Council Moves Forward on Annexing County Land

Memphis, Tn - The Memphis City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday afternoon to annex the unincorporated area of Shelby County that's been the center of a heated debate. The Council still needs to vote on the measure three more times, as they do with all measures, before the area is officially annexed.

Passing the measure is an attempt to annex the land before two Nashville sponsored bills make their way through state government.

Those bills would give the land to the county plan and open it up to ownership by suburban municipalities. It's sponsored by state senator Mark Norris, and two suburban representatives, Curry Todd and Ron Loller.

"It was agreed to. I didn't say a word when Collierville annexed, when Bartlett annexed, because we had an agreement, it was none of my business. I wasn't seeking to change a legal agreement we entered in to," said Memphis Mayor A C Wharton.

Memphis staked claim to "unincorporated Fisherville" and surrounding areas in a 1998 agreement with county and suburban mayors.

Mayor Wharton says the city already invested in an $80-million city sewer system that is expected to be done this summer and the city bought land for a new fire department.

The City Council's measure came up after many local leaders grew irate that state lawmakers would get involved in a local issue.