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Annexation Raises Concerns For Some Residents

Gillette, Wyo.) For the city, the motivation for annexing Crestview subdivision and Antelope Valley are pretty clear. They get the sales tax revenue, as well as 1 percent optional tax revenue.

“That’s the bottom line,” said Geno Palazzari, spokesperson for the city of Gillette.

For the county and residents of the annexed area, the benefits are not so concrete. The city will provide street repair services, police patrols, and snowplow and garbage services. Both subdivisions will stay on the regional water and sewer systems unless they decide to be connected to the city’s supply at some point in the future.

The residents will also pay more in property taxes once the annexation goes through. Other than that, very little will change. Whether or not that will result in overall benefits depends on who you ask.

Antelope Valley

Back in 2003, the Antelope Valley Board of Directors signed a pre-annexation agreement in exchange for funding to repair the subdivision’s sewer system. As a result, the residents living there now have no choice.

It’s going to be  interesting to see how it works out. There’s going to be growing pains for everyone, but I think in the long term there’s going to be benefits. – Loren Crain, Antelope Valley Resident

Sheree Ghidelli is among those residents. She is a member of the board of directors, but said her opinions did not represent the board or necessarily all residents, who may not agree with her. Even among the members of the subdivision’s board, there is disagreement on what the annexation will mean for residents.

When Ghidelli bought her home in Antelope Valley, she said she was unaware of the pre-annexation agreement. She picked her home specifically because she wanted to live in the county.

She doesn’t want to someday be forced to be on the city’s water system.

“I don’t like Gillette water. I like our water,” she said.

She said she also thinks the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office has a quicker response time.

Loren Crain has been a resident of Antelope Valley for 33 years. His attitude towards the annexation is much more ambivalent. He said there really isn’t any way to know whether or not it will be better or worse.

“It’s pure speculation,” he said.

Crain is also on the board, and like all the members, he wanted his opinion to be understood as his own. The same is true for Dennis Stillman, board president.

He said that sometimes the county does better than the city.

“County services have been cyclic,” he said.

He’s been a resident of Antelope for 20 years and seen county services go from better to worse to better again. A few years ago, he said, the county plows were very slow to clear the roads. For the past few years, they’ve been pretty good.

Cody Herrmann has been a resident for three years. He said the annexation could potentially reduce the burden on residents for street repairs. He also points out garbage service costs will go down.

As to whether or not the annexation will improve things overall for residents, he said it “depends on which way you look at it.”

The residents of Antelope Valley won’t see much of a change in their tax rates. They had enacted a mil levy in anticipation of annexation. So, the increase in property tax will just replace that.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how it works out,” Crain said. “There’s going to be growing pains for everyone, but I think in the long term there’s going to be benefits.”

The city still has two readings of the ordinance that will make the annexation final. Herrmann encouraged residents to come to the city council meetings and voice their opinions.

Crestview

The story in Crestview is quite a bit different.

The city was able to get the Campbell County School District to agree to the annexation of some its land that borders the Crestview subdivision, as well as the owners of a parcel on the northeast side of Crestview, annexed.

I’ll believe it when I see it – Allen Heinrich, president of Crestview Board of Directors

Lastly, the city got Dan Barton to agree to the annexation of his property, which gave the city enough area around Crestview to force the annexation of Crestview.

“The Barton property was an integral part of what makes the Crestview annexation possible,” Palazzari said.

Whether or not the move is opposed by the residents of the subdivision is uncertain. The city mailed out forms to the residents in March. While a wide majority of those who responded opposed the annexation, the response rate was very low.

Allen Heinrich, president of the Crestview Board of Directors said there’s a “lot of complacency” among residents of Crestview.

Heinrich said he doesn’t see any benefits for the subdivisions as a result of the annexation. The city has promised Crestview residents they will see more frequent police patrols in the area, but Heinrich is skeptical.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said.

He also pointed out they have a lagoon that will need to be rehabilitated in the near future, and the city has so far refused to pay for it.

“There are no benefits for Crestview,” he insisted.

The County

Like Crestview and Antelope Valley, Campbell County has no recourse in the matter. The city doesn’t need county approval to annex property in its jurisdiction.

“We don’t have any way to stop this,” said County Commissioner Rusty Bell.

We don’t have any way to stop this – County Commissioner Rusty Bell

He said he sees no benefit in it. While the city will assume some services, Bell doubts the county’s savings will be equal to, much less greater than, the loss of tax revenue.

The city is also arguing it need not assume financial responsibility for parks in the annexed districts, which are currently being maintained by the county. The county insists the city must take them over.

“That seems to be a no-brainer to me,” Bell said.

Utilities

Antelope and Crestview are both on their own wells and are set to be part of the Madison Water Supply Project expansion.

Should the subdivisions’ boards decide to be on the city’s utility systems, the city would assume responsibility for the upkeep of that infrastructure. Until then, it falls to the residents.

“The city maintains everything up to that master meter,” Palazzari said.

These utilities have nothing to do with the new tax revenues the city will collect after annexation. Utilities are funded by enterprise accounts, which are themselves funded by the charges to utility customers.

“The utilities need to pay for themselves,” Palazzari said.

Annexation would open up the option of being on the city’s water supply, which may not appeal to all residents, Ghidelli among them.

The city also provides residents of Gillette with electricity. Over a century ago, the city created its own electrical grid when no private providers stepped forward to build one. Ever since, the city has run its own power company.

In the county, Power River Energy Corporation, an electrical cooperative, supplies the power. Residents of the subdivisions will continue to get their power from PreCorp after annexation. With past annexations, the city bought out PreCorp. For Antelope and Crestview, the city will be signing a franchise agreement with PreCorp, which can be renewed in five years.

The Gillette City Council will have the second reading of the ordinance to complete the annexations on Nov. 21 at its regular meeting. There is still one more reading before the annexation is complete.

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