WHY INCORPORATION
MAKES NO SENSE
The Hampstead area is currently served by Pender County with planning and zoning, water service, sanitation/trash, law enforcement, and contracted Fire and EMS. The Hampstead area has access to private sewer, and a bypass that is fully funded and beginning construction by NCDOT to address the traffic issues in the heart of our community.
– Incorporating a town will serve to only duplicate nearly all these services, resulting in massive new spending and higher taxes & fees upon the backs of many already on fixed incomes – and all for services we already have available.
NATURAL DISASTERS
As seen by Hurricane Florence, the local government must have a tremendous amount of money in reserves in order to carry-out the clean up effort required to get back to a normal way of life. If Hampstead incorporates, we will no longer be under the responsibility of Pender County and the cleanup effort will have to be funded by the Town until Federal reimbursement arrives many years later. As citizens, we will have no access to the reserve funds that we already paid for in taxes to Pender County and will have to be tax heavily again in order to establish the millions upon millions needed in reserves for the next hurricane season.
HIGHER TAXES & FEES
Additional Property taxes on top of what we currently pay to Pender County are only the beginning if we add another layer of government by incorporating the Hampstead area.
– By incorporating Hampstead, we are giving the elected town politicians the power to impose all the taxes and fees afforded to municipal governments in our State, which include but is not limited to:
• additional property taxes on your home, the power to levy special assessments above and beyond the normal tax burden, additional taxes on your cars, campers, motor homes, boats, etc. (any trailer registered with NCDMV), the ability to tax your pets, golf carts, and the power to impose fees – just to name a few.
• If these taxes did not pay for the new town hall, town manager, town attorney, police and fire services, sanitation, public buildings, parks and maintenance, and an entire town government built from scratch, then the town politicians would raise taxes and fees again to make up for the shortfall.
SCHOOLS
Regardless of incorporation public schools will continue to be governed by the county and the proposed town will have no control over such – same school board, same superintendent, no change.
SANITATION/TRASH SERVICE
If Hampstead incorporates, the town residents will no longer have full access to the Pender County trash convenience stations. We will still have to pay a portion of trash service through our taxes to Pender County and then pay additional fees to the Town of Hampstead to receive a service that we already have provided. Why pay more for trash service when we currently have full access to the county trash stations? In addition, why lose the ability to engage the private trash service of our choice? More costs/no benefits.
REGULATION
By incorporating Hampstead, we are asking another group of government bureaucrats to craft ordinances to control our property and our lives. Ordinances that will regulate what you can do on your private property.
– Note that even if you are not in the Town limits, the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) provisions allowed by North Carolina law, allows any town/city to enforce their ordinances a full mile outside of their municipal limits. This means all the citizens a mile outside of the incorporated area will have no vote in the town, but will be subject to fines for any of the town’s ordinances that they break (noise ordinances, burning ordinances, etc.)
Incorporation of Hampstead is about SERVICES and LOCAL CONTROL
Within the first three years of incorporation the municipality must furnish four of eight services to the municipality the service are Police protection, fire protection, solid waste collection or disposal, water distribution, street maintenance, street construction or right-of-way acquisition, street lighting, and zoning.
LOCAL CONTROL
Over what – County Planning and Zoning is planned years in advance – we cannot change that – the only control is MORE GOVERNMENT CONTROLLING US.
What is the cost and benefit of Incorporation?
The cost is clearly more taxes and added government. The benefits allegedly derived we already have except we do not have a local municipality building we do have a County building.
What will it cost to incorporate Hampstead?
The cost will be duplicating the services we already have and giving people less control over their money and creating another layer of government which will dictate to us our way of life and in many cases deprive us of our choice in services and movement. Folks on fixed income and those working two jobs will pay more and have less – quality of life which they now have will change – dramatically.
WHAT DO WE NOT HAVE NOW?
We pay County Taxes for this now – if incorporated, we will also pay the Municipality for the same thing.
WILL WE GET MORE? NO – EXCEPT TO PAY MORE!
Emergency management
In the event of a natural crisis (hurricanes, etc.) the town must have resource funds to pay up front for the help needed by our our citizens to recover from the damage caused by the disaster. Federal funds are available – in most cases – but are slow in getting to the needed area – it must be paid for now or it won’t get done at all. Clean up efforts will have to be undertaken by the town, provisional housing must be set up – extra protection must be afforded and medical supplies and food must be made readily available immediately. We will have no access to the reserve funds that we already paid for in taxes to Pender County and will have to be taxed heavily again in order to establish the millions upon millions needed in reserve for the next hurricane season.
