Action News 5 - Memphis, TennesseeNorris withdraws bills restricting Memphis' annexation

Norris withdraws bills restricting Memphis' annexation

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MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC-TV) - Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, of Collierville, will withdraw bills that would prevent Memphis from annexing a portion of Shelby County.

Norris plans to withdraw two bills after the state attorney general told him they were likely unconstitutional because they would only apply in Shelby County.

The bills are set to be withdrawn during next Monday's meeting.

One of the bills would have removed a large part of Shelby County from Memphis' annexation reserve area. The other would have required annexations initiated by any municipality to be approved by referendum, with a majority of people being annexed voting in that referendum.

The bills prompted the Memphis City Council to start the process of annexing more than 17,000 people who live east of Cordova all the way to the Fayette County line.

"I think there are better ways to go about this," Norris said in a written statement. "Several Memphis City Council members seem interested in opening a dialogue about future annexations. Mayors Wharton and Luttrell are willing to do so, and the Tennessee code provides other alternatives, too -- so perhaps something good will come out of this."

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