Why Sign the Spring-Klein Cityhood Petition?

A lot of us are unaware of what risks we face by not being an officially incorporated city. Some of us new to the area, may even assume that we are incorporated because Spring has multiple Zip Codes, Multiple Post Offices, and at first glance all the earmarks of a city. But….if you look up Spring, Texas or Spring, TX on YAHOO or Google Search Engines, what you will find is mostly business listings and links to Old Town Spring. However, one item did stand out in particular, the listing on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, it defines Spring Texas as “a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston in northern Harris County, Texas and southern Montgomery County, Texas.” So what is a Census-Designated Place you ask? Again, Wikipedia explans that “A census-designated place (CDP) is a type of place (a concentration of population) identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages. CDPs are communities that lack separate municipal government, but which otherwise physically resemble incorporated places. CDPs are delineated to provide data for settled concentrations of population that are identifiable by name but are not legally incorporated under the laws of the state in which they are located. The boundaries of a CDP have no legal status.” Therefore according to the government and its definition of our beloved home and community it is only recognized for census purposes and falls under the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston and has no legal protection of a government to exercise authority within its boundaries.

The 2000 Census cites the population of Spring Texas CDP as 36,385 people and 3,400,578 people for Harris County. According to Census projections, the 2006 population of Harris County was 3,886,207 people. According to a recent speech by Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman, Spring TX makes up 54% of all growth in Harris county. So you figure if in 2000 Spring had 36,385 people and we make up 54% of the estimated growth in Harris County, then Spring has grown 720%!!!!!, THAT WOULD MAKE US THE LARGEST GROWING CITY IN TEXAS AND THE 8TH LARGEST CITY, behind Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso, and Arlington respectively. That’s larger than Tallahassee, FL or Tacoma, WA and comparable to cities like Arlington, VA or Birmingham, AL.

So back to my original question, Why sign the petition?

1. Because we are unicorporated and have no control over what types of businesses go where. I remember just over 3 years ago a tar factory intended to build next to Northgate Crossing and right behind Old Town Spring. And while they followed the letter of the law in posting notifications, they undermined the spirit of the law by posting notifications in the Southern half of Harris County and smaller print newspapers. It wasn’t until Rep. Riddle held a town hall meeting that residents of Spring became aware of this and protested, and was able to shame the company into changing its plans. We need our own zoning committee!
2. Because we could we are growing faster than any other city in Texas and need to protect our schools and our children. 
3. Because we run the risk of slowly being chopped off in bits and pieces as our extraterritorial jurisdictor sees fit. I don’t know this for a fact, it was told to me that the FM 1960 area West of I-45 was once a Spring zip code, which would explain why we are often clumped in with that area as North or Northwest Houston and as you can see it now has a Houston Zip Code.
4. So we can have our community services, police department, water department, community center, hospitals, and fire departments. I know we have some of these services in place, but we are subject to other taxes that do not pour directly into our community, but are dispursed throughout the county.
5. So we can have some say over our property and sales tax.
6. JUST SO WE CAN HAVE A VOICE!

I don’t know about you, but I am getting tired of being considered a no mans land. Its like we don’t exist. We are home to the only Amusement Park in the Houston Metropolitan Area, have a historical landmark in Old Town Spring, libraries, museums, and excellent schools. We need to keep Spring a beautiful and wonderful residential community. But if we don’t stand up and speak out, we will soon lose our voice because we risk becoming a small part of a much bigger city. Now I don’t know if that is on the table at the moment or not. But Kingwood probably wasn’t expecting it when it hit them either. Let’s be proactive!. Let’s make our position known. We are Spring-Klein Texas and we want to control our future! So please sign the petition, pass the word and if you’d like to host a copy on your site. Post a comment here and I’ll be more than happy to send it to you.

Spring Klein Petition

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Click here to read this petition.

