Rezoning requests, budget on agenda
By Steve Herring
Published in News on May 31, 2010 1:46 PM
Public hearings on two rezoning requests, one of which the Wayne County Board of Commissioners was reluctant to schedule, will be held during the board's Tuesday morning session.
Commissioners also will get their first official look at the county's $156 million budget proposal.
County Manager Lee Smith will brief the board on the draft budget that retains the current tax rate of 76.4 cents per $100 worth of property. It also continues a three-year freeze on capital projects and new employees.
The proposal includes approximately $21.3 million for the public schools and about $3.5 million for Wayne Community College. Combined, the expenditures account for 26 percent of the proposed general fund operating budget.
A public hearing on the budget will be held on June 15.
At their May meeting, commissioners stopped just short of rejecting outright a petition by Cecil Bryan for rezoning property he owns on the south side of Lake Avenue, just west of U.S. 117 South across from Wayne Memorial Park.
The property lies within the 65-70 decibels day-night average sound level noise zone surrounding Seymour Johnson Air Force Base where residential uses are discouraged, Dennis Goodson, Seymour Johnson deputy civil engineer, wrote in a letter to the county.
Commissioners were concerned that the rezoning would run counter to county policy to protect areas, even outlying ones, that could adversely affect the base. Additional worries were that deviating from that policy would open the floodgates and that the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission would perceive it as the county permitting encroachment around the base.
The board only agreed to the hearing after Commissioner Steve Keen pressed the issue of allowing the public a chance to comment.
The hearings will get under way at 9:15 a.m. in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the county courthouse annex.
Bryan wants to rezone a 22,000-square-foot lot from Residential 30 to Residential 10 to build a triplex apartment. He already has early clearance to build a duplex, similar to ones on adjoining lots he owns.
It is the second time the rezoning has been sought. The first petition did not receive a favorable recommendation from the county Planning Board. The latest revised proposal has.
The second hearing Tuesday will be on a petition by Kevin Wilson to rezone 2.7 acres on Genoa Road from Light Industry to Village. The Planning Board has recommended approval.
Wilson wants to use an existing commercial building for a Christmas ornament business. He also plans to use an existing residence. Accor-ding to a letter from base engineer Goodson the use is compatible.
In other business, the board will be asked to approve an amendment to the Goldsboro-Wayne Transportation Auth-ority bylaws.
The change requires each authority member sign a conflict of interest statement.
Workforce Development Coordinator Diane Ivey will update commissioners on the job profiling component of the WorkKeys Program.
Job profiling determines the basic skills requirements for individual jobs and occupational careers.