Mayor Steve Updike’s office released a press statement this morning annoucing that the proposed east annexation is being withdrawn. In talking with Mayor Steve Updike this morning, the Mayor told HuntingtonDaily.com that he doesn’t believe the annexation isn’t the right thing to do, it’s just “not the right time to do it”. The mayor will also speak on the subject at tomorrow nights city council meeting where the proposed west annexation is expected to pass. The full text of the statment released by the Mayor’s office follows.
Several months ago the City administration initiated a plan to expand and grow our community by two separate proposals to annex areas contiguous to the City and already receiving many City services.
One of these proposals – the “west” annexation area – has received little attention and no objection has been made to it. I hope and expect that we, the City Council and the City administration, will proceed to complete that annexation beginning with its approval at our Council meeting on September 25.
The other or “east” annexation proposal has drawn a great deal of comment and attention. Many people and businesses, for a variety of reasons, have expressed their opinions on this subject. I have also talked with individual members of the Council. In one of the more balanced and reasonable objections to this annexation that we received or heard, an attorney for PHD suggested that annexation was not unreasonable but, rather, that perhaps now is not the right time to do so.
Unfortunately this proposal has, in some respects, taken on a life of its own: it has been made to appear to be more than it really was ever intended to be. Frankly this dispute is getting in the way of other programs that may help or benefit the City of Huntington.
After considering all of the circumstances and the input of many citizens, I also believe that now is not the right time. As such I will be withdrawing my request for the Council to further consider the ordinance for the “east” annexation and ask that they take no further action on that ordinance at their September 25 meeting or thereafter.
Fortunately there are many ways for our City to move forwards: annexation was only one way. We are going to focus our energies and efforts elsewhere and move on as we try to help this City grow.
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