Annexation
What Is Annexation?
Annexation is defined as the act of incorporating territory into an existing geo-political entity. Annexation is a way for cities to provide urbanizing areas with municipal services and to exercise regulatory authority necessary to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Residents and businesses outside a city's corporate limits benefit from access to the city's facilities and services and annexation allows them to share the tax burden associated with those facilities and services. Annexation is a growth management tool for cities and should be consistent with the policies and priorities identified in the city’s Comprehensive Plan.Under Chapter 43, Municipal Annexations, Subchapter B of the Local Government Code, a home-rule municipality may extend its boundaries according to the rules provided by the charter of the municipality. The City of Sugar Land, a home rule city, is authorized by the Sugar Land Charter (Sec. 1.03. General Powers) to annex an area for full or limited purposes.
Texas Senate Bill No. 89 was enacted in 1999, to update the procedures required to annex land under Chapter 43 of the Texas Local Government Code. In 1999, Sugar Land City Council approved Resolution 99-47, which adopts a general Annexation Plan. Sugar Land can annex land under the exemptions specified in Local Government Code Chapter 43, Subchapter C (h) and must follow the annexation procedures described in Subchapter C-1: Annexation Procedure for Areas Exempted from Municipal Annexation Plans.