It’s time to unify Chico

When residents of the Chapmantown neighborhood are asked what city they live in, they invariably say Chico. Technically, however, that’s not true. They live in unincorporated Butte County. The same is true for residents of the Mulberry district just north of the fairgrounds.

Although both neighborhoods are surrounded by the city, and their residents are regularly affected by decisions made by the Chico City Council and its boards and commissions, they can’t vote in city elections or serve on those boards and commissions.

We understand that many of them like being in the county. They enjoy their leafy, semi-rural neighborhoods and worry that the city will start putting in curbs, gutters and sidewalks. And they resent being forcefully annexed to the city.

Unfortunately, there’s really no choice at this point. State law mandates that they be brought into the city. Most Chapman/Mulberry residents have septic systems, and they are under state antipollution orders eventually to hook up to the city sewer system. Doing so requires that they agree to annex.

The Butte County Local Agency Formation Commission, which is responsible for overseeing jurisdictional boundaries, has been trying for several years to compel the city to annex Chapman/Mulberry. The city, caught in financial crisis, is fearful of the cost. Ultimately LAFCo had to threaten a lawsuit to nudge the city into action.

The result is a compromise agreement that will be on the council’s Nov. 18 meeting agenda. In return for submitting a Chapman/Mulberry annexation application to LAFCo, the city will have five years before the annexation becomes effective. This will give it sufficient time to get its finances in order.

We believe joining the city will be good for Chapman/Mulberry. Yes, it will cost residents a small amount in utility-user taxes, but it will improve police and fire services. And, because the city has agreed to honor the Chapman-Mulberry Neighborhood Plan and can’t afford to put in curbs, gutters and sidewalks anyway, the character of the two areas won’t change much.

We urge the City Council to extend a warm embrace to Chapmantown and the Mulberry district by finally bringing them into the city. It’s time to unify Chico.