MERIDIAN, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – A Lauderdale County chancery judge has set a March 2027 trial in a dispute over the city of Meridian’s proposed annexation of property near the Sonny Montgomery Industrial Park.
Chancellor Austin Terry scheduled the trial for March 29 through April 2, 2027, following a hearing Thursday in Lauderdale County Chancery Court. The hearing included representatives from Meridian, the Town of Marion and Briarwood Residents for an Independent Community, or BRIC.
The proposed annexation involves property adjoining Marion and the industrial park. According to information presented at the hearing, the property is owned by three entities, including Lauderdale County and Coca-Cola. A representative for Meridian said all three property owners support the annexation.
A representative for the Town of Marion said the town is not opposed to Meridian’s proposed annexation.
BRIC, however, formally objected to the proposal. The organization represents residents of the Briarwood area, which was annexed into Meridian approximately 18 years ago.
A BRIC representative argued Thursday that Meridian has not adequately provided police, fire, public works and water services to the roughly 600 households in the Briarwood community since that annexation. The group contends Meridian should be required to demonstrate that it is adequately serving previously annexed areas before being permitted to annex additional property.
Representatives for Meridian disputed the relevance of BRIC’s argument, noting that the Briarwood area is not part of the proposed annexation. They argued BRIC is attempting to use the current annexation case to address longstanding complaints about services in its own neighborhood.
BRIC has also said it believes Marion has a stronger claim to the area because the town and Lauderdale County already provide infrastructure and services at or near the proposed annexation site. The organization has cited Marion’s water and sewer infrastructure, including a town-owned well, water treatment plant and water and sewer lines.
The North Lauderdale Water Association has similarly said Marion owns a 750,000-gallon water tower at the industrial park and has a water well and treatment plant at the proposed annexation site, along with a 12-inch water line and 6-inch sewer line.
During Thursday’s hearing, a Marion resident identified as Mr. Williams testified that he has lived in the town since 2010 and would prefer to see Marion annex the property.
Terry noted that Marion has not filed an annexation action for the property, meaning annexation by Marion is not currently before the court.
Scheduling also became an issue during the hearing. BRIC representatives requested a trial at least nine months away to allow time to gather public records and other documents, while Meridian sought an earlier date. Meridian representatives estimated the trial would require about three days, while BRIC estimated five to six days.
Three potential trial periods were considered: Feb. 1-5, March 29-April 2 and April 12-16. Meridian favored the February dates, while BRIC favored April. Terry ultimately selected March 29 through April 2. A pretrial proceeding could also be scheduled before the trial.
BRIC has said its objection is not directed at the proposed data center itself but at Meridian’s effort to annex additional territory. The group argues the city has not fulfilled service obligations associated with previous annexations.
