Mayor asks for careful thought in matter of proposed annexation

In response to the proposed annexation of some homes near the Rector city limits, Mayor Ron Kemp prepared a statement Monday to address concerns of many in the proposed annexation area, as well as residents who already reside within the city. Kemp said he had intended to read the statement at Monday night's meeting, but instead gave highlights of the prepared remarks.

Here is the original statement:

I realize there has been comment around the community concerning the motivation of the city council in pursuing the annexation proposal that we are considering. I want to make one thing clear to everyone -- the only motivation at all is an effort to do what is best for the overall community of Rector. Why anyone would think otherwise is something I have trouble understanding.

The only reason the council sits at this table is to try to pursue the efforts that we feel are the best interests of this community and its future. I can assure you there is no ulterior motive. It has been our thought from the start that the overall community -- and by that we mean those who live within the current city limits and those who live just outside the current city limits -- shares our view that we are trying to make Rector a better place to live. The fact of the matter is that the wide range of services provided by this community work to benefit a large number of people.

Families from both within the current city limits, and those just outside, benefit from our schools, our parks, our businesses, our churches, our medical and dental clinics, our summer baseball and softball programs, our community center, our facilities that are used for the Labor Day Picnic, our beautifully maintained city cemetery and on and on. We don't draw the line at the city limits as a requirement for the enjoyment of these benefits -- they are for everyone who calls Rector home.

It was in that spirit of working together as one community that we approached this annexation issue, in the same manner that hundreds of other cities in Arkansas have done in recent years. We are trying to maintain a viable community into the future for the benefit of future generations.

As we consider this proposal tonight, it is very important that everyone understand the facts at hand -- and not make the mistake of listening to or believing information that simply isn't true. That has been one unfortunate aspect of this entire situation. I know of at least one case where a person living outside the city limits has completely changed his mind about this annexation proposal after he heard the facts -- and didn't continue believing something that he was told that was in complete error. That is one thing I hope everyone can do into the future -- listen to the actual facts before forming an opinion. I know this is an emotional issue, but please form your final opinion on facts rather than hearsay or distortions.

The fact is that the only residences or businesses now being considered for annexation are those currently receiving city services -- water or sewer. The only other possibility involves those residents who are located contiguous to the proposed annexed area who want to voluntarily become a part of the community. the map we have on hand tonight should make that all very clear.

Another fact is that, by our calculations, many people in the proposed annexed area will actually benefit financially from this proposal. The amount they save on water and/or sewer, trash collection charges and possibly on their fire insurance rates will more than offset any increases that result from annexation. In short, this should not prove to be a big financial burden on anyone -- the reverse is more likely to be the case. We are willing to answer any questions along that line to the best of our ability. The fact sheet addresses a lot of these issues.

Another major fact to consider is that the city council has done everything it can to try to maintain the rural aspect of life for any homes being brought into the city. I believe the engineer here tonight will agree that he has never seen a city work harder to try to eliminate any problems where livestock or agricultural issues are concerned. The only aim is to bring the house itself into the city in an effort to help maintain and develop a strong population base into the future. Again, we will address these issues individually as we can.

There appears to have been some talk about the so-called excessive rules and regulations being followed by the City of Rector. I want to share a bit of history along this line. Several years ago we held a well-publicized public meeting in which we asked our residents if they want the city to work to keep Rector as clean and attractive as possible. This involves the effort to prevent yards and lots from growing up with weeds, to prevent chicken and hog operations from being located right next to a residential home, to repair or remove dilapidated buildings and to make the city more attractive for the potential businesses and industry. The meeting was well-attended and there was 100 percent unanimous opinion that our residents want a cleaner Rector.

In my time as mayor, I have had many, many people call me, stop me on the street or in a restaurant and tell me about a grown-up yard or a falling-down building next to them that they wish the city would do something about. In that time, I have never had one single person tell me they don't want a mess next door cleaned up. We have tried to comply with our citizens' requests -- and that is what it is all about, period. And I will tell you without doubt that we have done everything we can to give owners proper time to correct any problems. All we ever asked for is a plan and a reasonable follow-up on that plan. The city council is not here to penalize or hurt anyone intentionally, but it has tried to follow the will of the vast majority of citizens who want to protect the values of their own property and want to live in an attractive neighborhood.

If the opinion of our citizens has changed since that time, then the city council needs to know that. But until proven otherwise, I have to believe that most people don't want waist-high weeds, a falling-down building, a yard full of abandoned cars or a hog lot next to them. They want the value of their property protected as well as possible. As part of this process, I am going to propose that we have another public meeting later this summer to see if the opinion has changed. At that meeting, we also want to share with the public some new projects we have underway to try to continue to attract new business and jobs to our community.

Finally, whereas there may be some disagreement about some specific policies, I would hope that everyone in the City of Rector, as well as those just outside the current borders, share the view that we are in this together -- that we love this community and we are looking to improve it. This has always been a community that got along well together and I would hope any controversies regarding this proposal can be resolved in a manner that will maintain that sense of harmony and goodwill. This city council certainly does not have all the answers, but we are doing our best to try to maintain Rector as a community that we are proud to call home.