Gretna Annexation

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:30 am

Gretna is looking into a massive annexation plan that will more than double their land area and add around 2,000 people to the city limits. The eastern most boundaries of the city would be at 144th, skimming around Wehrspann Lake right up to Giles Road. It looks almost comical. Papillion is already potentially gearing up to fight it. It'll be interesting in the coming years watching all of the Sarpy County cities get into annexation wars.

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/papilli ... 01fa6.html

Full Proposal:

http://www.gretnane.org/DocumentCenter/View/841

Post by **nebugeater** » Tue Oct 03, 2017 10:45 am

If you read the complete report one thing I found interesting is that the population numbers are based on old official census numbers. The actual population is probably closer to double that number. The report even stats something to the effect that a sizable number of new homes are in the areas since the census numbers that are used.

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Tue Oct 03, 2017 1:47 pm

nebugeater wrote:If you read the complete report one thing I found interesting is that the population numbers are based on old official census numbers. The actual population is probably closer to double that number. The report even stats something to the effect that a sizable number of new homes are in the areas since the census numbers that are used.

Based on a little number work, I would estimate that it would add about 3,500 or so resident to the city.

Post by **nebugeater** » Tue Oct 03, 2017 3:14 pm

Garrett wrote:
nebugeater wrote:If you read the complete report one thing I found interesting is that the population numbers are based on old official census numbers. The actual population is probably closer to double that number. The report even stats something to the effect that a sizable number of new homes are in the areas since the census numbers that are used.
Based on a little number work, I would estimate that it would add about 3,500 or so resident to the city.

We are in the same ballpark. Based on a little sleuthing I was doing earlier this week with some school info and others I was guessing it may be 4K

Silverspoon · Post by **Silverspoon** » Tue Oct 03, 2017 4:53 pm

Not that Im a fan of Gretna, Im a huge fan of making our city as large as possible. Why doesnt Omaha try and annex Gretna? I believe we share a border on the north side of Gretna.

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Tue Oct 03, 2017 7:59 pm

Silverspoon wrote:Not that Im a fan of Gretna, Im a huge fan of making our city as large as possible. Why doesnt Omaha try and annex Gretna? I believe we share a border on the north side of Gretna.

State law currently prevents annexation across county borders.

Omababe · Post by **Omababe** » Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:59 am

Hmmmm ... Looking at that map, they seem to be excluding some closer-in higher-end housing along 370, plus a couple enclaves of uber-upscale housing along 168th. I would think they would want to snag those areas. It looks like one pocket of higher-end residential just east of 168 is covered, however.

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Wed Oct 04, 2017 6:23 am

Omababe wrote:Hmmmm ... Looking at that map, they seem to be excluding some closer-in higher-end housing along 370, plus a couple enclaves of uber-upscale housing along 168th. I would think they would want to snag those areas. It looks like one pocket of higher-end residential just east of 168 is covered, however.

Higher end homes with SID debt and septic systems maybe?

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:49 am

Is the city 'required' to provide sewage systems for SIDs full of septics?

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Wed Oct 04, 2017 12:06 pm

Coyote wrote:Is the city 'required' to provide sewage systems for SIDs full of septics?

I don't think so, but you are buying their debt as initial cost of annexation and as Omaha has shown with the substandard roads in SIDs, Gretna will eventually have to deal with the septic systems of the "acreages". That may affect the long term attractiveness of the areas.

Trips · Post by **Trips** » Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:34 pm

I think the east side was to block Papillion from getting to close and get the I-80 commercial. The acreages (Lake Ridge Estates) on 168th have the asphalt roads with no gutters, curbs or sewer. Those homes are all in the $500k to $2mm range with 1.5 acre lots. I'm surprised they did not annex the older neighborhoods along Harrison from 144th to 156th to hit the 10,000 resident mark.

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:02 pm

If Gretna tried to snap up property along Harrison South to Giles around the Chalco area, LaVista might get mad and start an annexing fight.

Trips · Post by **Trips** » Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:04 am

I always thought that 144th was the line for La Vista and Gretna. I searched for an agreement but could not find anything. Would the Woodhouse dealership provide much tax revenue since you pay based on where you register a vehicle?

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:48 am

Trips wrote:I always thought that 144th was the line for La Vista and Gretna. I searched for an agreement but could not find anything. Would the Woodhouse dealership provide much tax revenue since you pay based on where you register a vehicle?

