Courts declare Knoxville annexation ordinances “invalid and void as a matter of law.”
Citizens for Home Rule, Inc. (CHR) is ecstatic to announce that all 182 annexation lawsuits filed on behalf of its members against the City of Knoxville have been resolved in favor of the property owners. “It is a great day for private property owners’ rights and a great day for liberty in Tennessee,” said John Avery Emison, president of the group. “We’ve worked against Forced Annexation for many years and winning all 182 cases in one fell swoop says a lot about the value of persistence.” The Courts have ruled that all those ordinances are “invalid and void as a matter of law.” (See court order in the test case attached.)
Emison said the court Orders were signed over a period of a month or more by the three Knox County Chancellors because all three had a large number of Forced Annexation cases on the docket including Chancellor John F. Weaver, Chancellor Mike Moyers, Chancellor Clarence E. Pridemore, Jr. Some of the cases are 15 years old, according to Emison. “Most go back to the abusive annexation policies of Mayor Victor Ashe.” A few of the cases originated during Mayor Bill Haslam’s term of office. “It feels really great for the courts to agree that we were right all along and mayors Ashe and Haslam were wrong all along,” Emison said. The City has agreed to pay the court costs and CHR will get all its filing fees back.
CHR expects to make other announcements in coming weeks about annexation litigation with other cities.
CHR’s next battle will be in support of Rep. Mike Carter’s “De-Annexation” bill before the Tennessee General Assembly in January. Emison said he hopes de-annexation will be enacted and it could potentially roll back some of the most abusive and irrational annexations of the past.
We owe a lot to some very good people in the Legislature, Emison said. “Without the likes of Rep. Mike Carter and Rep. Andy Holt in the state House, and without Sen. Bo Watson and Sen. Frank Niceley in the state Senate, the law ending Forced Annexation would have never passed.”
Without the annexation monies look for a big tax increase in the city to pay for the Regal debacle. Wonder if Rogero will try the rain tax now? Worst time ever to be on City Council. This is a big deal.