[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and City Council of the City of Havre de Grace 2-3-2020 by Ord. No. 1028. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The following principles shall govern annexation:
A. 
The City Council may consider and act upon a petition for the annexation of land contiguous and adjacent to the corporate limits of the City in order to promote the health, safety, welfare, and economic development of the City.
B. 
The annexation may be appropriate when it promotes coordinated planning for the area surrounding the land proposed for annexation, and where it is consistent with the plans for the present and future development of the City, and where it will not result in isolated development inconsistent with surrounding land uses.
C. 
The annexation must contribute to the realization and/or furtherance of the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan and any other corridor or small area plan.
D. 
The location relative to existing public facilities and a review of the City's ability to provide public facilities to serve the annexation area.
E. 
The development of relevant conditions for the protection and benefit of the residents of the City.
F. 
The annexation will not result in an adverse fiscal impact upon the City.
G. 
Upon approval of an annexation petition by the City Council, the petitioner shall not be permitted to amend or to otherwise change the terms of the annexation petition.
The following procedures shall govern annexation and the zoning of land so annexed:
A. 
Petition filing contents. A petition for annexation, prepared in compliance with § 4-404 of the Local Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The petition shall be signed by the owner of the property and any contract purchaser(s) and shall be filed with the Director of Administration, together with 10 hard copies, one digital format copy of the petition and a nonrefundable fee as established by resolution of the City Council. The City may require additional copies to be provided to the City at its discretion. The petition shall include the following:
(1) 
Descriptive data.
(a) 
A legal description of the property with metes and bounds.
(b) 
Name and address of all members, stockholders, partners, or other individuals having a legal or equitable interest in the entity that owns an interest in the property.
(c) 
The names and addresses of all persons residing in the area to be annexed.
(2) 
Exhibit showing:
(a) 
The legal boundaries of the property, to include complete parcels and all property lines in order to eliminate noncontiguous land that may be annexed in the future.
(b) 
The existing land use conditions surrounding the subject property.
(c) 
Existing Harford County zoning and the petitioner's proposed City zoning.
(d) 
A property tax map.
(e) 
An aerial photographic map at an appropriate scale.
(f) 
Topographic map of the property at an appropriate scale.
(g) 
Existing public facilities and improvements.
(h) 
Existing reserved or public areas.
(3) 
Certification that each owner of real property, both within the area of the proposed annexation and contiguous to the annexation area, has either executed the petition or has been sent by certified mail and first-class mail to the address listed in the assessments records, within 10 days prior to filing of the petition, a summary in a format provided by the City.
(4) 
The petitioner(s) shall submit a concept plan for the proposed annexation area if future public roads are contemplated and/or significant infrastructure improvements will be necessary to service the area to be annexed. The concept plan shall include the following:
(a) 
The boundary of the area to be annexed.
(b) 
The general location of each proposed land use on the property and the percentage of the whole for each use. General location of land uses may be shown as irregular graphic shapes depicting the approximate size and relationship to adjacent land uses.
(c) 
A table listing proposed densities and land use by type, including the area of each.
(d) 
The density of residential development, the maximum and minimum lot sizes, and the anticipated square footage of commercial and industrial buildings.
(e) 
Existing and proposed arterial and collector streets adjoining (where applicable) and their relationship to the principal land uses on the site.
(f) 
Existing and proposed major utility lines or facilities and their relationship to the principal land uses on the site.
(g) 
Contour lines at a maximum of five-foot intervals.
(h) 
Sensitive environmental features on the site and contiguous to the property, as available from current Harford County or other pertinent geographic information system (GIS) databases. These features shall include streams, wetlands, other waterbodies and floodplains.
(5) 
Description of municipal services that may need to be upgraded, initiated, or extended, together with a recommendation regarding the priority for accomplishing the improvements and a recommendation as to possible sources of funding and recoupment for any capital improvements.
(6) 
Fiscal impact of the proposed project.
