Tag Archive for: #vancecountyboardofcommissioners

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Commissioners Approve Rezoning Request 6-1 In Special Called Meeting

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In a 6-1 vote, the Vance County Board of Commissioners voted Monday afternoon to approve a rezoning request for a 40-acre tract on U.S. Hwy 158 Business.

Board Chair Carolyn Faines last week called for a special meeting to be held just prior to a regularly scheduled work session to consider the rezoning request. The special called meeting began at 4 p.m. and the work session began at the conclusion of the special called meeting, which lasted only a few minutes.

Commissioner Tommy Hester made the motion to approve, seconded by Commissioner Dan Brummitt, to “approve the zoning map amendment and to adopt the resolution with the statement of consistency and reasonableness.”

In opening remarks, Faines reminded those in attendance to behave in a respectful orderly and quiet manner.

“The board is here to deliberate and take action,” she said. “We ask for your cooperation in maintaining a respectful environment so the board can conduct the county’s business efficiently.”

After the vote was taken, however, there were boos that emanated from the members of the audience, which exceeded that of the Apr. 6 meeting. One person called out to ask for a roll call vote, but that request was declined. Commissioner Valencia Perry cast the nay vote. All commissioners were in attendance.

The beginning of the work session was delayed by several more minutes as members of the audience, visibly and audibly angry and upset at the board’s action, left the commissioners’ meeting room.

CLICK PLAY for broadcast audio prior to the meeting.

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Vance County Commissioners To Meet Apr. 20 At 4 P.M. To Consider Rezoning Request

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, Apr. 20 at 4 p.m. for a special called meeting before its planned work session.

According to the notification, the purpose of the meeting is to consider and take action on a rezoning request that the board, at its Apr. 6 regular monthly meeting, voted to continue.

The rezoning request is for a 40-acre tract along U.S. Hwy. 158 Business west of Henderson, for which the planning board had recommended approval. The zoning would change from EIA – Employment Institutional Area – to LI – Light Industrial.

At the Apr. 6 meeting, about 20 people spoke during the public hearing about the rezoning request; most were not in favor of the rezoning request, and two people spoke in favor.

By state statute, the board of commissioners must have a public comment period during at least one of its monthly meetings. This is a time when the public can address the board on any topic, Vance County Attorney Jonathan Care said.

In the case of the Apr. 6 meeting, Care explained, “There was a public comment period which was not restricted to the rezoning, and then there was a public hearing that was for the rezoning, and the public was restricted to that topic, but you were allowed to speak during both periods.  So we had a public comment period and then a public hearing.”

Chair Carolyn Faines opened the public hearing on the rezoning and that’s when residents came to the podium one at the time to address the commissioners.

Care said there is no requirement for another public comment period this month, “and there is not a requirement to have a public hearing at every meeting a rezoning is going to be discussed.”

The public is welcome to attend the meeting, but there is no scheduled public comment or public hearing included on the agenda.

The meeting and following work session will be available on the county’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMNYAAhyvKx5leijt5K6Q.

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Vance Commissioners To Hold Special Called Meeting Apr. 20 At 4 P.M. To Consider Rezoning Request

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Vance County Board of Commissioners Chairperson Carolyn Faines has scheduled a special called meeting Monday, Apr. 20 at 4 p.m. in reference to a rezoning request that had been continued at the board’s regular monthly meeting on Apr. 6.

The special called meeting will be held in the commissioners’ room on the second floor of the county administrative building, 122 Young St. The meeting also can be viewed on the county’s YouTube channel.

According to the notification, the purpose of the meeting is to consider and take action on the rezoning request of a 40-acre parcel of land located along U.S. Hwy. 158 Business.

The county planning board had recommended approval of the rezoning request from EIA (Employment Institutional Area) to LI (Light Industrial).

Following public comment during the Apr. 6 meeting, during which the majority of the 20 speakers voiced opposition, the board agreed to continue the matter.

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TownTalk: Commissioners Vote Monday To Continue Rezoning Request

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners on Monday voted to continue a rezoning request for a 40-acre tract along Highway 158.

Although the planning board recommended in February to approve rezoning the property to Light Industrial, about 20 people spoke during the public hearing – most in opposition – prompting Commissioner Tommy Hester to make a motion to continue the agenda item.

“I care about this community, and I want to get the facts,” Hester said. “I don’t want to hurt this community, and I want to make sure everybody in that area gets what they need,” he said.

