Once the city and the owner have agreed on all the terms, city council will review and pass an order authorizing the mayor to sign the agreement. At that time, the owner will annex or the agreement will be registered with the county and used if the property is adjacent to the city limits. Sometimes, prior to annexation, the city may enter into agreements with owners that cannot be annexed for some time. These agreements, which are binding for twenty (20) years, are an obligation between the city and the owner of the property to annex it in accordance with the agreed terms. Unincorporated residents who join O`Fallon receive comprehensive police protection, significantly lower water prices, and road maintenance in exchange for paying municipal taxes. Lower water prices and possibly home insurance, as well as increased services, will most likely offset the new property taxes. Due to the application for installation in O`Fallon, the city may decide to annex areas of potential growth. O`Fallon believes that if it is not today, then in the future, we can be expected to provide services to the residents of the area. However, the ability to effectively plan these services is often limited by our current limitations. To continue to grow, the city must expand its boundaries to include previously unincorporated real estate. Arbitrary annexation of territory without a plan can lead to inefficient service delivery, meaning residents have to pay more for the services received. It is important that any annexation is in the best interest of the city and the owner.
O`Fallon believes it is more beneficial to everyone that annexation, like any growth, be carried out according to a well-thought-out plan. The city wants to annex future areas that it can serve efficiently and naturally. In some cases, annexation is conditional on the acceptance of certain conditions by the landowners and the city. Problems could be the timing for water or wastewater supply, certain real estate area classifications, or proposed development plans. .