Sarpy County District Court Judge Nathan B. Cox recently issued an order determining the City of Bellevues attempt to annex properties north of Normandy Hills Sanitary and Improvement District owned by Frank Krejci and Darling International is unlawful.

This ruling throws a wrench in city plans to annex SIDs Normandy Hills and Cedar View because the land now wont be adjacent or contiguous to the citys corporate boundaries.

City Attorney Bree Robbins on Thursday said the city was still reviewing Coxs order and had no comment; however, during a previous interview with The Leader, Robbins said if Cox ruled in favor of the plaintiffs she would recommend the Bellevue City Council doesnt try to annex Normandy Hills and Cedar View.

"The Court finds that Bellevues Ordinance No. 3948 illegally annexed the Darling Property and the Krejci Property, which is not contiguous with nor adjacent to the City of Bellevue, is neither urban nor suburban in character, and includes a substantial portion of agricultural lands which are rural in character, Cox wrote in his May 8 ruling.

Defendant Bellevue cannot be permitted to engage in what is essentially island annexation, creating separate, non-contiguous, and disconnected areas of the City of Bellevue.

In December 2019, a bench trial was held determining whether the Krejci and Darling properties were able to be annexed into the citys corporate limits. Both Normandy Hills and Cedar View were part of a package consisting of nine sanitary and improvement districts and five additional miscellaneous plots.

In August 2019, the Planning Commission unanimously voted in favor of annexing Normandy Hills and Cedar View, as well as Phases 3 and 4 of Sunrise, Spring Creek, Colonial Pointe, Lakewood Villages, Pipers Glen, Orchard Valley and Kennedy Town Center. All but the Normandy Hills and Cedar View are now part of Bellevue.

Robbins in a previous interview said city officials would need to decide whether to take the case to the Nebraska Court of Appeals if the District Court ruled against the city.

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District Court judge: City of Bellevue cannot engage in 'island annexation' - Omaha World-Herald