Michael Bobbitt: Notes from the Peanut Gallery (VC BoC March 2nd, 2015)


The public part of Monday night’s meeting was long by county standards. After almost three and half hours of sometimes intense and robust discussion the commissioner entered into closed session. The chair announced there would be no announcement after the closed door attorney-client privileged matter and the personnel matter. (Note: A commissioner called me on Tuesday to say there was announcement, the Board approved a salary adjustment for the finance director.) Person travel plans prevented by attendance to Thursday’s special called meeting for another closed door meeting for a personnel matter; mostly likely another interview for open county manager position. The four girl scouts attending the meeting to receive the Girl Scout Week Proclamation witnessed firsthand local government in action. Maybe in a couple decades one or more of them been in a chair of power as a commissioner.

Public Hearings – Zoning

The first of two public hearings regarding zoning was a contentious forty-five minute hearing. Three speakers favored the zoning changes and five opposed the change. Of those favoring the change one was the owner of the property to be rezoned and one was the designated representative of Inner Banks (Engineers) the firm who engaged Eastern Pride the LLC filing for the zoning change. Strong speculation among those opposed and the owner of the property to be rezoned another low end retailer, such as Family Dollar, intendeds to build a store on the site at the edge of the Vance – Franklin county line in Epson. The Inner Banks representative said when construction is complete the unnamed (low end) retailer would employee 12 people, five manager types and seven workers. Those opposed to the zoning change stressed the safety issue while dancing around their disgust for another ‘low end’ retail outlet. Commissioner Brummitt clarified the issue for all attending the meeting saying, “we have an issue with a zoning change and not the results of that change.” As cold as that sounds the Board can only approve or deny the requests. Denial must be based on more than a dislike for a particular appropriate retail outlet. The zoning was approved with the encouragement of Commission Hester saying this is another growth opportunity for the county.

The second zoning change was approved after a short pleasant discussion regarding the end result of the zoning change. Commissioner Brummitt asked Mr. McMillen if the zoning change would allow for a daycare facility on the property. Mr. McMillen said a daycare home would be allowed. Commissioner Hester promoted the water project horn for making this location accommodating for another growth opportunity. The zoning change was approved.

Water District Board

The Water Board, aka Board of Commissioners, approved the last expansion of a water line in Phase 1A. The expansion was approved because returning unspent grant money is inappropriate behavior. Besides it is only taxpayers’ money called a grant that is being spent. The Board(s) had to postpone their planned public hearing to approve the issuance of $6,133,000 in general obligation bonds that will be used to pay for the water lines now buried throughout parts of the county. The postponement was required because the Board(s) did not allow sufficed time for public notice of a public hearing. The public hearing will be re-scheduled for later this month. If you have something to say to the Water Board members, aka county commissioners, regarding their decisions to build a water system without the property owners’ support plan to speak at the public hearing. Two of the board members appear to be able to listen following recovery of their respective cranialrectalectomy. The final item on the Water Board’s agenda was to approve keeping their options open to borrow even more money to build an even bigger system with or without 80% of property owners committed.

Committee Reports and Recommendations

The Properties Committee reported they agreed to sell a surplus piece of property at 225 Andrews Ave that the city and the county jointly own as a result of tax foreclosure. The city council has already rejected the sale saying the taxes due are greater than the amount of the sale price especially for a property with a thriving business in the building. Word of the city’s ejection apparently had not made it to the Properties Committee or the county’s attorney before Monday’s meeting.

The real meat of the Properties Committee’s report is some changes to the foreclosure clock. For decades the commissioners and former county manager have objected to tightening the time frame and the process to foreclose on property with outstanding unpaid taxes. The commissioners’ collective disinterest in tax liens over the past decades has resulted in a unique application of the property tax law. State law allows a property owner to keep their property if the owner can successfully delay foreclosure for ten years. This commissioner sanctioned passive approval of tax avoidance, resulted in $85,000 in real and personal property taxes to be written off in 2014. The process benefited some egregious ‘property tax deadbeats’. A change in county management plus the realization of pending property tax increase to pay for the water project may have awakened at least four commissioners. Properties Committee recommended changing the year the foreclosure process will begin for all those with a tax lien on property. The new start date is the publication of tax liens. If the taxes are not paid within two years of the publication the Tax Department would be authorized to start the foreclosure process. Starting next year the publication date for tax liens will be March not May as it has been for decades. After much debate on the foreclosure process itself four of the five attending commissioners approved the starting date change. Commissioner Garrison objects because the change might pressure those who can least afford to pay their property taxes. Modification of the actual foreclosure process was returned to the Properties Committee for a detailed resolution. The foreclosure process should be one of two topics the committee addresses at their March 10, meeting.

County Manager’s Report

This segment of the meeting is generally a simple review and approval of the items presented. Not the case at this meeting. After a rather rancorous discussion the Board table Farm Bureau’s request for free use of the Farmers Market building. Farm Bureau, a for business, justified their free use of the building because non-profit such as the beekeepers association have such an arrangement. Chairman Taylor succinctly likened Farm Bureau’s request to the one who paid the most in time, effort, and some money get free use of the building for perpetuity. Farmers Market has been unwilling to present financial reports showing how much of the operating cost the taxpayers subsidies.

The last major item of the meeting was the Board’s approval of their 2015 goals. The Chair tabled until another day approval those goals because two commissioners disagreed with the summary data presented. It was nine-fifteen the commissioners were tired, staff was tired, and no one had the energy for another debate on an important issue. Plus, they had two closed door dissuasions still on the agenda. Approval of the Board’s 2015 goals was moved to April.