(7) 
Description of any unique characteristics such as historical, archaeological, institutional, etc., situated in the area to be annexed, with an analysis of how these characteristics would be impacted by annexation.
(8) 
A detailed statement as to whether the land uses and densities permitted under the proposed City zoning classification and the land uses for the annexed area and densities permitted under the current Harford County zoning classification are, or are not, substantially different as that term is defined in § 4-416 of the Local Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
B. 
Annexation procedures for petitions involving more than 10 acres or causing a potentially significant burden on municipal services. In addition to meeting the requirements of Subsection A above, for annexation requests by property owners for properties that incorporate 10 or more acres, or are determined by the Director of Planning to create a potentially significant burden on municipal services or public facilities, the following additional procedures shall govern the annexation:
[Amended 2-5-2024 by Ord. No. 1137]
(1) 
Petition preliminary review. Within 90 days following the date of the filing of a petition with all required attachments, the Director of Planning shall conduct a preliminary review of the petition with the petitioner(s), or the petitioner's representative, and the Director of the Department of Public Works. Prior to beginning the review, the Department of Planning shall inform the petitioner(s), in writing, of the date when the petition and all required attachments have been provided and accepted. Based upon this review, the Director of Planning may direct the petitioner to submit additional information within a thirty-day period or to take other reasonable steps with regard to the petition, including:
(a) 
Supplementation of the information required to be submitted in the petition.
(b) 
Provision for a study by an independent consultant selected by the City and the petitioner to evaluate the information submitted in support of the petition and to determine the fiscal impact of the annexation on the City.
(c) 
Provision for any other studies necessary for the proper consideration of the petition.
(d) 
Additional mailing, posting, or advertising notice requirements.
(2) 
Community Informational Meeting (CIM). Within 45 days after the date of the preliminary petition review, the petitioner shall hold a CIM. This meeting will be facilitated by the property owner, developer or their respective representatives and held at a public location (library, City Hall, etc.) adequate to serve the expected turnout of residents. The meeting shall be advertised by a posting on the property or properties at each public road frontage. Notice of the CIM shall also be sent to all property owners within a 1,000-foot radius of the subject property by U.S. first-class mail. The City shall advertise on the City website and public notice board at City Hall the date of the CIM upon notification by the property owner, developer, or their representative at least 10 days' prior to the date of the CIM. At a minimum, all documents included in the petitioner's filing shall be made available for review at the CIM. The City will provide copies of all documents on the City's website. Within 45 calendar days after the CIM, the developer shall submit a list of attendees and minutes of the meeting. The Department of Planning may require that the meeting be livestreamed, recorded and/or subsequently transcribed by a court reporter.
(3) 
Petition review by Planning Commission.
(a) 
Upon completion of the petition review and CIM discussed in the subsections herein, the Director of Planning shall incorporate any changes and forward the revised petition package to the Planning Commission for review at the next scheduled Planning Commission meeting. The Director of Planning shall also provide a staff report detailing the procedures that have taken place and the results of any meetings, studies or other pertinent information. The Director shall advertise the agenda of the Planning Commission on the City webpage and public notice board at City Hall. The petitioner shall supply a digital-format copy of the completed petition package to the Director of Planning prior to this submittal.
(b) 
The Planning Commission will review the petition for annexation and take public comment during its scheduled meeting.
(c) 
The Planning Commission shall submit its recommendation to the City Council within 60 days of the Planning Commission meeting.
C. 
Payment for processing and review.
[Amended 2-5-2024 by Ord. No. 1137[1]]
(1) 
The petitioner shall be responsible for payment for all studies required by the Director of Planning and reimbursement of all staff and attorney time necessary for review of the petition and all studies. Upon filing the petition, the petitioner shall place $5,000 in escrow with the City to use for processing, review, and legal fees. The petitioner will receive invoices monthly for the amount of escrow used during the previous month. The petitioner shall contribute monthly to the escrow an amount necessary to maintain the $5,000 minimum escrow balance. Payment to replenish the escrow balance shall be paid within 15 days of receiving the invoice. Any amounts remaining in escrow upon completion of the annexation process will be returned to the petitioner.
