Gray's Creek Facts

On 10 July 2026, a Gray's Creek resident created a petition on Change.org titled "Stop the Incorporation Attempt of the Grays Creek Community." It is not run by this site, and we did not write it. It is an independent, public way for residents to add their names in opposition to the proposed town.

What it says

• It is addressed to the North Carolina Legislature, the body that actually decides whether a town is created, and asks it to reject the incorporation. (As first posted it addressed the Cumberland County commissioners; the petition's author corrected the address on 15 July 2026, and we updated this page to match.)
• It raises concerns this site also documents: new municipal property taxes and fees, an added layer of government, and the fact that policing, fire protection, and schools are already provided at the county level.
• It asks that the community's rural character be preserved.

What signing does

It puts your name on a public list of people who object, and that list is visible to the legislators it addresses. Numbers are the whole point of an incorporation fight. The petitioners have publicly set a goal of signatures from 50% of registered voters to show what they call "overwhelming community support." A visible count of residents on the other side is the direct answer to that claim.

What signing does not do

It is not a government filing, and by itself it does not stop the incorporation. A Change.org petition has no legal force. It does not remove your name from the petitioners' incorporation petition, and it is not a vote. Anyone telling you otherwise is overselling it.

We would rather say that plainly than let anyone sign it believing it does more than it does.

Do not confuse the two petitions

There are two different petitions in circulation, and they do opposite things:

• The incorporation petition is the petitioners' own. Signing it supports creating the Town of Gray's Creek. It is the one that gets filed with the state. If you signed it and have changed your mind, you can withdraw your signature at any point before it is filed.
• The Change.org petition on this page is the opposite. Signing it registers your opposition with the North Carolina Legislature. It is not filed with anyone.

Signing the one on this page does nothing to the other one. If your name is on the incorporation petition, withdrawing it is a separate action you have to take yourself.

How the count on this page works

The number above is read live from the public Change.org petition page each time this page loads, and cached for about ten minutes so we are not hammering their servers. It is their number, not ours. We do not adjust it, round it, or hold it. If Change.org is unreachable, the meter falls back to the last figure we published by hand, which is why it may occasionally read as a floor ("190+") rather than an exact count.

The goal shown is the goal set on the petition itself. Change.org raises that target automatically as signatures come in, so it moves, and reaching it is not a threshold that triggers anything.

If you want to do more than sign

• Check whether your address is inside the proposed line on Am I Inside?. Many people who assume they are outside are not.
• Bring the unanswered questions to the petitioners directly. They are on our Questions page, and the July 16 meeting at Paradise Acres has a public Q&A.
• Write the two legislators who would receive the incorporation bill. There is a template on our Letter to Legislator page.
• If you signed the incorporation petition and want off it, use Withdraw your signature.

Cross-references

• Our note on the day the petition appeared is in Updates.
• Why the 50% goal matters, and what it does to your vote, is in Updates.
• Our accuracy standard and how to report an error are on Corrections.

Last updated 15 July 2026

How this list works

Anyone inside the proposed boundary can submit their position. By default, submissions are private. Only entries where the submitter explicitly checked "publish my name" appear here, and only after we have verified the address against Cumberland County GIS. Addresses appear only where the submitter also checked "publish my address." Removal: write to facts@grayscreekfacts.com and the entry comes down within 48 hours.

The list is a snapshot of where verified residents stand today. People can change their minds; if you change yours, write us.

Two sets of counters below. The top row shows verified residents who consented to public listing. The bottom row shows the broader signup count, including private signups.

Publicly listed (verified)

All signups (including private)

In opposition to the proposal as currently presented

In support of the proposal as currently presented

Watching, undecided

Residents who have asked to be counted as following the proposal closely without taking a side yet. Their position can change as documents are published.

Want to be counted?

Go to the form on the home page. You decide whether your name is published, whether your address is published, and on which side. Nothing is published without your explicit consent and our verification of your address against Cumberland County GIS.