Muncie to withdraw non-voluntary annexation proposal of Farmington neighborhood

The city of Muncie says it is withdrawing an effort to annex a portion of the Farmington neighborhood in Delaware County.  As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, homeowners in the neighborhood have pushed back on the measure.

The Muncie City Council was set to consider two non-voluntary annexations next week, which would bring more land into the official Muncie city boundaries.  On Thursday afternoon, the Muncie mayor’s office announced it would withdraw the annexation involving the Farmington neighborhood.

In a statement, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour likened the annexation proposal to dating someone and realizing “you can see that you don’t align, you get the hint.”  He said the city respects the neighborhood’s concerns.

In January, the Farmington neighborhood association and other homeowners spoke against the idea.  John Fallon is the association’s spokesperson.

“Our fear is that our streets will begin to look like some of the other major streets in our city.  We’re not certain that the city has the resources to care for the streets in our neighborhood.”

Fallon said neighbors were also worried about emergency services response times.

The council will still consider the non-voluntary annexation of portions of Heron Pointe neighborhood.  In previous meetings, no one has spoken in opposition to the proposal.

Earlier in February, the city council approved two voluntary annexations – part of Westminster Village and another parcel near Farmington that was once owned by Ball State University and donated to Muncie.

Stephanie Wiechmann is our Managing Editor and “All Things Considered” Host.  Contact her at [email protected].