A town divided: some Woodfin residents sign petition to leave town through de-annexation

WOODFIN - Chip Parton drove through Woodfin’s undulating roads on the western side of the French Broad River, distinguishing between the town’s borders and unincorporated Buncombe, which seemed to change at every turn. The 32-year-old pointed out the homes that did not comply with the town’s municipal code.

Among the violations were chickens running around yards during the daytime, nonoperational cars in yards and livestock roaming around limited acreage. Each were misdemeanors, according to Woodfin’s code of ordinances.

This area of Woodfin was not always part of the town. It was annexed in 2006 as part of Woodfin’s aggressive strategy to expand its footprint. The annexations were contentious at the time, according to previous Citizen Times reporting. Residents were concerned they would receive limited services while paying an added municipal tax rate.

Woodfin officials, including soon-to-retire Mayor Jerry VeHaun, defended the move then, saying that it would protect residents from Asheville’s reach. The Citizen Times reached out to VeHaun multiple times for this story.

To Parton and other Woodfin residents on the western side of the French Broad River, those concerns became harbingers of the future. Over the past three months, Parton has organized a grassroots effort to reverse the annexation. Their dissatisfaction with the services the town provides, restrictive zoning ordinances and municipal property dues led him and more than 225 other residents to sign a petition declaring that they want out.

“It was not just an increase in taxes, it was a fundamental change of life and what you can do with your property,” Parton said about the annex. “It’s a town in name only, but it follows the town’s rules.”

Since September, Parton, who owns a plumbing business and whose family has lived in Woodfin for close to half a century, has knocked on doors on the western side of the river, presenting the petition to his neighbors. He placed yellow signs with QR codes around streets linking to a Facebook page he created with information about the effort.

Triggered by orange water, stormwater fees

Parton began his campaign after the town imposed a stormwater utility fee on residents earlier this year. The state and federal government require Woodfin to provide a stormwater program. Parton and other residents say they do not benefit from the prevention program, citing few stormwater drains on the western side of the river. Town officials say the dues extend beyond the drains and contribute to road maintenance, flood mitigation and eventually river upkeep, public benefits that do not discriminate based on where residents live. Many of the roads on the west side are maintained by the state.

But for Parton and others, this was the last straw after years of frustration and distrust.

Lane Wyatt, 55, is a truck driver who lives on the eastern side of the river, but also owns property on the west side, in the annexed area. He told the Citizen Times he helps manage the three wells that provide water to his family’s property. This once meant changing the well pump, which is 400 feet below the surface, twice each year.

“It’s orange,” he said about the water, explaining that it’s filled with iron.

Soon after the 2006 annexation, Lane’s father, Danny Wyatt, tried to work with VeHaun and Woodfin’s manager at the time to bring water to his property, Lane said. The town’s officials were initially enthusiastic about project, but fervor dwindled. Danny, who died in 2021, continued to press, Lane said.

His family still uses well water. According to Parton and Mayor-elect Jim McAllister, who won his election in a landslide, many families on the west side of the river rely on well water.

More: Buncombe County election 2023: McAllister new Woodfin mayor in unofficial vote count

Woodfin itself does not offer water to any of its residents, but they can help extend utility infrastructure to residents by coordinating with providers. The direct impacts of government spending can be difficult for individual residents to see, but a sizeable portion of the town's roughly $7.7 million dollar budget for the 2024 fiscal year flows to maintaining roads and parks on the eastern side of the river, without similar investment on the west side. All of Woodfin's parks are on the east side. The state maintains many of the roads on the west side, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

To feel the benefits of that investment, residents on the west side of the French Broad need to drive on those roads, use those parks and feel like they are part of a Woodfin community. Many, like Lane, do not.

More: Buncombe commissioners approve Woodfin Greenway, park, Whitewater Wave funding

“The only thing that dad gained over there was trash pickup,” Lane said about the annexation into Woodfin. He and others said police presence is limited.

Paying the 33 cents per $100 municipal property tax that the town currently requires, Lane, Parton and others believe is not worth the services they receive.

Losing the land that Woodfin annexed in 2006 would harm the town’s coffers. According to town analysis provided by Town Manager Shannon Tuch, the total area of the annexation, which encompasses more than the petition signers, provides $254,984 in property tax revenue to Woodfin, 6.5% of its total tax revenue.

Legislation required

Town and state officials are still working with Parton to explore whether restoring their unincorporated Buncombe status is the right move.

State Sen. Julie Mayfield, who represents the area, told the Citizen Times that de-annexations are facilitated through local bills, meaning they need to pass both chambers of the General Assembly and do not require gubernatorial signature.

Mayfield said that for her to introduce a de-annexation bill, she needs to receive approval, or neutrality from the municipality. These bills are typically uncontroversial, she said.

“I am neutral. I am Switzerland,” she said. “The ideal is they can come to an agreement. If they agree that some pieces or parts can be annexed or de-annexed, I'm fine. I will introduce a bill. If it's a fight and the town doesn't want these areas to be de-annexed and there's a sound reason for that and the residents can't articulate a clear reason to be de-annexed, then I'd have to think twice about adopting it.”

In the beginning of 2024, Mayfield will join residents interested in the de-annexation effort and town leaders to discuss residents’ frustrations with the town and rationale for wanting to leave.

Parton has worked closely with McAllister and Tuch as he explored this effort. He has been complimentary of their willingness to work with him.

McAllister wants residents interested in the de-annexation effort to give the new regime, led by him and two newly elected Town Council members, an opportunity to serve them. They will assume office Dec. 19.

“Every contract in the world has a chance for remediation,” McAllister told the Citizen Times. “That’s all we’re asking these people. Give us a chance to learn the details. Give us a chance to come back to you with plans, and if we can’t we’ll admit it.”

He noted that some residents in the western area have reached out to him, conveying their reticence to leave. The Citizen Times submitted a public records request for those emails Dec. 8.

More: Ex-NC House member, a Democrat, runs again for new Asheville, Woodfin, Biltmore district

More: Woodfin asks for voluntary water conservation measures; WNC still in drought, has burn ban

McAllister said that he and Tuch are exploring options to bring water to the west side of the river, potentially giving Lane’s property a service it has not received in its 17 years in Woodfin.

But irrespective of how the upcoming Town Council presides over Woodfin, Parton notes there is no telling how future administrations may act.

“I’m not looking at it from a standpoint of self-preservation,” Parton said. “I look at it from the standpoint of what does it mean to be a town?”

Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and health care for the Citizen Times. Email him at mblack@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please help support local journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Woodfin residents sign petition declaring they want to leave, de-annex