Canton City Council adopts Image Teeter annexation and several related ordinances

Canton City Council voted on June 16 to approve a bundle of annexations and related measures, including a large industrial annexation and two smaller Whipple Avenue parcels.

The council adopted ordinance 32 to annex the Image Teeter 2024 area — described in the clerk's reading as approximately 163.505 acres — assigning the territory to Ward 4, zoning it light industry and requiring the property owner to provide a buffer between the annexed land and adjacent township property. Leader Babcock moved the measure and the roll-call vote carried with the ayes recorded by the clerk.

Earlier the council approved ordinances 25 and 26, two Whipple Avenue Southwest annexation actions (together under 2 acres) that memorialize a like-for-like trade and road maintenance arrangement with Canton Township so the city can pave a lane of Whipple Avenue that previously remained in the township. City staff explained the exchange was intended to fix a map anomaly and allow Canton to take responsibility for paving and snow removal on the segment that serves Canton residents.

Council members and staff said the annexations address maintenance gaps and allow the city to pursue road repairs that Canton Township could not justify because the lane previously served no township residents. Council also referred procedural and service statements to committee earlier in the meeting and then reconvened to pass the ordinances by roll-call vote.

What happens next: the ordinances were declared emergencies where indicated and will be implemented consistent with zoning and buffering requirements. The council scheduled related committee follow-ups for continued oversight of implementation and service timelines.