Chancellor gives OK to Guntown annexation
Jun. 19—TUPELO — By the end of July, the city of Guntown will officially be one-third larger.
Lee County Chancery Court Judge Steven Bailey ruled late last week that the city of about 2,000 people in north Lee County could annex 1.6 square miles — just more than 1,000 acres — including an undeveloped subdivision. The move will increase the town's size 34% to 6.3 square miles.
"If you don't grow, you die out," said Guntown Mayor Brent Lindsey. "I'm glad (the trial) is over with. Now we have a lot of homework to do."
The city will have to offer city services — including water, sewer and both police and fire protection — to the new areas within a reasonable time, usually five years.
The effort to increase the boundaries of Guntown began in earnest more than four years ago. In early 2021, alderman approved an annexation plan that would have brought in 3.1 square miles. The bulk of that addition was undeveloped land on the west side of the city.
City attorney Drew Stuart said Guntown filed that petition in chancery court in the spring of 2021 but later voluntarily dismissed the petition.
"There were a lot of homes out west included in that parcel and we got a lot of (negative) feedback," said Lindsey, who served two terms as alderman before being elected mayor in the summer of 2021. "We all sat down as a board and took a hard look at things. We cut out a good bit but were able to square up the city limits."
The only anomaly in the new map is the annexation of a road to reach a future subdivision on the west side of town. The current residents along the road did not want to be annexed.
"We are a roof top community. There are no houses there at this point, but the infrastructure is already in place," Lindsey said. "We took in the road, but not the 13-14 houses along the road getting there."
The map approved by chancery court has four areas of annexation.
Area 1 on the west is the largest addition and is mostly open farmland and easy to develop. It also includes the prime commercial property along both sides of the Highway 45 corridor south to near Pull Tight Road.
Area 2 is a small parcel between Guntown and Baldwyn where there is currently no police coverage. If there is a wreck on the highway, people have to wait for a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper to show up.
Area 3 is located to the northeast, behind the former Norbord plant and between Ford Avenue (County Road 941) and the railroad tracks.
"The city owns a sewer lift station out there," Lindsey said. "Years ago, the homeowner let us put it there. This is just to bring it in to the city to avoid any situations down the road.
Area 4 on the south end, cleans up the city limits by adding the section between the railroad tracks and Highway 145.
The last annexation was about 17 years ago when the city took in Guntown Hills and Woodland Hills subdivisions on the northwest end of town.
