CHAPPELL HILL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

5145 Main Street

PO Box 113

Chappell Hill, Texas 77426

Telephone 979 337-9910

Incorporation Information

CHAPPELL HILL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

PO BOX 113

CHAPPELL HILL, TEXAS 77426

TELEPHONE (979) 337-9910

August 17, 2007

Dear Chappell Hillians:

Today a group of civic-minded citizens filed a petition with County Judge Dorothy Morgan calling for an election to incorporate Chappell Hill. The Chamber of Commerce strongly supports this effort and believes that it is in the best interest of our town. We hope that it will also have your support. This letter is being sent to you and all other known registered voters who live in the area that is proposed for incorporation so that you will be fully informed and to ask you for your support.

Here are the main reasons that we believe that it will be good for Chappell Hill to again be incorporated. (It was an incorporated town from 1856 through 1884.)

We love our town the way it is right now and we want to keep it that way! Downtown Chappell Hill is one of the very few communities in Texas that has maintained its historic appearance. Folks who lived here a hundred years ago would recognize it now. Most small towns in Texas as old as Chappell Hill do not even resemble what they once looked like. A good exception is Round Top, which is incorporated. A former mayor of that town told us that the main value of incorporation to them was that it helped to protect their historical town square. She also told us that people there are very happy with incorporation. We feel the same way about Chappell Hill. Incorporation will help us to keep it looking the way it does today. Incorporation will make it possible to prevent, for example, a wrecked auto junkyard or an LPG storage and distribution terminal on Highway 290. Without incorporation, we will have no control over what happens here. So, if you like Chappell Hill the way it is now, vote for incorporation so that we can keep it that way.

We need to incorporate to keep Chappell Hill independent. All of us can see that Brenham is now growing very rapidly. Its city limits are only six miles away and keep expanding each year. Although Brenham is not expected to be able to annex us any time soon, when (not if) Brenham’s city limits get close enough, state law would require us to get their permission if we wanted to then incorporate. Houston continues to grow from the east. There are already apartments in Hempstead on Highway 290, and a large subdivision west of Hempstead less than ten miles away. In 2005, the Houston-Galveston Area Council predicted that the Hempstead area would increase in population nearly thirty percent by 2015. If a town like Hempstead is expected to grow that much, Chappell Hill can expect even more. No one can stop this growth, of course, but it is still possible to keep unregulated growth from ruining our quaint, wonderful town. We can protect our town if we can just manage that growth. We can do that by incorporation. So, if you want to keep us independent, vote for incorporation. Why shouldn’t voters here be entitled to make their own decisions about what is best for Chappell Hill? Without incorporation, we just will not have a say in what happens here.

We need to incorporate so that we have an official body to represent us on issues of importance. Only last year, Brenham was seriously considering placing a large sanitary landfill only few miles west of our town. Winds from that direction would have brought the odor of that landfill to our very doorstep. We were only lucky that their City Council voted that idea down, because they definitely did not have to. Next time we might not be so lucky. In addition, incorporation will provide an official entity to help us fight for our share of county improvements. Does anyone believe that we have always gotten a fair shake from the county? We need to be incorporated so that we will finally have someone to stand up for us. Our town officials will be our own friends and neighbors – elected by us. They will do what we want, and if they do not, they can be voted out!

Incorporation will help maintain or improve our property values. Local area realtors tell us that having an incorporated town will remove some of the uncertainty as to the type of development that might occur within the town limits. If either the wrecked auto junkyard or the LPG terminal mentioned above were to be placed anywhere within the town limits, there is no doubt that everyone’s property values might suffer. A vote to incorporate will help to maintain and increase our property values.

Between now and the election, you may hear many half-truths or even outright lies about incorporation. You will, no doubt, see those atrocious signs erected all over town. (You will not, however, see any of ours!) Here are some of the things you are likely to see and hear:

1. That incorporation will raise your property taxes. Not true. There is no need for any property taxes. Water will continue to be provided by our local water company and police protection will continue to be provided by the Sheriff. Our Volunteer Fire Department will still provide fire protection. EMS will continue to come just as it does now. None of the Town Council will be paid. The only significant expenses anticipated will be for a part-time City Secretary and for contributions to a street repair fund. Income to pay these expenses will come from sales taxes paid mostly by Houstonians when shopping at our festivals or at local businesses. There will be no property taxes. In addition, those who worry about property taxes being imposed at some distant time in the future should keep in mind that this is only a remote possibility. If they want to look in the future, they should consider the absolute certainty of property taxes if Brenham annexes us.

2. That there is a secret plan to install a sewer system. Again, not true. The only reasons for incorporating are listed above.

3. That there is a secret plan to increase the size of Chappell Hill by annexation. Wrong again. By state law, annexation cannot take place without a request, by petition, from the owners or voters in the area to be annexed.

4. That incorporating will just provide a unnecessary layer of government. This issue is for everyone to decide for himself or herself. If we become incorporated, there will be Mayor and two town Commissioners elected for two year terms. Their main task will only be to do their best to protect this wonderful unique town and make sure that it stays as much as possible like it is today. If they do not do their job, the Chamber will be the first to speak up and say that they should be voted out. In the event of severe misconduct, they may, of course, be removed from office.

