§ 160A‑49.  Procedure for annexation.

(a)       Notice of Intent. – Any municipal governing board desiring to annex territory under the provisions of this Part shall first pass a resolution stating the intent of the municipality to consider annexation. Such resolution shall describe the boundaries of the area under consideration, fix a date for a public informational meeting, and fix a date for a public hearing on the question of annexation. The date for the public informational meeting shall be not less than 45 days and not more than 55 days following passage of the resolution. The date for the public hearing to be not less than 60 days and not more than 90 days following passage of the resolution.

(b)       Notice of Public Hearing. – The notice of public hearing shall:

(1)       Fix the date, hour and place of the public informational meeting and the date, hour, and place of the public hearing.

(2)       Describe clearly the boundaries of the area under consideration, and include a legible map of the area.

(3)       State that the report required in G.S. 160A‑47 will be available at the office of the municipal clerk at least 30 days prior to the date of the public informational meeting.

(4)       Include a notice of a property owner's rights to request water and sewer service in accordance with G.S. 160A‑47.

(5)       Include an explanation of a property owner's rights pursuant to subsections (f1) and (f2) of this section.

Such notice shall be given by publication once a week for at least two successive weeks prior to the date of the informational meeting in a newspaper having general circulation in the municipality and, in addition thereto, if the area to be annexed lies in a county containing less than fifty percent (50%) of the land area of the municipality, in a newspaper having general circulation in the area of proposed annexation. The period from the date of the first publication to the date of the last publication, both dates inclusive, shall be not less than eight days including Sundays, and the date of the last publication shall be not more than seven days preceding the date of public informational meeting. If there be no such newspaper, the municipality shall post the notice in at least five public places within the municipality and at least five public places in the area to be annexed for 30 days prior to the date of public informational meeting. In addition, notice shall be mailed at least four weeks prior to date of the informational meeting by first class mail, postage prepaid to the owners as shown by the tax records of the county of all freehold interests in real property located within the area to be annexed. The person or persons mailing such notices shall certify to the governing board that fact, and such certificate shall become a part of the record of the annexation proceeding and shall be deemed conclusive in the absence of fraud. If the notice is returned to the city by the postal service by the tenth day before the informational meeting, a copy of the notice shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, at least seven days before the informational meeting. Failure to comply with the mailing requirements of this subsection shall not invalidate the annexation unless it is shown that the requirements were not substantially complied with. If the governing board by resolution finds that the tax records are not adequate to identify the owners of some or all of the parcels of real property within the area it may in lieu of the mail procedure as to those parcels where the owners could not be so identified, post the notice at least 30 days prior to the date of public informational meeting on all buildings on such parcels, and in at least five other places within the area to be annexed. In any case where notices are placed on property, the person placing the notices shall certify that fact to the governing board.

(c)       Action Prior to Informational Meeting. – At least 30 days before the date of the public informational meeting, the governing board shall approve the report provided for in G.S. 160A‑47, and shall make it available to the public at the office of the municipal clerk. In addition, the municipality may prepare a summary of the full report for public distribution. In addition, the city shall post in the office of the city clerk, at least 30 days before the public informational meeting, a legible map of the area to be annexed and a list of persons holding freehold interests in property in the area to be annexed that it has identified.

(c1)     Public Informational Meeting. – At the public informational meeting a representative of the municipality shall first make an explanation of the report required in G.S. 160A‑47. Following such explanation, all persons resident or owning property in the territory described in the notice of public hearing, and all residents of the municipality, shall be given the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers regarding the proposed annexation.

(d)       Public Hearing. – At the public hearing a representative of the municipality shall first make an explanation of the report required in G.S. 160A‑47. Following such explanation, all persons resident or owning property in the territory described in the notice of public hearing, and all residents of the municipality, shall be given an opportunity to be heard.

(e)       Passage of the Annexation Ordinance. – The municipal governing board shall take into consideration facts presented at the public hearing and shall have authority to amend the report required by G.S. 160A‑47 to make changes in the plans for serving the area proposed to be annexed so long as such changes meet the requirements of G.S. 160A‑47, provided that if the annexation report is amended to show additional subsections of G.S. 160A‑48(c) or (d) under which the annexation qualifies that were not listed in the original report, the city must hold an additional public hearing on the annexation not less than 30 nor more than 90 days after the date the report is amended, and notice of such new hearing shall be given at the first public hearing. At any regular or special meeting held no sooner than the tenth day following the public hearing and not later than 90 days following such public hearing, the governing board shall have authority to adopt an ordinance extending the corporate limits of the municipality to include all, or such part, of the area described in the notice of public hearing which meets the requirements of G.S. 160A‑48 and which the governing board has concluded should be annexed. The ordinance shall:

(1)       Contain specific findings showing that the area to be annexed meets the requirements of G.S. 160A‑48. The external boundaries of the area to be annexed shall be described by metes and bounds. In showing the application of G.S. 160A‑48(c) and (d) to the area, the governing board may refer to boundaries set forth on a map of the area and incorporate same by reference as a part of the ordinance.

