MUNCIE, Ind. — Residents from the Farmington neighborhood told the Muncie City Council on Jan. 6 that they oppose a proposed annexation affecting portions of their subdivision and asked the council to retract the related ordinance. The council also considered and adopted a fiscal plan resolution covering city‑owned parcels in Farmington and Westminster.

At a public hearing, John Fallon, representing the Farmington Neighborhood Association ad hoc committee on annexation, said the committee polled affected property owners and found 40 of 59 oppose the annexation proposal. “The results of that poll were crystal clear,” Fallon said, adding that the committee believes the count meets the 65% threshold referenced in Indiana Code 36‑4‑3‑11.1 to invalidate the annexation proposition.

Fallon outlined several neighborhood concerns: recent county paving projects and uncertainty about how the city would maintain streets after annexation; potential changes to police and fire response without additional personnel; the possibility of higher property taxes and uncertainty about how annexation revenue would be spent; and incomplete mailed notice to some property owners. “Neither the Farmington Neighborhood Association nor any group of affected property owners requested annexation,” Fallon said, asking the council to “retract or defeat ordinance number 29‑24 in the true spirit of neighborliness.”

City counsel for the annexation matter, appearing by phone, described the city’s legal notice obligations. Attorney Max Adams of Barnes & Thornburg said state law requires notice be mailed to the addresses shown on the tax duplicate; when notice is sent to those addresses the city has met the statutory notice requirement. “Under state law, the city is required to provide notice to the addresses listed on the tax duplicate,” Adams said, noting that differences between tax‑duplicate addresses and where people actually receive mail can lead to isolated cases of nonreceipt.

The council also addressed the fiscal plan resolution that applies to two city‑owned parcels involved in the proposed annexations (a city‑owned parcel near Farmington and a parcel in Westminster Village). Council members moved and voted to adopt Resolution 2‑25, the fiscal plan for those city‑owned parcels. The resolution does not itself annex private residences; it sets a fiscal plan the city says is required by statute for the city‑owned properties ahead of ordinance action on annexation.

Council members and staff also agreed to further public review. Multiple council members supported asking the Land and Traffic Committee to review the four annexation ordinances (29‑24, 30‑24, 31‑24 and 32‑24) and to hold committee-level discussion before final ordinance votes. Several speakers and council members said that committee review would give residents more opportunities to ask questions and for staff to clarify the services and fiscal impacts.

What happened next and what remains pending

- The public hearings for ordinances 29‑24 (Farmington), 30‑24 (Heron Point), 31‑24 (city‑owned parcel near Farmington) and 32‑24 (Westminster Village) were held on Jan. 6; none of those four private‑property annexation ordinances were adopted that night. The council heard public comment and moved the related fiscal‑plan resolution (Resolution 2‑25) for the city‑owned parcels, which it adopted.
- Representatives of the Farmington Neighborhood Association said they plan to certify their poll of affected property owners and asked the council to act on that basis.
- Council members requested that the Land and Traffic Committee review the annexation proposals and answer residents’ service‑level and finance questions before the council takes final votes on private‑property annexation ordinances.

Why this matters

Annexation changes which government provides municipal services and collects certain local taxes. Residents raised questions about street maintenance, emergency response, tax impacts and notice. The council’s adoption of a fiscal plan for city‑owned parcels is an administrative step the city said it must take ahead of some annexation procedures; however, homeowners whose properties were described as “affected” told the council they want clearer, direct communication and answers about service and tax changes before any final annexation ordinance is adopted.

Speakers from the meeting included representatives of the Farmington Neighborhood Association and city legal counsel; their remarks and the council’s committee referral are recorded in the meeting transcript.

Ending

Council leaders said committee review and follow‑up would be scheduled so both residents and council members could review details about paving, emergency services, tax assessments and the specific legal steps that remain before any annexation of private property could take effect.