BROWNSBURG — Close to 3,000 residents of Hendricks County appear to be winning the fight against the town of Brownsburg.
“The tides are turning in our favor,” resident Courtney Tharp said.
Tharp was talking about a fight over annexation.
Last summer, Brownsburg’s town council voted to annex 1,200 properties into the town. It was a move that was immediately met by opposition.
Resident Sabrina Graham collected signatures, put up signs and eventually took the town to court.
“I don’t think the town expected there was going to be such opposition,” Graham said at the time.
Now, close to a year later, the annexation is still in court and wracking up legal fees.
“It’s pretty ridiculous that they’re spending our money for something we don’t want,” Tharp said.
Still, town manager Grant Kleinhenz said he still thinks the annexation is a good idea.
“I believe the annexation is what’s good for the area, not just the town of Brownsburg. We know we’re growing, the pressures of growth, we’re dealing with those now,” Kleinhenz said.
The residents could be close to getting what they want, though.
One council member has drafted a resolution to repeal the annexation. It was tabled Thursday, but will be brought up again in June.
“(It) has really raised our hopes that maybe they’re going to start listening,” Tharp said.
It’s a sign, those residents say, that speaking up does work and that if the little guy puts up a big enough fight, it can make a difference.
“It was definitely a David and Goliath (story). It’s refreshing that David’s winning again,” Tharp said.
The Brownsburg town council plans to hear the resolution to appeal the annexation on June 12.