Mobile homes on county agenda
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 2, 2009 1:46 PM
Wayne County commissioners will once again take up proposed changes to the county's mobile home park ordinance Tuesday morning.
Just as they already have done with subdivision plats, commissioners are poised to assume authority to make the final decision on mobile home park plats.
An agenda briefing will get under way at 8 a.m. in the commissioners' boardroom on the fourth floor of the county courthouse annex. The meeting will start at 9 a.m.
The ordinance applies to mobile home parks only.
A mobile home park is different from a mobile home subdivision. In a park, three or more mobile homes are located on rented lots, while in a subdivision the homeowner owns the lot.
Mobile home subdivisions fall under the subdivision ordinance.
Under the proposed changes, the Planning Board would review and make recommendations on plats. Commissioners would make the final decision.
Several commissioners have argued that the change would provide developers with more opportunity for appeal.
Currently there is no appeals process if the Planning Board turns down the request or grants a conditional approval. The change would allow developers to appeal directly to the commissioners if dissatisfied with the Planning Board's decision.
However, Commissioner Steve Keen, who also sits on the Planning Board, has complained that there is still no appeal in place past commissioners.
A public hearing held Oct. 20 generated comments from just one person who called mobile home parks "a dying society and business" because of the many regulations being placed on them.
County Planner Connie Price has said the number of plats has decreased, but that currently there are more than 200 mobile home parks in the county.
Also on Tuesday's agenda, Wayne County Heath Department Director James Roosen will talk about:
* seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccinations
* a testing campaign on Nov. 6 for HIV and syphilis
* loss of Medicaid revenues in child service coordination and maternity care coordination programs
* Wayne County being a pilot county for a new computer system
* House Bill 2 legislation concerning smoking in public places, and legislation allowing comprehensive sex education in school.
Goldsboro High School education coach Barbara Wilkins will update the board about the graduation rate improvement program, which is being jointly funded by the county and city, and administered by Communities in Schools.
In other business, commissioners will be:
* asked to adopt a resolution encouraging citizens to eat healthy and practice a healthier life style
* updated about the operation of AT&T in the county
* briefed about the Medicare D open enrollment period from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31.