Fact check: annexation and West Oak

We are seeing a lot of misinformation related to annexation and the West Oak neighborhood (hi neighbors!) and so today, it’s time for a little rumor control.

(TLDR: we haven’t annexed your neighborhood, it’s a post office thing. Read more below)

1. First and foremost, no one can be annexed into a city in Texas without their permission. Thanks to a law passed in 2019 by the state legislature, forced annexation is illegal in the state of Texas. You cannot be brought into the city limits unless you ask the city to do so.
2. Some residents in the West Oak neighborhood are seeing the city name of “Willow Park” on their mail where they used to see “Aledo.” This is due to the post office working on some changes but will not affect anything other than the way your mail looks. Zip codes and city limits are two different things: the 76008 Aledo zip code, for example, encompasses a far larger area than just the City of Aledo. Your zip code reflects your local post office location, not your city location.
3. If you live in the area near Fortified Fitness and Bankhead Highway, you may have gotten a letter about a public hearing. This is related to the property where Fortified Fitness sits and some land behind it. The property owners have requested to be annexed and there are required public hearings where the neighbors are notified. Again, we have no plans to annex the West Oak neighborhood.
4. We’re hearing that a lot of bad information is making the rounds on social media related to this matter. Please share this factual information with your neighbors! Reliable sources include the city website, our newsletters, our social media channels, and the staff at city hall. Please do not rely on unreliable sources.
5. If you have questions, we have a communications director who is here for this very reason: to be a resource for the public. You can email rhoffman@willowpark.org for any concerns you may have.