N’ur homeowners prepare for public hearing

The city of Iona will hear from the public Tuesday night regarding the proposed forced annexation of the N’ur subdivision in Bonneville County.

David Taylor has lived in the N’ur subdivision since 1972. He said Iona’s offer of its single-officer police force and utilities they already have from the county doesn’t do much for him and his neighbors, so they’ve met several times to fight Iona’s proposal.

“They have nothing to offer us other than higher taxes,” said Taylor.

Taylor said he and the 21 other homeowners in the N’ur subdivision would see 30-40 percent higher property taxes if the forced annexation is approved. He said his property value would also take a blow. Taylor’s neighbor, Clifford Dale Nealis, is so rattled he’s made a unique request to Iona, if the forced annexation is approved.

“Dale is probably the truest American there is,” said Taylor.

Nealis has asked that his name be taken off the memorial for veterans that stands outside Iona’s community center.

“I don’t blame him,” said Taylor. “I’ll help him chisel it off the stone over there if that’s what it takes.”

Greg Hansen is the vice president of Rockwell Homes, the developer of the new subdivision across the street from N’ur. He said Iona is trying to annex N’ur because it is the only way to attain his newer, much larger subdivision.

“Even though the people in the N’ur subdivision have nothing to do with Rockwell, we are willing to stand side by side with them and say to those City Council members ‘what are you doing?'” said Hansen.

Idaho and Indiana are the only two states in the country that allow forced annexations. Rockwell Homes hired an attorney, who said the annexation the city of Iona has proposed isn’t exactly legal.

“If the council goes ahead and votes yes for this, we will pursue in having our attorneys take it to a district judge, so that a judge can look at it and turn around and say to the city of Iona, ‘You don’t meet the state statutes,'” said Hansen.

In fact, he said Rockwell Homes will be forced to take it even further, if successful in court.

“If that means that we have to sue them for that, that is what we would intend to do to recover those fees,” said Hansen.

Local News 8 left a message for Iona Mayor Brad Anderson Monday afternoon. We were told he is traveling, and we did not hear back.

Tuesday night’s public hearing begins at 7:15 inside the Iona Community Center.