Attorney Beth Trahos, one of three applicants listed on the rezoning request was present at the Monday meeting. In remarks at the beginning of the public hearing portion of the meeting, Trahos said no development plan has been submitted thus far; the matter before the commissioners is a step in the process to get the tract rezoned from its current Employment and Instiuttional Area to Light Industrial.

Another of the applicants on the rezoning request, Michael Natelli, has been associated with the construction of data centers. The town of Apex in Wake County recently defeated an attempt by Natelli to put in a data center. The third name on the application is that of the landowner, Patricia Galloway.

At the public hearing that took place during the commissioners’ regular monthly meeting, residents filed to the podium to express their concern about having a data center in the area.

They cited concerns that included excessive noise pollution, as well as increased energy and water demands, among others.

Addressing those in attendance, Commissioner Leo Kelly said he was opposed to the idea of a data center. “I think we need to look at the process of data centers…I don’t think they bring what we’re looking for in Vance County.”

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Commissioners Set Apr. 6 Hearing To Review Rezoning Request For 40-Acre Tract Along Hwy 158 Business

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners will hold a hearing on Monday, Apr. 6 at 6 p.m. to receive information about a rezoning request for 40 acres of land located off U.S. Hwy 158 Business.

The hearing will take place just before the regular monthly commissioners’ meeting in the commissioners’ meeting room, located on the second floor of the county administrative office building, 122 Young St.

At its Feb. 12 meeting, the county planning board voted unanimously to recommend the property be rezoned from Employment Institutional Area to Light Industrial. The planning board found the request to be in compliance with the adopted Vance County Comprehensive Plan, was reasonable and in the public interest.

According to information from Vance County Planning Director Sherry Moss, the applicants are Michael Natelli and Beth Trahos and property owner Patricia Galloway.

Members of the public are invited to attend and offer comment consistent with the County’s applicable rules of procedure. Questions can be directed to Vance County Planning Department at (252) 738.2091. For more information, visit the Vance County website at:  https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/planning-and-development/planning-board/.

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County Establishes Water Bill Forgiveness Program To Help Customers Complete Connection To County Water System

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— From the office of Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry

The Vance County Water District, in partnership with the Vance County Board of Commissioners, has announced a Water Bill Forgiveness Program designed to assist property owners with outstanding availability fees while encouraging connection to the County’s water system.

This limited-time amnesty program is specifically targeted toward property owners who previously signed up for water service but never completed connection to the system and have since accumulated outstanding balances.

The offer is good through March 31, 2027. Under the program, eligible participants may receive 75 percent forgiveness of their outstanding availability balance in exchange for connecting to the county water system. Currently, unconnected properties are assessed a monthly $30 base availability fee. By participating in the program and completing the connection, customers will not only significantly reduce their outstanding balance but also gain access to the full benefits of reliable public water service.

“This program reflects the County’s commitment to supporting our residents while also strengthening our water infrastructure,” said County Manager C. Renee Perry. “We encourage eligible property owners to take advantage of this opportunity to reduce outstanding balances and secure reliable water service for their homes.”

There are several requirements that must be satisfied to take advantage of the forgiveness program, besides having a property with an outstanding balance and a promise from the customer to connect to the Vance County water system.

Customers also must submit a formal letter of request to participate in the program, and the account must remain in good standing for a period of 12 months following connection, according to information from the county.

Eligible customers should contact the county’s water system operator, Envirolink, to begin the process and receive additional guidance on submitting the required requests.

Contact Information:

Vance County Water District / Envirolink

Phone: 252.235.4900 / Toll Free: 1.888.754.9878

customerservice@envirolinkinc.com

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TownTalk: Vance County Board of Equalization and Review

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners held a work session of March 17th where they discuss the Vance County Board of Equalization and Review.

(Our WIZS written coverage will appear here soon.)

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TownTalk: Vance County Government Artificial Intelligence Policy

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The Vance County Board of Commissioners likely will discuss and adopt at their April meeting a policy to guide county staff about how and when to use AI when it comes to managing public and county data.

Randall Medlin, the county’s IT director, appeared before commissioners at a Mar. 17 work session to provide details about the draft policy, stating that it was crafted to address three key issues surrounding the county’s use of AI: that it’s used ethically, responsibly and legally; that county staff is aware of any potential biases with regard to its use; and that AI is not replacing a human making a decision in any act.

Medlin said the county will be making three software purchases in the next six months, and they all have an AI component.

He said he’d like to have the policy in place before the county moves forward with those purchases.

