Winning Annexation Battles

Are you concerned about how a proposed annexation may affect your quality of life?

If yes, then contact CEDS at 1-800-773-4571 or Help@ceds.org.  After learning the specifics of the annexation proposal we can usually offer initial strategy suggestions.  Advice by phone is available free to those seeking to prevent annexation from harming a community or the environment.

Following is an introduction to the CEDS approach for winning annexation battles.  There are two options for applying this approach to your effort. 

• First, we can carry out this strategy for you. 
• Second, you can implement the strategy on your own with the advice presented below and in our factsheet: Annexation & Citizens: Assessing Quality of Life Impacts & Successful Strategies

Most citizens who succeed in resolving their concerns about annexation do so through political action not lawyers.  We urge you to try talking with your local elected officials before hiring an annexation attorney.  You will find advice on working with these officials in Chapter 39 of our free 300-page book, How To Win Land Development Issues.

If elected officials fail to quickly and fully resolve your concerns regarding annexation then we urge you to mount an aggressive political campaign.  Far too many citizens have lived to regret delaying action in hopes that a bad annexation would go away.  When in doubt, please contact us immediately and we'll be delighted to give you an initial, no-cost opinion on whether its time to act.  For further detail on the first steps in launching an aggressive campaign see Chapter 35 in our book.  If you find you lack the time for this research then consider having CEDS conduct it for you through an Initial Strategy Analysis.

Following is a bit more background on annexation. 

Annexation is a process used to expand the boundaries of a town, city or county. If annexation follows smart growth principles, then it should preserve and enhance quality of life for you and your neighbors.  However, poorly planned annexations can cause sprawl, traffic congestion, school overcrowding, environmental damage, higher taxes, and other impacts with few positive effects.

The CEDS Project Evaluation Checklist allows you to do a preliminary assessment of the quality of life effects of a proposed annexation.  Detail on these principles will be found in Part I of our free 300-page book How To Win Land Development Issues. 

If you live near a town, city, or county boundary and you fear that adjoining land may be proposed for annexation, then visit our Proactive Neighborhood Planning to learn how to prevent harm before the land is annexed.  If your area has been plagued by a series of poorly conceived annexations, then visit our Quality of Life Growth Management (QoLGM) webpage.  QoLGM employs annexation and other tools to manage growth to not only preserve, but enhance quality of life for existing and future residents; not merely to benefit a few property owners or development companies 

CEDS is a nationwide network of attorneys, planners, environmental scientists, traffic engineers, political strategists, fundraisers, and other professionals.  We help people with concerns about annexations from the very small to the very large.  To learn how we can help with the annexation of concern to you, just give us a call toll-free at 1-800-773-4571. Advice by phone is always available free of charge to those seeking to preserve their home and neighborhood from harm. You can also email us at Help@ceds.org.

Our Mission: To help citizens win Smart Growth victories.