Annexation gets another look

By John Howell
Batesville’s mayor and aldermen will again today consider annexation that would extend corporate limits to areas east, west and north of the city’s present boundaries.
Slaughter and Associates Urban Planning Associates provided city officials with demographic and economic data for the proposed areas during an August board meeting.
The proposed annexation would extend city limits east and west in narrow corridors along Highway 6 and allow the city control of development on its approaches.
Also under consideration is annexation of the area in the northeast quadrant of the I-55/Highway 35 intersection that includes the Airport Industrial Park, the Panola County Airport and the David Bryan Justice Complex.
During the August meeting, Mike Slaughter told the mayor and aldermen that the proposed annexation would include 26 businesses. Slaughter said that he estimated an increase of approximately $35,000 annually to the city in ad valorem taxes and over $50,000 in sales tax revenue.
During today’s meeting, the mayor and aldermen are expected determine the exact boundaries they want to be annexed. Slaughter is expected to be invited to a meeting shortly afterward to begin the process that, if uncontested, could be completed in “…nine to 12 months,” he said in August.
Discussion during the August meeting and in earlier city meetings about the annexation has centered on whether it would be an advantage to the city to annex the Panola County jail.