Annexation is an adversarial process, just ask Mayor Watson. While there are a few areas which have requested annexation, they are very much in the minority. For the most part, people don’t like to be annexed and, as any attendee of the city’s recent numerous public hearings can attest, those opposed to annexation will call on just about any statistic which helps their case. Residents in many areas cite concerns over police or fire service, while others cite wastewater service and parks maintenance. Regardless of specific gripes, however, the issue uniting them all is the increased cost of living in the city and the universal claim that “the city cannot afford to annex us.” The city’s answer to this onslaught of criticism is a 25-year projection of overall costs and benefits of annexation, which is available to anyone who asks. The problem is, the city is keeping mum about the formula it has used to derive these numbers, so it’s anyone’s guess if they’re accurate or self-serving. However, if we take the city’s word for it, it can more than afford the annexation. In fact, annexation is going to net the city a bundle: $224,009,330 by the year 2022. While a few individual areas will be money pits, many more will turn a quick profit and the net result is what counts, argue city planners.
— Kayte VanScoy

MAP KEY

*The Austin Fire Department hopes to enter into first responder agreements with five fire departments which fall outside the city limits (clockwise from top left): Volente, Jollyville, Pflugerville, Manchaca, and Oak Hill. For more on emergency services and the areas slated for annexation, see “At Your Service” .

Date Austin will have paid off cost of annexation

Net Cost/Benefit of Annexation by 2022

Annual Increase/Decrease per household in fees and taxes

Notes

183 EAST
Springwoods MUD beyond 2022 -$9,533,476 +$508.44 Concerns over parks maintenance and public safety services have drawn huge crowds at public hearings for all of 183 East
Los Indios 2000 +$3,433,987 +$720.48
Indian Oaks 2000 +$1,518,329 +$767.40 Concerns about neighborhood identity in the “last neighborhood that is Jollyville.”
Pond Springs no debt +$26,474,851 n/a Primarily commercial strip
183 WEST
NW Travis County MUD #1 2007 +$1,888,184 +$310.08 Park construction/maintenance, fire response time, long-standing legislative battles with the city over annexation
NW Travis County MUD #2 1998 +$2,794,340 +$930.84 Has already zeroed-out MUD’s property tax to make annexation less attractive to the city
Spicewood at Balcones Village 1998 +$9,605,230 +$1063.44 Residents claim that city is not offering to extend wastewater service to this area, but is charging the same as city customers pay
Balcones Village no debt +$7,213,689 +$1063.44 Concerned that the city will not deliver on promise to install sewers
Anderson Mill Estates 1999 +$2,701,236 +$1156.68 Large elderly population, concerned with financial burden placed on each household for hardware to hook into city wastewater
Four Points
The Parke 1998 +$407,789 +$856.44 Small residential subdivision with concerns about being served equally with only half a police officer allocated
Zimmerman Lane beyond 2022 -$113,925 n/a Commercial only
Four Corners no debt +$589,417 n/a Commercial only
SOUTHWESTERN AREA
Southland Oaks MUD no debt +$4,427,874 +$180.84 Predominantly single-family residential
Tanglewood Forest MUD no debt +$11,895,919 +$214.08 In negotiations to form “limited purpose” partnership with city to ensure local control over parks, a swimming pool, possibly garbage
Tanglewood Forest Extension no debt +$15,217,636 n/a Small area between Tanglewood MUD and Southland Oaks MUD
Southland Oaks Out-parcel 1998 +$529,763 n/a Small area between Tanglewood MUD and Southland Oaks MUD
I-35 SOUTH
Stablewood no debt +$162,745 n/a Predominantly vacant, developers requested annexation
IH-35 West Side no debt +$2,365,520 n/a Predominantly vacant
CIRCLE C
Circle C MUD #1 2001 +$6,204,023 n/a Undeveloped
Circle C MUD #2 2001 +$13,799,334 n/a Undeveloped
Circle C MUD #3 1998 +$1,223,903 +$229.20 Ten year legal and legislative battle with city
Circle C MUD #4 no debt +$16,382,074 +$229.20 Ten year legal and legislative battle with city
Circle C Non-MUD 1998 +$5,929,650 n/a
MISCELLANEOUS
Adey Multi-family Tract beyond 2022 -$451,417 n/a Eleven acres of multi-family housing currently under construction
I-35 North no debt +$14,084,027 n/a Currently no residential population
Carson Creek beyond 2022 -$4,192,467 +$493.44 Fifty-four acres of modular housing and duplexes with city water and wastewater
Thompson Lane no debt +$600,454 n/a One acre of land to bring the parking lot of a strip club into APD jurisdiction
Tuscany Business Park no debt +$22,791 n/a Undeveloped, owner requested annexation
Village at Western Oaks MUD no debt +$13,171,229 -$630.24 Developed under contract revenue MUD bonds with the city, which obligate eventual annexation
Davenport Ranch no debt +$62,888,161 +$318.72 City agreed to extend wastewater earlier this year in exchange for eventual annexation
Parliament House Road 2000 +$892,440 n/a This 97-acre tract is a park built and maintained by Springwoods MUD

This article appears in November 14 • 1997 and November 14 • 1997 (Cover).

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