The official results of Bloomington’s remonstrance period are in and five of the seven areas have successfully voided the city’s annexation.
Monroe County Auditor Catherine Smith released the certified results Wednesday after a three-month remonstrance period ended January 6.
State law says 65 percent of residents in an area need to file valid petition signatures to void annexation in that area.
Areas 1A and 1B did not meet that criteria, but they did reach the 51+ percent threshold to appeal annexation in court.
Here are the certified annexation remonstrance results and petition rate:
Area 1A 61% Annexed, unless appealed in court by residents
Area 1B 58% Annexed, unless appealed in court by residents
Area 1C 71% Annexation Voided
Area 2 72% Annexation Voided
Area 3 67% Annexation Voided
Area 4 71% Annexation Voided
Area 5 67% Annexation Voided
READ MORE: Pushing City Limits: Bloomington Annexation Coverage
But the process is far from over.
Many of the petition signatures could be invalid due to remonstrance waivers. Waivers are agreements property owners signed that prohibit them from challenging annexation in exchange for city services, such as water and sewer.
The city says all waivers should count despite a 2019 state law that invalidates waivers more than 15-years old. Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton says the law is unconstitutional because it retroactively voids a legal contract.
“If they are recognized, which we believe they should be, the vast majority of this annexation goes through automatically, because most of the parcels in these areas agreed to be part of the city in the past years,” Hamilton said.
READ MORE: Petitioners say they can block annexation, but will it hold up in court?
Counting all of the waivers makes a huge difference. If the city takes the Indiana legislature to court and wins, all but two areas would be automatically annexed. Areas 4 and 5 are still above the 51 percent threshold and would be able to appeal the annexation in court.
Annexation remonstrance results and petition rate with all waivers:
Area 1A 38% Annexed
Area 1B 31% Annexed
Area 1C 4% Annexed
Area 2 35% Annexed
Area 3 50% Annexed
Area 4 60% Annexed, unless challenged in court by residents
Area 5 52% Annexed, unless challenged in court by residents
But a court appeal doesn’t guarantee a judge will side with residents opposing annexation. There are legal costs and residents would have to prove to a judge city services provided don’t warrant annexation.
State law does require the city to reimburse $37,500 in reasonable litigation fees if remonstrators are successful in court.
City council members adopted the seven areas last September to be annexed into the city.
The seven fringe areas include more than 8,300 acres and 14,000 people. Any adopted annexation would take effect in January of 2024.
Certified Results (All) by Indiana Public Media News on Scribd
This story will be updated.
