Annexation referendum falls short
Frederick News-Post
A petition to bring the City of Frederick annexations to a vote of the people failed to capture enough signatures required for a referendum, according to organizers.
The petition, organized by the nonprofit group Friends of Frederick County, was due Monday but fell short of the more than 7,200 signatures needed for a special election.
"Yet, sadly, this petition drive has been subverted by a host of factors, not the least of which is a near impossible time frame of 45 days," Janice Wiles, executive director of Friends of Frederick County, wrote in a letter to supporters.
"Given that nine out of 10 people signed the petition once they learned about the annexation, I have little doubt that additional time would have brought about the successful outcome of a referendum -- a simple vote," she wrote.
Wiles wrote that the group had nearly 100 volunteers canvassing for signatures in the weeks following the Board of Aldermen Sept. 3 vote to approve the annexations.
Frederick County Commissioner Kai Hagen, a supporter of the referendum effort, said volunteers obtained about half of the required signatures. An exact count is yet to be done.
Two annexations, the 151-acre Thatcher Farm and 285-acre Crumland Farm properties, drew the most fire from opponents. All five Frederick County commissioners opposed the two annexations along U.S. 15 on the city's north side.
Another annexation, the 100-acre Summers Farm at Butterfly Lane and Mount Philip Road, was also approved.
The two northern annexations, which have the potential for more than 2 million square feet of commercial space and hundreds of houses, have received the most criticism by commissioners who said agreements between the city and developers do not ensure funding for vital infrastructure improvements in the area -- most notably an interchange at Biggs Ford Road and U.S. 15.
Hagen agreed the biggest challenge was obtaining 20 percent of city voters' signatures in 45 days.
"Frankly, it was a huge mountain to climb from the beginning," he said.
"I think it might have been possible," he said. "We did, after all, gather thousands of signatures in a short amount of time."
The annexation debate grew more heated in the past month after the city officials accepted developer money to fund an official letter sent to all city voters.
The city's letter urged residents not to sign the petition.
Another developer-funded letter written by former mayors Jennifer Dougherty, Ron Young and Jim Grimes in support of the annexations was sent to every city resident last week.
Petition organizers, finding themselves with only days until the deadline, began offering volunteers $1 for each person who offered their signature.
Despite the petition failure, Mayor Jeff Holtzinger said the city still has a referendum to prepare for.
Last week, the county commissioners approved a special election for those who live on the annexed properties, which could be less than 20 people. The petition-driven referendum had the greatest chance of success, since those on the property are more likely to have a financial interest in the development.
He said it will be an unanticipated cost but not close to the estimated $100,000 the city would have had to pay for a petition-driven referendum for the entire city.
"What we gotta do is get back to working with the county," he said.
