City Council puts a hold on annexation of 440 acres
San Antonio delayed a move to annex about 440 acres of land on the South and East sides while officials work with two brothers who don’t want their farmland within city limits.
The City Council will consider the proposed additions again at its Dec. 16 meeting.
Among the delayed annexations are 230 acres for a future subdivision at 12591 Texas 16 on the South Side. The city plans to offer services such as police, fire, trash and recycling to all the annexed properties.
The delay, which council members did not discuss publicly at the Thursday meeting, comes after two brothers, Russel and Randall Boldt, said they didn’t want their family farmland in unincorporated Bexar County to join the city.
The family did not show up to speak to the council Thursday but previously asked San Antonio’s planning commission what it would take to avoid annexation.
District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia, who would represent the property if annexed, has been working with the family and the city attorney’s office to find at least a temporary solution. The city may be able to delay annexing the Boldts for two years.
The potential two-year delay stems from the fact that the Boldts own adjoining property with development agreements extending until then, Rocha Garcia said. Putting the properties on the same timeline is one avenue they were looking at offering.
She said Thursday that she wanted to push back all the proposed annexations to explore options with the various landowners affected, not just those around her own district.
“This gives us time to connect with everyone,” Rocha Garcia said.
A couple of small parcels are also up for annexation near District 2 on the East Side, represented by Councilman Jalen Mckee-rodriguez.
Mckee-rodriguez has been in touch with the landowners near the city’s East Side, said Imgard Rop, his director of public rela
tions. The councilman is focused on next steps and working with any involved property owners, Rop said.
At the heart of the issue are questions about the city’s plans for growth and to what extent officials need approval from those affected.
Before 2017, if a city wanted to annex an agricultural property, it was required to offer the landowner a development agreement as an alternative. Those agreements stated that if the owners violated their terms, the city could annex their land.
The listed violations on the proposed annexed properties range from no longer having an agricultural appraisal for tax purposes to selling portions of the property or preparing it for a new subdivision.
In the Boldts’ case, the land was subdivided. Their mother, who previously owned the land and made the agreement with the city, died a few years ago. The farmland was then divided among siblings, including Russel and Randall Boldt.
In 2017, a new state law took aim at annexation reform and included a measure to prevent cities from annexing property over the objection of those affected. It requires certain cities to get landowner or voter approval. That could require an election or a petition.
Despite the Boldts’ objections, the city considers the annexation voluntary because the family violated a development agreement with San Antonio, which means the city doesn’t need landowner or voter approval.
San Antonio argues it has a responsibility to honor the original development agreements, despite the change in annexation law.