Chairman Taylor gaveled the regular monthly Board of Commissioners meeting to order at fifty-thirty instead of standard six o’clock hour. Vice-Chair Wilder moved to enter into closed session to discuss Economic Development Projects, a Contract Negotiation, and a Personnel Matter. The Chair did not say there would be a formal announcement when the regular session resumed. Speculation can abound the idle minds of those waiting for the doors to re-open. Most waiting in the foyer had a vested interest in one or more of the three topics being discussed behind the closed door. It is interesting to watch how swiftly their conversations shifted to anything except the elephant(s) on the other side of the door. When the doors opened the six active commissioners were already seated appearing to be awaiting the seating of their subjects.
Public Hearings Zoning Church and Family Cemeteries
The first public hearing was on a zoning change that would allow churches and families cemeteries are allowed in the O – I zones and not permitted in the R-10 zones. Also this zoning change will allow through special use permits that manufacturers can locate in highway commercial zoned areas. The first part is straight forward the second may (cross our fingers) encourage manufacturing growth. No one in the public objected or favored the zoning change. An hour after the public hearing the Board approved the ordinance changes.
Public Hearing Zoning Ordinance Solar Farms
The second public hearing was is to allow the erection of industrial scaled solar collectors across acres of agricultural land. The Planning and Environmental Committee met publically to discuss the ordinance changes and approved changes to the original ordinance. The big irritant to those favoring less zoning restriction and more commercial solar collectors is the 100 foot buffer perimeter. John Davis a builder of these sites said the 100 foot buffer is prohibitive (here because the land parcels are smallish). Mr. Davis did admit that solar collectors are not visually esthetics yet a 30 or 50 foot buffer was adequate to hind the eye sore. Mr. Davis lives in a neighborhood within Durham where industrial scaled solar collectors are prohibited. Such a location may be a reason Mr. Davis does not empathize with those living next to acres of mirrors. Al Rivers endorsed the smaller buffer saying this is a good business model it only pay taxes and does not add students to the school system. I had no intentions of speaking except Mr. Rivers’s argument is anti-growth. Unless school population are growing the community is stagnate or dying. When the time finally arrived to vote on the solar zoning ordinance those favoring less restriction won the day. Those favoring square miles of ground based mirrors across agricultural land, and lower school enrollments included Commissioner Brummitt, Garrison, Hester and Taylor.
Public Hearing on Economic Development Opportunities
The public was invited to comment on a proposed county issued grant and a county issued loan to unnamed company(s) and an unnamed individual. The content of the agenda provides no meaningful information to use to form an opinion. Only those members of the “us” group who met in secrecy knew the details of the grant and the loan. The only public comment was my question to the Chair and the Board, “How do you expect someone to favor or oppose the grant or the loan without any knowledge of the grant or loan?” Commissioner Brown asked what can we tell the public and not tell them? The Chair turned to Jonathan Care for some help with this. According to Mr. Care the grant and the loan are economic development opportunities that could risk failure with too much public disclosure before the Board acts. Mr. Care added that the Chair wanted the public input on the grant and the loan. Chairman Taylor said we need to do a better job with these types of public hearings. Later the Board did approve making the grant to encourage an ambulance business to move from Oxford to Henderson. The company would have twelve employees up from the current ten. The loan is in to Jerry’s Artarama, a vibrant business distributing art supplies worldwide. Their corporate offices are in Raleigh; their distribution center is on the south side of Vance County. The company is expanding their physical facilities and needs a little help to buy $600,000 worth of equipment to be used by some thirty additional employees. At 5:30 pm revelation of those factors could jeopardize both opportunities by 7:30 pm is was public knowledge. I don’t understand how those two times made any difference. As an aside, both of these economic development opportunities are within the six business areas the county should be focused on for growth. Unlike covering acres of agricultural land with mirrors prohibiting food production and blocking the land from future growth for next 20 plus years.
Public Comments
Three speakers came to make a public comment. Two of the speakers were looking for government answers to the problem of idle you and an archaic educational calendar. Why aren’t schools open in some form offering classes year round? It’s not because the whole family is needed to bring in the crop which was the reason we didn’t start with year round schools. Their voices were heard by Commissioners Brummitt and Brown listened and asked the education committee to review the issue. The third speaker said more in his voice than he probably intended to say. He came to ask the county to move the confederate soldier memorial from the front of the administration building. Before anyone gets their panties all in a wad, you hand to have listened to the man’s voice. He said he was a VietNam veteran. I suspect a combat veteran. If my suspicion is correct he unknowingly shared through his voice a camaraderie known only to combat veterans, regardless of their war including the soldiers of Civil War. Hopefully, all commissioners will read what he said in their minutes and think how he said it then find the appropriate place for all veteran memorials.
So Mikey….was eddie wright in attendance or is he still collecting taxpayer $$$ for services he isn’t providing. In most cases this is called STEALING b/c he isn’t rendering a service for what he is being paid to do. C’mon eddie, between your notorious tax deadbeat status you have had for the church over by North Henderson Ball Field and now getting paid to be a commissioner and not even having the decency or ability to attend the meetings. If your health is the reason why…simply have some honor and step away and let someone with better health to occupy your seat. Or is your ego so big that you won’t do what the noble thing to do is? I certainly think the citizens of Vance need to have someone represent them who is capable of doing so. Does that make too much sense that you can’t understand? Where is the honor? Step down eddie and take care of your health. Vance county will throw you a going away party and thank you for your service(whatever that may be) and you will at least have 1/2 of your reputation left intact. If things con’t as they are you won’t have any left.
