Incorporated Selmont a possibility

Published 12:00 am Friday, October 25, 2002

Valley Grande may not be the only community near Selma that is thinking of incorporating. At least that’s what Selmont resident and Dallas County Board of Education member Bill Minor feels.

Minor, who has been pushing for the incorporation of Selmont, said that during a Selmont Community Meeting Tuesday, he felt that residents of the area who attended the meeting felt that Selmont should incorporate.

Minor said one reason for Selmont’s residents wanting to incorporate was that residents feared the possibility of annexation by Selma, a thought, which has also loomed heavy on Valley Grande residents minds as of late.

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The reason for residents fears, said Minor, comes from the possibility of their taxes being raised if the area is annexed by the city of Selma.

Minor, who said he has looked at some of the effects that incorporation would have on Selmont, said that during the first year of possible incorporation, he expected taxes for residents not to be raised and that residents would receive fire protection from the Craig Volunteer Fire Department.

Also for the first year, Minor said Selmont would enter into a contractual agreement with the city of Selma to provide additional fire services, and that police protection would be provided through the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department.

He added that an elected mayor and city council would preside over the city and would also perform their services for free during the first year, &uot;and possibility the next year.&uot;

The next year, said Minor, taxes would be raised only if needed.

Minor said that he hoped the city of Selma would help Selmont before they officially decided to incorporate, through continuing

to provide police and fire protection.

Minor said that if incorporation fails in Selmont, he said Selmont could un-incorporate, possibly staying the way they are now, or they could be annexed by the city of Selma.

Minor said that during the next Selmont incorporation and annexation meeting at Tipton Middle School, which will be held Saturday at 5 p.m., a petition for incorporation would be drawn-up, and that if the residents were in favor of the idea, the petition would be handed over the Dallas County probate judge.