(2) 
City staff shall keep an accounting of their time spent on the annexation review reflecting the hourly rate of each employee established by the City.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also redesignated former Subsections F through L as Subsections D through J.
D. 
Adoption of annexation plan. Consistent with § 4-415 of the Local Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the City Council shall adopt an annexation plan which shall be open to public review and discussion at a public hearing.
E. 
Public hearing.
(1) 
When the petitioner has complied with the requirements as specified by the Director of Planning following the review and the annexation petition has been prepared and distributed, the City Council shall introduce an annexation resolution and conduct a public hearing with regard to the proposed annexation at the time and place as shall be established by it.
(2) 
The hearing shall be conducted and a record of the proceedings shall be preserved in a manner as the City Council prescribes.
(3) 
A description of the annexation and a notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be published as specified in § 4-406 of the Local Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
(4) 
At the hearing, the recommendation of any board, commission, or agency shall be considered as evidence.
F. 
Conditions. In acting favorably with regard to the petition, the City Council may include in its resolution such conditions and restrictions as are deemed necessary for the protection of the public interest, economic development, furtherance of the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the City and to secure compliance with any relevant legal standards or requirements.
G. 
Annexation agreement.
(1) 
The City Council may, prior to voting on the resolution, enter into an annexation agreement with persons and entities that are petitioners in the annexation petition. Only those petitioners that agree to be responsible to the City for performance of contractual or financial commitments, or that promise community benefits, are required to be a party to the agreement.
(2) 
The City Council shall hold a public hearing on the proposed agreement prior to the City's final approval and execution of the agreement and before taking a vote on the annexation resolution. The copies of the proposed agreement shall be made available to the public at City Hall no later than 10 calendar days' prior to the public hearing.
(3) 
The effective date of the agreement shall be the date that the approval of the annexation resolution by the City Council becomes final. Upon the annexation resolution becoming final, the agreement shall be binding upon the parties thereto, their heirs, successors, grantees, and assigns.
(4) 
The annexation agreement shall be recorded by the City in the land records of Harford County, Maryland, within 30 days of the date the annexation resolution becomes final.
H. 
Zoning. In acting favorably with regard to the petition, the City Council shall designate the zoning classification of the annexed land as provided for in this chapter and in other applicable laws, ordinances, regulations, and procedures related to zoning of annexed land.
I. 
Approval or rejection.
(1) 
No property shall be annexed except by a favorable vote of a majority of the members of the City Council.
(2) 
The City Council may reject the petition for any reason. The City Council is not required to make any finding of fact in the event it rejects the petition.
J. 
Other applicable law. This procedure is in addition to any other provisions of the City Charter and Code of the City of Havre de Grace and of the Annotated Code of Maryland that govern annexation and the development of land.
A. 
The Mayor and City may legislatively initiate an annexation proposal in accordance with the State Land Use Article § 4-403.
B. 
Before an annexation resolution is introduced, the Mayor and City Council shall obtain consent from:
(1) 
At least 25% of the registered voters who are residents in the area to be annexed; and
(2) 
The owners of at least 25% of the assessed valuation of the real property in the area to be annexed.
C. 
The annexation resolution:
(1) 
Shall describe by a survey of courses and distances the exact area to be annexed;
(2) 
May also describe by landmarks and other well-known terms the exact area to be annexed; and
(3) 
Shall contain a complete and detailed description of the conditions and circumstances that apply to:
(a) 
The change in boundaries; and
(b) 
The residents and property in the area to be annexed.
D. 
The annexation proposal shall be consistent with the City's Comprehensive Plan, Municipal Growth Element and § 20-1 of this chapter.