Mayor Quordiniah Lockley encouraged the city board to take the next step in annexing the land east of Gateway Industrial Park to build a fire station there at Tuesday’s work session.
The city has already annexed the western half of the 170-acre industrial park located just off the Fernwood exit on Interstate 55 in order to provide sewer service.
Lockley said in November that he wants the city to annex the eastern half of the property, along with land along Airport-Fernwood and Wardlaw roads and Highway 51. He readdressed the issue Tuesday.
“I just think it would be prudent that we go ahead and annex the east side,” he said. “I think we need to go ahead and start the ball rolling. It won’t happen overnight. We need to go ahead and start the ball rolling to annex the east side of Gateway.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Selectman Tommy McKenzie replied.
Lockley asked board attorney Marcus Williams, who was present by speakerphone, to research the annexation process.
“As I said at the last meeting, basically this board would have to, at a meeting, pass that resolution,” Williams said. “Then, after the resolution is passed, you have to file the matter in Chancery Court and go through the process outlined in the statute. Tha board makes that determination in a meeting.”
Williams said the resolution must clearly detail what area the city would be annexing.
Lockley asked Williams to start working on a resolution to annex the east side of Gateway Industrial Park.
“I’ll file a draft of something and present it to the board for their consideration,” Williams said.
