Bring your “good, bad, or ugly” opinions to the New Hope founding meeting

If you live in New Hope and have an opinion on incorporation, Tony Hanna wants to hear from you.

Hannah is among a group of New Hope community residents who want to incorporate. On Friday morning, he told the Dispatch that it was time to take the next step and share the idea with the public.

To that end, he and fellow incorporation advocate Caleb Pounders are organizing a public meeting at the New Hope Community Center on February 12th from 6 p.m.

Hanna said she and Pounders planned to attend, and that she had invited District 3 Superintendent Andy Williamson (whose district also includes New Hope) and Board of Supervisors President Tripp Hairston. Ta.

Mr. Hanna welcomes everyone. He said he would take questions and comments from the floor.

“We want to hear from everyone, the good, the bad and the ugly,” Hannah said. “We welcome input from everyone, whether you agree or disagree.”

This incorporation effort is driven by a desire to avoid annexation by the City of Columbus and an effort to better recruit businesses and qualify for government subsidies.

The City of Columbus is considering annexing two areas east of the city limits, neither of which are within the New Hope area.

Hanna said he wants to identify which areas are of interest to which people, with the goal of setting preliminary boundaries.

“We’re looking to get the addresses and details of the people we want to include to narrow down the scope of what we want to include,” Hanna said. “…We will try to answer your questions so that (residents) can make informed and good decisions.”

He said he is looking at ways to stream the meeting for those who cannot attend in person.

Based on input received from the meeting, Hanna said the proposed boundary would center around the area around Piggly Wiggly, 3610 New Hope Road, and potentially extend to Highway 182 and the state line. He said he plans to draw some.

It’s just the first step in a process that could take several years. According to the Secretary of State’s website, residents must submit a petition signed by two-thirds of the registered voters in the proposed municipality to the Lowndes County Court of Session. The petition must define the proposed city’s boundaries, name it, identify the number of residents, calculate its assessed value, and more.

Williamson said he is neutral on the idea, at least for now.

“I think the movement to incorporate should come from within the community, and now we have that,” Williamson said. “(Hannah and Pounders) brought people together, and that’s what should happen. If it’s the will of the people, I support it.”

Hairston said he intended to be there, but primarily to listen.

“I just want to know if you’re interested,” Hairston said. “The Board of Supervisors has no say in this process. It will affect their taxes and the services they receive, so it’s up to the people who are inside the lines that are drawn.”

Hairston said future city dwellers need to understand what they’re getting into.

“What does it mean to be incorporated?” said Mr. Hairston. “What services will be provided? If I start a business there, I’m going to think about how that will affect my tax structure. If I own property, the county’s ad valorem tax You will end up paying more than the (property tax).”

If incorporated, New Hope will be the fifth community in Lowndes County, joining Columbus, Artesia, Caledonia and Crawford.
For more information about the conference, please contact Hannah at (662) 251-4782.

Brian Jones is a local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes counties.