You may have read recently that Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield plans to restart the annexation of some areas of Hamilton County if the county and city cannot come together soon on the need to consolidate some of the services they provide.
There may well be benefits to merging certain services that are less efficient when provided separately, and it is sensible for all sides to seek a thorough study of those options - especially in a time of limited tax revenue. In fact, county officials say they are open to talks with the city on consolidating services.
On the issue of annexation, however, great caution is warranted. Annexation should move forward only with the majority consent of those in the areas to be annexed. For a variety of reasons, some people choose to buy homes outside city limits - just as some choose to live inside Chattanooga. We don't say that one is right and the other wrong; they just have different priorities.
But whatever their choices may be, the "consent of the governed" ought to prevail in annexation decisions.