News & Observer reports on the $30,000 appropriation for Cleveland (N.C.) for “downtown revitalization.” Problem is–Cleveland–located in Johnston County outside Raleigh–has never incorporated, so there is no downtown:
North Carolina legislators this summer earmarked $30,000 for Cleveland, a fast-growing crossroads community of shopping centers and subdivisions that does not govern itself and does not have a traditional downtown.
The money surprised Johnston County leaders and residents. They hadn’t applied for the money, and so far no one has received direction on what it is meant for or any regulations for its use.
“We’ve been throwing out ideas – what about this, what about that,” said Kim Lawter, executive director of the Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce. “We’re all trying to figure out what to do with this money. We don’t have a downtown. Where would downtown be? Even that’s been a topic of conversation.”
Rep. Nelson Dollar–chairman of the state House Appropriations Committee–told the N&O he doesn’t “know of any community that doesn’t have some sort of project or set of projects that they could use some extra funding for.” And if not, they’ll figure something out. In fact, Board of Commissioners chairman Jeff Carver said he wished “we’d use (the state money) to begin the process of becoming a town.” Maybe the best idea, given that Cleveland is going to continue to grow. But as one Cleveland resident so honestly put it, they might want incorporation, but they don’t want the taxes.
