EAST PEORIA — A move by East Peoria to annex 149 properties in the Highland Hills Estates subdivision into the city has put the residents of the neighborhood in a fighting mood.

"Nobody here wants to be in East Peoria," said Donna Browder, who has lived in the Robein-area neighborhood for more than 12 years and initiated a "Stop Annexation" petition on change.org. "Nobody."

The neighborhood is behind Robein Elementary School and is only accessed off of East Washington Street by Sunrise Drive, an East Peoria-maintained city street. The city only recently learned that the subdivision at a little more than 50 acres was smaller than the state's 60-acre annexation minimum. That makes it a size that allows for its annexation by a majority vote of the five-person City Council. Individual property owners do not need to request to be annexed into the city as required by parcels of more than 60 acres.

The annexation of the subdivision, currently located in an unincorporated section of Tazewell County completely surrounded by the city of East Peoria, would increase an average individual property tax bill by $411 a year. Individual bills would increase by about 15 percent.

Although the city has maintained its current tax rate for several years now, residents feel over-taxed already before the looming increase due to annextion. Many are already satisfied with the level of services their tax dollars currently provide.

"Our taxes went up a big chunk a couple of years ago, and now the state has raised our income taxes," said resident Harry Arkanoff. "Everybody agrees that an annexation would not be beneficial to us residents at all."

East Peoria City Administrator Jeff Eder knows it's a hard sell to convince residents they'd be better off with city services they say they don't want. They currently are served by a Northern Tazewell fire district and water district, the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office and the Sundale Utility sewer company. Garbage is picked up by individual service contracts. Eder says residents in the neighborhood already receive East Peoria city services, they're just not paying for them. City police, with five to seven officers on-shift 24 hours a day, respond to 911 emergency calls while residents pay taxes for service by Tazewell County Sheriff's Office and its three deputy officers that serve the entire county, Eder said. Similarly, East Peoria city fire and ambulance services respond to Highland Hills and are often at emergency scenes before the all-volunteer Northern Tazewell Fire Department.

Plus, the city would not charge an additional fee for garbage pick up.

"It is a matter of fairness and of paying for services you receive," Eder said. "The City Council has to make decisions based on what is the best for its 23,000 residents, not one neighborhood."

Eder said in many cases the free garbage service would offset the property tax increase.

It's a cozy neighborhood — full of affordable houses on small, tree-filled lots with chairs on wooden porches for visiting, colorful glass balls on pedestals, a smattering of "Proud Union Home" yard signs, St. Louis Cardinals banners on flagpoles and a few wooden swings hanging by thick rope from sturdy tree limbs.

Browder believes the annexation would inevitably alter the character of the neighborhood.

"People know each other and visit door-to-door. Kids play in the yards and streets. It's a really great place to live," she said. "That would change. People say they would be forced to sell their homes and move away because they couldn't afford to live here anymore. It would change the character, and it's being shoved down our throats."

A meeting with residents and city officials will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Robein Elementary School, 200 Campus Ave., East Peoria. A quorum of the City Council has been invited and by late Monday afternoon, four had committed to attending.

Browder hopes an authentic outpouring from residents will win some hearts and minds on the East Peoria City Council.

"They are going to know how we all feel, that is for sure," she said. "Then it will be up to them to decide our fate."

A vote on annexation scheduled for the next council meeting on July 18 has been postponed, Eder said. It is now expected to occur at the council's Aug. 1 meeting.

Scott Hilyard can be reached at 686-3244 or by email at shilyard@pjstar.com. Follow @scotthilyard on Twitter.