County Denies Request From Carthage on Zoning Extension

As of Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Faced with a roomful of opponents, the Moore County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday night to deny a request from Carthage for an extraterritorial jurisdiction extension.

Response to the vote was noisy applause.

“We enjoy our rural lifestyle,” opponent Joan Robinson said during the public hearing. “We want to remain in the country.”

She was one of about 35 residents who signed up to speak during the public hearing.

However, the hearing was shortened when board Chairman Nick Picerno asked if anyone in the audience wanted to speak in favor of the request. No one responded. Then he asked if any of the other opponents signed up to speak would like to be heard. With the board clearly leaning toward denial, again no one spoke up.

“This is a tough decision," said Commissioner Tim Lea, who made the motion to deny the request. "It’s no reflection on the town council,”

Planning Director Debra Ensminger said the town request to extend the ETJ by one mile was within the legal limits spelled out in state law. However, the Moore County Planning Board voted unanimously at an October meeting to recommend denial of the request.

The area affected encompasses 371 parcels of about 5,741 acres of land mostly zoned for residential agricultural uses, with a sprinkling of other zoning districts.

Carthage Town Manager Carol Sparks said the extension is needed to protect town interests and pointed out that there are already several satellite annexations, making it difficult for emergency responders to distinguish between in-town and out-of-town sites. She said the town has no interest in annexing the area. Although the town cannot tax property in the ETJ, she said that the town can provide such services as water, sewer and emergency response within the ETJ.

On another sensitive issue, the commissioners agreed to table a proposed working lands protection plan until they have studied the matter in more detail. A public hearing on this subject also drew objections.

In response to public comments at the beginning of the meeting, the board agreed to call a special meeting to consider the controversial proposed U.S. 1 bypass around Southern Pines and Aberdeen. The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec.5.

More details about the commissioners' meeting will appear in the Friday edition of The Pilot.

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Toda 1 year, 6 months ago

"Carthage Town Manager Carol Sparks said the extension is needed to protect town interests and pointed out that there are already several satellite annexations"

Since Commissioner Larry Caddell is no longer Mayor of Carthage, perhaps there are no more golf courses to purchase or special interest projects.

Least we not forget Little River Farm golf course that was purchased for a public golf course half-way to Pinehurst.

Carthage could have helped pay down water and sewer utilities by expanding their ETJ. Now they will have to rethink their position on how to pay off the millions in taxpayer funds approved by TPO 3 way back when....

Toda 1 year, 6 months ago

Taxpayers are ready to see the meetings via a video feed. Why won't they approve video taping of the meetings? I'm sure many of the voters would like to see the nods, eye rolls, head shaking, shoulder shrugs. The animated Commissioner Larry Caddell could shine in his egotistical world of confidence by allowing everyone to see his antics.

The Moore County Board of Commissioners should go on record as to why they opposed video taping of meetings. Commissioner Kennedy said, "he would not support it if it costs a dollar". What does he have to hid. The IT folks have the capability to produce video feeds. So what's the problem TPO 4?

native 1 year, 6 months ago

I agree, I would like to see video feeds of the meetings.

Bflat 1 year, 6 months ago

Exposure. That's what the problem will be.

Not to worry. Those guys, TP03, are exposed every single day at the huge monster construction site that they are building in their honor (since the taxpayers didn't vote it in , but they did without referendum.) It's right smack in downtown Carthage. The landscape of the school crossing now has a huge 3 story public safety building and the soon to be built 4 story federal sized JAIL. We are not going to let them forget, are we?

Remember that TPo3 have forever ruined downtown Carthage by turning it into a federal sized JAIL town that can eventually expand the 4 story soon-to-be-built JAIL to around 600 beds.