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Bethlehem resident urges commissioners to oppose incorporation without a referendum
Summary
A longtime Bethlehem resident and small business owner told the board she opposes a proposed incorporation of Bethlehem and asked the county commissioners to formally oppose incorporation unless residents vote by referendum.
Teneal Baker, a Bethlehem small‑business owner and educator, used the public comment period to urge Alexander County commissioners to oppose a proposed incorporation of Bethlehem unless a public referendum is held.
Baker said the incorporation effort “threatens the very community” she and her husband have served, and warned it would bring “more taxes, more fees, and more red tape.” She said the people leading the initiative had provided limited transparency and she asked county leaders to “stand with the residents and oppose incorporation unless and until a referendum vote is held.”
Baker noted hundreds of residents submitted comments to the North Carolina Department of the Treasury and said the incorporation process had been withdrawn and delayed recently but was not over. She referenced local organizing resources, including BethlehemNC.com and the Facebook group Bethlehem Against Incorporation, and thanked commissioners for hearing community concerns. Commissioners did not take formal action on incorporation at the meeting.
