Annexed, Ignored and Over-Taxed– Daily Update May 13, 2026

Annexed, Ignored and Over-Taxed

Daily Update - May 13, 2026

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Episode summary:

Annexed, ignored, and over‑taxed—today we break down Wilmington City Council’s push for nearly a 20% property tax hike and what it means for the communities footing the bill. We look at how high‑value neighborhoods like Landfall, Wrightsville Sound, Masonboro Sound, River Lights, and Pine Valley were forcefully annexed years ago and are now being used as the city’s ATM for Democrat tax‑and‑spend dreams. You’ll hear why Republicans will likely never win Wilmington again, and why it may be time for conservative neighborhoods to simply leave the city and rejoin the county. Finally, we walk through the straightforward state‑level process to redraw city lines—and what it would take for local homeowners to say “enough” and make it happen.

What you’ll learn / Key moments

00:00 – Is it time for conservative communities to leave Wilmington altogether?
00:10 – Wilmington’s nearly 20% property tax hike and a proposed budget that’s $44 million higher than last year.
00:26 – How annexed areas like Landfall, Wrightsville Sound, Masonboro Sound, River Lights, and Pine Valley are being overruled by downtown liberals.
00:50 – The history of forced annexation and how high‑value neighborhoods were pulled into the city without a say.
01:11 – Why a Democrat‑controlled council sees Wilmington as a showcase for higher government pay and permanent big‑spending policies.
01:23 – The case for de‑annexation: why Republican‑leaning communities should consider rejoining New Hanover County.
01:36 – The simple, state‑driven process for redrawing Wilmington’s city limits—and why City Council doesn’t control the map.
01:56 – How conservatives can fight back by shrinking Wilmington instead of funding liberal expansion.
02:28 – Closing thoughts on standing up, saying “no more,” and taking real local action.

What you can do

If you live in one of these over‑taxed, under‑represented neighborhoods, now is the time to get organized. Talk with your HOA, your neighbors, and local conservative leaders about whether it’s finally time to leave Wilmington’s boundaries and return to the county. Learn the petition process, contact your state legislators, and make it clear that you are done being the purse for Democrat tax‑and‑spend experiments.

Share this episode, start the conversation in your community, and let Raleigh know that if Wilmington liberals insist on growing government, conservatives will respond by cutting Wilmington down to size.

Is it time for local communities to consider leaving Wilmington?

This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

WECT is reporting that Wilmington City Council is moving forward with plans to increase property taxes by close to 20%. The proposed budget is $44 million dollars more than the previous one and will need to be approved by June 30.

The property owners that are going to be hit the hardest with these tax increases generally voted against them last November in the municipal elections. Areas like Landfall, Wrightsville Sound, Masonboro Sound, and River Lights all voted to send at least one – and in most cases two – Republicans to the City Council – but were overridden by the sheer numbers in downtown Wilmington.

These areas have another thing common – most were forcefully annexed by the city before the state effectively ended the practice near the beginning of the millennium. In other words, high property value areas that really did not want to be part of Wilmington in the first place were brought into the municipality without any say in the matter. They are now being forced to pay taxes for a Democrat-controlled council who thinks the city should be a beacon on the hill as to how highly it pays government employees.

Republicans will never win the city politically again. So, it is high time for places like Pine Valley and Landfall to consider that now is the time to leave Wilmington behind and rejoin the county.

To do so requires landowners and communities to petition the state legislature to redraw the lines of Wilmington to exclude their areas. It is that simple. The city council – while sought out for their input – have no legislative say in the city boundaries. The General Assembly tweaks city maps all the time. While an exodus of these areas is more than a tweak, it still follows the same state-overseen process. But it all begins with communities standing up and stating unequivocally that they are done being the purse for failed Democrat tax-and-spend policies.

Since Wilmington liberals only wants to expand government spending, it makes sense that Conservatives fight back the only way we know how – by decreasing the size of Wilmington itself.

For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample. Thanks for listening.

Reuel Sample is the Editor-in-Chief of The Wilmington Standard. A graduate of Grove City College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he has served as both a Presbyterian Pastor and a Navy Chaplain. He is the product of a classical liberal arts education combined with real world experience in politics and business and conservative Christian worldview firmly rooted in the Reformed tradition. He is the host of several podcasts including the NHC GOP Podcast, the Pastor's Voice, and co-hosts the Nikki and Reuel Podcast Experience. An avid sailor, he has sailed around the world as a youth and to the Azores as a teen as well as extensive trips up and down the east coast of the United States. He is honored to be married to his wife Pam and makes his home in Wilmington, NC.