County Judge: Hiwasse Annexation Can Move Forward
By: Kyle Leyenberger
Updated: February 28, 2012
Dozens of Hiwasse property owners applauded the approval of a petition asking to be voluntarily annexed into Gravette.
County Judge Bob Clinard ruled in favor of the petition after hearing from Hiwasse property owners, as well as a representative from the city of Bella Vista.
After Bella Vista expressed interest in the small farming community, the property owners of Hiwasse banded together, and filed a petition asking to be annexed by Gravette instead.
Doug Bertschy bought forty acres of brush in the Hiwasse area more than forty years ago, and turned it into a successful farming operation.
"My wife and I started this farm in 1964," Bertschy says. "We would like to see our grandkids be able to continue to carry on and keep it as a farm."
But eventually, the Bella Vista bypass will run right through Bertschy's property, and the city of Bella Vista wants to annex the area.
"To me it's just a land grab for our neighbors to the north, and I'm not much for it," he says. "I'm concerned with them trying to tell me how to run my farm."
The farming community is worried Bella Vista's city ordinances will make it difficult to continue operations there.
The petition was signed by 221 property owners, who own about 70 percent of the land up for annexation. At the meeting the speakers were fired up, and many of the comments were directed more toward Bella Vista.
"I'm curious as to when the will of the government came to override the will of the people," says Larry Kelly, addressing the judge. "It's well within the law but extremely unbalanced and unfair when you're going to annex an area of folks that say we don't want to."
"You're destroying our way of life, and the dreams that we have had for our children," Peggy Bertschy says.
Steven Moore says, "For a court or for a city to come over and say that we have to go to them, when we want to go to somebody else... that's not America."
Judge Clinard asked the speakers to limit their comments to the Gravette annexation.
Bryan Vernetti came to the hearing to represent Bella Vista. Vernetti says the petition may be invalid.
"Their arguments had very little to do with why they wanted to go to Gravette and everything to do with why they didn't want to go into Bella Vista," Vernetti says.
Vernetti says Bella Vista may file an objection to the petition on the circuit court level within 30 days.
The Gravette city council now must approve the annexation, something Mayor Byron Warren says shouldn't be a problem. He read a resolution at the meeting expressing the council's support.
"The people of Hiwasse have put hours and hours and a lot of sweat and tears getting to this point, and I'm proud of them," Warren says. "It's America standing up for themselves."
County Judge Bob Clinard ruled in favor of the petition after hearing from Hiwasse property owners, as well as a representative from the city of Bella Vista.
After Bella Vista expressed interest in the small farming community, the property owners of Hiwasse banded together, and filed a petition asking to be annexed by Gravette instead.
Doug Bertschy bought forty acres of brush in the Hiwasse area more than forty years ago, and turned it into a successful farming operation.
"My wife and I started this farm in 1964," Bertschy says. "We would like to see our grandkids be able to continue to carry on and keep it as a farm."
But eventually, the Bella Vista bypass will run right through Bertschy's property, and the city of Bella Vista wants to annex the area.
"To me it's just a land grab for our neighbors to the north, and I'm not much for it," he says. "I'm concerned with them trying to tell me how to run my farm."
The farming community is worried Bella Vista's city ordinances will make it difficult to continue operations there.
The petition was signed by 221 property owners, who own about 70 percent of the land up for annexation. At the meeting the speakers were fired up, and many of the comments were directed more toward Bella Vista.
"I'm curious as to when the will of the government came to override the will of the people," says Larry Kelly, addressing the judge. "It's well within the law but extremely unbalanced and unfair when you're going to annex an area of folks that say we don't want to."
"You're destroying our way of life, and the dreams that we have had for our children," Peggy Bertschy says.
Steven Moore says, "For a court or for a city to come over and say that we have to go to them, when we want to go to somebody else... that's not America."
Judge Clinard asked the speakers to limit their comments to the Gravette annexation.
Bryan Vernetti came to the hearing to represent Bella Vista. Vernetti says the petition may be invalid.
"Their arguments had very little to do with why they wanted to go to Gravette and everything to do with why they didn't want to go into Bella Vista," Vernetti says.
Vernetti says Bella Vista may file an objection to the petition on the circuit court level within 30 days.
The Gravette city council now must approve the annexation, something Mayor Byron Warren says shouldn't be a problem. He read a resolution at the meeting expressing the council's support.
"The people of Hiwasse have put hours and hours and a lot of sweat and tears getting to this point, and I'm proud of them," Warren says. "It's America standing up for themselves."
