BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Leaders with the City of Bloomington are appealing a recent ruling against part the city’s annexation plan.

“We believe strongly in the merits of our case,” Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson said in a statement Thursday.

In his ruling Aug 7, Lawrence County Judge Nathan Nikirk cited the financial impact on residents in annexed areas as a reason for striking down the plan.

The case focused on two big annexation areas west and southwest of Bloomington, Area 1A and Area 1B.

A decision on the appeal could take more than a year to be final.