Mulberry mayor asks Crawford County to approve annexation as residents warn of solar development risks

Mulberry Mayor Pat Wallen asked the Crawford County Commission to support a city-initiated annexation that he said would allow Mulberry to access Department of Commerce programs and other outside funding to repair aging water infrastructure and to support community survival. "I'm here for Mulberry's survival," Wallen said, describing long family ties to the town and a decline in population he said the annexation could help reverse.

Residents who live near the proposed annexation area told the commission they fear the move is tied to larger energy or industrial projects. Russell Smith of Deer Creek Acres asked who would ultimately benefit, and raised specific technical questions about battery storage, inverters and noise: "Where's the battery storage gonna be? Where's the inverters gonna be? How much…