A Notice of Hearing and Resolution of Intent to Annex has been sent by the City to property owners in the Big Sky Subdivision in Rapid Valley. The first of two rounds of public hearings is scheduled for early January.
(City Photo)
FOR IMMMEDIATE RELEASE/December 29, 2016
CITY WILL ATTEMPT TO ANNEX BIG SKY SUBDIVISION
RAPID CITY--Property owners in the Big Sky Subdivision in Rapid Valley are receiving letters this week regarding Rapid City's intent to annex 131 properties in the 40-acre area.
A Notice of Hearing and Resolution of Intent to Annex has been sent via certified mail to property owners and the Pennington County Commission. The Resolution of Intent is the first of two rounds of public hearings. The first round of hearings includes the Rapid City Planning Commission on January 5, the City's Legal and Finance Committee on January 11 and the City Council on January 17.
If the Resolution of Intent is approved, a Resolution of Annexation will be brought forward with a second round of hearings scheduled before the Planning Commission on February 23, Legal and Finance Committee March 1 and the City Council on March 6.
"The City is bringing forward this involuntary annexation at the request of area residents who were not able to meet the statutory requirements for voluntary annexation as required by state law," said Dale Tech, interim director of Rapid City's Community and Planning Services. "The City has been working with residents of the Big Sky area on available options for several years."
Those options have been part of informal discussions and public open houses between the City and Big Sky residents in recent years.
Residents attempted voluntary annexation which requires signatures of property owners accounting for 75 percent of property valuation and 75 percent of registered voters in the area to be annexed. Residents secured signatures accounting for 75 percent of the property valuation but not 75 percent of the affected area's registered voters.
In recent years, residents in the Big Sky area have requested assistance from the City for repair and upkeep of roads, including snow removal. However, snow removal, sweeping and ongoing maintenance aren't provided by the City since the area is outside city limits. The City has allocated funding for repairs of roads in the Subdivision should the area be annexed. Once annexed, the upkeep of the subdivision roads will be prioritized along with the balance of the road system within Rapid City.
State law requires an annexation study, which was completed this month by the City, before an involuntary annexation action can proceed. The annexation study includes the services the City will provide, the timetable in which the services will be provided and the cost to the City and residents.
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