REALTORS® are engaged in grassroots campaigns to stop forced annexation in two North Texas counties—Montague and Ellis.
Voters in these two counties will have the chance to vote in the May 4 elections for the county to become a Tier 2 county. Early voting is April 22-28 and 29-30.
Municipalities in Tier 2 counties are required to seek a vote of the affected residents if they want to annex them.
Visit stopforcedannexation.com to learn more about these campaigns.
Annexation in Texas
Texas is one of the few states that allow municipalities to expand their boundaries through forced annexation. This means a city or town that is not in a Tier 2 county can incorporate land into its limits now without the approval of the affected residents.
Annexation has pros and cons for affected residents: they may have access to city services, such as utilities and law enforcement, but they will also be subject to the new city taxes and land use regulations. Texas REALTORS® believes this decision should be left up to the affected residents.
November Voters Spoke Loud and Clear
Texas REALTORS® successfully engaged in Vote For Tier 2 campaigns on the Nov. 6, 2018, ballot in six counties last year (Atascosa, Parker, Palo Pinto, Wise, Johnson, and Freestone), ending the ability for municipalities in these counties to annex property without voter approval.
This outcome is a clear indication that Texans believe the decision on whether an area may be annexed is best left to the affected property owners.
At the Texas Capitol
During REALTOR® Day at the Texas Capitol on March 26, close to 3,000 REALTORS® met with lawmakers to encourage their support of legislation that ends forced annexation statewide.
Texas REALTORS® continue to advocate for private-property rights and the Texas real estate industry throughout the legislative session and beyond.
Taxation without representation to pay for city services one does not usually need. Very un-American.
What is just as bad are the “ETJ’s” (Extraterrestial Jurisdictions). Cities STILL get to vote on improvements, and land use even though the propertey is not in the city limit boundry. I just went through a Collin County building permit process where the City of Wylie had to sign off on what we were building. They would not sign off on the County form until we GAVE them 20 feet of right away so that sometime in the future they could widen the road. They refused to give us a dime for the property, caused us to get the land… Read more »
I’m no expert, but I thought the only rights city’s had in an ETJ pertained to subdivision rules. Maybe it’s different for different sized cities(???)
Can anyone recommend an attorney versed in annexation laws, specifically regarding a city’s obligations? I have a situation where a property owner is convinced that the city did not follow proper annexation laws and/or has not fulfilled their obligations after annexation, and feels the city is simply choosing to ignore their responsibilities.
I, Gayle L. “Tex” Speck agree with John Dougherty below.
The city of Terrell is trying to annex 1,000’s of us right now into their city Limits. How is this even be constitutionally correct?