The Best Interests of All

The Incorporation of Wellborn has been talked about for over a decade and seriously pursued since 2007. Due to state law, the City of College Station decides whether residents in Wellborn can vote to incorporate or not. (More about outdated law some other time). Relations have grown testy between CS and Wellborn at times, mostly because both sides see things differently. Wellborigines don’t hate the people in CS, but do have serious qualms about some of their policies and ordinances if they were brought to Wellborn. Residents of CS elect a council, hire a city manager and city attorney to do what CS residents want. And you know what? That is their prerogative, their right, to do so. Power to ‘em. A lot of us out here believe land owners should decide what happens to the land, the real property, that they own.

CS Council members have said that they must do what is ‘in the best interests’ of CS. We’ve heard everything from maintaining the main Gateway to CS, to not being hemmed in by Wellborn, and more. They say they don’t want to change us, but by denying our right to vote on our own destiny, they do change us. They say we use their resources and don’t pay for them. I disagree with their conclusions on these fronts, but to no avail. So I thought I’d talk about reasons why it IS in the best interests of CS to let Wellborn be Wellborn:

Save CS Taxpayers Money
Improve the Gateway to CS more quickly
Improve the reputation of CS by doing what’s right
Improve ‘desirability’ of the overall community to prospective businesses
Increase community pride

Like Mattress Mac says, ‘Wellborn can S-a-v-e Y-o-u Money!’ Wellborn folks like what we have. We’re an independent bunch, but we are a community. If we need something, like the Community Center, or whatnot, we’ll find a way to make it happen. We are ‘pay as you go’ people. But, if CS annexes Wellborn, you can be certain that a vocal majority of us will demand our fair share of services, such as police, roads, garbage pickup, parks, and more. And did someone say sewer service west of the tracks? Yup, we can vote in a bond issue to build another sewage treatment facility west of the tracks. We would also influence CS municipal elections and charter resolutions. We do vote out here at a pretty good rate. So, if you think annexing Wellborn will bring in more property tax dollars than you spend, please rethink that thought. As for saving money…..

Wellborn folk live in Wellborn and we want it to look inviting, too! Right now, improvements are not happening because only the county has jurisdiction. Once we are allowed to have jurisdiction over ourselves (my, that sounds so odd!), I think our past record is a good predictor of our future behavior. Without having the benefits of municipal authority, we do a great job of keeping our churches, cemeteries (more than one BTW), and other community things nice. You know our ‘Welcome to Wellborn’ sign? That was recently repainted by a member of the Wellborn community, not by a government or HOA, or anything like that. If CS leaves Wellborn in limbo, without a rudder, the drive-by parts of our town might slowly deteriorate, might develop willy nilly. It is not a defensible position to leave us in limbo because CS wants to reserve the right at a future date to annex Wellborn. Give us the opportunity you already have to make our town great, too.

Now, the ‘moral’ card, which hasn’t been played much and I hate to do it. But sometimes CS forgets that those outside CS are people, too. State law does not ‘compel’ CS to deny Wellborn the vote. Please remember, just because something is legal and you can do it, doesn’t make it morally defensible. CS may not realize how outsiders often view them as arrogant, unfeeling, and overbearing. I’m not talking about council members or even the city staff, I’m talking about the ‘persona’ of CS. Now, staff in other cities and in municipal professional groups may ‘like’ what CS does, but I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about regular ole folks, people in Bryan, Navasota, and Snook, Wixon Valley and Kurten. Most of the time, folks won’t probably tell you to your face what they think, because that’s not polite and because most folk outside CS think CS can do what it wants inside the city boundaries of CS. Back to an earlier statement, they believe CS should grant the same to people outside CS. The citizens of CS have submitted a valid petition to you illustrating what they think about Wellborn. So decide:

Do you want CS seen as Big Bully, Big Brother, or Big Neighbor?

Now, attracting more businesses and people to CS seems to be what CS staff want. To that end, not everyone who moves to the area wants a planned community, and some do. Some want a little ‘wildness’, others want urban perks and parks. By allowing Wellborn to vote and possibly incorporate, CS ensures that the ‘other’ residential lifestyle remains a nearby option for potential employees of the new businesses locating in the Brazos Valley. Looking at where most folks in Brazos County, it’s obvious that most prefer the city. That does not mean that the countryside should be eliminated! For some new residents, what a great thing to live ‘in the country’ only ten miles from CS City Center where you are growing a business, an industry that keeps CS moving!

But CS consumes Wellborn, forcing it into urban mode, that country town option is gone, gone, gone. Forever. Wellborn is in the CSISD (at least for the last 50 years...we are already full partners in the school district) and we’re about the only country left in the school district. All the other parts have planned development coming. Sure, you have some large tract residential areas on the east side, but they have their own feel and flavor and they are not a town. We are. We have a town center and all the requisite accoutrement to be the little town we love.

People like to visit Wellborn because it’s Wellborn. Let Wellborn live and thrive! Once incorporated, Wellborn will be the fifth muni in the county. A little civic pride goes a long way in improving all of our lives. We will have two cities and three towns, providing options to those who live and work in Brazos County. When people ask me where I live, I say Wellborn. If there’s a blank look on their face, I know they are newbies and I invite them out to visit. If they know about Wellborn, they usually tell me they have a friend or relative in Wellborn, or how much they like a particular Wellborn thing. And if CS thinks crossing city boundaries is only one way, think again! For decades, many folk have traveled to Wellborn to get their hair done, grab a bite, or use the best Post Office in Brazos County. (Ooops, there’s my civic pride showing again).
We are not trying to live in the past, we are taking part in our future. We are different from CS, different from Bryan. A little diversity is a good thing for all of us.

See you at the Country Store,

Doris