So I see Rusty didn’t get any useful info. he requested? Who expected it anyway? The Vance Co. Commissioners would be better equipped to be the commissioners of Sesame Street….at least they can pull the strings on the puppets to get what they want!!! Wonder why Henderson/Vance is the armpit of the 4-5 County area? Look at the elected officials and you will see why!!! Keep gas in the Church vans and you will con’t to get less than qualified people representing you. No wonder Granville County looks so good as far as policies and economic development…..comparing it to Henderson/Vance is like comparing apples to oranges!!!
By the way, who will the Vance County Schools hire as the next superintendent? Rumor is that it will be another from the inside “click”. If history serves as any indication, why else would they hire from outside? At least the newest puppet knows the “ins & outs” of how an ineffective School Boards and low performing schools operate.
Here’s a question for you Deception. Does Vance County give commissioners anything, like, say, continued health insurance coverage, after so many years of service? Heard this, but don’t know if it’s true.
Regarding Decept: Why does this weirdo spend so much time attacking Vance county? I don’t mind a little constructive criticism, but any rational human must ask, WTF.
Publius……what you call “attacking” others call the truth. It’s pretty evident that you can’t handle the truth. Keep living in your fairy tale…..who knows? Maybe you’re a fairy? Or kin to the incompetent elected officials? Either way…..ignorance runs rampant!! Chew on those facts buddy!!
Decept: Hey, buddy, chew on this!
Publius….sorry sweetie but I don’t care for fairies!! Classx you aren’t….but if you want to offer some informative to HiH I’d be glad to come to Hardees & give you some ideas/topics. At least your posts won’t sound as if your 6th grade education is slipping by you!! WHATCHATHINK?
Or will you decline & bash on as you have been doing? Either way….you seem very insecure & not very bright considering the events happening in your area & all you can do is bash my posts……CHEW ON THAT LIL’ MAN!!!!
As far as you calling me a “weirdo”…thats classy honey!! Did you learn a new word @ ur summit. mtg@ Hardees this week? You sweetie need to visit your family phscician & ask for a referral to an eye doctor b/c if you can’t recognize that Henderson is a drug infested, crime ridden area then you’re either blind or contributing to the problem!!! Which one is it Mr. KNOW-IT-ALL?
Mingo….not sure but they need to be paid according to accomplishments while serving……not for just sitting on a board(@least the ones who attend) unlike eddie wright!!
I don’t know either, Decept, but I’ve heard 15 yrs. of service (even parttime as a Commish) would give you health insurance beyond office, so I was wondering if that was a reason for someone to “hang on”
Mingo……I made a phone call to someone in the Vance County office today and I was informed that they also didn’t know. I was told to contact the County Manager in order to have that question answered but when I tried the # they gave for his office I simply got a voicemail and I don’t like leaving messages. I would rather talk to someone so that they can’t say “I never received any voicemail”. I was told by another source w/history in local politics(albeit not in Vance Co.) that indeed after a certain amount of years on various boards/commissions that the person is indeed given lifelong benefits.
Maybe that’s why you see these “dinosaurs” on councils/commissioners who refuse to remove themselves even though they bring no NEW ideas to the table……that is if they even make it to the meetings….i.e. Eddie Wright. Like I’ve said before if you are getting paid for a service and you aren’t providing the said service….it’s called “obtaining property($$) by false pretense b/c you are getting $$ for not doing what you were elected to do. Rumor has it that when the next time his name(& others) appear on the ballot that you won’t have to worry about it b/c they are going to face some competition who doesn’t mind attending meetings and doing what they are ethically and morally supposed to do!!
Hope this helps!!!
Be ready for Publius to attack the posts when he returns from Hardees!! It’s him M.O.
Mikey,
Since you seemingly attend most county commissioner’s meetings or at least have most of the info. from them I have a question that I have been posed by others. Do the Vance County Commissioners always vote along racial lines? I notice that in today’s Daily Dispatch a vote on an Animal Shelter matter had Hester,Wilder,Brummitt, and Taylor voting yes and Brown voting no w/Garrison abstaining. Also as has been the case for the past 2-3 months seemingly eddie wright was not present. I know that Taylor isn’t white but it seems as if every vote falls along those same lines. Is a power struggle going on amongst the Commissioners and certain individuals are not doing what’s best for the citizens of Vance or does it just seem that way?
From the reports I have read and heard…..the land was DONATED(meaning given) to Vance County by Charles Boyd and his wife Mary with the condition that construction be started within 5 years or else it would be returned to them. Is it too much too ask after a person DONATES land to a very worthy cause to not think he meant what he said(and I’m sure is in a contract w/an atty.) when he gave the County the 5 year window? I’ve heard of moving at a snail’s pace but it seems like Vance County needs some elected officials who know how to work together for the greater good and not their own personal agendas and/or egos!!!!
Wonder if eddie will get paid for this meeting? Getting paid for a service you don’t perform is called stealing and if he has a Doctor’s note saying he can’t perform his duties as a commissioner then he should have enough dignity to step down and stop collecting taxpayer $$$ for doing nothing!!!