Should the Town of Oriental Disincorporate?

The recent retirement of Oriental's police chief, who was also the only paid member of the police department, has caused some to ask whether we need a police department. Can't we just let the county do it?

Good question.

If our taxpayers want to save money, there is an even more effective way to do it. Just cease to be an incorporated town.

What distinguishes an incorporated town from any other part of the county is the services it provides. Here is the list of services, some or all of which NCGS 136-41.2 requires municipalities to provide, along with the status in Oriental. The state's criteria is whether the town's budget appropriates funds for the service:

(i) police protection - not currently provided - some have proposed we just let the county do it;
(ii) fire protection - not currently funded by town - provided by Southwest Pamlico Volunteer Fire Department (no town appropriation);
(iii) solid waste collection or disposal - provided - town pays contractor. Some advocate changing to contracts by individuals instead of the town;
(iv) water distribution - provided - some have proposed selling our water plant to the county and letting the county distribute the water;
(v) sewage collection or disposal - not provided by town - the town sold its sewage treatment plant to Bay River Metropolitan Sewer District many years ago and no longer offers that service to its citizens;
(vi) street maintenance - some by town some by DOT - NCDOT already maintains some of the streets (e.g. White Farm Road, North St. and Broad Street) that would otherwise be our responsibility. Why not just let them do it all;
(vii) street construction or right-of-way acquisition - not provided - I have found no record in town minutes that the town ever purchased a street right of way or constructed a street (developers do that);
(viii) street lighting - provided - (many of the lights don't work);
(ix) zoning - provided, but controversial - the town's GMO is the source of great controversy. If we unincorporated, we would come under the county's land use regulations.

So, as it turns out, we do not completely provide or have abandoned a number of services normally provided by municipalities (six out of the nine listed services).

State law requires that municipalities levy an ad valorum tax of at least 5% per $100 of valuation in order to receive certain funds.

We could just lower everyone's taxes by 5% by unincorporating.

Not that there wouldn't be grumbling. Some would say we need a quicker police response than the county would provide. Some developers would chafe at the county's rules for waterfront property. Roads might deteriorate. Local ordinances would no longer apply. The town would no longer exist, so there would be no authority to sell liquor by the drink.

Operators of lodging would no longer have to collect and remit the occupancy tax. But something would have to be done with accumulated funds.

There would be no need for town hall and its staff. No public works department to fund.

So there would be complications and grumbling.

But look at the money we'd save.