Local NC leaders rally against bill allowing unilateral annexation of their land
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- SB 214 would allow Franklin County to annex land in Halifax, Vance and Warren.
- Local leaders railed against the proposal, calling it an overreach.
- Senate passed it last week, House pulled bill from calendar.
Leaders from three North Carolina counties and a Native American tribe rallied on Tuesday against a hotly contested bill that would allow one county to unilaterally annex land in their territories.
The bill, Senate Bill 214, would allow Franklin County, located northeast of Raleigh, to acquire property in Halifax, Vance and Warren counties without the approval of the local boards of commissioners.
Proponents of the bill have said it is intended to grant water resources to Franklin, which is anticipating a shortage over the next few decades. But the bill language makes no specific mention of water and says only that the county “may acquire, including by condemnation, real property or an interest in real property,” in the affected counties.
“That opens the door far more than what was described on the (House) floor,” Rep. Rodney Pierce, a Democrat who represents Halifax and Warren, said at a press conference on Tuesday. “That means land, that means facilities, that means assets that communities rely on. That’s not careful policymaking — that’s a blank check.”
The state House — after tabling a vote on the bill last week following significant debate — had scheduled a vote on SB 214 for Tuesday afternoon, but pulled it from the calendar ahead of session.
Last week, the Senate passed the bill, which also includes a variety of other local changes, mostly along party lines with only one Republican, Sen. Norm Sanderson — who represents Halifax and Warren— voting against it.
Local bills do not require the approval of the governor, so it would become law once it passes both chambers.
At Tuesday’s press conference, local leaders from all of the other three affected counties railed against the proposal, calling it an overreach of power that would primarily affect economically distressed minority communities.
“These are not just dots on the map — these are people, these are families, these are communities with dignity,” Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliot said. “I rise to say, ‘Do not place another burden on the backs of people already carrying way too much. Water is life, land is legacy and justice belongs to poor people too.’”
In addition to the content of the bill, speakers also criticized the rushed process of its introduction. The new annexation powers were included in a newly unveiled conference report — a type of bill which cannot be amended — and were voted on by the Senate the very next day.
Local leaders, including Earl Evans, vice chair of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe, said they were not consulted about this proposal beforehand.
“What is most disappointing is that something like this would occur without a county or municipality consulting with a tribal nation who is your neighbor,” Evans said. “... No matter what has happened in the past, none of us is an island unto ourselves. We need each other to survive and that requires cooperation. It requires mutual respect and negotiation, and it requires consultation.”
Melissa Dixon, an attorney for the Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District, said the proposal was illegal according to a 2016 state Supreme Court case, in which justices ruled that local bills could not regulate health or sanitation.
“It is also immoral,” Dixon said. “It is a blatant attempt to steal the land and water resources from the citizens of Halifax and Warren counties without the consent of their elected representatives.”
Several speakers said they did not oppose working out a water plan with Franklin, but that it would need to be done through traditional channels.
“If one county seeks to take property in another county through condemnation, it must first receive approval from that county’s board of commissioners,” Carolyn Faines, chair of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, said. “That principle matters. It ensures collaboration, it ensures transparency, and most importantly, it ensures respect between neighboring communities. Let it be clear: Vance County is not opposed to growth. We are not opposed to partnership, and we are certainly not opposed to cooperation — but we are firmly opposed to overreach.”
The News & Observer could not immediately reach the chair of Franklin County’s Board of Commissioners, Roxanne Bragg, for comment Tuesday afternoon.
