House votes to freeze involuntary annexations

RALEIGH -- The North Carolina House has voted to freeze the ability of cities and towns to gobble up county land without the approval of residents.

The House voted 98-18 on Wednesday to implement a nine-month moratorium on involuntary annexations. The House pushed back the scheduled start to September to give local governments that have already started involuntary annexations time to complete them.

Several grass-roots groups and citizens have lobbied lawmakers to strip the power of municipalities to add land to their borders without the approval of residents. The temporary freeze would give lawmakers time to study the state's annexation law and propose changes.

The plan now heads to the Senate.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)