Council Votes to Begin Hope Hill Annexation

The La Grange City Council voted 4-0 Monday evening to begin annexation proceedings for the Hope Hill subdivision on Horton Street. The vote was for a resolution directing City Manager Shawn Raborn to begin the annexation process. Raborn said a public hearing will be held on Aug. 6. He said the City will also send letters to residents of the neighborhood notifying them of the City’s intent to annex. After that, Raborn said the Council will consider a ordinance for formal annexation.

The City already supplies utilities to the neighborhood. Residents would see a reduction in utility rates if the neighborhood is annexed since the City charges higher fees for utilities in areas outside the city limits.

The Hope Hill neighborhood was started by the Fayette County Disaster Recovery Team in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in order to provide homes for local victims of the 2017 flood. The Christian non-profit Samaritan’s Purse completed the project earlier this year by building 20 new homes for flood victims.

The 23-acre neighborhood was initially platted for many more homes and a park. Samaritan’s Purse deeded the empty lots to the City of La Grange earlier this year. That makes the City the majority property owner in the neighborhood. Raborn said he will present a proposal to Council later this year to form a housing working group. He said that group will determine a way for the City to divest those properties. Half of the City Council was absent from the meeting on Monday. Only four council members along with Mayor Jan Dockery were present, which barely constituted a quorum. Raborn told the Record after the meeting that Council members Bonnie Busch and Chris Jernigan were absent due to longstanding vacation plans. He said councilman Dusty Littrell was absent due to a family obligation, and council member Kathy Weishuhn was ill that day.