Coal Creek discusses incorporating: Veronica Carpio, who lives off Highway 72 and has a restaurant called BabooZa’s Food & Art on Highway 72, led meetings to discuss the Coal Creek Town incorporating. The vocal public was not in favor of it.[/caption]

Coal Creek Canyon residents gathered on Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4 at the Coal Creek Canyon Improvement Association Hall, 31528 highway 72, to discuss the possibility of the town incorporating.

Veronica Carpio, who lives off Highway 72 and owns a restaurant called BabooZa’s Food & Art on Highway 72, led the meetings and rented the hall. CCCIA Board Member Rai Farelly hosted the Zoom for the meeting and introduced meeting protocols.

About 40 residents total attended the meetings. Carpio handed out 26-page booklets that included research from past endeavors to incorporate, letters, and positive and negative reasons for incorporating. While it included her own research, much of this information was given to her.

In October 1997, The Leaflet from CCCIA published an article about the Incorporation Research Project. It reported that on October 1, 1987, Coal Creek residents first met about incorporating, with about 50 people attending. It was noted that about 150 signatures were required for a petition to be filed requesting permission to hold an election on the issue.

“At the end of the evening, groups were formed to continue research in more specific areas,” the article continued. Groups included Legal/ Safety, Road/Bridges, Boundaries, Fundraising and Accounting.

Page 3 of Carpio’s booklet featured results of a CCCIA membership survey from the same time. Regarding the possibility of incorporating Coal Creek Canyon as a city or town, 139 said yes, 24 no, two maybe and eight didn’t know.

Carpio said she didn’t know how many of the survey respondents still live in the area. On page 5 of the 1987 documents, the research committee presented the top pros and cons.

Pros:

More local control of the area and how it is affected by neighboring communities.

The ability to adopt regulation to govern the area more closely with the desires of the community.

Community members have someone local to talk to about their concerns.

Incorporated areas cannot be annexed by neighboring municipalities.

We could qualify for lottery funds.

We could purchase our own open space, parks and recreational center.

Cons:

Without citizen input local problems will not improve.

Citizens may not want an additional layer of government.

It can be a duplication of services with county, state or special districts.

Some services are better performed by county or region.

Additional taxes to provide services.

Creation of numerous cities in a region can disrupt regional planning.

Liability issues:

Would we have enough people to participate in local governments?

According to the documents, the Committees performed their research, and after several meetings reported results.

According to a budget breakdown, the total annual budget would need to be $1,027,000. This would include salaries for a city manager, mayor, town clerk, treasurer, council members, planning office, Board of Adjustment, part-time judge and city attorney, city hall rent, and law enforcement.

The research committees concluded that the proposal would not work unless the Town raised property taxes, which isn’t going to happen, Carpio said.

Carpio moved here two years ago and found this research, she said. She thought it would be good to share with the community. If we created a town charter, she pointed out, we could create our own zoning.

No one else has been involved in this, she said. A committee has not been formed.

“All I’ve asked is that people come to a meeting. It’s fun to have a discussion,” she added.

Vocal residents said they don’t want another government. They already have federal, state and county governments, they noted. They don’t need another layer.

One man said they already have the CCCIA; just use that.

One woman suggested doing a survey and another suggested that those who are interested in forming a committee should send an email.

The Mountain-Ear will continue to follow this story as it unfolds.

Carpio put a link to do so on the Facebook Coal Creek Community Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/528732367494262