State Sen. Tom Butler said Friday an annexation bill being introduced by him and Rep. Henry White is long overdue and will spark a dialog between Athens and Limestone County officials and surrounding municipalities.

The latest salvo in what came to be known in the mid-1980s as the annexation wars came Thursday night when the Huntsville City Council rushed through the annexation of 300 acres in anticipation of the bill’s passage.

The legislation would require a unanimous vote of the Limestone County Commission or a countywide vote to approve any annexations of Limestone land by outside municipalities. Such local legislation must be supported by the entire local delegation.

Huntsville’s grabbing of 300 acres came on the heels of Madison’s annexation of 1,400 acres Monday. Officials in both cities have said they made a move on the annexations, which have been discussed with landowners for as long as two years, because they feared passage of Butler and White’s bill.

“Whether it passes or not, it will hopefully begin a dialog and a debate that would be beneficial for everyone,” Butler said. “Hopefully, all concerned could get around a table and do some long-term planning. If Athens and Limestone County were to annex into Madison or Huntsville, their feelings would be the same as Limestone’s.”

Butler said the local delegation, which besides him and White includes Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Harvest; Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur; and Rep. Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, had gotten first blush of the bill in the past week and the members are digesting the ramifications of the legislation.

“We’re asking the Limestone County Commission and the Athens City Council to pass resolutions enumerating the reasons why this bill is needed,” Butler said.

He said the calls he’s been getting from the public, mainly from southeast Limestone, are generally opposed.

“In the Greenbrier and Segers Road areas that are close to the Madison and Huntsville city limits, they’re opposed,” he said. “The people out in the county don’t see it as an intrusion. The annexations of Madison and Huntsville last week were anticipated. It’s like David Seibert (commission chairman) said, ‘It’s like the Oklahoma land rush.’ We anticipated that response.”

Butler said the dialog between the governments is necessary because of questions arising around areas that have already been annexed.

“This should have been addressed a long time ago,” Butler said. “Huntsville and Madison have put in a lot of infrastructure with an eye to growth toward the interstate. Athens and Limestone County are losing control. There are the questions of police and fire protection, school lines, voting lines and school taxes.”

‘Gobbled up’

White said if he can get the bill out of committee he would be more optimistic.

“I haven’t talked to the other members of the delegation since they got their copies of the bill,” White said.