The board voted 6-0 in favor of the annexation despite opposition voiced by many residents at last Tuesday's board meeting. Alderman John Herrera abstained from the vote.
Mayor Mike Nelson said he supports the annexation of the 365 acres of UNC-owned land because it acts in the best interests of the residents he was elected to represent. "While my heart is with them, my head leads me to a different conclusion," he said.
Nelson read a June memo from Orange County attorney Geoffrey Gledhill about annexation. Gledhill wrote, "Chapel Hill and Carrboro have the power to annex into the transition area without the approval of Orange County."
Nelson asked his fellow board members to think of what is best for the community and not what is popular.
"I ask you to choose between what's easy and what's hard," Nelson said. "I ask you to do a difficult thing -- put the needs of our citizens above popularity."
Nelson stressed the importance of annexation to combat development by the University and Winmore planners, which he said will occur whether or not Carrboro annexes the land.
"The University's bigger than we are, they're stronger than we are, and they have more powerful friends than we do," he said. "We have to make sure our citizens are in a strong position."
Nelson said Carrboro will have to assert its power in deciding what occurs in the area, especially the preservation of Bolin Creek Trail.
Alderman Jacquelyn Gist, formerly an opponent of annexation, said she voted in favor of it because she trusts the work the community has done for the last 15 years.