Council accepts annexation petition, sets May hearing

The Eunice City Council accepted Jay Caswell’s petition for annexation Tuesday night and scheduled a public hearing on the matter for its May meeting, all the while avoiding the political undertow involved.
Caswell has considered a run in the fall for the city judge’s post, but his residence next to University Place is not in the city. He said previously that one issue has nothing to do with the other.
City Attorney Vernon McManus told the council that Caswell’s application meets statutory requirements. Given that, Alderman at-large Jack Burson moved to advertise the proposed ordinance and hold the necessary hearing, as is done with any other introduced ordinance.
Prior to the motion Caswell noted in remarks to the council that the property is contiguous and adjacent to the existing corporate limits and that he is confident the annexation is complete and meets the standards of the pertinent law.
He noted that he has worked in Eunice for 18 years and raised his children in its schools.
The benefit to annexation for him would be an increased property value, he said.
“This is not about me, but about the property, which poses no liability to the city,” Caswell said.