Not sure but I think the figure for petitioning the legislature for an incorporation vote is 15% of the registered voters of the area. I called the Board of elections in Smurfield this morning. One would think that this kind of information is readily available, at least for the employees. Nope. Synopsis of call follows: Them: "Board of elections" Me: "Good Morning. I'd like to know how many registered voters there are in the Cleveland Township, according to your most recent records." Them: "I don't know. You have to speak with the supervisor of elections. But she's in a meeting until 12." Me: "Is there anyone else ther that can answer my question?" Them: "The assistant." "But, she's in the meeting too." Me: "So you mean to tell me that this information is not readily available?" Them: ".....uhm, that's right." Me: "I'll call back at 12. That would presume that the person who knows isn;t goping to lunch at 12, right? Them: "Someone will be here to answer your question." ---------- Now, if the US DOJ was calling about voter fraud, etc, or Bob Etheridge's office was calling, don't you think for a minute that they'd "find" that info quickly. I do, and this info should be READILY available. IF I can find voting districts on the GIS, certainly someone competent could post a listing of the townships, with #'s of registered voters in the township.
Cleveland Township voter information. The info I got from elections was as follows: N. Cleveland precinct 5334 registered Southeast Cleveland 2102 Southwest Cleveland 3317 total 10753 need to petition legislature for incorporation 2150 registered voters. But, I don't think we're they're yet. I still think we need to develop some sense of consensus as to whether there is sufficient interest to begin this process.
I like something to the effect of either Old Cleveland School, or Cleveland School .. My kids all went to the Old Cleveland School when there was nothing out here but that one big Old Cleveland School.
since we are all divided on what we want to call the place how about Cleavetown.- just kidding... other suggections.... conjunctin junction? How about just Junction? We are not Ohio town? Devilockville? Hey look we got us a freakin Walmart - ville? Rubber Balls town? ( see other thread) Middle of Nowheresville? Since they put up that fountain on Cleveland Road, we could really be Cleveland Springs? C3 land? Go home - got too many people-ville? Fued'in Family-ville?
I'm still holding out for "CLEVELAND ROCKS"......home of the annual Drew Carey Festival....gotta have a way to bring tourists in once a year, get their money, and have 'em leave.
i don't know what ou are worried about we have "Hog Killin Day" in Kenly or Lucama or someplace on the other side of JOCO. You can even get a package plan with the Bates Motel and Trailer Resort. what more do you want to tourism?
I don't know,, to me the true Cleveland area is the area just around the Old Cleveland School and DR Wells. The 40/42 area should be named something else and shouldn't be included in the survey!
Wow, Hatt! Thanks for getting all that info. What ideas do you have in getting a consensus as to whether or not enough people are interested? I ask because I have a small brain, (not the smartest of the group)- and the only way I can think of is to go based on petitions, if we reach the 2,000+ signatures needed, we have interest. If people aren't interested in signing one, then we're SOL.
Kids, thanks for the kind words. Well, with such a diverse group, it's going to be difficult, at best. And, until the threat of being sucked up by someone else that the folks don't want looms large, I'm afraid that they won't want to do anything until then. I'm proposing that if you live in the Cleveland Township, as identified by voting within the three areas, Cleveland North, Southeast Cleveland, and Southwest Cleveland, that we develop some petition that affects just those people via mailing list, send out a query, and see how the chips stack up. We can even enter a naming contest within that mailing, with the top five popular names from this pool, and a write in. And then, presuming that sufficient people vote YES to consider an incorporation drive, and report the most popular name. Then we begin the process with a proposed name, and get enough support from those who live within the area to vote on the petition for incorporation, and send that to the legislature, if the petition is supported by 2150 of those registered to vote. Eastover, NC was a little farming community through which a lot of traffic passed, who got tired of being dictated to by Cumberland County. They went through this and incorporated in July 07. They had an interim town board based on popular voted to help run the town, establish services, and then had another election in November for the town board. I believe that they contracted for the county to collect heir amount of city taxes, contracted with the Sheriff's Office for police services, etc. And their tax rate is far lower than that of Fayetteville, much the same that Archer Lodge has proposed versus Clayton's rate. I'm sure that the mayor of Eastover would be happy to come up to see us, say - at a GCCC sponsored evening event- to talk with us about the successes they had, the pitfalls they found, and perhaps even serve as a guiding voice to do so. It seems "doable", if we can get off our collective :beathorse: and do something.
If we can get this ball rolling, then perhaps a petition during the Strawberry festival would help. And, I'm not trying to isolate, nor misrepresent anyone outside the Cleveland Township. I figure that the folks at McGee's have their own issues and say so. Obviously, we'd welcome the sincere input of everyone out here. Robbie, what happens if we incorporate all around the school area and DR's Then you'd be surrounded, and facing much the same threat of assimilation from us, that we do from Clayton now. Seems to me that it's better to have a voice, and work with the powers that be, rather than mount a standoff campaign.
Gotta run, will write more later- but a quick note. I was told (not sure how true this is) that if we wait until AFTER Clayton tries to annex the area that it will be too late. If our response is after they announce annexation plans, then the area cannot incorporate for at least a year later? Again, not sure how to check out the protocol on incorporating. Another thing, unfortunately all of this consensus gathering will cost money. I have none. :-( But, I do have the word from one Commissioner that he will donate the first $100 to the cause if our area did decided to incorporate. I will hold him to that!
LeeAnn in the elections office has been most helpful, and quite easy to guide me, thus far, on my quest for understanding. It will cost 1/2 cent per household, to get the names on a mailing list. Figure that there are 8000 households in the Cleveland Township, as several voters will reside in the same house. 80 dollars for the mailing labels. Plus the cost of reproducing 8000 form letters that would say, please vote yes or no on the possibility of incorporating this area as defined by the Cleveland Township. Plus 8000 stamps and a return postcard. labels for survey 80 survey (10 cents per copy) 8000 x .1= 800 return post card 10cents plus, (26 cents to mail)8000 X .36 = 2880 stamps for survey. 8000 .41 = 3280 which comes out to about seven thousand forty dollars. If my math is way off, please feel free to correct it, but don't just critique, fix it. Proposed verbiage for survey and postcards. Here are the top 5 names as proposed for the area. Please select rank them 1 thru 5, with 5 being your preferred choice, 4 being your next preferred choice and so on. If the name you would like is not listed, please add it, rank it as your # 5, and then rank any other names from the list of 5. Please indicate the number of registered voters in this household. Please return this survey nlt, February 28, 2008. Surveys received after that date will not be counted.
H6, just a quick suggestion, your next call should be to the Chamber of Commerce - the cause for incorporation and naming has been in their to do list for a long time and they did quite a bit a few years back - it could save you repeating what is already done and they may be ready to get going on it too which would help immensely with the cost. i do know several months ago there were having a meeting to discuss the incorporation ideas and unfortunately i was invited but unable to make that one. i will make a call to a friend who is still very involved and see what i can find out.
