Legislature 2008: Annexation

Come January, West Virginia's 55 counties plan to lobby lawmakers to at least tweak the 2001 law that has allowed municipalities to annex land whenever the property owners agree.

As The Associated Press reports, counties are crying foul whenever these voluntary petitions create "pipestem" or "shoestring" annexations, where only a road makes the land contiguous to the benefiting city or town.

Municipalities, however, consider the voluntary petition annexations a key contributor to population, tax base and even political influence, as the city of Ranson recently observed in a state Supreme Court brief.

Today's article follows up on an earlier AP report about October's Supreme Court ruling settling an annexation dispute between Jefferson County and Charles Town. The majority concluded that the county cannot block or otherwise interfere with voluntary petition annexations that adhere to the 2001 law.

These annexations, and the Supreme Court ruling, has spurred reactions elsewhere in the state.

The Charleston Daily Mail recorded dismay from Putnam County officials, while The Register-Herald heard from one Beckley-area legislator even before the Supreme Court reached its decision.

The Parkersburg News gauged both support from city official for the current law and discontent from Wood County officials.