On Jan. 21, Leander City Council approved a resolution to annex about 3,208 acres to the city limits. The annexation process would continue with two public hearings in March and end with two readings of a city ordinance in April, Assistant City Manager Tom Yantis told the council. If approved, the annexation would increase land located within city limits by about 17 percent. “It probably is one of the biggest [annexations] we’ve had,” City Manager Kent Cagle said. “It’s mostly in the northwest part of town and the east side of town.” Many of the properties are located within the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ, in the north side of Leander. Yantis said the annexations are meant to include areas of high growth and fill gaps between properties that are already included in the city. He said these annexations would be involuntary, meaning the property owners did not request annexation. A property located within the city limits is covered by city services, such as police and fire protection, animal control, parks maintenance and public utilities. Property owners whose properties have been annexed also pay property taxes to the city. Yantis said landowners who have property tax exemptions for agriculture, wildlife management or timber can keep their property taxes in ETJ status if they maintain exemptions for five years. The city will notify landowners of the proposed annexation and meet with them, he said. City council members also approved a resolution for voluntary annexation process for two city-owner properties that total 44.73 acres. One site on CR 280 is used for an elevated water storage tank. Another site is northeast of US 183 and the San Gabriel River and is planned for a new city park. Public hearings and ordinance readings for the involuntary annexations will coincide with the hearings and readings for the involuntary annexation process.