Aberdeen is moving ahead with its first involuntary annexation since 1990. The town's reasons illustrate perfectly why municipalities must be able to take such a step when necessary.

The town plans to annex property in two areas. One is on Chapel Greens Place and along Pleasant and East Oaks streets, an area partly bordered by N.C. 211 and Pee Dee Road. The other area is the Forest Hills subdivision off U.S. 1. It covers the Thrushwood Road area and includes lots on John McQueen, Wildwood and Longleaf roads.

Mayor Betsy Mofield says the town is trying to make its borders more uniform by "bringing in the entire neighborhood rather than just individual homes." She pointed out in a recent Town Board meeting that this will not place an undue financial burden on property owners. In fact, some will find it cheaper to be in town. They will no longer have to pay a fire district tax, and water and sewer rates for out-of-town customers are double those that in-towners pay.

For areas that currently lack sewer service, the town plans to construct lines within a year of the effective date of the annexation, which would be June 30 should the board adopt the resolution May 18. The town will also provide trash collection and police protection in these areas.

Some of these areas in question are islands surrounded by municipal areas. As Town Manager Bill Zell pointed out, some residents who live near the police station now have to call the Moore County Sheriff's Department for law-enforcement protection. That makes no sense.

Other towns, including Southern Pines, could learn from Aberdeen's example of filling in unannexed doughnut holes in their midst.

This annexation will allow for the orderly growth of the town and is good example of why the N.C. General Assembly should not gut the state's annexation law, as it is being asked to do by those Pinewild residents now trying to fight off an unwelcome annexation by the village of Pinehurst. That would do more harm than good by preventing the orderly growth of towns and thwart them from taking in areas that are parts of towns in fact and should be in law as well.