Protecting Jasper County’s History, Culture, and Ecosystem

Welcome to Annexation 101!

The Town of Ridgeland voted to accept an annexation petition for 3,000 acres of land along Snake Road that abuts Hazzard Creek and the Port Royal Sound watershed. The annexation request is tied to a master plan and development agreement that would permit over 2,000 dwelling units and 500,000 sf of commercial development.

What is annexation?

Annexation is the legal process used by towns and cities (aka municipalities) to expand their borders and increase populations by bringing additional land under their governance.

How are properties annexed?

In South Carolina, landowners initiate the annexation process via a petition to bring their property or properties into the municipality. The property(ies) must be contiguous within the municipality. There are three methods of annexation: 100%, 75%, and 25% methods.

What is “contiguity”?

A property is contiguous to a municipality if it is adjacent to and shares a continuous border with property already in the municipality. Under South Carolina law, contiguity still exists if the property to be annexed is separated from the municipality by a road, water, or marsh.

WHAT TO ANNEX:
Doughnut Holes:

Doughnut holes are property or clusters of properties under county governance that are surrounded by properties in the city. It simply makes sense, practically and economically, for the city–rather the county–to provide services such as police, water, sewer, and garbage pick up to these properties within its geographical borders.

Smart Growth:

Annexation also makes sense when a city or town accommodates future growth by incorporating land and approving development that can be serviced by existing infrastructure. Smart communities will establish an “urban growth boundary” or “urban service boundary” that clearly delineates urban and suburban areas with infrastructure where annexations make sense–and rural areas without services where annexations do not.

WHAT NOT TO ANNEX:
Rural & Ecologically Sensitives Areas:

Unwise annexations occur when a municipality annexes properties in a remote, rural areas outside of urban growth boundaries and or without existing infrastructure to provide reliable and affordable services to residents or potential residents.

You know the story–in exchange for annexation and upzoning, speculative developers promise increased tax revenue from the new rural development. Time and again municipalities annex these properties and extend services and infrastructure only to be stuck with escalating water, sewer and transportation costs, fragmented country side, and habitat destruction.

Development in far-flung rural communities simply does not pay for itself. Studies show that for every dollar of property tax revenue generated, it costs $1.16 to provide public services to that now suburban home. Municipalities struggle to service sprawling development far from their community’s core.

What can you do?
Contact Town Council and voice your opposition to the Chelsea annexation.

Sign a petition urging Ridgeland Town Council to reject the owner’s petition for annexation.

Attend and speak at Ridgeland Town Council Meetings.

Write a letter to the editor to reach your neighbors and elected officials.

Letters to the Editor are a great way to reach members of your community, and to provide arguments for Town Council to deny the proposed Chelsea annexation and development agreement. Here are some tips for drafting:

Share a personal story. Are you a Ridgeland resident, a business owner, or a fisherman? Have you lived in the area your whole life? Why are you concerned about the proposed Chelsea annexation? You have an important and interesting story to tell. Write a letter in your own words expressing why you feel the way you do.
Stay focused. Keep your letter short and limit your arguments to one or two main points. Use no more than 150-200 words. The shorter, the better.
Make a call to action. Are you trying to influence local elected officials? Call them by their names. Ask your neighbors to join you and advocate for the Town of Ridgeland to deny the proposed annexation and development agreement for Chelsea. Ask them to reach out to their Councilmembers.
Follow-through. When your letter is published, print or save two copies. One for your fridge and one for your Councilmember. Send them a follow-up email or mail a copy of your letter to them.
Here are some compelling arguments that could be sued to support your personal experiences and perspective. Remember to choose talking points which resonate with you personally.

Too much, too fast, in the wrong location. Ridgeland is a small town of 3,600 residents. The Chelsea development would add 2,000 residential units and 500,000 square feet of commercial space. This could alter the town’s character and stretch resources thin. The costs of providing services to rural areas often falls on taxpayers.
Comprehensive approach needed to handle growth. We don’t want Ridgeland to be the next Hardeeville or Bluffton. By working together, we can better manage growth. Tell Town Council to work with the County, not undermine regional planning efforts.
Opening the floodgates. If the 3,000 acres are annexed, additional lines of contiguity will be created, opening the floodgates to future annexations. A property in contiguous to a municipality if it is adjacent to and shares a continuous border with property already in the municipality.
Lack of infrastructure and traffic. Chelsea is a rural-zoned area lacking the infrastructure to support rapid, sprawling growth that is far from the town’s center. Highway 462 and Snake Road are already overburdened and are unsafe. More development will worsen existing problems.
Impact to natural and cultural resources. Chelsea boasts cultural and environmental resources that contribute greatly to our quality of life and should not be taken for granted. We all deserve the right to drink clean water, fish and swim in our rivers, and breathe the clean air.