Officials here set plans into motion Wednesday to annex property along La. 26 just north of Lake Arthur into the town limits.

Mayor Poncho Lejeune said officials want to extend the town’s limit to the west side of La. 26 which is currently not incorporated. The east side of the highway is already included in the town limits, he said.

“This should have been annexed many years ago,” Lejeune said.

The area to be annexed includes Quality Collision auto repair facility and the Tiger Mart convenience store, which is planning to build a new, larger store on its property. The proposed annexed area also takes in several  pieces of undeveloped privately-owned land.

Only one residence, whose owner only lives there part-time and is not registered to vote, will be included in the annexed property.

“There are no registered voters on that property, which is why we are doing it this way,” Lejeune said. “We don’t have to do an election or a petition, those landowners just have to request that we annex them into the town.”

Lejeune said he has already had calls from multiple citizens that also want to be in the town limits and hinted at a second phase of annexation in the future.

“I have had several people come talk to me and they want to be in the town limits,” Lejeune said. “Fortunately the landowners are all for it and they all want to help the town. They realize how much it will benefit the town and they want to be part of it, which is a great thing.”

About 8 property owners will be included in the initial annexation, he said.

Property annexed into the town will have access to the town’s water, sewer and other services.

For the town, the annexation will mean more revenue in the form of property taxes and sales taxes, he said.

“The sales tax is going to be a huge boost for the town,” Lejeune said. “That would give us money to do projects, use for matching funds on grants…It’s going to be a big thing for the town.”

He estimates that the town’s sales taxes could increase by  $70,000 annually just from Quality Collision and Tiger Mart.

The annexation is also expected to boost the town’s ability to attract economic development opportunities and develop commercial properties on the west side of La. 26, he said.

“If the property is sold for personal property inside the town limits, it doesn’t help us, so that’s why we are trying to get it incorporated for commercial use,” he said.

The Lake Arthur Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to introduce the proposed annexation, but did not set a date for official approval of the ordinance pending competition of paperwork.