City winding up its work on annexation procedures

The City of Rockdale, working with the Rockdale Municipal Development District (MDD), is about to complete its study of annexation planning.

Annexation talk came to a sudden halt last year after 200 persons packed two sessions in the Patterson Center to voice their opposition to proceeding.

City Manager Chris Whittaker said work that has taken place since is more a completion of the original study than any new advance toward selecting areas to be annexed.

‘NO AGENDA’—“I certainly don’t have any agenda,” Whittaker said. “Last year we entered into an agreement for this study. This is the completion of that agreement.”

In public meetings Sept. 21 and Oct. 9, consultant Gabe Rojas outlined steps cities must follow in annexing property and presented a map showing 18 possible blocs for annexation.

That hit a nerve. After two intense, and some times raucous meetings, the city council voted 3-2 not to pursue a motion to proceed with annexation on four areas.

Those included areas around the city airport, industrial park, east adjacent to FM 908 at the north city limits and an area south of town.

EMAIL—But Whittaker said the work that’s expected to be completed this week shouldn’t be interpreted as a continuation of last year’s discussion.

“Nothing is final, but I’m pretty sure this work is going to be much narrower in scope (than last year’s),” he said.

It’s not clear if city council action will even be sought on the plan.

“I may just email it to them,” Whittaker said. “I don’t yet know if it’s going to be placed on an agenda for action.”

City council action would be required for any re-starting of an annexation plan.

SIX MONTHS—Council rules state no topic already voted upon can be placed on a council agenda again for six months.

The failed annexation vote was in October so the matter could have re-surfaced as soon as April, but it did not.

Following the October vote Whittaker termed annexation “off the table” with information compiled during the study, and meetings, to be submitted to the council “as the completion of the annexation planning.”