Fortville – McCordsville Reporter June 6, 2013 Annexation Opponents make case to council -Councilman Stafford moves to drop plan, but his motion falls 3-2 By Joe Hornaday jhornaday@greenfieldreporter FORTVILLE – They came armed with speeches and anti-annexation buttons, and spoke of their livelihoods and feelings of alienation. The members of the opposition to Fortville’s Western Boundary Annexation plan, which could see the incorporation of almost 6’000 acres of land, had their final opportunity to voice their concerns to the Fortville Town Council Wednesday, May 29 at the project’s public hearing. Resident Melody Edson, who has lived near Fortville for only a year, offered the council a tearful plea, and said the certified letter informing her of the plan arrived on the one-year anniversary of her move to Vernon Township. “You’re messing with my world.” She told the council. “I’ve only lived here a year. I don’t have a big farm. I just have a little plot of land. But I live in MCCordsville; McCordsville open their arms and welcomed me to this community.” As the meeting began, councilman Ron Stafford moved to abandon the project entirely. Councilwoman Nancy Sizemore was his only supporter, and the motion was defeated after council president Bill Hiday, councilwoman Janet Manship and councilman Robert Holland voted to continue. Tony Garst, a third-generation farmer, said the annexation area includes at least 11 family farms, and he did not want to see Fortville gain control over them. “The family farm is the basic unit of the agricultural economy,” Garst said. “We have an economy, too.” He didn’t think the farming done in the annexation area are compatible with living in town because of large farming equipment and tools, and that farming operations create dust and uses chemicals such as insecticides and anhydrous ammonia. “Are city people going to put up with that? I don’t think so,” Garst said. Ed Rishel said he doesn’t believe the council fully understood what they were doing when they signed the fiscal plan and moved the annexation project forward, pointed to the fact that project was originally touted as 16 square miles, even though it was closer to 9.2. “It gives me the impression this fiscal plan was hurriedly put together,” Rishel said. Linda Garrity said she did not understand why town officials would press forward with the plan when so many people who would be affected are against it. She also said she would avoid shopping in or supporting Fortville if she could help it, which led the crowd applaud her. “If we didn’t mind regulations and rules, we would live in (Fortville),” Garrity said. Phil Davis who has lived in the area for 65 years and retired as Mt. Comfort Elementary School’s principal in 2011, said the bottom line to everyone’s frustration about the project stemmed from the way it was presented. “It wasn’t done the way that Fortville or McCordsville or another town should do it,” Davis told the council. “It should have been done with hearings (before). Yes, you’d have some antagonism, but not nearly what you have now.” Western Boundary resident Dave Huff said he was concerned for the Fortville image. “Fortville’s name has once again been tarnished because this annexation process was not well planned, is not welcome, is not needed and has been very ill advised,” he said. “Even if (the town council) were to win our battle in court, we’re all going to lose because (Fortville) will not have gained the cooperation needed to be successful.” Other questions raised by Western Boundary residents included the perceived modifications to farming rules and the additional workload on the Fortville Police Department. “The council has not provided a comprehensive and detailed plan for annexation,” Fight Against Fortville Annexation (FAFA) spokesperson Florence May said. She added that Fortville does not seem capable of road maintenance responsibility at the same level that the Hancock County government offers. Dave Beetson, the lone voice of support for the project at the meeting, said he hoped that the people of the Western Boundary, if annexed, would help the town move in a positive direction. He said the council is looking down the road 30 years for a better Fortville. “I’d like to see us pull together. I’d like to see us come together,” said Beetson, He was booed by the crowd. Fortville Town Council President Bill Hiday said the plan does need to be revised, and that he was “totally against the entire thing as proposed.” But the way to revised it was not to defeat it in its entirety at this point. “Between now and when we have this (vote), it may present itself that it might just not work out,” Hiday said. The Fortville Town Council will have 30-60 days from the date of the public hearing to take a final vote on the Western Boundary Annexation.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:50:17 +0000
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