Neighbors urge council to halt annexation; council adopts fiscal plan for city-owned parcels

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…