Shutdown's impact on Wayne to be discussed at meeting
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 12, 2013 11:57 PM
Wayne County commissioners Tuesday will be briefed on how the county has been affected by the federal government shutdown.
The reports will be made by county department heads, but County Manager Lee Smith said it will be sometime Monday before the those reports will be completed -- one of the things making it difficult to prepare the reports is that the information coming from Washington keeps shifting and changing, he said.
An agenda briefing will be held at 8 a.m., followed by the meeting at 9 a.m.
Both will be held in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the County Courthouse Annex.
In other business, Wayne County Board of Elections Director Rosemary Blizzard will make a presentation on the Nov. 5 municipal and sanitary district elections in the county.
Among the elections are:
* Pikeville: mayor and two commissioners
* Seven Springs: mayor and two commissioners
* Walnut Creek: two council members
* Eureka: mayor and two commissioners
* Mount Olive: mayor and five commissioners
No one filed in the Seven Springs and Eureka elections, so those offices will be decided by write-in votes.
Sanitary district elections include:
* Belfast-Patetown: five seats
* Eastern Wayne: five seats
* Southeastern Wayne: five seats
* Fork Township: three seats
*Southern Wayne: two seats.
The board is also expected to consider approval of the North Landing preliminary plot that would add 59 new lots to the five that already have been approved. The subdivision is located on the south side of the Church of God Road near Saulston Road and the Wayne County Planning Board has recommended approval.
Commissioners will also be asked to approve selling Remco, a Wayne County Sheriff's Office working dog.
The dog is no longer used as a full-service narcotic/patrol dog and his handler, Deputy Billy Rivenbark, has asked to purchase Remco as a pet. Smith has recommended that the county sell the dog for $1 to Rivenbark.
Commissioners also will be asked to approve the high bid on tax-foreclosed property at 3215 East N.C. 55.
The property was auctioned off on govdeals.com with Charles Griggs of Virginia Beach, Va., submitting the high bid of $40,000. The property's tax value is $64,130 and the county has $4,867.55 in costs associated with the foreclosure.
Other items on the agenda include:
* Annual fire protection contracts with 12 county volunteer fire departments
* A state policy governing how long the county must retain county management and tax records
* A presentation by John Chaffee, president and CEO of North Carolina's Eastern Region, who will update the board on the importance of a regional approach to economic development
Public comments will be taken at 10 a.m. People will have four minutes to speak on the topic of their choice.