BY KEVIN WINCHELL

Twenty-two years ago, the DeLand City Commission initiated a “feasibility study” to understand the costs and benefits of incorporating the Spring Hill community of southwest DeLand into the city. This effort was led by then-newly elected Mayor Bob Apgar as well as prominent Spring Hill community leaders, such as Bo Davenport. Despite the study showing that annexation would require more than a $4 million commitment from the city for the following 10 years, the city knew this was a worthy investment in our community, and authorized the Spring Hill residents to vote on the matter. While the vote carried in Spring Hill, it did not in an east-side enclave that would have helped balance the budget, so the vote ultimately failed.

Now, in 2024, the City Commission again has an opportunity to initiate a feasibility study. Much has changed since 2002 that suggests annexation would prove even more viable now than it was then: The city has an expanded commercial tax base (not to mention a significantly expanded residential tax base) to make absorbing capital expenditures easier, and the Spring Hill CRA has already paid to close some of the gaps in infrastructure and essential services.

Additionally, we know the will is still there: Again, we have a newly elected mayor — this time, Chris Cloudman — who voiced support for annexation during his mayoral campaign; and, the city’s own strategic plan calls for “squaring off City boundaries” and prioritizing economic development in Spring Hill. This makes all the more sense when considering the significant state and federal dollars that could be attracted in the name of economic development or environmental sustainability that could pay for initial infrastructure costs.

As Eli Witek reported here in The Beacon in December, we hosted a deliberative dialogue at Stetson University on the topic of Spring Hill’s annexation back in November. This dialogue brought together more than a hundred local community members, including dozens who live or have lived in Spring Hill, and sought to share information about annexation while generating questions to guide local residents and elected officials through this process.

While most participants supported annexation — and that support tended to increase as people learned more about the costs and benefits of annexation — there still remained many questions that DeLand and Spring Hill residents wished to have detailed information about before casting a ballot on any annexation measure: What, exactly, are the differences between living in the city versus the county? Which parcels exactly would be annexed? What additional or improved services could be expected? How much would those cost the city and the residents of Spring Hill? How would these improvements lead to more and better jobs for Spring Hill residents? How could this affect housing affordability and homeownership?

Local residents, especially in Spring Hill, deserve thoughtful, well-researched answers to these questions, which is exactly the reason why the City of DeLand should initiate a feasibility study. It’s the right thing to do.

— Winchell is the director of Community Engagement at Stetson University, and a lifelong resident of Volusia County.