Some Hall County commissioners are ready to do all they can to prevent the city of Gainesville from annexing county businesses near the city lines.

At Thursday’s board meeting, the Hall County Board of Commissioners will vote on whether to hold a public hearing about Gainesville’s plan to annex 60 properties on county islands.

Commission Chairman Tom Oliver said at Tuesday’s work session that the recent celebration of Independence Day reminded him of the importance of fighting the annexations, which the city proposed in June.

"Having just celebrated the Fourth of July and just having seen the Declaration of Independence, I for one think it’s this commission’s responsibility to pursue the stopping of this annexation by Gainesville," Oliver said. "To me it’s against everything we have fought wars for ... and now we’re letting it happen in our own community. Our fathers were fighting for property rights and they didn’t have a state law that allowed the British to come in and take this property."

Gainesville officials are looking to annex 60 unincorporated properties that lie along major entrances to the city: Browns Bridge Road, Cleveland Highway, Atlanta Highway, Thompson Bridge Road and Dawsonville Highway.

State law allows cities to annex unincorporated islands without the consent of property owners.

City officials have said the annexation would make for more consistent zoning standards on the city’s "gateway corridors."

Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Bruner said the council discussed annexing the properties after a county property owner on Thompson Bridge Road, a major entrance into Gainesville, asked the county to rezone the tract and allow for a used-car dealership.

County officials denied the request, but the property’s proximity to Gainesville’s city limits sparked the City Council’s desire to control the city’s main corridors.

"We’d like to work on uniform signage, zoning and land use," Bruner said.

City Council members said they do not understand why the county wants to hold a public hearing when the city has hearings scheduled.

Gainesville will hold two public hearings on Sept. 1, one in the morning and one in the evening, regarding the annexations.

"(The commissioners) have a right to come," City Councilman Bob Hamrick said.

Commissioner Ashley Bell, whose district includes Gainesville, said he doesn’t think there is a need for a county hearing, either.

"I think we should let the city handle this because it’s a city issue," Bell said. "I’m not going to vote for anything that will cause another public spectacle and further diminish city-county relations."

A public hearing held earlier this year caused a lot of tension between city and county officials.

The commission filed an official objection to the city’s request to annex part of Chicopee Woods, with road frontage on Interstate 985, into Gainesville, alleging that the annexation was an attempt on the behalf of Gainesville’s police department to create a speed trap on the interstate.

County commissioners again are pointing to revenue as motivation for the city to annex the properties, though City Council members counter that revenue was never a factor.

Gainesville Planning Director Rusty Ligon said if the 60 properties in question are annexed into the city, it would create just $65,540 in tax revenue for the city and $192,431 for city schools.

But Hall Commissioner Billy Powell said he thinks it is unfair to force those property owners to pay higher taxes.

"I asked for some calculations of these tax bills and there are 60 properties, four of which are exempt. The average tax bill that those property owners would pay is $4,600 additional if they are forced to annex into the city," Powell said. "And what do they get? Garbage pickup?"

But Hamrick said the properties will benefit by becoming part of the city.

"Look at the additional benefits," Hamrick said. "A Class 2 fire rating, all the public safety facilities, a reduction in water and sewer rates."

Bell said annexing businesses that operate on county islands will also help "level the playing field." He said it is unfair for some businesses to pay city taxes while others just down the road pay lower, county taxes.

"The reality is, there is some disparity to having islands in the city," Bell said.