Council considers joint annexation agreement with county amid threat of litigation; no final vote recorded

Lenoir City Council discussed a proposed joint agreement with the county that would authorize annexation plan services and memorialize responsibilities between the two governments. Council members and the mayor said the agreement was prepared after coordination among city and county attorneys amid threats of litigation related to a pending annexation.

City officials identified attorneys involved in drafting the agreement as city attorneys (named in the discussion as Mr. Johnson and Mr. Jones) and county attorney Bob Bowman; the mayor said Bowman and the city attorneys worked on the draft and that Bowman's firm also represents the city on some matters. Council members asked whether the county commission had already voted; staff answered that the county had voted with an exception and that the county planned a call meeting on an unrelated schedule.

The mayor said the agreement before council had been modified (one word removed, according to the mayor) and that the latest version was in the meeting packet. A councilmember moved to approve the agreement. The transcript records the motion but does not record a second or a roll-call vote in the available excerpt.

Council discussion noted the prior plan of services that accompanies the annexation and that staff and attorneys had sought to avoid interfering with an ongoing county investigation into the annexation. Council did not take further action on the item during the portion of the meeting recorded in the transcript provided.