5. That we already had a vote on incorporation and that it was defeated. True, but that happened about twenty-five years ago and times have changed a lot since then. Most of the people that now live here now were not here then, or do not remember much about the election, even when it occurred. The conditions that we face now are much different than they were then or will be in the future. An election that was held twenty-five years ago is no longer relevant. Lets just vote and see how people feel now!

State law requires that a town the size of ours be incorporated as either a Type B or a Type C General Law City. We think that Type C is preferable because it allows the voters to select a governing body at the same time that they vote on whether to incorporate. A Type C town must have more than 201 residents, more than 50 registered voters, and an area inside the town limits of less than two square miles. If these requirements are met, a petition requesting an incorporation election must be submitted to the County Judge. A minimum of ten percent of the registered voters residing within the area proposed for incorporation must sign this petition. We meet all these requirements. In fact, the actual petition submitted was signed by nearly twenty percent of our voters. Only one of the signers was not sure how he/she would vote, but believed that it was time for the issue to finally be finally settled.

A plat of the proposed town limits submitted with our petition to Judge Morgan is attached.

The Chamber of Commerce believes that this issue has been “cussed and discussed” long enough, and that it is now time to bring it to the voters so that they can decide for themselves what they want. We know that there are folks on both sides of this issue with strong feelings, and we hope that everyone will remain friends after the vote is taken, whatever the outcome, since there is nothing personal about this issue. The place to settle it is at the Rock Store on Election Day.

After Judge Morgan confirms that we have met all the statutory requirements, she will announce that qualified prospective candidates for the Mayor and the two Commissioners may file for office. She will also announce the date of the incorporation election. Only qualified voters who actually reside and are registered in the proposed town limits may vote in this election.

Very truly yours,

Your Chappell Hill Chamber of Commerce

PRESS RELEASE

August 14, 2007

For more information, please contact

Karen Gunn at 979 337-9910

The Chappell Hill Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that a group of civic-minded Chappell Hill citizens have filed a petition with County Judge Dorothy Morgan to call for an election to incorporate Chappell Hill. Chappell Hill was incorporated from 1856 through 1884, but lost its incorporated status for reasons now unknown. The Chamber believes that preserving Chappell Hill the way it is now, maintaining its independence, and providing an official body to represent the citizens of Chappell Hill are some of the reasons to re-incorporate Chappell Hill. With Brenham’s growth from the west, and Houston’s growth from the east, Chappell Hill’s best hope of preserving its independence and retaining the historical small town feeling of Chappell Hill’s Main Street is with incorporation. By state law, when Chappell Hill becomes part of the extra-territorial jurisdiction of Brenham, incorporation would be impossible without Brenham’s permission.

The Chamber recognizes that the main objections to incorporation by some Chappell Hillians are the fear of additional property taxes or that those who favor incorporation have some hidden agenda. The only agenda of those who favor incorporation, however, is to protect our very unique historical town. There will be no property taxes, since no services are needed. The town will rely for its income only on sales taxes from the festivals and local merchants.

Chamber President Michael Wooten stated that one of the very important benefits of incorporation would also be that the citizens of Chappell Hill would finally have an officially recognized entity to stand up for them when important issues that affect Chappell Hill come up, such as the landfill issue considered last year by the City of Brenham.

President Wooten also stated that the issue of incorporation has been vigorously debated locally for several years, and that while the Chamber firmly believes that incorporation would be good for the town, it believes even more strongly that the citizens of Chappell Hill should finally be entitled to vote the issue up or down. “Let the chips fall where they may,” he said. “We happen to believe that incorporation will be good for Chappell Hill, since it will help keep our town independent and looking the way it is right now. That is one of the reasons folks love it here. Most of the other small towns in the area have completely lost their historical appearance, but Chappell Hill still looks a lot like it did in the 1800s. We know that not everyone is for incorporation, but we think that it is now time to let the voters decide. They will know what they want. We can’t imagine that anyone would oppose even having an election, unless they are afraid of the outcome. Let’s just let democracy work and see what happens.”

If the campaign is successful, Chappell Hill will be incorporated as a Type C General Law municipality and will be governed by a Mayor and two Commissioners elected to a two-year term of office. The Chamber encourages any qualified individuals who live in the proposed town limits of Chappell Hill and are interested in serving as Mayor or on the town Council to become candidates for these offices. It is anticipated that the election will take place later in the year, after Judge Morgan’s office has verified all the information submitted with the petition.

The Chamber will be glad to answer any questions about incorporation from registered voters living in the immediate area of Chappell Hill. Written questions may be dropped off at the Chamber office in Chappell Hill or mailed to Incorporation Questions, PO Box 113, Chappell Hill, TX 77426. Registered voters who live in the area proposed for incorporation may also get additional information at the Chamber’s web site www.chappellhilltx.com.

All questions from potential Chappell Hill voters will be answered promptly.

Click On Map To View Proposed City Limits