House Bill 267 and what it means for annexation in the Town of Leland

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — State lawmakers have taken steps to potentially limit the growth of the Town of Leland by suspending voluntary annexation.

House Bill 267 would suspend voluntary annexation in the Town of Leland.

Bill McHugh, town councilman explained what some of his concerns are.

“The largest concern really is that this a restriction on property rights. Property owners no longer have the option to annex into a growing town with excellent services. My fear is that in a region that already has a housing crisis, we’re going to see increase in rents in future built apartments, we’re going to see increase on the cost of purchasing new homes. I’m afraid we’re going to start pricing out our teachers and our first responders,” said McHugh.

McHugh also explained what some of the negative impacts would mean for current residents of the town.

“There’s a lot of area that is adjacent to the Town of Leland and if those people don’t have the ability to annex into the town and still choose to build, they will be adjacent to our roads, they will be using our municipal services. They will be using those services without paying into their upkeep, which I believe puts an unfair burden on our current citizens and our current taxes payers,” McHugh explained.

At the end of the day, McHugh believes representatives need to keep the lines of communication open before making decision.

“The most important thing we need to do is sit down with our representatives in Raleigh and other stake holders in the community. You know, there’s a long history with Leland and other areas. I think it’s time we move past those feelings, and we all start working together as good neighbors, because neighbors is what we are,” said McHugh.