Members of the Centre City Council and the Mayor met in a work session on Tuesday afternoon, in order to discuss the feasibility of annexing the Country Club Estates area – which according to Mayor Tony Wilkie – has 61 houses and 16 apartments.
Councilman Mark Johnson said several home owners expressed the desire to be annexed into the city.
One of the issues with that process, is the size of the water lines – which are 4 inches in diameter, and the mayor says, they need to be 6 inch diameter lines, in order to accommodate the necessary water flow, including hydrants, needed to provide adequate protection to the residents; the mayor and council are not sure if the area would qualify for a Fire Protection Class 5 or a Class 9 which would determine the fire insurance premiums for homeowners.
Wilkie told the group the City’s Water Department Manager said it would cost more than an half million dollars to replace those existing lines. The mayor told the group the police chief said they would also need two extra officers to provide the police services. Councilman Harry Moon also expressed concern regarding roads and streets in the area that may not meet city requirements.
On the other side of the issue Mayor Wilkie presented the group with a projection of revenue that could possibly be derived from the property owners and the Country Club. The Mayor based his projections on 100 homes rather than the 77 which are actually there. The projections included $10,000 from the sale of alcoholic beverages at the Country Club, utility taxes, garbage services and so on – amounting to some $45,400 per year.
The City’s Attorney, Al Shumaker, was present at the meeting, and he advised the council to first ask the water department to do a water flow study in the area to determine the ability to provide the necessary water supply and to determine if an 8 inch water main in the area can be obtained from the County Water Department, then to contact ISO to discuss the situation with them, about the City’s Fire Protection Class and how that would be impacted.
Right now there are more questions than answers about the possible annexation of the Country Club Estates area but the process to determine feasibility is underway.