Seymour’s annexation process, involving the addition of more than 700 acres to the city, continues to move forward.

Four public hearings were held during Monday night’s city council meeting for the four ordinances that represent the proposed annexation areas. No public input was received during any of the hearings and no action was taken on the ordinances by council.

Separate ordinances must be passed for each annexation area because the parcels do not border each other.

Ordinances will be voted on at the Seymour City Council’s meeting on Dec. 13.

Final action must be taken on the ordinances between 30 and 60 days after the public hearings have been conducted.

If annexation passes, landowners are allowed to formally oppose annexation by signing remonstrance petitions during a 90-day period. Petitions are filed with the county auditor’s office at the courthouse in Brownstown.

Fifty-one percent of landowners in each area must sign a remonstrance petition to be permitted a remonstrance trial.

An ordinance fails if 65% of landowners in one area sign remonstrance petitions, but if no petitions are filed, the annexations would occur without any additional city council action.

The city is looking to gain 719 acres of land added to its southeast and south sides after annexation.

The four annexation areas mostly involve agricultural land south of the city between State Road 11 (South Walnut Street) and County Road 975E where the Burkart Boulevard extension is currently being built. The Ashwood and Hovener subdivisions are off of County Road 950E (Meadowbrook Drive) south of The Home Depot.

A total of 210 parcels lie within the areas to be annexed.

The last annexation in the city occurred in 2013 under Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman. This included north side property that allowed for the development of the Burkart Crossing Apartments and Redbud Meadows subdivision.

Six public outreach meetings about the current areas to be annexed were held in July by city officials. Those mandatory hearings were held to provide information to impacted residents and property owners and to receive public input.

Barnes and Thornburg attorney Nick Kile said at an Aug. 23 Seymour City Council meeting that adjustments were made in the ordinances based on public input from those meetings.

Monday night’s meeting was intended to be the last Seymour City Council meeting held in the Seymour Police Department training room. The next will be inside Seymour City Hall, located at 211 N. Chestnut St., on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.