City Incorporation

[NorthCoast]

What are the arguments for and against the incorporating of an area into a town or city?

[Choirboy622]

It depends on what municipal powers are given to the townships from which the proposed city will be incorporated. In some states, townships have many of the home rule powers that cities have. In other states, the powers of townships are limited to what ever the legislature of the state votes to give them by law. In most states, if a city is incorporated, this land will be detatched from the adjacent township(s), which will mean that the township(s) will lose this area as taxable property. In states that do ot have townships, the same situation may or may not be true regarding the county that a proposed city is in.

[NorthCoast]

It depends on what municipal powers are given to the townships from which the proposed city will be incorporated. In some states, townships have many of the home rule powers that cities have. In other states, the powers of townships are limited to what ever the legislature of the state votes to give them by law. In most states, if a city is incorporated, this land will be detatched from the adjacent township(s), which will mean that the township(s) will lose this area as taxable property. In states that do ot have townships, the same situation may or may not be true regarding the county that a proposed city is in.

Good point...to make things clearer lets say its a charter township.

[Choirboy622]

Good point...to make things clearer lets say its a charter township.

Not all states have charter townships. Wisconsin has only one type of township, and they governed by town boards which are subject to the statutes of the state. There is significant leeway there in Wisconsin, but other states are different. Wisconsin's townships are not protected from annexation by cities or villages, although they frequently negotiate boundary agreements with them. These boundary agreements can remain in effect for however long the municipalities agree to them, sometimes as long as 30 years.

[NorthCoast]

Thats a fair analysis of the topic from the prospect of the township. I have been doing my research on the legal process and rights of such an act and am learning more about it. I guess what I'm really striving to understand is from the view of the citizens affected within the proposed incorporation what are the issues that must be considered...good and bad...before voting yes or no to the movement?