The Kanawha County Planning Commission unanimously recommended Wednesday that the county commission reject Clendenin's attempt to annex 166 homes and seven businesses.
The verbal decision elicited a round of applause from a standing-room only audience at a public hearing about the annexation proposal.
Commissioners listened to more than 15 residents speak out in opposition of the proposal, before they made their decision. Only one person spoke in favor of the proposal.
"I think it's overwhelming that they do not want to be annexed," Commissioner Pam Eder said before the vote.
Clendenin Mayor Gary Bledsoe only had an estimate of how much it would cost the people affected by the annexation, but he said that they would only have to pay a $3 a month municipality fee and any changes to their insurance prices.
"It's time for the town of Clendenin to grow a little," Bledsoe said. "We're not doing this for the money."
But the public worried that new taxes could make it difficult for people living on fixed incomes.
"The taxes, while it's not much to one, it's a whole lot to somebody else," said Matthew Myers, who lives in the proposed annexation area.
Bledsoe said the reason he wanted to annex the area was so that his police department could provide protection for the people currently outside town limits.
He said that often, Clendenin police assist the Kanawha County sheriff's deputies by investigating events in the unincorporated areas.
"When we do that, we leave the town of Clendenin unprotected," Bledsoe said. "It does take away from our taxpayers."
For the most part, the people attending the meeting didn't feel like becoming a part of Clendenin would provide them with more safety. Many referenced recent crimes within city limits and worried that expanding the boundaries would stretch the department.
"I don't think they can handle the police protection," said Kenneth Sloan, who lives in the proposed annexation area. "There's breaking and entering, there's drugs all over town and the cops just look the other way."
The only person from the affected area who spoke in support of the plan, thought that the police might be able to help with the drug problem in her neighborhood because it would increase local patrols.
Some of the affected residents were also worried that being a part of the city would affect their ability to own animals and hunt on their property.
Georgia Barido raises chickens and would like to build another coop for her poultry. She was worried that becoming a part of the town would keep her from doing that because of town ordinances against raising farm animals.
Kimberly Dawson, who owns a potbelly pig and has lived on Kelly Hill for 35 years, said that the people can take care of themselves.
"We're all a family, we're all a community," Dawson said.
Now that the planning commission has made its recommendation, the proposal will go to the Kanawha County Commission for a vote.
Reach Daniel Desrochers at dan.desrochers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or on twitter at @drdesrochers.