With newspaper ads, signs and word of mouth, the homeowners are fighting being swallowed up by Cary. The town is trying to close county donut holes and collect town taxes, but some residents are not giving in without a fight.
Medfield Estates is one of many areas Cary wants to annex. Most annexation areas are completely surrounded by Cary, although Medfield Estates is also bordered by Raleigh. Mayor Glen Lang says that people who use Cary roads and services should help pay for road improvements.
"If they are not annexed, other taxpayers in Cary's tax base would have to go up about $100 per year, per household, so these people would not have to pay their share of the roads," he says.
Some residents say that they do not buy Lang's rationale. They say many people who work in Cary do not live there, so the same could apply to them.
"Most roads are state roads. You know, the people who live in Apex come to work in Cary. They drive there and use the roads, so you could make the same argument," says Medfield Estates resident Alisa Huffman.
There is also the issue of water and sewer. Lang says it is up to the residents if they want to hook up to Cary utilities.
"They do not have to pay any impact fees. They do not have to pay any hook up fees. They do not have to pay any development fees. If they choose not to hook up, their cost is zero," says Lang.
Residents are not so sure.
"But if a neighbor down the road wants it or if somebody on your road in close proximity requests it, then they will immediately, because almost everyone has an empty lot and a developer will request it. You have to get it," says Huffman.
The Cary Town Council could vote on the annexation issue in the next couple of months. Cary is not the only town to annex involuntarily. Raleigh also does it on a regular basis.
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