Gunter council votes against annexing land to build concrete plant | Articles

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Gunter council votes against annexing land to build concrete plant

BY JONATHAN CANNON

HERALD DEMOCRAT

GUNTER -- Most seats in the Gunter Community Center were filled 20 minutes before the start of Monday's City Council meeting with many of their occupants using as fans signs that declared "love Gunter, vote no."

Citizens from Gunter and the surrounding community were there to express their views against the annexation of property that would be used to build a concrete and asphalt plant on the city's outskirts.

In a 3-1 vote, the council listened to citizens and voted against the annexation. Council member Dan Moody was absent and member Cliff Gibbs voted in favor of the annexation.

"To vote it down tonight means they can do whatever they want," he said before the vote. Moody and Mayor Mark Millar said they feared that Arbuckle Aggregates, the company that plans to build the plant, will continue without the annexation, leaving the city without any control and no new tax revenue.

Despite those fears, citizens were joyous, hoping they had called the company's bluff to build without the annexation.

"We're all very elated that the city listened to us and took to heart what the voters had to say," said Jim Owen.

Arbuckle Aggregates President Peter Dawson said he was "disappointed by the decision" and unsure what the company's next move would be.

"Our choice is to refile the annexation application and submit in front of the new council or we can build the project in the county, so we will carefully evaluate both choices and make the best decision from a company perspective," he said.

If the company chooses to go before a new council it will face Chris Douglas, taking the seat held by Leilani Holloway, who didn't seek reelection; Charles Skeen, who beat Moody; and John Schmitt, who was reelected Saturday. Millar and councilors Jeff Banks and Gibbs will remain on the council.

If Arbuckle chooses to pursue construction plans in the county, Millar said he fears the city lacks the resources to fight the construction.

"This thing kind of reminds me of George W. Bush when he was standing up there with the sign that said, 'Mission accomplished.' We're still fighting in Iraq," he told attendees after the council's vote. "This is going to be a long, protracted battle and it's one the city can't fight by itself. The city does not have the funds to fight it by themselves."

Millar called on those who led the charge against Arbuckle, many of whom live outside the city limits, to consider helping the city gain more resources by requesting annexation.

"There are a lot of people who live around the city," he said. "You can come in and be a part of the city. It'll cost you 45 cents per $100 tax to do it, but you also will get a say in what we do. So go home, talk about it, understand we listened. But at the end of the day, the way the city sits right now, we will not have the funds to contest them going into the county."

Owen, who lives just outside the city limits, said he plans to consider the mayor's proposition.

"Whether I'm in or not, I feel like we're part of the community and I want to support the growth of the area," he said.

Millar, who estimated that 60 percent of the meeting's attendees live outside the city, was not optimistic about them taking his request to heart.

"I may be pleasantly surprised ... sometimes it takes something like this to make people realize they've got to be a part," he said.

By: JONATHAN CANNON  |  Source: HERALD DEMOCRAT  |  Original Article