Enterprise residents don’t want township annexed

Lisa Snedeker

Thursday, Jan. 14, 1999 | 11:02 a.m.

It all came down to a show of hands.

About 60 Enterprise Township property owners raised their hands when Advisory Board Chairman John Hiatt asked those at Tuesday night's standing-room-only meeting who was opposed to being annexed into Henderson's city limits.

No one, however, raised a finger when asked if anyone supported the proposed annexation.

They were opposed to the Henderson City Council's original announcement that it was contemplating annexing 1,380 acres of Clark County land.

Hiatt, however, told residents that Henderson has upped the ante to some 5,000 acres.

"A new proposal by Henderson involves a lot more land," he said, referring to a fax the township received from the county on Tuesday -- one week before the proposal is to be discussed by county commissioners. "Things are moving forward pretty quickly.

"Henderson wants to annex all the land south of the Henderson cutoff and east of Interstate 15."

Hiatt explained that Henderson officials want an exit off I-15 to provide an eastern gateway into the city.

"I'm assuming it would be the Sloan exit," he said.

Mayor Jim Gibson said in an interview with the Sun earlier this week the city -- which already has master plans for all of its open space -- needs to expand its borders in order to continue on its path to becoming the state's second largest city.

"We're very concerned about the city's capacity to expand southwest of (Del Webb's) Anthem," he said. "We've worked out a deal with the county."

The proposal would apply to 10 or 12 sections of county land, including sections 34 and 26, which lie to the northwest of the Henderson cutoff at Lake Mead Drive, Hiatt said.

City leaders also say the annexation is necessary to prevent conflicting land uses from developing along the city's edges.

"They (Henderson) have had discussions with the county about how they would work out issues like transportation and water," Hiatt said. "Henderson would pay the county (for existing improvements)."

City officials say they are concerned that the land, which borders the city to the northwest -- sections 34 and 26 -- could be developed in ways not compatible with the city's plans.

About 160 homes would be affected by the original annexation proposal.

One of those homeowners, Art Ritter, said he was concerned about being annexed into a city whose decision makers "are on the other side of the mountain."

"I urge the town board, in the strongest of terms, to let them know that we are opposed and that we insist on a vote of the landowners," he said.

Hiatt said the board would write a letter to the county and the city stating its opposition to the annexation. He also said property owners could write letters, but they had better do it quickly, especially in light of Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

A public hearing would be required before the land could be annexed into the city. The Henderson City Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution of intent to consider the annexation of approximately 1,380 acres on Tuesday, according to the agenda.

Hiatt said that while property owners within the area to be annexed would be notified and allowed to vote on whether they wanted to be part of the city, their voices may not matter because the Bureau of Land Management is the largest land owner within the 5,000 acres.

"The BLM owns a good share of the land and the BLM won't vote against the annexation," he said.

Clark County has devoted a great deal of time to planning for the eventual development of the Enterprise area, which is about 70 square miles and occupies the southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley. The area now has 13,000 residents, but is expected to grow to 300,000 over the next 25 years.

Taxes for residents will go up if they are annexed into the city, according to Vicki Taylor, spokeswoman for the city. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay an additional $100 a year, she said.

In return for the higher taxes, residents would receive closer police, fire and paramedic services, she said.