Tim Mattox doesn鈥檛 want to live in Austin, but soon he might not have a choice. Mattox has lived in the neighborhood for 19 years. It鈥檚 a community of about 1,100 homes just northwest of the city near Lake Austin. In December, Mattox鈥檚 neighborhood is scheduled to be annexed by the city.
鈥淲hen we get annexed, we鈥檒l have a property tax of about $350 per $100,000 of property value for no increase in services at all,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur electric rates would revert to the City of Austin electric rates.鈥�
In 2009, the city and the River Place MUD (municipal utility district), the independent board that governs the area, agreed to what鈥檚 called a "full purpose annexation" at the end of this year.
Mattox calls the deal a 鈥渇orced annexation鈥� and argues residents didn't have enough of a say in it. This past legislative session, he and other residents threw their support behind Senate Bill 715, which would have required a petition or an election by voters who would be absorbed into a city.
Then on May 28, began a late-night filibuster that effectively killed the annexation bill. The San Antonio Democrat said people in unincorporated areas often benefit from the city鈥檚 emergency services and that communities like River Place wouldn鈥檛 exist if it weren鈥檛 for their proximity to major cities.
鈥淭he reason for annexation laws being what they are is because people are purposefully creating neighborhoods and developments on the outer edge of a city limit in order to avoid city taxes," he said, "but they鈥檙e still working, shopping and doing the things that they need inside the cities themselves.鈥�
Mattox sees it differently. He works for an Austin-based company that pays taxes; when he鈥檚 in the city, he pays gas and sales tax.
Gov. Greg Abbott wants lawmakers to take up the issue again during the special session that begins Tuesday. It was one of 20 items he identified as priorities for the session.
Mattox sees the current annexation laws as local government overreach. Others say Austin鈥檚 practices have been conservative.
鈥淯nder the current state law, cities are allowed to annex up to 10 percent of their land area on an annual basis," said city planner Virginia Collier. "Over the last 20 years or so, the City of Austin averaged about 1 percent of its land base.鈥�
Collier noted that the city has voted down some proposed annexations in recent years over concerns brought by residents and emergency service providers. She said those are examples of when the process, as it is laid out under current state law, has worked well.
Even if lawmakers do pass a measure requiring a vote on annexations, it鈥檚 unclear how that might affect River Place鈥檚 annexation, a deal that was reached eight years ago.
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