Property tax on the dealership property. Sales tax if Gretna passed one. Keeping Lavista from getting it. Keeping Chalco from getting it. Keeping Springfield from getting it. All are reasons to annex it.

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:38 pm

bigredmed1 wrote:
Trips wrote:I always thought that 144th was the line for La Vista and Gretna. I searched for an agreement but could not find anything. Would the Woodhouse dealership provide much tax revenue since you pay based on where you register a vehicle?
Property tax on the dealership property. Sales tax if Gretna passed one. Keeping Lavista from getting it. Keeping Chalco from getting it. Keeping Springfield from getting it. All are reasons to annex it.

Well, Chalco doesn't actually exist. It's just a CDP.

But as i said before, I'd expect more aggressive annexations in the next decade as the Sarpy cities try to stake out claims for their futures. This one and Papillion's are just the start of a trend.

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Thu Oct 05, 2017 1:51 pm

Trips wrote:I always thought that 144th was the line for La Vista and Gretna. I searched for an agreement but could not find anything. Would the Woodhouse dealership provide much tax revenue since you pay based on where you register a vehicle?

I can't pull the link from my phone's download history, but LaVista's 15 year annexation plan circa 2013 has the Harrison to Giles corridor West to 168th.

You can Google "lavista annexation plan" to find the PDF in the meantime until I can get to a desktop.

Trips · Post by **Trips** » Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:34 pm

You are correct. In 2013 they had the Woodhouse land and neighborhood to the East in their 10-15 year plan. In the 15+ year plan they also went from 144th to 168th from Harrison to Giles and the Hearthstone neighborhood to the SE of 168th and Giles.

It looks like Gretna is trying to take the Woodhouse land but not any additional in the LaVista area.

http://www.cityoflavista.org/index.aspx?nid=1270

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Thu Oct 05, 2017 4:38 pm

Garrett wrote:
bigredmed1 wrote:
Trips wrote:I always thought that 144th was the line for La Vista and Gretna. I searched for an agreement but could not find anything. Would the Woodhouse dealership provide much tax revenue since you pay based on where you register a vehicle?
Property tax on the dealership property. Sales tax if Gretna passed one. Keeping Lavista from getting it. Keeping Chalco from getting it. Keeping Springfield from getting it. All are reasons to annex it.
Well, Chalco doesn't actually exist. It's just a CDP.

But as i said before, I'd expect more aggressive annexations in the next decade as the Sarpy cities try to stake out claims for their futures. This one and Papillion's are just the start of a trend.

Chalco never converted to a town? TILS.

Definitely going to be seeing the fisticuffs over dividing Sarpy Co. Will any of these towns get big enough to be able to force smaller towns to be annexed? Will mega Papillion be able to annex LaVista? Will Bellevue be able to annex all points south to the Platte? Popcorn time?

Post by **nebugeater** » Thu Oct 05, 2017 4:49 pm

bigredmed1 wrote:
Trips wrote:I always thought that 144th was the line for La Vista and Gretna. I searched for an agreement but could not find anything. Would the Woodhouse dealership provide much tax revenue since you pay based on where you register a vehicle?
Property tax on the dealership property. Sales tax if Gretna passed one. Keeping Lavista from getting it. Keeping Chalco from getting it. Keeping Springfield from getting it. All are reasons to annex it.

Gretna already has a 1.5% local tax. Was passed not long after the outlet mall redevelopment

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Thu Oct 05, 2017 7:11 pm

Papillion and LaVista have a boundary agreement.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat Oct 07, 2017 1:42 pm

jessep28 wrote:Papillion and LaVista have a boundary agreement.

About 10 years ago La Vista and Gretna drew their line at 168th Street.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sat Oct 07, 2017 1:54 pm

image.jpeg

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:12 pm

bigredmed1 wrote:
Chalco never converted to a town? TILS.

About 20 years ago, there was some discussion about Chalco incorporating but nothing came of it. (My parents bought a house in Echo Hills in 1976 and they've always had an Omaha address, lol.)

I think the Chalco powers-that-be saw the writing on the wall--there was no way they could get to 10k population that would make them annex-proof. Funny that no one has wanted to annex them, after all! I wonder why that is, to be honest. 40+ y/o houses, can't be a lot of debt after all these years.

