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Senate circles bill that would let counties and cities agree to annex isolated parcels without owner consent
Summary
Senate Bill 171, which would allow limited county‑initiated annexations of 'islands' or peninsulas into municipalities with protections for property owners (no partial takings; area limit), was introduced and then circled (deferred) after sponsor explained edits and stakeholder adjustments.
Senator Jenkins introduced Senate Bill 171 (first substitute), a response to county planning concerns about isolated 'islands' and peninsulas of unincorporated property that are surrounded by municipalities and not receiving services. Jenkins said the bill would allow a county and a municipality to agree to annex such areas without the property owner's request in narrow circumstances — for example, where the area is no more than 50 acres and the county and municipality agree it should be included.
The sponsor stressed safeguards for property owners: the municipality could not divide a property for annexation (it must be the whole parcel) and the statute contains size limits for areas eligible for this process. Jenkins described real‑world problems motivating the measure, including a fire response failure where county dispatch issues left a property to burn because of interlocal agreement breakdowns.
On the floor, Jenkins acknowledged multiple substitutions and negotiations with cities and counties during drafting. Given outstanding issues, he moved to 'circle' the bill — a floor motion to defer — which the Senate adopted by voice vote, leaving the bill for later consideration.
Because the measure was circled rather than advanced, no final legislative outcome was reached during this floor session; committee and stakeholder negotiation will likely continue before it returns to the floor.
