The Town Council directed staff to send a blanket mailing to all property owners in Oak Ridges extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and along the southern border to solicit voluntary annexation requests. Council approved a motion directing staff to work with the town attorney to prepare ordinances accepting eligible requests with an effective date of June 30, 2026, to align annexations with the towns fiscal year and the property-tax cycle.

Assistant Town Manager and Clerk Sandra Smith told council staff had received four voluntary annexation requests from property owners along the southern border and that a new Greensboro sewer line appears to be motivating additional interest. Staff presented three outreach options: (1) word-of-mouth and ad-hoc responses, (2) a targeted mailing of about 250 letters, or (3) a blanket mailing to roughly 600 property owners in the ETJ and southern border. Council voted in favor of the blanket mailing.

Councilmembers discussed timelines and staffing: staff said the legal and boundary work needed after responses (meets-and-bounds, attorney review) can be time-consuming and suggested setting a deadline for applications; council asked staff to propose a timeline and work with the town attorney on ordinance language.

Why it matters: Voluntary annexations expand the towns municipal boundary and can affect service delivery, tax rolls and planning. Setting an effective date at the start of the fiscal year simplifies tax billing and budgeting for newly annexed properties.

Next steps: Staff will prepare mailed notices, set an application deadline and work with the town attorney to draft the acceptance ordinance; earlier applicants who already filed will be contacted and processed per town procedures, and staff will advise council on any timing issues related to Greensboro sewer availability.