For the last several months, if he can find a microphone, an audience of two or more or a newspaper reporter, he will go on what has now become a too familiar rant, why is the county suing the city over this annexation? At the last city council meeting, he took to his soapbox again crying about how awful myself and my fellow 5th district commissioner, Joe Morrison, are for suing the city for their illegal annexations. He claims the county has spent a hundred thousand dollars on the lawsuit so far. Of course that's not true. But I don't doubt it'll be that much or more before the lawsuit is done. Of course, the one who caused the lawsuit was, drum roll........Lenoir City mayor, Tony Aikens.

Aikens can make the lawsuit go away immediately if he wanted to. All he has to do is tell his council to withdraw the two illegal annexations. Lawsuit over. Just that simple.

Aikens can spout all the nonsense he wants, the fact is, he and his loyal council committed two illegal annexations, pure and simple.

In his council rant, he also tries to tell the residents of the 5th district, who also live in the city, how they should be "outraged", his words, about the lawsuit. Let me tell the mayor what all city residents, including those who live in the 5th district, are "outraged" about. The fact that he has caused the lawsuit, the property tax increases, the Rain Tax, the endless over development within the city and so on. I received several calls and emails after the News Herald reported on his council rant. Everyone of them said basically the same thing, hold Aikens feet to the fire, don't let him get away with any more underhanded tricks. He also bemoans the money spent so far on the lawsuit and what all it could have been used for. I agree with him 100% on that issue. If he hadn't committed two illegal annexations, the county wouldn't have had to spend a penny on legal actions against him.

Below is a link to the council meeting. His unglue starts at about the 1:48 minute mark. It's well worth the watch. If you want to watch beyond the rant, you can watch him explain "how good the sales tax increase" will be.

Click Here For Council Video

You know what really drives Aikens crazy? He can't control what county commission is doing. He can't dictate to commission. Unlike his city council, county commissioners don't bow to the his demands. You know what else is driving him crazy, He knows , not long from now, the county attorney will begin discovery and depositions of a lot of people, both in and out of city government to find out how two illegal annexations happened. Who had money in the development, how the development was able to receive a 20 year PILOT, tax break, from the city. Who told the planning commission and the mayor/council that the properties were in the city's urban growth boundary when everyone knew they were not. How did the main street through the development get named after a close relative of the mayor.

If the county is fortunate, at the end of the trial, after the judge sees just how egregious the mayor and council's actions were, he could award the county legal fees to be paid by the city.

This is really a very simple case:

Both the Belle West and the WNW annexations were 100% illegal under state law, no way around it, and Aikens knows it.

In 2020, the mayor/council annexed a large parcel of property outside their urban growth boundary, UGB. State law prohibits a city from annexing outside their UGB. The city never informed the county that the mayor/council. had passed the annexation, as required by law.

In 2022, the mayor/council annexed another large parcel of property outside their urban growth boundary, UGB. State law prohibits a city from annexing outside their UGB. The city never informed the county that the mayor/council had again passed the annexation, as required by law.

There's lots more violations in these illegal annexations that will be brought up during the trial, like signatures of deceased people on annexation papers, and violation of a 2005 court ordered interlocal agreement that prohibited any Lenoir City annexations outside the UGB without the county's approval. Lots more information to come.

Aikens always goes on his little tantrums when there's no one to refute or correct his wild statements. I would be more than happy to meet with the mayor anytime, any where to discuss the facts of his illegal annexations and why the county was forced to file suit. The next Committee of 100 meeting would be a great forum for that discussion. That group has never heard the truth. They've only heard the Aikens version of the story.

You up for a good debate mayor Aikens?