Published Thursday, October 09, 2008

Moreland hopes to grow, keep small-town feel

The Times-Herald

The town of Moreland is planning to grow while maintaining its small-town feel and heritage, town council members said at their Tuesday night meeting.

"I'd like to see our community grow" by attracting new business and new residents, said Jeff Burgess, who is taking over the duties of mayor following the death of Kendal Hurst.

"We want to be pro-active, rather than re-active," he said. "Where do we want to go from here? Where do we want the town to be during the next 30 years?"

Burgess and the other council members said the town wants to "protect what we've got," but at the same time "get more jobs and businesses into Moreland." Burgess said he's heard some elected officials mention the idea of basically throwing in the towel and "turning in the charter" to the state.

"I'm not interested in that," said Burgess.

"Too much work has gone into this town to turn the charter in," agreed Mayor-elect Josh Evans.

The Moreland Town Council asked urban planner Marilyn Hall of Hall Consulting to lead a series of meetings to help map out the future of the town, which may include annexations of surrounding tracts.

"I have sent a proposed scope of work to Jeff," said Hall. "It includes all the things the town needs to consider before proceeding with annexations as a means to grow."

She said she will present the council with a "list of property owners" who might be approached about possible annexation. "We can invite them to the public meeting," she said. "Then we can find out if there's anything Moreland is willing to offer them that might entice them to annex into the city."

There are many reasons why a property owner might want to annex into a town, but there are also a lot of reasons not to, she pointed out. Being a resident of a town might mean increased access to services, but it also brings higher taxes and required adherence to local ordinances.

"Property owners can be reluctant because they want to avoid any additional taxes and they often want to maintain their rural lifestyles," said Hall. "You might want to ask them if there's anything the town of Moreland can offer them."

Burgess said that nothing may come of these discussions, "but I believe in asking the questions," he said. The town agreed to pay $3,500 for the consulting company to conduct the meetings and gather the necessary information. "I think Moreland has a great future ahead of it," said Burgess. "Our town has one of the best names around."