12/03/07 — Commission will pick new leaders Tuesday

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Commission will pick new leaders Tuesday

By Matthew Whittle
Published in News on December 3, 2007 2:02 PM

With the selection of a new chairman and vice chairman on Tuesday's schedule, the agenda for the county Board of Commissioners first meeting of the month is otherwise fairly light.

Currently John Bell is serving as chairman and Bud Gray is serving as vice chairman.

Then, once the new leadership is set, the commission will hold a second reading on Jack Smith's request to rezone his property in the Fork Township across from the Rosewood Wal-Mart.

Approved at the commission's last meeting, County Manager Lee Smith explained that the request is being put to a second reading because of Bell's absence before Thanksgiving.

"Because we had a member missing, county attorney Borden Parker said we have to have a second reading," he said.

That, however, is likely to go smoothly. The only concerns voiced about the project have involved traffic safety and the need to control driveway access along the affected roads, N.C. 581 and U.S. 70. -- something county officials don't think should be a problem.

Under the proposal approved two weeks ago, Smith's 11 acres are to be rezoned village district, which allows for limited residential and commercial use, while another 8.4 acres -- across from the Wal-Mart and separated from Smith's property by a proposed N.C. Department of Transportation service road -- are to be re-zoned community shopping.

Once that matter is settled, the commissioners will then move on to the approval of a letter supporting the continued funding of Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils by the state General Assembly -- $345,739 with a 20 percent local match for Wayne County for fiscal year 2007-08.

And finally, the board will discuss the submitted bids for the demolition of seven dilapidated structures as part of the 2006 federal Community Development Block Grant-Concentrated Needs program.