A petition to make Gray’s Creek its own town has split this Cumberland County area. Some want local control over growth. Others? They don’t see why they need another government layer or more taxes. Dr. Robert Twaddell started the push for incorporation months back, but he paused gathering signatures after people pushed back hard at a meeting last week.
The proposed town would span about 50 square miles in Cumberland County’s southwest corner, according to ABC11. Population estimates range between 17,000 and 25,000 residents. Twaddell’s plan sets a 21-cent tax rate per $100 of assessed property value—that’s a net increase of six cents once you subtract existing fire service fees.
Census data show the area had just under 8,000 residents in 2000. Now? Just under 12,000. Twaddell has lived there for 22 years, and he said the growth plus talks with area mayors pushed him to act…