The Foundation has agreed to manage litigation by concerned citizens in Bryan County and the Bryan County Farm Bureau against the city of Durant, which recently used strip annexation to create a boundary greatly extending the City’s territory. Durant officials represent the boundary was needed to stop the encroachment of other municipalities in their area. The concerned citizens argue the action is an unwanted strip annexation with no tangible municipal purpose.

The Foundation plans to contract with Mike Novotny with Hartzog, Conger, Cason & Neville, the attorney who successfully handled the City of Seminole annexation case.

In July of 2004, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma reversed a lower court decision and ruled municipalities cannot annex land without having a reasonable purpose. The decision involved the case of local landowners versus the City of Seminole, which strip annexed an area 3 feet wide and 10 miles long to capture property near Interstate 40 in order to increase the city’s municipal tax base.

In the Seminole case, the Foundation filed a “friend of the court” brief and provided other valuable legal resources supporting the landowners.