My neighbour will not give, should I take

Interesting article in today's Nanton News regarding the attempted annexation of Ranchlands by the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass by Sheena Read

Couple of quotes

"Imagine having something, and your neighbour decides he wants it, and sets a plan in motion to ensure he takes it from you."

"Now imagine finding out that there’s not one, but two industries wanting to develop right in those areas that the neighbouring municipality wants, and that’s what the neighbour is wanting. There will be development, and that means taxes.
Imagine not telling your neighbour that such developments were going to happen on his land."

Rest of the article available at:

http://www.nantonnews.com/2013/06/19/on-the-neighbours-side-of-the-fence


Note: Keep in mind one very important number $4325

Update: Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Initiative to gobble up MD of Ranchlands

Good follow up for my previous post: 

http://crowsnestpasshome.blogspot.ca/2012/11/linear-taxation-in-equalities-between.html

At the council meeting of last week the Mayor spoke about this very issue and the process that the Municipality would have to go through to achieve the goal of getting it’s hands on the MD of Ranchlands very lucrative Linear Tax base.

Two ways it can be achieved either by Amalgamation or Annexation, the first is more of a co-operative approach where the Crowsnest Pass requests Ranchlands to share its wealth with us and we state all the good reasons why they should do that and all the benefits we could provide for them. The Mayor stated that process has been gone through already and just as they did with previous councils they respectfully declined the offer.

So that leaves Annexation a process where one municipality takes another over or portion of. Much more of a confrontational and timely process, by the Mayor’s own admission at minimum a eighteen month process. That’s not to say that it can’t happen but the argument usually put forth by Municipalities to grab part of their neighbours is that they have gone through tremendous growth and need the land.