"It makes it impossible for us to make a sound decision."

Those words spoken by Fayette County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn sum up the board's frustration about a new annexation law passed by this year's General Assembly.

The law compresses the timeline for counties to object to any annexation requests by municipalities. The commission got its first lesson in the the new law during last Thursday's meeting, when an annexation request by Tyrone had to be added to the agenda at the last minute.

The request was from Johnny Rusin, who wants to annex 2.54 acres on Farr and Tyrone roads into the town. The zoning would remain A-R, but the county leaders balked at the new timeline.

The law requires that counties must notify the town within seven days if it wants to file an objection. If the county fails to meet the timeline, it loses its right to object.

Because of the new law, some cities and the County Commission could face calling special meetings to deal with annexation requests. Cities also have an accelerated schedule, because they must notify the county in seven days.

The entire process could now take up to 115 days if the county objects, and a mediator is established. The new process now involves 14 steps.

"This is a really poorly drafted law," said Commissioner Linda Wells.

While the county did not file an objection against the Tyrone annexation, they warned the new law could lead to problems in the future.