Selma — A crowd packed the auditorium at Selma Elementary School on Tuesday to oppose a proposed extension of the town’s planning jurisdiction.

About 30 residents of areas south of Starline Road expressed concerns about the proposal. Most said they regarded the move as either an involuntary annexation of their properties or as the first step in that direction.

“Frankly, it’s like you want us but we don’t want you,” said Jenny Edwards, whose family owns a farm on Brown Wall Road.

Others, including community activist Tony Tetterton, took the issue a step further, charging Mayor Charles Hester with making a “power play.” Tetterton was among several speakers who said the proposed extension violated the terms of statutes regulating such actions.

Bob Lucas, a local attorney, said several conditions must be met for an extension of the town’s ETJ. He said that among other things, statutes demand that town leaders have to prove that extending their planning authority is critical to the town’s development. Also, Lucas said, the town must back up that claim with a land-use plan. Lucas said Selma hadn’t met either of those criteria.

“I’m embarrassed by this town, for no more planning than this, that you would expect citizens to come by and take [the ETJ extension],” he said.

Under a law passed in 1949 and amended several times since, North Carolina towns are allowed to extend their ETJ up to two miles beyond the town borders with permission of the county’s board of commissioners. Johnston commissioners gave Selma permission to extend its ETJ in February.