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Tue Oct 10, 2017 2:08 pm

damonhynes wrote:
bigredmed1 wrote:
Chalco never converted to a town? TILS.

About 20 years ago, there was some discussion about Chalco incorporating but nothing came of it. (My parents bought a house in Echo Hills in 1976 and they've always had an Omaha address, lol.)

I think the Chalco powers-that-be saw the writing on the wall--there was no way they could get to 10k population that would make them annex-proof. Funny that no one has wanted to annex them, after all! I wonder why that is, to be honest. 40+ y/o houses, can't be a lot of debt after all these years.

That grain mill was a lot of things back in the day. I would sure want ground water testing before getting saddled with that as a city.

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Tue Oct 10, 2017 5:34 pm

damonhynes wrote:I think the Chalco powers-that-be saw the writing on the wall--there was no way they could get to 10k population that would make them annex-proof. Funny that no one has wanted to annex them, after all! I wonder why that is, to be honest. 40+ y/o houses, can't be a lot of debt after all these years.

Only Omaha has to abide by the 10k population rule and they can't annex into Sarpy anyway. Maybe there was pressure from Papillion and/or La Vista?

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:43 pm

As a CDP Chalco had a population of 10,994 in the 2010 census.

damonhynes · Post by **damonhynes** » Tue Oct 10, 2017 9:53 pm

Coyote wrote:As a CDP Chalco had a population of 10,994 in the 2010 census.

I did not know that, but anyhows I seem to remember the initiative / watercooler talk was circa 1990-95 or so.

Post by **BRoss** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 6:11 pm

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:Only Omaha has to abide by the 10k population rule and they can't annex into Sarpy anyway. Maybe there was pressure from Papillion and/or La Vista?

So other cities can take ones that are larger than 10k? Is there a limit?

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 6:47 pm

HR Paperstacks wrote:
TitosBuritoBarn wrote:Only Omaha has to abide by the 10k population rule and they can't annex into Sarpy anyway. Maybe there was pressure from Papillion and/or La Vista?
So other cities can take ones that are larger than 10k? Is there a limit?

Isn't it a law affecting class 1 cities in Nebraska? Of which Omaha is the only one.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 7:16 pm

Nebraska Revised Statute 14-117

Corporate limits; how fixed; annexation of cities or villages; limitation; powers and duties of city council.

The corporate limits of any city of the metropolitan class shall be fixed and determined by ordinance by the city council. The city council of any city of the metropolitan class may at any time extend the corporate limits of such city over any contiguous or adjacent lands, lots, tracts, streets, or highways, such distance as may be deemed proper in any direction, and may include, annex, merge, or consolidate with such city of the metropolitan class, by such extension of its limits, any adjoining city of the first class having a population of less than ten thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by the United States Bureau of the Census or any adjoining city of the second class or village. Any other laws and limitations defining the boundaries of cities or villages or the increase of area or extension of limits thereof shall not apply to lots, lands, cities, or villages annexed, consolidated, or merged under this section.

Source

Laws 1921, c. 116, art. I, § 16, p. 412;
C.S.1922, § 3504;
C.S.1929, § 14-117;
R.S.1943, § 14-117;
Laws 1998, LB 611, § 1;
Laws 2017, LB113, § 6.
Effective Date: August 24, 2017

Nebraska Revised Statute 14-101

Cities of the metropolitan class, defined; population required; general powers.

All cities in this state which have attained a population of three hundred thousand inhabitants or more as determined by the most recent federal decennial census or the most recent census or the most recent revised certified count by the United States Bureau of the Census shall be cities of the metropolitan class and governed by this act.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 7:38 pm

This law of course applies to involuntary annexations. A second class city can vote for a voluntary annexation.

Post by **BRoss** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 7:52 pm

So is there any law regarding non "metropolitan class" cities? I did a quick Google search but all I came up with is what Coyote did. If not, what is stopping Bellevue from taking Papillion? Or even Papillion from taking Bellevue?

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 8:06 pm

Just to extend Nebraska's annexation laws to Lincoln (Primary Class City) and Papillion and Bellevue (First Class cities):

Nebraska Revised Statute 15-101

Cities of the primary class, defined; population required.

All cities having more than one hundred thousand and less than three hundred thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by the United States Bureau of the Census shall be known as cities of the primary class.

