue that the Jackson Fire Department has forty-seven vacancies to fill. ¶ 102. The chancellor reiterated his previous finding that the PAA/PIA has a need for municipal services. He cited Sheriff McMillin's testimony that the PAA has seen an increase in crime and traffic over the last several years. The chancellor also relied on the testimony of Sheriff McMillin and Daryl Smith, a JPD Deputy Chief, that the PAA is need of municipal police protection. The chancellor also found the PAA is in need of municipal fire protection, as the Byram Volunteer Fire Department serves nearly seventy-four square miles with one station. The chancellor also cited expert testimony that Jackson plans to increase waste pickup from once a week to twice a week. While the chancellor found that JPD is understaffed, he concluded JPD could handle the four-square-mile area. The chancellor found that Jackson has the ability to provide municipal services to the four-square-mile area, but not the entire PAA. ¶ 103. The chancellor's findings as to this factor are supported by the record. The chancellor properly concluded that Jackson's resources would be stretched too thin with the annexation of more than twenty square miles. Of particular note, the PAA has a great need of increased police and fire protection, and Jackson has yet to meet the budgetary and staffing needs of these two departments. ¶ 104. Conversely, the evidence supports the annexation of the revised PAA. Jackson has in place several fire stations in close proximity to the revised PAA that will be able to provide municipal fire services. Additionally, Jackson's crime rate has been declining over the last several years. Jackson's annexation of four square miles should not strain JPD, especially since Jackson plans to add additional police officers upon annexation.