HB2125

THE CONTEXT: Current statute outlines the requirements for extending and increasing the corporate limits of a city or town by annexation. In order to annex territory, the city or town must file in the office of the county recorder a blank petition that sets forth a description and accurate map of all the exterior boundaries of the territory contiguous to the city or town proposed to be annexed ( A.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would require annexation notices to be sent by certified mail, the cost of which is borne by the governing body of the city or town, specifies that the written petition that meets signature requirements must be filed in the office of the county recorder, and stipulate that if a petition seeks to extend and increase the corporate limits of a city or town within a county with a population of more than four million people and is not located in more than one county, the signature threshold is 60%.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to turn the Legislature's standard for annexation into an enforceable rule. It would require annexation notices to be sent by certified mail, the cost of which is borne by the governing body of the city or town, and would also specifies that the written petition that meets signature requirements must be filed in the office of the county recorder, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.