(2)       A statement of the intent of the municipality to provide services to the area being annexed as set forth in the report required by G.S. 160A‑47.

(3)       A specific finding that on the effective date of annexation the municipality will have funds appropriated in sufficient amount to finance construction of any major trunk water mains and sewer outfalls and such water and sewer lines as required in G.S. 160A‑47(3)b found necessary in the report required by G.S. 160A‑47 to extend the basic water and/or sewer system of the municipality into the area to be annexed, or that on the effective date of annexation the municipality will have authority to issue bonds in an amount sufficient to finance such construction. If authority to issue such bonds must be secured from the electorate of the municipality prior to the effective date of annexation, then the effective date of annexation shall be no earlier than the day following the statement of the successful result of the bond election.

(4)       Fix the effective date for annexation. The effective date of annexation may be fixed for any date not less than 70 days nor more than 400 days from the date of passage of the ordinance.

(f)        Effect of Annexation Ordinance. – Except as provided in subsection (f1) of this section, from and after the effective date of the annexation ordinance, the territory and its citizens and property shall be subject to all debts, laws, ordinances and regulations in force in such municipality and shall be entitled to the same privileges and benefits as other parts of such municipality. Real and personal property in the newly annexed territory on the January 1 immediately preceding the beginning of the fiscal year in which the annexation becomes effective is subject to municipal taxes as provided in G.S. 160A‑58.10. Provided that annexed property which is a part of a sanitary district, which has installed water and sewer lines, paid for by the residents of said district, shall not be subject to that part of the municipal taxes levied for debt service for the first five years after the effective date of annexation. If this proviso should be declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be in violation of any provision of the federal or State Constitution, the same shall not affect the remaining provisions of this Part. If the effective date of annexation falls between June 1 and June 30, and the effective date of the privilege license tax ordinance of the annexing municipality is June 1, then businesses in the area to be annexed shall be liable for taxes imposed in such ordinances from and after the effective date of annexation.

(f1)     Property Subject to Present‑Use Value Appraisal. – If an area described in an annexation ordinance includes agricultural land, horticultural land, or forestland that on the effective date of annexation is:

(1)       Land that is being taxed at present‑use value pursuant to G.S. 105‑277.4; or

(2)       Land that:

a.         Was on the date of the resolution of intent for annexation being used for actual production and is eligible for present‑use value taxation under G.S. 105‑277.4, but the land has not been in use for actual production for the required time under G.S. 105‑277.3; and

b.         The assessor for the county where the land subject to annexation is located has certified to the city that the land meets the requirements of this subdivision

the annexation becomes effective as to that property pursuant to subsection (f2) of this section.

(f2)     Effective Date of Annexation for Certain Property. – Annexation of property subject to annexation under subsection (f1) of this section shall become effective:

(1)       Upon the effective date of the annexation ordinance, the property is considered part of the city only (i) for the purpose of establishing city boundaries for additional annexations pursuant to this Article and (ii) for the exercise of city authority pursuant to Article 19 of this Chapter.

(2)       For all other purposes, the annexation becomes effective as to each tract of such property or part thereof on the last day of the month in which that tract or part thereof becomes ineligible for classification pursuant to G.S. 105‑277.4 or no longer meets the requirements of subdivision (f1)(2) of this section. Until annexation of a tract or a part of a tract becomes effective pursuant to this subdivision, the tract or part of a tract is not subject to taxation by the city under Article 12 of Chapter 105 of the General Statutes nor is the tract or part of a tract entitled to services provided by the city.

(g)       Simultaneous Annexation Proceedings. – If a municipality is considering the annexation of two or more areas which are all adjacent to the municipal boundary but are not adjacent to one another, it may undertake simultaneous proceedings under authority of this Part for the annexation of such areas.

(h)       Remedies for Failure to Provide Services. – If, not earlier than one year from the effective date of annexation, and not later than 15 months from the effective date of annexation, any person owning property in the annexed territory shall believe that the municipality has not followed through on its service plans adopted under the provisions of G.S. 160A‑47(3) and 160A‑49(e), for any required service other than water and sewer services such person may apply for a writ of mandamus under the provisions of Article 40, Chapter 1 of the General Statutes. Relief may be granted by the judge of superior court

(1)       If the municipality has not provided the services set forth in its plan submitted under the provisions of G.S. 160A‑47(3)a on substantially the same basis and in the same manner as such services were provided within the rest of the municipality prior to the effective date of annexation, and

(2)       If at the time the writ is sought such services set forth in the plan submitted under the provisions of G.S. 160A‑47(3)a are still being provided on substantially the same basis and in the same manner as on the date of annexation of the municipality.

