Will residents join West Columbia after spurning Springdale?

Residents in a square-mile area around I-26 and U.S. 1 will go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to join West Columbia.

It’s the second time in 15 months that residents will decide on remaining unattached or being annexed into a community.

Springdale’s effort to take in the sizable area was overwhelmingly rejected in April 2015 amid complaints about higher taxes and the town’s requirements for home upkeep. Town leaders say they made their bid and are staying neutral on West Columbia’s gambit.

About 1,500 persons live in the area, mostly in the Darby Place, Fox Glen, Stonewood and Westgate neighborhoods. There are 84 businesses, mainly stores.

West Columbia lies east of the area; Springdale, to the south.

No organized opposition has emerged to the annexation effort.

The expansion would be a prize for West Columbia.

City officials are courting the area with a temporary cut in water bills that will become permanent if the area agrees to annexation.

Joining West Columbia is a money-saver, city economic developer director B.J. Unthank says.

The typical homeowner will save slightly more than $200 a year, officials estimate.

While property taxes would go up an estimated $187 a year on the average home in the area valued at nearly $106,000, other fees, such as those for fire protection and trash pickup paid to Lexington County would end, officials say.

“We think it’s a win-win both for the city and the people there,” West Columbia Mayor Bobby Horton said.