Star-Tribune Editorial Board

Casper's City Council should proceed as quickly as possible to determine which of about 500 Natrona County properties are appropriate to annex into the city.

Annexation could be beneficial to city government for both planning and financial reasons. But it is also a lengthy process, and the city will need to explain to property owners how it would affect them.

The properties in question are all located near the city limits and use the city's water and/or sewer services. Many property owners prefer to live outside the city limits so they are not subject to the city's rules and regulations.

But digging wells is both an expensive and unpredictable proposition for residential owners. In these cases, in exchange for city water services, the owners signed contracts agreeing to become part of the city whenever the city council decided to annex the properties.

To consider about 500 properties for annexation is an ambitious undertaking. More than 15 years ago, the city tried to annex a small neighborhood. Even though the property owners had all signed contracts agreeing to the city's terms when they were provided city water, they banded together and successfully fought the annexation.

To combat such problems, the council several years ago decided that any new subdivisions contiguous to the city limits will become part of the city. These older agreements, however, are still in place. In addition to city water and sewer services, many also use city fire protection and sanitation services.

The city council members promoting annexation say it will enable the city to better plan its future development, including roads and streets.

But annexation would also have a financial impact for the city. Because revenue from mineral taxes is distributed based upon population, the city's share would increase. The city would also get more in sales tax revenues.

However, there would also be additional costs to provide other services to these new city residents, including police protection and snow removal.

For the individual property owners, it is difficult to say now whether they would pay more or less if the annexation takes place. City residents pay higher property taxes than property owners do in the county, but those outside the city limits who receive city water are now paying more for the service than they would as city residents. County residents must also pay for rural fire district services.

Some council members reportedly want to move slower on annexation than others. The proper rate of speed will likely become clearer after the city studies the 500 individual properties this winter to determine which make sense to annex.

Those properties that are contiguous to the city limits, including larger subdivisions, are the most likely candidates for annexation. Properties where the owners raise no objection to the annexation should also be high on the priority list.

But barring any unforeseen problems the study might find, there's no reason the city shouldn't aggressively pursue annexation for many of the 500 properties. The city is already providing water to all of them, it has contracts with the owners in hand allowing the annexation, and the move will benefit the city through better planning and higher revenues.