A 10-day trial has been set in Forrest County Chancery Court regarding the matter of Hattiesburg’s proposed annexation into three areas in Forrest and Lamar counties.
The first week of the trial will take place from October 31 to November 4, while the second week is scheduled from November 28 to December 2. If successful, annexation – which was originally proposed during an April 2016 meeting of Hattiesburg City Council – would see Hattiesburg expand its borders much of the commercial corridor on U.S. 98, the Windlass Drive area and a portion of U.S. 49 north of the current city limits.
That same month, Hattiesburg’s annexation was opposed by the Lamar County Board of Supervisors, whose attorneys filed a notice of appeal in Lamar County Circuit Court. Ridgeland attorney John Scanlon, who is representing Hattiesburg in that matter, then filed a motion to dismiss the appeal in that court.
Robin Roberts, an attorney in Hattiesburg, then filed a motion against the move in both counties.
In addition, a group representing the Bellevue community also opposed Hattiesburg by filing a legal response to annexation. If successful, expansion would interfere with Bellevue officials' plans to incorporate that community, because annexation would include many properties that would be in the proposed city of Bellevue, including Corner Market, Hattiesburg Clinic – Bellevue and Mack's West.
In May 2016, Lamar County officials said Hattiesburg’s attempted entrance into Lamar County might be stifled by Senate Bill 2198, which as of July 1 of that year required cities to include at least 50 percent of a census block's residents in any annexation efforts. If that number isn't reached, city officials would be made to cede control over zoning and subdivision regulations to the board of supervisors of the county in which the territory to be annexed is located.
Lamar County contended that Hattiesburg City Council had not included the required 50 percent of the population in its annexation request, as the city was leaving out areas such as Woodstone, north and south Lake Serene, Canebrake and Bridgefield.
However, Scanlong said Hattiesburg would indeed hit that 50 percent mark, as the annexation ordinance was drafted to do so.
In September 2016, retired chancellor Robert L. Lancaster of Columbus consolidated the cases in both counties and allowed 120 days for discovery for both sides, with pre-trial motions to be filed by the 100th day of discovery. The judge then set a hearing for January 27, 2017, at which point the trial dates were set.