County Manager C. Renee Perry said she plans to have adoption of the 7-page policy on the board’s April 6 agenda.

As County Attorney Jonathan Care explained, the policy provides “guiderails” as the use of AI becomes more prevalent and more widely accepted.

“It has the guardrails in there to help eliminate the bad stuff,” Care said.

“It is only using versions that we control the data to. And that’s important, and Randall and I both agree on this, because of all the other considerations you’ve got out there, the most common one that we don’t think about that I see as being the biggest hurdle is creating public records. We’ve got to own it and control it. We’ve got to limit – to the extent we can – the number of public records that we inadvertently create by using AI. This policy definitely has the guardrails in that addresses my concerns practically and legally, but also, more importantly, addresses the IT concerns that are much more informed that I feel need to be in there.”

Medlin said the policy doesn’t prescribe how to authorize and use AI but instead offers parameters for use. “If you’re going to use AI, it can’t do this and it must do this,” he said.

The policy states that county departments that do use AI must create an annual report to present to the board and to the public at large to ensure transparency.

The report will contain information about which AI programs are being used and how they are being used and how it fits in their “chain” or scope of work.

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County Opioid Committee Sets Monthly Meetings To Discuss, Develop Recommendations For Spending Settlement Money

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The Vance County Opioid Committee has announced dates for its monthly meetings through December 2026.

The meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of the month from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the commissioners’ meeting room, according to information from Vance County Manager Renee Perry.

The purpose of the meeting, Perry stated, is to organize, discuss and develop recommendations for the county commissioners as plans are made to spend the money from the multi-billion dollar national settlement. Vance County’s slice of the settlement pie over the next 17 years is estimated at about $6.2 million – the state is expected to receive a total of $1.3 billion over that time.

The meetings will be held on the following dates:

April 14

May 12

June 9

July 14

Aug. 11

Sept. 8,

Oct. 13

Nov. 10

Dec. 8

The meetings will also be available via YouTube View at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMNYAAhyvKx5leijt5iK6Q 

TownTalk: Vance County Commissioners Planning Retreat Coverage Pt. 4 – Economic Development

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Economic development is top of mind for many in the area: more businesses locating here means more jobs and more tax revenue. County leaders like Economic Development Director Ferdinand Rouse know that prospective industries look at a variety of factors when considering where to locate. It’s not some mysterious, unknown list: businesses are looking for, among other things, a well-trained workforce, shovel-ready sites and buildings ready to be upfitted.  Other factors like tax incentives and the presence of existing infrastructure can make or break a decision, too.

Rouse reviewed the county’s economic development picture during the recent retreat of the Vance County Board of Commissioners.

He took a few moments to look back at 2025 and then started in on what the 2026 picture is looking like so far.

Unemployment inched up a bit last year, but the overall number of jobs is up in the county, he noted.

The county’s biggest employers remain in the social systems, retail and health care sectors, he said, with health care related jobs having continued shortages

There’s a greater need for what Rouse called “front line employees” like RNs and CNAs.

Through strong partnerships such as those with Maria Parham Health, Kerr-Tar COG and the city of Henderson, Rouse said the county is working “to put our best foot forward” to address needs.

What the county needs most, he said, are shovel-ready sites that are available for quick turnaround when prospective business and industry send out their inquiries.

The county plenty of sizable tracts – 50 acres, 100 acres, but it’s the infrastructure that sometimes is lacking. If there are roads to access the properties, there may not be water. If there’s water and sewer available, the fiber internet capability may be lacking.

“We’re a victim of our own success,” Rouse said, referring to North Carolina’s number one ranking among states when it comes to economic development and success.

A lot of peer counties – those counties that are similar in nature to Vance when it comes to being ready for economic development – are operating at an optimum level.

That puts them in a better spot to land the business or industry, and “makes us less competitive on time-sensitive projects.”

When state leaders field inquiries and then pass them on to counties, they often expect a quick turnaround – if the county can’t provide detailed responses in a week, they get passed over, he said.

One recent victory came when the China-based company Syntec Precision Technology announced that it’s coming to Vance County, bringing 60 jobs and a $10 million investment as it locates a medical component manufacturing facility here.

Rouse and his team are taking information from a couple of studies – the Golden Leaf Site Selection Study and the Timmons group – to find the truly best sites and focus energies on acquiring those tracts,” he said.

With this multi-pronged approach – grant funding, targeting attractive sites and working with a good group of partners, Rouse said the county is taking positive steps to “put ourselves in a good position to make Vance County successful and have the growth that we desire.”

 

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