If, not earlier than 24 months from the effective date of the annexation, and not later than 27 months from the effective date of the annexation, any person owning property in the annexed area can show that the plans submitted under the provisions of G.S. 160A‑47(3)c require the construction of major trunk water mains and sewer outfall lines and if construction has not been completed within two years of the effective date of the annexation, relief may also be granted by the superior court by an order to the municipality to complete such lines and outfalls within a certain time. Similar relief may be granted by the superior court to any owner of property who made a timely request for a water or sewer line, or both, pursuant to G.S. 160A‑47(3)b and such lines have not been completed within two years from the effective date of annexation in accordance with applicable city policies and through no fault of the owner, if such owner petitions for such relief not earlier than 24 months following the effective date of annexation and not later than 27 months following the effective date of annexation.

If a writ is issued, costs in the action, including a reasonable attorney's fee for such aggrieved person, shall be charged to the municipality.

(i)        No resolution of intent may be adopted under subsection (a) of this section unless the city council (or planning agency created or designated under either G.S. 160A‑361 or the charter) has, by resolution adopted at least one year prior to adoption of the resolution of intent, identified the area as being under consideration for annexation and included a statement in the resolution notifying persons subject to the annexation of their rights under subsections (f1) and (f2) of this section; provided, adoption of such resolution of consideration shall not confer prior jurisdiction over the area as to any other city. The area described under the resolution of intent may comprise a smaller area than that identified by the resolution of consideration. The resolution of consideration may have a metes and bounds description or a map and shall remain effective for two years after adoption, and shall be filed with the city clerk. A new resolution of consideration adopted before expiration of the two‑year period for a previously adopted resolution covering the same area shall relate back to the date of the previous resolution.

(j)        Subsection (i) of this section shall not apply to the annexation of any area if the resolution of intent describing the area and the ordinance annexing the area both provide that the effective date of the annexation shall be at least one year from the date of passage of the annexation ordinance.

(k)       If a valid request for extension of a water or sewer line has been made under G.S. 160A‑47(3)b, and the extension is not complete at the end of two years after the effective date of the annexation ordinance, the owner of the property may petition the Local Government Commission for abatement of taxes to be paid to the city which have not been levied as of the expiration date of the two‑year period, if such petition is filed not more than 60 days after the expiration of the two‑year period. If the Local Government Commission finds that the extension to the property was not complete by the end of the two‑year period, it shall enter an order directing the city not to levy any further ad valorem taxes on the property until the fiscal year commencing after completion of the extension. In addition, if the Local Government Commission found that the extension to the property was not completed by the end of the two‑year period, and if it finds that for any fiscal year during the period beginning with the first day of the fiscal year in which the annexation ordinance became effective and ending the last day of the fiscal year in which the two‑year period expired, the city made an appropriation for construction, operation or maintenance of a water or sewer system (other than payments the city made as a customer of the system) from the fund or funds for which ad valorem taxes are levied, then the Local Government Commission shall order the city to release or refund an amount of the petitioner's property taxes for that year in question in proportion to the percentage of appropriations in the fund made for water and sewer services. By way of illustration, if a net amount of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) was appropriated for water or sewer construction, operation or maintenance from a fund which had total expenditures of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) and the petitioner's tax levy was one thousand dollars ($1,000), the amount of release or refund shall be ten dollars ($10.00).

(l)        If a city fails to deliver police protection, fire protection, solid waste or street maintenance services as provided for in G.S. 160A‑47(3)a. within 60 days after the effective date of the annexation, the owner of the property may petition the Local Government Commission for abatement of taxes to be paid to the city for taxes that have been levied as of the end of the 60‑day period, if the petition is filed not more than 90 days after the expiration of the 60‑day period. If the Local Government Commission finds that services were not extended by the end of the 60‑day period, it shall enter an order directing the city not to levy any further ad valorem taxes on the property until the fiscal year commencing after extension of the municipal services. (1959, c. 1009, s. 5; 1973, c. 426, s. 74; 1975, c. 576, s. 4; 1977, c. 517, s. 6; 1983, c. 636, ss. 1, 3, 5, 6, 12‑14, 37; c. 768, s. 25; 1985, c. 384, s. 1; 1987, c. 44, s. 2; 1989, c. 598, s. 12; 1998‑150, s. 15; 2006‑162, s. 21; 2006‑264, s. 18(a).)