Commission creates town of Enterprise

Jeff Schweers

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The people of Enterprise got what they came for -- minus a major development and a regional park.

The County Commission unanimously approved a petition Tuesday to create the unincorporated town of Enterprise, and then voted to remove about 1,700 acres that include the Rhodes Ranch master-planned community and a 310-acre regional park. Those areas are now in the town of Spring Valley.

Commissioner Bruce Woodbury cast the sole dissenting vote on changing Enterprise's borders, saying it violated the express will of the people.

"I'm opposed to this amendment in any form," Woodbury said.

Commissioner Erin Kenny made the motion to annex five square miles into Spring Valley.

County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates said she opposed the annexation, but voted in favor of it so she could recall it after the new board convenes in January.

Residents protested the annexation, saying their petition for the new taxing authority included specific boundaries for Enterprise and that no public hearings were held to discuss the removal of Rhodes Ranch or a 310-acre park from their borders.

John Hiatt, chairman of the Enterprise advisory board, said residents had no public hearings or discussions with Kenny on the boundary change.

"This is a matter of representation," Hiatt said.

Rob Judd, who is building a home on land surrounded by Rhodes Ranch, objected to his annexation into Spring Valley. "The Enterprise concept of growth is to make growth fit the community, not make the community fit the growth."

The creation of the unincorporated township could increase county property tax revenue by $560,000 a year once the rates are approved by the state Tax Commission. Enterprise homeowners will pay an additional 20 cents per $100 of assessed value for services they already receive such as police and fire protection.

Assistant County Manager Randy Walker said the annexation of Rhodes Ranch into Spring Valley will give a slight boost to the county's sales tax revenue because of the way Enterprise would be phased into the distribution formula.