By Bill Short
The Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen has unanimously passed an ordinance on final reading that is designed to “contract” a small area from the city limits. Board members took the action during their Dec. 10 regular monthly meeting on a motion offered by Alderman Don Lowry and seconded by Alderman Bethany Huffman. The ordinance was unanimously passed on first reading at the board’s Nov. 13 meeting. In accordance with Tennessee Code Annotated Section 6-51-201, the board desires to contract the city limits and redefine the boundary lines to exclude certain real property. The area in the northeast corner of the intersection of Navy and Bethuel roads is legally described by metes and bounds and depicted on a map attached to the ordinance. In accordance with T.C.A. Section 6-51-201(b)(3), residents of the affected area will have 75 days to object to the contraction by producing a petition signed by 10 percent of the registered voters living there. If the petition is presented, a referendum will be conducted at the next general election to ascertain the will of the voters living in the area proposed for contraction. The ordinance states that Millington may continue to levy and collect taxes in the excluded territory to pay the latter’s proportion of any debt contracted prior to the exclusion. During discussion at the Nov. 13 meeting, City Finance Director John Trusty noted that the land has “historically” been owned by the U.S. Navy, which is selling three houses in that area as one parcel. Because Millington has no water or sewer service in that area, Trusty said the purchaser has requested that the board contract the city limits and not include that.
“We would be driving a long way to provide sanitation services,” he acknowledged. “So, it’s actually to the benefit of the future property owner, as well as ourselves, not to include that area in the city limits.”
