Have there been any more talks about incorporating Cleveland/Cleveland Springs/Old Cleveland/New Cleveland/Cleveland School/4042/Tombstone? I remember that survey by the GCCC several years ago, only to find out that Cleveland Springs was already taken.
A few of us have discussed it. The overwhelming response we hear is that folks moved out here to get away from the taxes and government interference with their property. We get that. We also believe that, in time, Garner or Clayton will come a knocking, and it will be too late to stop them, when they do. They see us as a golden goose to fill their coffers. Our interests are secondary to them and we will become a small fish in a large pond. Archer Lodge has seen the writing on the wall. And they decided to formally incorporate to preclude the expansion of Clayton. Are the Archer Lodge interests any more important than ours? Is their property any more valuable to them, than ours is to us? I think not. Eastover, in Cumberland County, came to the same conclusion and incorporated to preclude Fayetteville from annexing them. It seems to me that if we incorporate, we will be able to establish our own form of government, with folks more likely to hear and evaluate what we say, as opposed to being one of many in an existing city. We'll be able to establish our own millage rates, which may be more reflective of our needs, and not being automatically factored as it would by another city's existing rates. I think that with Clayton expanding their ETJ and other areas to get the new JMH area off 42, we can plan on them coming in sooner than any of us thought. Perhaps with a LEO presence that is better resourced, (not a slam against JoCO SO or the SHP - they have plenty to do) we can have an impact on reducing the teenage driving deaths for which we are rapidly becoming notorious. If I am to pay taxes, and I'm sure I will, either to us, Garner, or Clayton, I choose us, where we can help establish our own government and priorities. Waiting much longer will make it more improbable that we will be able to influence our own destiny.
Hatteras, my thoughts exactly. We were so close many years ago.....was it in 2000 or 2001 or so? I followed all of the articles and remember there was a story about a town somewhere near High Point that incorporated so they would not disappear. There just seemed to be a lot of excuses like no zip codes available, couldn't pick the perfect name, etc and then it seemed the topic was dropped. Thanks for the info!
When this thing came to head some years ago I remember it was directed by the GCCC. I forget the name of the GCCC director, but she had some spine. Whether the method or timing was right is another matter, but at least someone once took the helm and tried. I am all for it. It makes so much sense. The 4042 area continues to be a major cash cow tax base for JoCo while simultaneously serving as its glorified truck stop toilet. Light police protection, ZERO planning consideration, hardly any representation, and the list goes on.
I second the "zero planning consideration" comment. Things have gotten way out of hand in the Cleveland area over the past few years. Some looking for a quick fast buck know how to play their cards right. I definitely agree with being incorporated!
...and the whole 'I don't want to pay more taxes' argument doesn't fly here either because as a couple have already pointed out paying taxes to our own 'Cleveland' would be better than paying to Clayton/Garner and not getting anywhere near the attention we should. You get what you pay for and in our case we are paying for nothing and we are getting nothing in return right now.
Now if only you guys had shown up for the meetings, amazingly enough the only ones that showed up for those meetings were the ones opposing and the meetings were very much advertised in all the local media.
When we were part of the GCCC, this was one of my interests. Yet, when most of the folks one talks to kep using that tired old refrain about not pauying taxes as the resaon they moved here, and not being interested in what the future might hold, it got old and lonely kinda quick. I found other windmills to tilt. Incorporation was, is still, and will be a good idea whose time has not yet come. When that time comes, I believe it will be in a chicken little response, not a well thought out and executed plan. That said, where do we stand?
How difficult is it for an entity with no clear leaders to navigate an incorporation? No one gets paid to do this sort of thing. It has to be sponsored in some way, whether that be local businesses via the GCCC or perhaps JoCo itself calving off a section of the county that it can clearly no longer serve.
Hey Harvey, Its not as easy as you think. Archer Lodge formed a committee, hired a lawyer had numerous fundraisers to pay for said lawyer. You also have to have the backing from a law maker, your best bet is Bob Ethridge, he seems all about helping with things like this. You have to have your town officials in place and you have to provide 4 out of 5 services to the community on your own.. Fire, Police, Planning, and I can't remember the other two. You can find a ton of information on it. If you do enough research you can find out who started this in Archer Lodge and ask them a lot of questions, I am sure they would not mind helping you!
Good information, except I'm pretty sure it has to be a state law maker, not our Congressman. For this part of the county, our rep to the state house is J.H. Langdon, http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=House&nUserID=482 And our state senator is David Rouzer, http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=Senate&nUserID=234
It is a state law issue. Here's a summary of what you have to do, from the NC General Assembly. http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/documen...mary of Municipal Incorporation Procedure.pdf
My statement was not meant to reflect how easy it should be. I guess I formed my words incorrectly. My point was that there is no leadership in Cleveland School and therefore I fear it is not easy and will never happen for us.
