Gentner Drummond intervenes in lawsuit over Sand Springs data center annexation
Oklahoma AG Gentner Drummond has intervened in a lawsuit challenging Sand Springs land annexation for the planned Project Spring data center.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed to intervene in a Sand Springs annexation court case yesterday. The state legal action challenges land acquisition used for the planned Project Spring data center. Local residents had previously filed the legal action on their own.
Community activist Kyle Schmidt confirmed the state filing. The legal motion states Drummond entered the case to protect Oklahoma citizens. Drummond’s office said cities do not possess an automatic right to annex land.
“The Attorney General is stepping in because this case matters to the public. Cities don’t have an automatic right to annex land. That power comes from the state, and the Attorney General has a duty to make sure it’s used lawfully. Annexing land just to create a connection to another property, with no real benefit to the city itself, is not a proper use of that power.”
Schmidt said the state filing counters the city’s standing claims. Opponents argue the municipality improperly annexed the tract. They claim the city relied on a narrow strip of land.
“The Supreme Court said you cannot use narrow strips of land in order to join an outlying piece of property just for the purpose of contiguity, and that’s exactly what the city did here.”
City Manager Mike Carter stated municipal attorneys are reviewing the filing. Carter said the move does not alter the facts. Officials look forward to a court resolution.
Opponents have spent a hundred thousand dollars on the litigation. Residents have also gathered signatures for a recall effort. They spoke at public meetings in Sand Springs.
Municipal annexation allows a city to expand its boundaries over adjacent territory. Legal contiguity requires that annexed property touches the existing boundary line. State law governs municipal expansion powers.
Schmidt hopes the intervention persuades Sand Springs leaders to abandon the project. City officials maintain the state filing changes nothing. The case remains pending in court.
