Frequently Asked Questions
The completion of a joint municipal consolidation/shared services study would answer many, if not most, of all questions related to this subject, but here are a few that we get asked often:
Q: Are you wanting to see our town grow in size to be more like a city the size of Charlotte, Winston-Salem, or another metropolitan area?
A: No. Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro combined only have a population of about 7,800. For reference purposes, Charlotte has a population of over 857,000 and Winston-Salem has a population of over 244,000. Our area couldn’t achieve growth anything close to that in 100 years. While we do believe that our community needs to have a “growth” mentality to raise the quality of life for the people here, we have no desire to become a large city, and even if we did, growth like that just isn’t likely or even reasonably possible. We are simply advocating to make our area stronger so we can try and do things like attract better jobs and lower the high poverty rate in our area. According to this Wilkes Journal-Patriot article from August 24th, 2021 about the 2020 census, the population of Wilkes County, NC actually decreased 4.9% over the last 10 years.
https://www.journalpatriot.com/news/census-results-raise-challenges/article_3ed2d41f-297c-5e74-8a52-0fa6943415f6.html
Q: I heard that (insert community name here) might be annexed. Is that true?
A: Absolutely not! Some people are spreading false myths and rumors that other communities would be annexed into Wilkesboro/North Wilkesboro if a consolidation happened. That is not true.
Q: Will my taxes go up or down if consolidation happens (since the rate is different between the towns)?
A: In general, it is safe to say that the only way a consolidation would ever happen is if a study showed that citizens of both towns’ taxes would stay the same or go down. This means that if you live in Wilkesboro and your taxes are 48 cents on the $100 dollar value, then they would stay that or go down. Only a study can really answer this question.
Q: Will my water/sewer rate go up or down if consolidation happens?
A: In general, it’s safe to say that a consolidation would only happen if you water/sewer rates stayed the same or went down. Only a study could give us a real answer to this question.
Q: What will streets with the same name in both towns be called if consolidation happens?
A: If a consolidation were to take place, most likely some street names would have to be changed.
Q: What will happen to zip codes if consolidation happens?
A: Zip codes are set by the United States Postal Service, that would be up to them.
Q: Are there any good examples of recent consolidations?
A: While consolidations and mergers of towns in North Carolina have taken place throughout our state over the years (Oak Island - 1999, Winston-Salem - 1913, Eden - 1967, Jonesville- 1991, etc.) The most recent and studied high-profile consolidation was in Princeton, New Jersey back in 2013 where Princeton Township and Princeton Borough consolidated. There is much information on this consolidation that can be found online. To learn more about the Princeton consolidation and view work materials and documents go here: www.cgr.org/princeton.
Here are some examples from North Carolina:
Oak Island (1999) - In 1999, Yaupon Beach and Long Beach consolidated into one town called “Oak Island”.
Rocky Mount (1995) - In 1995, Battlesboro merged into Rocky Mount.
Waynesville (1993) - In 1993, Hazelwood merged into Waynesville.
Jonesville (1991) - In 1991, Arlington merged into Jonesville.
Eden (1967) - In 1967, the towns of Leaksville, Spray, and Draper consolidated into one town called “Eden”.
Winston-Salem (1913) - In 1913, the towns Winston and Salem consolidated into one town called “Winston-Salem”.
It is also worth mentioning that in 1951 Wilkesboro High School merged with North Wilkesboro High School to create Wilkes Central High School. Up until that time, there was opposition to this from both sides, but looking back now, it’s easy to see that this was the right thing to do.
Q: Will I my town lose representation if consolidation happens?
A: No, but a better question to ask is “Do we really need 2 separate boards and 11 elected officials to represent a community of less than 8,000 people?” Talk about government inefficiency!
When a consolidation in North Carolina happens, there are several ways the new governing body can be set up by the input from people on both sides. The most likely scenario would include a certain number of seats on the governing board from each district. This would ensure that each community had equal representation.
Q: Will people town employees lose jobs if consolidation happens? If so, how many?
A: Some positions (most likely) would be cut, due to duplication, and to save money. Only a study could tell us if, and how many jobs could be cut. If some jobs were to be cut, we believe it would be a small short-term price to pay compared to the long-term gains of economic prosperity for the community at large.
Think about all of the jobs we have lost from Lowe’s, factories, and other places over the years. We believe that one, stronger town would be in a much better position to recruit employers to area that could provide the people of Wilkes County with better jobs.
Q: What what happen to the pay of people who work the same/similar jobs in opposite towns and currently receive different pay?
A: Most likely, pay would be “harmonized” between both towns for similar positions by bringing up one town’s pay to match the other.
Q: Will my town lose the “uniqueness” of its identity if the towns consolidate?
A: Absolutely not! The histories of both towns are well-established, nothing could change that.