Summerfield de-annexation gets final approval: Find out how Guilford County representatives voted (2024)

The town of Summerfield will soon become 1,000 acres smaller after the N.C. House of Representatives gave final approval to a bill de-annexing land from the town on Thursday.

House Bill 909 passed with a final vote of 72-39. The de-annexation goes into effect Sunday. The town will no longer have zoning control over the land or be able to collect property tax revenue on the property.

Since the legislation is a local bill affecting fewer than 15 counties, it goes into law without action by the governor.

The Guilford County delegation in the House was split 4-2 in favor of the bill.

Democratic Rep. Pricey Harrison and Republican Rep. Alan Branson voted against the bill both times it came to the floor while Democratic Reps. Ashton Wheeler Clemmons and Quick voted in favor it both times.

Democratic Rep. Cecil Brockman and Republican Rep. John Faircloth voted for the bill on the first vote but were absent for the second.

Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat, was the most outspoken critic of the de-annexation on the House floor.

“I cannot overstate how inappropriate it is for us to take over a town’s right to rule itself,” Harrison said Wednesday. “That is some kind of authoritarian move. I don’t know why we think this is OK.”

Quick, another Guilford County Democrat, said he believed the Summerfield de-annexation should have been considered separately. However, he ultimately supported the bill because of other elements, specifically a provision adding property to the city of High Point.

The final passage of the de-annexation is a blow to town leaders and residents who showed up in Raleigh on Wednesday to rally against the bill as it went before the N.C. House for its first vote in that chamber.

The de-annexation proposal grew out of the conflict between town officials, residents and developer David Couch. Couch is seeking to build a large mixed-use development on the land. Elected officials and residents have raised concerns that the density of the project is inappropriate with the quiet town’s way of life.

State Sen. Phil Berger, who leads the N.C. Senate and also represents Summerfield, was the driving force behind the de-annexation. The powerful Republican legislator maintains the town has not done enough to loosen its rules to allow more development or to provide the necessary services required of towns.

Town officials and other critics of the de-annexation have pointed to the donations Couch has made to Berger and alleged the relationship between the two was a factor in the push to remove the land.

Speaking after the initial vote in favor of de-annexation on Wednesday, Summerfield Mayor Tim Sessoms called it a “sad day” for the town.

“We certainly wish this vote hadn’t gone this way,” Sessoms said. “I think now we start and see what our options are, see where we go from here and make a plan for what’s next for Summerfield.”

Councilman Jonathan Hamilton said he felt some of the representatives had fallen under Couch’s influence.

“There were some arguments in there that were bad but unfortunately they were bought,” Hamilton said.

He also said he would turn his attention to finding the best way forward.

“As a councilman of Summerfield, I still remain dedicated to figuring this out and working to mitigate any negative impact it could have on a community,” Hamilton said. “So I still think we have a bright future ahead of us. We’re going to work to do the best we can and I look forward to what tomorrow brings.”

Councilman John Doggett said he was “saddened for Summerfield” in a statement Thursday and expressed regret the council and Couch could not work together to resolve the dispute.

“Now that the de-annexation is done, it is time for us as the council to step up and be leaders, help this town heal, move forward and make Summerfield the great town that we all know it is,” Doggett said.

Couch welcomed the passage of the bill in a statement released after the vote:

“I’m thankful that policymakers recognized the current dysfunction of Summerfield’s local government and the importance of reasonable rules that accommodate new housing. It’s been an exhausting time in my life, and I’m hopeful now for a path forward.”

The de-annexation provisions for Summerfield were originally included in House Bill 5. Last week, the de-annexation provision was added to the already-existing House Bill 909. The bill also included other changes to local governments, including provisions adding land in High Point, changing the distribution of ABC profits in Concord and amending the way council vacancies are handled in the town of Stanley.

Town officials criticized the way the way the measure was brought forward in the new bill, with Councilman Heath Clay calling it a “sneaky, sneaky step” by Berger.

On Wednesday, Berger defended the way the bill was handled. He said the language needed to be updated because the old effective date would have created complications regarding property taxes.

Berger also said residents had plenty of time for input on the bill since it went before Senate committees and was heard twice by the Senate.