Last year, she reported, the State Legisla-ture made such annexation agreements binding and enforceable.
Attorney Miller said that property can be annexed to the city by ordinance if the land is owned or surrounded by the city; if the land is adjacent to the city and more than 60 acres in size, or if the land is within two miles of an approved plat.
Regarding annexation to the City of Victoria, she said, "Some township people are not viewing this with hostility, but with uncertainty."

HOW WILL ANNEXATION IMPACT US?
SPRINGSTED TO ESTIMATE COSTS AND REVENUES
Councilmembers hired Springsted, billed as "Advisors to the Public Sector," to estimate the fiscal impacts of the pro-posed annexation of approximately 1,000 acres of Laketown Township to the City of Victoria.
According to written objectives, "The fiscal impact analysis will assist the city in estimating the cost of providing muni-cipal services to the annexation area and the estimated revenues that will be re-ceived from the development of this area.  The analysis will include the fiscal im-pacts over a planning period of 2003 through 2015."
For an amount of $18,000 Springsted will develop a financial projection of the city's anticipated revenues, operating costs, capital costs, and debt service costs over the planning period.  This information will be used as the basis for projecting the impacts of the proposed an-nexation.
Estimated time to complete the fiscal impacts study is 10 to 12 weeks after Springsted receives city reports, plans, policies, schedules, maps, agreements, and other relevant information from the city.

MOWING BECOMES FULL-TIME JOB
GOLF COURSE LOOK OR THE NATURAL LOOK?
"Right now we're mowing 27 hours a week," said Bruce, "and that's not includ-ing fall and spring ditch mowing.  A lot of residents want the golf course style look."  He said when the park at the Allegheny development is added to the list, there will be 40 hours of mowing per week.
There are also a lot of berms that have been constructed in recent years in the City of Victoria, most of them serving as a barrier between a new development and a major roadway. 
Stated City Planner Mark Kaltsas, "Personally, I don't think we should mow the berms, but we should do something natural and native.  Most homeowners' associations won't want to spend the money to manicure them.  Developers are required to do plantings along the berm, and the city can maintain and clean a swath along the trail's edge."
As to who should own the berms, the adjacent homeowners or the city, Mark stated, "I think it's critical that the city continue to own the berms as outlots in order to keep control of what's put there, or people will put storage sheds and fire pits in that area.  Also, city ownership would give us consistency along our major roadways."
Councilmember Terry Bishop sug-gested that those berms currently mani-cured, let them remain so, but future berms should have a natural appearance and planting.
Bruce said the city maintains almost 100 acres of outlots, parks, right of ways, etcetera, in the City of Victoria. 

A STEP FORWARD FOR MABSSCO
TO TURN A HOME INTO AN OFFICE ON HWY 5
MABSSCO received positive feed-back from Victoria councilmembers on May 22nd in its effort to rezone a parcel of property across from the Dairy Queen from residential to commercial. 
The tax-exempt corporation hopes to convert a residential home on the Victoria site into an attractive office building for its group home located just north of the Dairy Queen.  There are four other residential properties on that corner.
City Planner Mark Kaltsas updated the council.  "The parcel is located on a major intersection in Victoria.  It is really an island of residential property.  The Planning Commission says this property doesn't warrant rezoning unless it adheres to commercial design standards.  Some neighbors have concerns about rezoning."
Mark recommended that all five of the residential properties be guided toward Central Business District rezoning, leaving some as residential until the owners might want to change the zoning.
Said Mark, "There would be a guide plan.  There would be no restrictions on the other four properties, but we'd give them the option ... residential, or they can sell and say they want it to be commercial property.  It would increase the value of these properties."
Kevin Olson, a Coldwell Banker Burnet real estate representative for the buyer (MABSSCO), said that changing the zoning to commercial would raise property values in the small neighborhood at Highway 5 and County Road #11.  "It would open the door to businesses that would have an interest in the community," he said.
Eugene Allen, executive director of MABSSCO, said, "We need a place for a corporate office and we want to stay in Victoria.  We have 26 employees that work here in Victoria.  We'll work with city staff, willingly, for such things as parking.  We've learned the entrance would have to be off of County Road 11."
A couple of the neighboring residents expressed concerns.  "We've got a gorgeous house ... We've done a lot of work on it ... I don't want our taxes to go up ... I've got concerns about lighting and landscaping."  The neighbors also acknowledged that an increase in the mar-ket value of their places could bode well for them.
Stated Mayor Jerry Bohn, "We're always looking for ways to bring business to our downtown.  We look for the best use of the land.  I could support this.  The petitioner [MABSSCO] is asking us at this time if this is a viable option, before they proceed further."
Mayor Bohn referred to a sketch of the proposed conversion of home to office building.  Said Jerry, "What you see here is not what's going to be approved.  It's conceptual.  A lot of things would have to be resolved first.  There would have to be a public hearing for rezoning to occur.  The petitioner is asking if this is a viable option."
Planner Kaltsas put the proposed building and site location into another perspective. 

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