Nebraska Revised Statute 15-104

Corporate limits; extension; annexation of villages; powers of city council.

The corporate limits of such city shall remain as before and the city council may by ordinance at any time include within the corporate limits of such city any contiguous or adjacent lands, lots, tracts, streets, or highways such distance and in such direction as may be deemed proper, and may include, annex, merge or consolidate with such city by such extension of its corporate limits, any village which is within the limits of such city, and which it serves with water service or supply or with a sanitary sewerage system and service, or both such water and sanitary sewerage service.

Nebraska Revised Statute 16-101

Cities of the first class, defined; population required.

All cities having more than five thousand and not more than one hundred thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by the United States Bureau of the Census shall be known as cities of the first class.

Nebraska Revised Statute 17-101

City of the second class, defined; population; exception.

Each municipality containing more than eight hundred and not more than five thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by the United States Bureau of the Census shall be a city of the second class and be governed by sections 17-101 to 17-153 unless it adopts or retains a village form of government as provided in sections 17-306 to 17-312.

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:10 pm

Sorry. I reread my statement and its clearly a little confusing. I only meant that the 10K rule isn't a factor here because Omaha isn't eligible to annex Chalco.

Garrett · Post by **Garrett** » Mon Oct 16, 2017 11:36 am

TitosBuritoBarn wrote:Sorry. I reread my statement and its clearly a little confusing. I only meant that the 10K rule isn't a factor here because Omaha isn't eligible to annex Chalco.

It's even less of a factor because Chalco isn't incorporated. I believe La Vista's annexation goals involve annexing Chalco.

Post by **nebugeater** » Tue Oct 17, 2017 8:20 am

Gretna Planning Commission has there meeting Monday night and backs the plan. Tue night there is a Gretna City Council meeting on the annexation at the middle school.

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/despite ... b73f3.html

Monday’s three-hour meeting drew a crowd of more than 100 to Gretna Middle School. About 35 property owners, a couple in tears and many with raised voices, listed off concerns they had with the plan. Only a few spoke in support of it.

“This community has been working toward this annexation and this growth area all along for the last eight years,” said Keith Marvin, the city’s planning consultant. “It’s something that’s been on the radar for a long time.”

OmahaFan · Post by **OmahaFan** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 12:42 pm

Omaha can’t annex sadly across county lines like the others have said but if Gretna really wanted to stick it to Papillion and Sarpy county they should start something in the legislature or make a ballot issue to be Annexed into the city of Omaha. That would surely freak out Papillion I’d think. Just thinking out loud.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:24 pm

OmahaFan wrote:Omaha can’t annex sadly across county lines like the others have said but if Gretna really wanted to stick it to Papillion and Sarpy county they should start something in the legislature or make a ballot issue to be Annexed into the city of Omaha. That would surely freak out Papillion I’d think. Just thinking out loud.

IIRC, there was a bill before the State Legislature a few years back about annexing across county lines, and failed, I can't remember how bad it failed or if it even came up for a vote.

bigredmed1 · Post by **bigredmed1** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:03 pm

Coyote wrote:
OmahaFan wrote:Omaha can’t annex sadly across county lines like the others have said but if Gretna really wanted to stick it to Papillion and Sarpy county they should start something in the legislature or make a ballot issue to be Annexed into the city of Omaha. That would surely freak out Papillion I’d think. Just thinking out loud.
IIRC, there was a bill before the State Legislature a few years back about annexing across county lines, and failed, I can't remember how bad it failed or if it even came up for a vote.

Once Omaha got that, it would just scrape across Sarpy north of the midline and then make a mad rush west before Lincoln could grab anything.

OmahaFan · Post by **OmahaFan** » Tue Oct 24, 2017 11:23 pm

Your answer is faulty any town or city with a population of 10,000 or more would need to vote on annexation by the city of Omaha. It wouldn’t simply just annex it. Secondly Gretna would be a great addition to Omaha and would give it access to the vital I-80 corridor. Thirdly this is premature and all hypothetical here but it would be nice if Omaha was given the power to Annex across county lines. It would benefit Omaha and the State. By allowing Omaha to grow it would provide more tax dollars for inner city services while also cutting taxes for everyone.

Gretna though is up to you! Do you want to be Papillion or do you want to be part of Omaha? There’s 3 big cities in Sarpy one has got to go.