SAN ANTONIO – Some people living along the I-10 West area, where the city is looking to annex, are concerned that they could see as much as a $2,000 tax increase if the city’s plans go through.
The city is scheduled to vote on the issue next week, and on Tuesday night, residents gathered at the Leon Springs Baptist Church to organize and fight the annexation.
"We are organizing and getting together to fight the annexation," said Glenda Haynes, a Village Green resident. "There is nobody who wants to be annexed."
They are forming the group, "Homeowners Against Annexation," and their biggest concern is that the city's plans went from partial annexation to annexing the entire area as a whole.
"Now it's been changed to a full annexation, and we read about it in the paper,” Haynes said.
Mike Stewart, who said he has a Boerne address, said the annexation would be a big blow to his family.
"You're talking about a 23 percent increase in property taxes," Stewart said. "That's a pretty big deal. To my family, it's close to $2,000 a year."
Stewart said his children do not go to San Antonio schools and he doesn't work in San Antonio, so getting city services will not help his family.
Many of his neighbors agree and voiced their concerns during Tuesday night's community meeting.
"We're just worried that they can't provide the services," Stewart said. "We hear people in San Antonio saying they got potholes that aren't filled. Let's take care of that part of the city before we go and reach out here."
For now, the City Council will vote on the issue on September 8. If it passes, the annexation process would take three years and could be complete by fall 2019.