With the passage of the 85th session’s Senate Bill 6 and the 86th session’s House Bill 347, state law now requires municipalities to secure voter approval before annexing property owners residing outside of a city’s corporate boundaries. This was a historic change deserving of high praise. It has fundamentally transformed city governance for the better.
However, eliminating the practice of involuntary annexation should be seen as a first step. Still more changes are needed to improve the system.