Subj: RE: FORCED ANNEXATION AND HB323 2/8/2005 6:53:05 AM CST
From: james.d.manuel@lmco.com To: kennethsumg-s2@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: FORCED ANNEXATION AND HB323
When you write Legislators or write to friends to help our letter writing campaign, more fax and snail mail gets read by Representatives than e-mail
Pass it on. Keep the letters rolling in. .
Thanks, Darlia Hobbs CAFA President
"Manuel, James D" wrote:
Please support HB 323 and put this bill on the floor for a vote. We need help in fighting forced annexation by money hungry cities. Texas law allows municipalities to annex new territory over the objections of the affected landowners and even of citizens within those cities. An amendment to state law can remedy this injustice by requiring two simultaneous (city funded) elections be held so that municipal annexations can happen only by a majority vote of the people being annexed and of the voters in the cities doing the annexation.

All we ask for is the right to vote on being forced into a city. We should have the right to vote on which city we would like to be become citizens in. My area borders another city which we would rather be members of if we have the choice. We need this choice, "The right to vote on Annexation". If we can help give the citizens of Iraq the right to vote, why can't we have the same right to vote on "Forced Annexation". For the past several weeks news stations and newspapers in North Texas (WFAA channel 8 and the Ft Worth Star-Telegram) have told stories of flooding problems, streets that are crumbling, streets that cannot handle the terrific and etc. Forced Annexation is not the answer for solving a cities problems, cities need smart growth policies.

Thank You, James D. Manuel, CAFA VP of Legislative Affairs
F/A-22 Raptor QA Analyst
Ft Worth, Texas 817-439-0780 Hm#

James,
Thanks for the info about forced annexation. Another organization that I support stated that Email was usually not read by Congress or their staffs. Email is easy to ignore. In the Texas state legislature, the majority of members may have their staff read and compile Email statements.

In addition to Email, we need to send regular mail to certain members of the state
legislature. It is more trouble for us, but legislators pay much more attention to
regular mail than Email. I think that our own state senator and representative should be contacted by regular mail.
Kenneth Sumerford

You are correct, I try to do both just in case. To all of our HOA and CAFA members try and do both if you can (E-mail and paper mail).
Thank You
James D. Manuel