North Carolina is one of a handful of states that allow cities to annex property forcibly without approval from the annexed property owners. Not only do citizens not have a voice in the process, but also they are often forced to pay for the infrastructure and services they may neither need nor want.

Often the annexing cities begin to tax those citizens and drag their feet — sometimes for years — before providing the promised municipal services. Some have called this taxation without representation. Most call it wrong.

Our laws were written in the 1950s. With few changes over the last 50 years, those laws have allowed cities to ride roughshod over private property owners. It’s all legal. The law is written in a way that allows this abusive treatment.

Finally, after years of official disregard for private property rights, complaints from citizens, millions of dollars spent, and many lawsuits, the North Carolina General Assembly is finally ready to address one of the most egregious affronts to property rights with the introduction of House Bill 845.

The N.C. League of Municipalities, not surprisingly, opposes any attempt to move forward with meaningful annexation reform. For years, the League has supported cities that use forced annexation to ensure and expand local revenue streams.

Leaders in these ravenous city governments believe that a requirement for them to provide water and sewer services would severely restrict the number and size of annexations in North Carolina. They also oppose citizens gaining a voice in the process. They declare that municipalities need to keep a virtually unchecked authority to annex urban areas, based on the current annexation laws.

H.B. 845, Annexation Reform Act of 2011, offers the prospect of real reform. It significantly rebalances North Carolina’s antiquated and unfair annexation laws to give the targets of annexation a greater say in the process. H.B. 845 restores a respect for private property rights, a fundamental right our founders believed was a key to democracy and the cornerstone of our very freedom.

The legislation now sits in the House Rules Committee. It’s expected to be brought forward as soon as the first week in May.

The bill makes significant changes in the current law:

It provides property owners a true voice as to whether they wish to be annexed.

It provides a clear and reasonable timeline for the annexation process.

It provides a fair and equitable process for providing water and sewer to property owners who are annexed.

It provides increased penalties for municipalities that do not provide required services as the law requires.

It expands and enhances the law’s “declaration of policy” to remind all parties of the reasons for annexation. For instance, one key sentence says “it is essential for citizens to have an effective voice in annexations initiated by municipalities.”

It provides an expanded procedure for appealing an annexation through the court system.

H.B. 845 might not be perfect, but it is light-years ahead of current laws. Leaders of the annexation reform community and the General Assembly are to be commended for efforts to restore and preserve property rights through this legislation. It’s time for real reform.

Becki Gray is vice president for outreach at the John Locke Foundation.