SCHERERVILLE | A standing-room-only crowd packed the St. John Township Community Center in what turned into an anti-annexation rally Thursday evening.
A meeting to discuss and answer questions regarding Dyer's desire to annex 4,000 acres south of town in unincorporated St. John Township was scheduled by the St. John Township Property Owners Association. What was expected to be a small meeting became a large gathering of residents, the vast majority of whom are against the annexation.
When asked to demonstrate with a show hands who supported becoming part of Dyer, only one unincorporated St. John Township resident in the overflow crowd raised his hand.
Most opposed because of a predicted hike in property taxes if they become part of the town.
St. John Township Assessor Hank Adams provided data to that effect. Adams' figures show that a $200,000 house in St. John Township pays $2,118.72 in taxes as of 2007. That same house as part of Dyer would pay $2,927.82. A $400,000 house in the township pays $4,906.02 and would see that bill jump to $6,780.18 if it was in the town of Dyer.
St. John Township Property Owners Association President Richard Hucker passionately expressed doubts that homeowners would receive any benefit with the increase in taxes the annexation would create.
"They are not obligated to give us any more than what they get in town already, and if people in Dyer do not get all these services, like water and sewer, we will get the same," Hucker said.
At a meeting in May, Dyer Town Manager Joe Neeb stressed the Town Council is exploring the possibility of annexation; the decision isn't set in stone.
"This is not a done deal," he said then. "If you don't want it and we can't make it work, then we don't want it either."
At least 65 percent of the property owners need to sign a petition of objection to stop the annexation. If that happens and the town wants to annex anyway, the next step would be to take the matter to court, Neeb said.
The residents also dispute Dyer's ability to provide services like sewer and water.
"In the paper (Dyer town officials) said that the majority of people would want to have Lake Michigan water and Dyer can provide that," Hucker said. "That area (the land that would be annexed) is in the Kankakee River watershed. You legally can not pump Lake Michigan water into the Kankakee watershed, unless you build something to pump it back out. Dyer doesn't have the capacity to do that. Dyer is broke," he said.
