SB316 Summary

• Establishes a two-track annexation process for the Town of Slaughter Beach: an expedited process requiring only Town Council approval if all property owners of contiguous territory petition for annexation and the annexation is deemed advantageous to both parties, and a standard process requiring a special election if less than all owners petition or the annexation is deemed disadvantageous.

• Requires an annexation committee of three persons (including one Town Council member) to investigate proposed annexations within 90 days and submit a report detailing advantages and disadvantages with a recommendation.

• Defines voting eligibility for special elections to include residents age 18 and older and property owners in the Town and proposed annexation territory, with each individual or business entity permitted only one vote regardless of property ownership quantity.

• Mandates that approved annexations be recorded in the Sussex County Recorder of Deeds within 60 days and establishes a one-year moratorium on reconsidering rejected annexation proposals.

• Establishes a 60-day statute of limitations from publication or posting of annexation notice for challenging an approved annexation and requires highways, streets, roads, and alleys adjacent to annexed parcels to be automatically annexed.