Council approves Tarragon annexation but rejects neighboring proposal after debate over scope and staff costs

Uniontown’s City Council on May 11 approved the Tarragon annexation (Resolution 18‑77) and rejected a separate Kazer Mezic annexation (Resolution 18‑76) after discussion about map modifications, staff workload and consultant costs.

City staff read the Tarragon petition and recommended modifying the petitioner’s original request (three parcels) to a six‑parcel annexation totaling about 18 acres, with an estimated 2026 county‑assessed value of roughly $4,000,000. Staff also noted water and sewer stub‑outs are available to the area and said the applicant offered to help pay processing costs. City staff said the proposal’s modification would make the city boundary more regular and is likely to align better with the boundary‑review board’s expectations.

"Tarragon sees Yimcla as a charming town full of character," the applicant’s representative said, urging council to accept the annexation and stressing the growth would extend utilities and roadway networks. Alex Campbell, a resident speaking in support, told council the annexation would allow the extension of existing utilities and provide redundancy to stubbed roads while reiterating the applicant’s offer to reimburse city review costs: "The key to us is that we don't wanna burden city staff." (Alex Campbell, public comment.)

By contrast, council members expressed concern that taking on an annexation requires significant staff time and expense. One committee report noted consultant work for the last annexation totaled between $20,000 and $30,000 and represented roughly 100–150 staff hours; staff said the city has limited capacity to absorb similar work now. On Resolution 18‑76 (Kazer Mezic), staff recommended modifying the submitted area to include additional parcels and estimated the total annexation area at about 20 acres with a 2026 valuation near $5,000,000. After motion and discussion the council voted and the measure failed.

When council voted on Resolution 18‑77, the mayor announced the motion passed on a 5–1 vote. Council members who supported the Tarragon annexation cited the benefits of connecting stubbed utilities and the applicant's willingness to cover review costs; the lone no vote reflected concerns about precedent and incremental boundary changes.

What’s next: Staff will proceed according to the council's direction on the approved Tarragon annexation, including processing the modified annexation request and preparing required notices to the boundary review board and affected property owners. The failed Kazer Mezic petition may return only if revised and resubmitted.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 18‑76 (Kazer Mezic annexation): failed (no tally specified in the record). Resolution 18‑77 (Tarragon annexation): approved (announced by mayor as 5 yeses, 1 no).