Opinion ID: 852536
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Municipality May Amend Annexation Ordinance and Plan

Text: Indiana adopted its first annexation statute in 1824. It allowed for virtually automatic annexation of new developments adjacent to existing municipalities. Bradley v. City of New Castle, 764 N.E.2d 212, 215 n. 2 (Ind.2002) (citing An Act providing for the Incorporation of Towns, 1824 Ind.Rev.Stat., ch. CXI § 14, at 417 (Jan. 30, 1824)). [2] Indiana's annexation laws have evolved over time, but the object of annexation has remained the same: to permit annexation of adjacent urban property. Rogers v. Mun. City of Elkhart, 688 N.E.2d 1238, 1242 (Ind.1997). The statutory framework has also retained the same three stages: (1) legislative adoption of an ordinance annexing of certain territory and pledging to deliver certain services within a fixed period, (2) an opportunity for remonstrance by affected landowners, and (3) judicial review. City of Hobart v. Chidester, 596 N.E.2d 1374, 1375 (Ind. 1992).