Greensboro Editorial Board on Annexation: Taxation without representation?

...municipal annexation powers are worth fighting for.

State laws give cities the ability to grow,
even over the objections of outlying residents who don’t want to pay city taxes and fees.

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

...A key objective of the N.C. League of Municipalities is to preserve that power.

If the City of Greensboro uses taxpayer money
to fund N.C. League of Municipality lobbying for involuntary annexation
of some North Carolina real estate,
should the N.C. League of Municipalities be considered an enemy
of anyone opposing involuntary annexation?

...All council members ought to stand up for annexation authority without apology.

No person shall be ...deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law;
nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment V
Bill of Rights
United States Constitution

Cities need the ability to grow, or they can experience the urban decay often seen in states with weak annexation laws.

Why would the Editorial Board make a statement of fact
without providing any statistical evidence or examples of their premise?

...hemmed-in cities can’t extend services required by new businesses and industries.

People who live outside city boundaries take advantage of city employment opportunities and amenities.

True, unless not.

They just don’t pay for the infrastructure that supports them.

True, unless they don't use the "amenities".

...Cities generate jobs.

Don't growing small businesses, low taxes, low debt structures
and competitive costs create jobs?

...Cities also create an environment that favors such assets as
...the coliseum and Greensboro’s downtown scene.

Why would any Guilford County resident want to pay increased taxes
to pay for subsidies to private for profit businesses downtown
a money pit of a new swimming pool,
and what appears to be a mismanaged coliseum complex
around a portion of town the "city" may want to increase taxes even more
to make look nicer to benefit a select few "city" insiders
who may profit from the transfer of public funds into their pockets?

Reviewing annexation laws for possible adjustments may be appropriate,
but a moratorium is an abrupt action that will halt growth in the short term
and create uncertainty
about the future health of a critical North Carolina asset — its cities.

Should a "critical North Carolina asset" be low taxes and debt,
and an ethical playing field for businesses looking to expand or relocate here
instead of unethical, involuntary tax base land grabs?

Greensboro should fight for that.

Greensboro News and Record Editorial Board