Request to Annex Parcel With Sign Is Withdrawn

Jeff Wilson has withdrawn his petition for the city of Washington to annex a 1.23-acre parcel along Highway 100, east of South Point Road.

At their Jan. 3 meeting, city council members voted to proceed with a public hearing on Wilson's petition after an earlier vote to table the hearing at Wilson's request.

In the agenda packet for the council's Tuesday night meeting was a letter from Frank Carlson, Wilson's attorney, which states "we hereby withdraw the petition for voluntary annexation and rezoning. The petition will be submitted at a later date."

The annexation request has been controversial because of a digital billboard Wilson erected on the site.

Franklin County alleges that the billboard is in violation of zoning codes because Wilson did not obtain a county building permit before erecting it, and that it does not comply with the county's setback requirements.

The county prosecutor's office filed misdemeanor charges against Wilson for the code violations, but late last year dismissed the complaints with the condition that Wilson have the property annexed into the Washington corporate limits.

At its December meeting, Washington's planning and zoning commission recommended that the council deny Wilson's request until he resolved issues with the county over the digital message board.

The council was set to receive that recommendation at a public hearing scheduled for Dec. 20, but Carlson filed a letter on behalf of Wilson at the last minute asking the council to postpone the hearing which the council agreed to do.

However, at the Jan. 3 meeting, the council reversed that decision and set the hearing for Feb. 7.

Wilson originally requested annexation of the parcel in 2009. At that time the plan board recommended annexing the property but the council voted to table any action until the applicant resolved the issues with the county over the code violations.

Wilson had been charged with four separate misdemeanor counts for alleged code violations that occurred June 1, June 3 and Aug. 12, 2009. Technically, he could be charged with a separate count for each day a violation is not corrected.

After the December plan board meeting, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Bob Parks confirmed that he agreed to dismiss the code violation charges against Wilson if the city approved annexing the property.

Parks said if the property is not annexed, he intends to refile charges in the case.