Sanitation/trash service
If Hampstead incorporates, the town residents will no longer have full access to the Pender County trash convenience station. We will still have to pay a portion of Trash service through our taxes to Pender County and then pay additional fees to the town of Hampstead to receive services that we already have provided.
Incorporation of Hampstead is about SERVICES and LOCAL CONTROL
Within the first three years of incorporation the municipality must furnish four of eight services to the municipality the service are Police protection, fire protection, solid waste collection or disposal, water distribution, street maintenance, street construction or right-of-way acquisition, street lighting, and zoning.
LOCAL CONTROL
Over what – County Planning and Zoning is planned years in advance – we cannot change that – the only control is MORE GOVERNMENT CONTROLLING US.
What is the cost
and benefit of Incorporation?
The cost is clearly more taxes and added government. The benefits allegedly derived we already have except we do not have a local municipality building we do have a County building.
What will it cost
to incorporate Hampstead?
The cost will be duplicating the services we already have and giving people less control over their money and creating another layer of government which will dictate to us our way of life and in many cases deprive us of our choice in services and movement. Folks on fixed income and those working two jobs will pay more and have less – quality of life which they now have will change – dramatically.
WHAT DO WE NOT HAVE NOW?
We pay County Taxes for this now – if incorporated, we will also pay the Municipality for the same thing.
WILL WE GET MORE? NO – EXCEPT TO PAY MORE!
Emergency management
In the event of a natural crisis (hurricanes, etc.) the town must have resource funds to pay up front for the help needed by our our citizens to recover from the damage caused by the disaster. Federal funds are available – in most cases – but are slow in getting to the needed area – it must be paid for now or it won’t get done at all. Clean up efforts will have to be undertaken by the town, provisional housing must be set up – extra protection must be afforded and medical supplies and food must be made readily available immediately. We will have no access to the reserve funds that we already paid for in taxes to Pender County and will have to be taxed heavily again in order to establish the millions upon millions needed in reserve for the next hurricane season.
Sanitation/trash service
If Hampstead incorporates, the town residents will no longer have full access to the Pender County trash convenience station. We will still have to pay a portion of Trash service through our taxes to Pender County and then pay additional fees to the town of Hampstead to receive services that we already have provided.
Why pay more for trash service when we currently have full access to the county trash station?
Will Lose the ability to engage the private trash service of our choice.
MORE COSTS / NO BENEFITS
Is this the freedom of choice we are being offered? And at our expense.
By incorporating Hampstead, we are giving a governmental group unconditional control of citizens who have no input in the town government.
According to North Carolina law the residents residing within a 1 mile radius of the town limits are required to follow and obey the laws, regulations and rules established by the town. They have no voice in the town government but are required to follow and obey town laws subject to fines and other penalties.
Traffic Control and Control of Roads and Streets
If the road is numbered DOT has control and the town has none – only on unnumbered roads – then the town must maintain them – The cost to maintain is much more than the Powell Funds available – the town will need extra funds for that – where from MORE TAXES
Highway 17 belongs to DOT and DOT determines what happens there. They are already planning street lights and sidewalks for the downtown area – if the town wants them in the community – then the community (or the town) will pay.
Why pay more for trash service when we currently have full access to the county trash station?
Will Lose the ability to engage the private trash service of our choice.
MORE COSTS /
NO BENEFITS
Is this the freedom of choice we are being offered?
And at our expense.
By incorporating Hampstead, we are giving a governmental group unconditional control of citizens who have no input in the town government.
According to North Carolina law the residents residing within a 1 mile radius of the town limits are required to follow and obey the laws, regulations and rules established by the town. They have no voice in the town government but are required to follow and obey town laws subject to fines and other penalties.
Traffic Control and Control of Roads and Streets
If the road is numbered DOT has control and the town has none – only on unnumbered roads – then the town must maintain them – The cost to maintain is much more than the Powell Funds available – the town will need extra funds for that – where from MORE TAXES
Highway 17 belongs to DOT and DOT determines what happens there. They are already planning street lights and sidewalks for the downtown area – if the town wants them in the community – then the community (or the town) will pay.
Why impose more regulations upon ourselves and pay more for services we already have?
Do we need another expensive layer of government to determine how we live and direct our lives and have to pay taxes for that privilege?
If you need more information come to our OPEN HOUSE
and learn how incorporation will affect you.
Why impose more regulations upon ourselves and pay more for services we already have?
Do we need another expensive layer of government to determine how we live and direct our lives and have to pay taxes for that privilege?
If you need more information come to our OPEN HOUSE
and learn how incorporation will affect you.
Please visit any of our outreach events and take the time to sign the physical petition against the incorporation of Hampstead.
Follow the sign –