Opinion ID: 1922966
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: the need for municipal services

Text: ¶ 34. In determining if annexation is reasonable under this indicium, this Court may consider certain factors such as: (1) the city's plan to provide first-response fire protection; (2) the adequacy of existing fire protection; (3) the city's plan to provide police protection; (4) any requests for water and sewage services; (5) the city's plan to provide increased solid-waste collection; (6) use of septic tanks in the PAA; and (7) the population density. City of Winona, 879 So.2d at 984 (citing City of Macon, 854 So.2d at 1041-42) (other citations omitted). ¶ 35. The Objectors' main argument on direct appeal is directed at this indicium of reasonableness. Essentially, the Objectors contend that the residents of the PAA stand to receive little or nothing from this annexation. The Objectors assert that the city is unable to create a viable plan for a central sewer system, which can be considered as the principal benefit of an annexation. The Objectors cite In re Extension of the Boundaries of the City of Columbus, 644 So.2d 1168, 1171 (Miss.1994) for the proposition that municipalities must demonstrate through plans and otherwise, that residents of annexed area will receive something of value in return for their tax dollars in order to carry the burden of showing reasonableness. Id. at 1171. However, the special chancellor concluded that the City of Madison provided two viable options for sewer service to the PAA. Furthermore, the chancellor concluded that, because the PAA is rapidly increasing in population, the county is not equipped to provide the needed level of municipal fire protection, police protection, trash collection, and water services, while, on the other hand, the City of Madison is fully equipped to provide such services. ¶ 36. The record reveals that Madison County has a volunteer fire department, and that the City of Madison acts as a mutual-aid responder to the PAA. On the other hand, the city has a professional, full-time fire department, and several volunteer firefighters. Thus, according to the evidence, the city provides first-response fire and rescue protection to the PAA, although it is not contractually bound to do so. As such, most of the PAA has been assigned a fire rating of Class 10 by the Mississippi Rating Bureau, while the city is rated Class 6. The evidence further reveals that upon annexation, the PAA's rating would be changed to Class 6, resulting in lower base insurance premiums for homeowners. ¶ 37. Evidence presented at trial revealed that, although the Madison County Sheriff's Department provides adequate police protection in the PAA, municipal-level law enforcement provided by the City of Madison would greatly benefit the annexed area as further development occurs. The testimony at trial revealed that, as more commercial and residential developments are built, traffic volume increases, and the County will be unable to adequately enforce posted speed limits since the Sheriff's Office is not equipped with radar speed-detection devices. ¶ 38. Further, the record reveals that there are currently 0.07 sworn officers per square mile in the county, while there are 3.56 sworn officers per square mile in the city. The city has 2.92 sworn officers per 1,000 people, and the county's average is 0.61 officers per 1,000 people. Upon annexation, the city plans to add sixteen officers to its department, including an animal-control officer and a fully-equipped animal-control truck, as well as four fully-equipped vehicles, an investigative car, and equipment and uniforms for these additional officers. ¶ 39. The methods of sewage and trash disposal being used in the PAA were shown to be inadequate. Therefore, the areas of the PAA in which the city does not already provide municipal-level sewer services are growing rapidly, and these areas would benefit from central sewage. The city has proposed two sanitary sewer improvement plans, Option 1 and Option 2, in its Facilities and Services Plan. The special chancellor found both options to be viable plans for the provision of sewer service to the PAA. ¶ 40. While the Objectors strongly dispute their need for municipal-level services, the city has shown by substantial, credible evidence that it can provide the PAA with an abundance of municipal-level services. Based upon the testimony and evidence presented at the hearing, the special chancellor's findings that this indicium favors annexation are reasonable.