Newest 10 of 10 signatures

10	bertha brantley	6/30
9	Samantha Weesner	6/25
8	Karen Krieger	6/23
7	Paul Proske	6/23
6	Anonymous	6/21
5	Anonymous	6/20
4	Staci Polonski	6/19
3	Anonymous	6/19
2	Clark Blair	6/19
1	dayakar moparty	6/19

To sign the petition in person visit one of these locations:

* Accelerated Paint and Body, 21714 I45 North, 77373
* Najjias Fine Furniture (6526 FM2920)
* Templeton Insurance Agency, 21120 Spring Towne Drive, Spring, 77388
* Alexander’s Academy, 625 Brandt (Old Town Spring), 77373
* Smoothie Factory(2920/Kuykendahl, Chase bank parking lot)
* Spinzers Corner Store (Kuykendahl/Willow Forest)

Petition powered by ThePetitionSite.com

Sources:

http://factfinder.census.gov

 

 

http://factfinder.census.gov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring%2C_Texas  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterritorial_jurisdiction  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census-designated_place

New Petition to Incorporate Spring-Klein as a City

Spring, TX. The residents of Spring, Texas have initiated an effort to incorporate Spring and Klein Texas into its own city, which according to the Constable Ron Hickman, “makes up 54% of the growth in Harris County”. Please read the body of the petition below.

Spring Petition                                                                   June 5,2008

We the Citizens and Business owners of Spring-Klein, Texas enter into record this petition for the independent incorporation of Spring- Klein, Texas. We seek to remove the boundaries from servitude to the City of Houston as an additional territory.  Spring-Klein is located in northwest Harris County and southeast Montgomery County. This area through this affirmation for sovereignty by acting in its own interest for a Municipal Seal and that it receive funds from the State and US treasuries as a municipality with dominion to self government.  This is to include all such funds that provide for funding to municipalities from the General Funds and all other departmental funding through the State and Federal Government.

We the citizen of Spring-Klein, Texas declare our jurisprudence for our own City thereby we shall maintain the name Spring–Klein, Texas. Also keeping with the laws and statutes of the Great State of Texas demand our right to formulate our own City Hall with elections through the democratic process for Mayoral and City Council Seats etc. In addition that we’re also provided any additional congressional and senatorial seats in our national Electoral System. 

This transition will provide for this city to operate its own Emergency Response Systems for first responders and also shall provide a city government as well as to elect its legislative and senatorial seats at both State and Federal legislative branches in accordance to regulations and Statutes and the past practices  of formulating the independence of  other cities such as Sugarland, West University Place, Southside Place, Bellaire, Webster, Baytown, Etc. Due to our size and our population we find our position in order that of all the listed cites in this document Spring is the largest of them all.

We shall continue as an established part of the Metropolitan Area of the City of Houston and feel our position adds to the Metropolis. However our intent is to increase upon our growth and our ability to maintain Law and Order to our region keeping with the growth by the establishment of City Ordinances enforced by the Spring-Klein Police Department.

We as Citizens and Business owners of Spring maintain the right to all land trust pertinent to the laws and statutes of State of Texas demand all original boundaries be respected and any new territory by which there are undiscovered boundaries. We ask these and any boundaries are respected and all lands belonging to the Spring- Klein Area are indeed through this process protected from future annexation by Houston or the Woodlands.  This will insure proper taxation for the complete area and that no land be negotiated to Houston, The Woodlands or any area in the Metropolis thereto misappropriation by any means  

By the signature of the citizens of Spring-Klein this petition is duly entered into record that Due process for the aforesaid requests are reviewed by the legislation which will under the statutes of the Great State of Texas allow for this referendum be place on the ballot for the Citizens to weigh all issues and vote thereto. 

Plans are in the works for a Town Hall Meeting, however, the petition is available for signing at the following locations in Spring:

●  Online at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/spring-klein-petition

●  Najjias Fine Furniture (6526 FM2920)

●  Smoothie Factory(2920/Kuykendahl, Chase bank parking lot)

●  Spinzers Corner Store (Kuykendahl/Willow Forest)

●  Alexander’s Academy (Old Town Spring)

If you are a business owner and would like to host a petition signing, pleas email the Spring-Klein Chamber, at info@springkleinchamber.org.