The creation of a town should NEVER be taken lightly. And it becoming more common to create them because of external issues that create a “defensive” incorporation. Not long ago the town of Misenheimer was created to bring about zoning that would stop a gold mine.
Now the good folks in the Castle Hayne area are rushing into an incorporation to stave off being taken in by Wilmington as it attempts to gobble up ALL unincorporated areas of New Hanover County. Coverage at WWAY here.
Wilmington is barely five miles from Castle Hayne’s proposed boundaries, and the residents would need to ask permission from the Wilmington City Council to incorporate any land closer than that. And Wilmington’s elected body, determined to expand the city, is unlikely to say yes.
And once Wilmington annexes Ogden, as the city council intends in the next few years, that five-mile line will run straight through Castle Hayne, killing any chance of incorporation.
There may be some that are doing this for good reasons. The sad truth is that our state laws regarding annexation are BAD, in fact, horrible. Dozens of cities have been created for that very reason. I wish these folks would lobby equally hard to change this horrible law. If they did, there would be no need to create the town of Castle Hayne. Though I wish they wouldn’t do it as taxes will go up, I do understand. Playing defense is bad for taxpayers when it comes to annexation as well.
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