NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY)–The New Hanover County Board of Elections needs 60% of homeowners in Monkey Junction to sign the petition against annexation if the town is going to avoid that action from the city of Wilmington. As of Thursday, the board has received 62%.
Although these results are still a couple months from being officially certified, it looks like the unincorporated area south of Wilmington has successfully combated annexation.
The Board of Elections has received 847 petitions of the nearly 1,400 sent out. That means the city of Wilmington will be out nearly 3,000 new residents on almost 1,000 acres of property.
City leaders are already reacting to the news.
“I’m very disappointed,” says Wilmington City Councilman Kevin O’Grady. “I’m disappointed that the folks in Monkey Junction haven’t seen the value that would be provided to them by being city residents.”
O’Grady says some of those values include the service of the Wilmington Police Department and trash collection.
“Obviously there was a lot of resistance to the annexation. I think it was an emotional rather than analytical opposition. I think if they had thought about which side the bread was buttered on, they’d of taken it,” O’Grady says.
Residents of Monkey Junction were excited about the new petition count.
“I think it’s very good news,” says Maria Honan. “You also have to realize that people living here are older people that have lived here all their life, they don’t want to be annexed into the city.”
“We have everything we need, absolutely, right here, without being annexed,” says Sheila Brothers.
Numbers won’t be official until late November.