The Ridgeland annexation trial has come to a close, and now officials are waiting to hear the judge’s ruling on the case.
There is no set timeframe for the ruling to be handed down. It is also unclear if the case will be over following the ruling, as there could be appeals, which is a lengthy process.
The portion of land the city is looking to annex is a 4.9-square-mile property located west of Livingston Road, south of Greens Crossing Road and adjacent to the Hinds/Madison county line.
According to Mayor Gene McGee, this is the city’s only viable option for growth. However, another interested party, NCL Waste LLC, opposes Ridgeland in their efforts to annex the area as the site also happens to be the location of the proposed NCL landfill.
McGee has said this property has been part of the city’s master plan since 2008. The city aldermen voted to move forward with attempting to annex the area when they adopted an ordinance on October 15, 2019 to “enlarge and extend the corporate limits and boundaries of the city of Ridgeland.”
By adopting the ordinance, the city began its attempt to take on the territory. The trial began on July 20 and has since been completed.
Before the trial began, the city board of aldermen also approved its services and facilities plan for the proposed annexation area.
The plan outlines services the city would extend to the annexed area and the costs associated with those services, including police and fire protection, public works, community development and more.
According to the report, the city plans to provide the same level of services for the proposed annexation area as are currently provided within the existing city. Funding for these services could fluctuate from year to year.
The current population of Ridgeland is 24,336. Annexation, if successful, would add 345 residents, 129 homes and three businesses.
The report states that no additional personnel or major equipment would be required in order for Ridgeland to extend services to the annexation area.
However, there will be other costs associated with these services, including a one-time $2,500 fee for redistricting services for assigning the annexed area to an election ward and operating expenses associated with extending city services to the area.
The area would likely be assigned to Ward One, which is currently represented by Alderman Ken Heard.
Additional population added to this ward would not likely change the population count and makeup enough to require a full redraw of the aldermen wards.
According to the report, the total estimated financial impact of annexation would be $95,285 and $73,667 for year one and year two, respectively, if the trial is decided in Ridgeland’s favor.
The total expenditures for the first two years would be approximately $421,877 for providing services to the additional area, with the total revenues being approximately $252,923.
As for general government, to take in the additional area, the city is looking at spending roughly $5,350 and $5,441 for year one and year two following the trial, respectively.
