Jones said he and his wife have lived in the Shady Grove community for about 45 years.

“We were originally on the University Utility Water and then the city bought them out,” he said. “We are elderly people, so we don’t pay a lot of taxes.

“I’m not against the city. I love Laurel, but this is a forest,” Jones said. “We don’t have the city’s sewer services here and I don’t think they can afford to come in and put us on their system. ... We don’t mind the taxes, because about 70 percent of the people here are elderly and don’t pay taxes.”

Sue Walker, a resident of Laurel, said she’s lived in the city for about 45 years and loves it.

“I like the conveniences of living in the city,” she said. “I like being close to things and all of the lights.”

The Supreme Court appeal process is the city’s last challenge against a judge’s 2007 ruling in the annexation case.

City leaders filed the case, which began under former mayor Susan Vincent’s administration, with hopes to make part of the Shady Grove and Sharon communities part of the city of Laurel. However, Judge Charles Thomas refused that request, citing a decrease in development and population.

“The City of Laurel has seen a continual decline in population for the last 40 years,” the official court document reads. “In spite of past annexations, the population of the city has dropped from 27,889 in 1960 ... to 18,893 in the year 2000. Such a continual decrease in population certainly calls into question the city’s need to expand and indicates that there is no current need for the city to expand its municipal boundaries. The lack of growth diminishes the need for expansion.”

However, the judge awarded the city the Pendorff area and the Sportsplex area during a phase of the annexation battle. These areas are home to about 1,000 people.

Laurel City Administrator Gary Suddith said each side in the annexation battle had to submit requests for reconsiderations in Thomas’ final judgment order.

Suddith said the city in March did file questions on four different points, the main two being two sections where the city already provides utilities.

“We are asking for the 2.5-mile area between the city limits of Laurel and Shady Grove, where the city of Laurel already provides the area with utilities,” he explained. “We originally asked for the area up to Trace Road. Now, we are asking for the area from the city limits to University Road, up to Houston Road to Highway 15. We are not requesting any of the Shady Grove utility district.”

In his ruling, Thomas did mention that having revitalization efforts downtown will help the city in the future.

“Despite the declining population and the declining economy as noted above, the city of Laurel has been fairly successful in redeveloping the existing downtown and redevelopment improved the situation,” Thomas wrote. “Redevelopment has an impact on attracting adjacent development as shown by the small businesses, restaurants and specialty stores surrounding the shopping mall located within the city.”

City leaders, Thomas wrote, should continue efforts to rebuild vacant lots and revitalize run-down buildings already within the city boundaries.