THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 13, 1994 TAG: 9410120139
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Even though the Town of Smithfield has made no formal proposal to annex portions of Isle of Wight County and even though consultants have not finished a final report on the feasibility of such expansion, the county is acting as if it were under siege.
It's not as if the town's move - if it decides to make a move - is a surprise. A consulting firm that developed a comprehensive plan for Smithfield three years ago said expansion was the only way for Smithfield to flourish. It really was more a matter of when than if.
In recent years, growth has taken place around, rather than in, Smithfield. Gatling Pointe and Gatling Pointe South, residential developments with homes costing as much as $500,000, are in Isle of Wight County. So is Smithfield Plaza Shopping Center on Virginia Route 10, although a sign welcoming visitors to Smithfield is visible across the street. Waterford Oaks, a fast-growing residential area up the road from the sign, is in the county.
In each instance, real estate and business taxes go to Isle of Wight Courthouse instead of Smithfield Town Hall. Residents within Smithfield's corporate limits pay taxes to both the town and county, and that already is becoming a rallying point for homeowners whose property now is in Isle of Wight but could be annexed.
Members of the Gatling Pointe Community Association, for instance, have rallied against annexation. They, understandably, don't want to add tax payments to Smithfield.
What would they gain? They pay for water and sewerage services and garbage pickup rather than getting them as a municipal service of Smithfield, but it would take one huge mound of garbage to offset additional real estate taxes they would pay to Smithfield.
Incidentally, all of the new development is served by Smithfield water and sewerage. That likely strengthens Smithfield's case for annexation, for with water and sewerage come development.
Much of Smithfield is a well preserved historical treasure that is best protected by land-use planning. What Isle of Wight County sees as the best possible use of land surrounding Smithfield may not mesh with Smithfield's vision, so Smithfield is wise to want to chart its destiny.
While the General Assembly has not looked kindly on annexation by cities wanting to grow, it has been sympathetic to towns that saw expansion as their key to survival.
Once the Smithfield consultants' report is complete, town and county officials will have something concrete to discuss. Negotiations need not be hostile. While there is precedent for the town to take the desired land through legal proceedings, the better alternative would be for Smithfield and Isle of Wight to avoid spending huge amounts of taxpayers' dollars on dueling lawyers.
And a word to both the Smithfield Town Council and Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors: while legal discussions are protected from public view, both bodies should let citizens know as much as possible about what is taking place.
It's not enough to say no formal proposal is on the table. It's more important that no proposal, formal or otherwise, be under the table.
Comment? Call 446-2494. by CNB