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Paris council denies request to disannex about 71 acres along State Highway 271
Summary
After public comment and staff recommendation, Paris City Council voted 5-0 to deny three petitions seeking to remove roughly 71.2 acres near State Highway 271 from city limits, citing future development potential and existing access to city services.
The Paris City Council voted 5-0 to deny three disannexation petitions that together would remove about 71.2 acres from the city along State Highway 271.
City staff told the council the petitions, filed by property owners including the Craft family, the Cobb Testamentary Trust and Paul and Shelley Morrison, cited lack of water and sewer access. Staff said those concerns were overstated for at least one parcel: the Craft property includes an existing clinic that currently uses city water and sewer via a private line, and other parcels in the corridor already receive city services such as police, fire and solid waste.
The council considered the possibility that widening State Highway 271 could increase the land’s development value. Staff and several council members said disannexing the corridor now would forfeit future property- and sales-tax revenue if the land were later developed.
Trey Craft and Jack Craft addressed the council on behalf of the property owners, saying their business operations and livestock uses motivated the petition and that private utility easements complicated their ability to access and maintain services. Council members acknowledged the family’s long local ties and the importance of the veterinary and agricultural operations, but said the city’s long-term planning and revenue considerations weighed in favor of keeping the properties within the city.
Council made the motion to deny the disannexation petitions; the motion carried on a 5-0 voice vote.
