HARRISON COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) \u2014 The city of Long Beach is seeking to annex about one square mile of land, including an industrial park and four smaller areas, according to testimony given in Chancery Court.<\/p>\n
The proposed annexation area includes a combined total of 25 businesses and 73 people.<\/p>\n
Both sides gave opening statements Monday, and Mayor Tim Pierce was questioned for hours.<\/p>\n
Objectors of the annexation say the move is a cash grab. The proposed area is projected to generate $3.8 million in tax revenue over the next five years.<\/p>\n
Mayor Pierce testified that Highway 90\u2019s velocity zoning keeps businesses from being built near the beach. He said the industrial park is key to business expansion in Long Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur way of growth is to the north. We can no longer go to the south, thanks to Katrina and FEMA regulations. You can see along the coast that Long Beach is struggling more than any other with buildings not being able to be built on the ground. We have to build stilts 15, 20, 25 feet in the air, and businesses aren\u2019t willing to spend that kind of investment or pay the high insurance,\u201d Pierce said.<\/p>\n
Pierce testified that the city already provides first responders and water to the proposed areas and has for decades with no money in return.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been supplying the industrial park with services for almost 45, 46 years. What a lot of them don\u2019t realize is we supply the services but get nothing in return. The 17,000-some odd people in Long Beach, plus the 300 businesses, have been paying for fire protection, police protection and the water for the industrial park for years,\u201d Pierce said.<\/p>\n
Monday marked day one of the hearing. It is expected to continue over the next few days in Chancery Court.<\/p>\n