RALEIGH – State lawmakers are considering whether to toughen up laws that govern how cities annex adjoining land.

Some advocates of reforming the laws believe it's too easy for cities to sprawl. But state legislators do not want to take the right away from municipalities altogether.

Wednesday, a crowd dressed in red supporting changes in the law gathered at a legislative commission meeting addressing the issue.

Some of the lawmakers present at the meeting agreed with the crowd.

"I personally think you've got to overhaul the system," Rep. Bruce Goforth, D-Buncombe County, said. "Like I said, it has been 50 years since anything has been done on annexation and we have the most liberal laws in the U.S."

Goforth said the major point of concern is "annexation without representation."

Kathy Warren, of the Oak Level community in Nash County, said she is currently going through this so-called forced annexation.

"It is affecting us emotionally, physically, every way imaginable. When you get a letter in the mail that says, 'Oh, the property you bought is now going to be owned by the city,'" she said.

Warren said she sees no reason for a city to annex a community that doesn't want to be annexed. She says maybe when the laws were written a half-century ago they made sense, but not today.

"We don't need services from municipalities anymore," Warren said. "We already have them."

The fight has been going on for more than a year at the General Assembly, and now cities are starting to get on board with the idea of change.

"I think we have changed our position. I believe maybe 'evolved' is the way to put it, over time," Kelli Kukura, of the League of Municipalities, said.

In fact, the League of Municipalities has now proposed 20 changes to the current law. Kukura said they represent a compromised position.

"Many understand the annexation process, feel comfortable with it. Others feel that there are necessary changes," Kukura said. "So we are trying to find a happy medium, if you will."