What is going on in Pittsboro?

Several local business owners are upset about the renovation of downtown Pittsboro and the way plans are being developed that ignore their business interests.

I have heard that the circle around the historic courthouse is being reduced to one lane (how will that impact truck traffic?), that angled parking will be replaced with parallel parking (have you been practicing how to parallel park?) and that parking lots used during the day, such as the Presbyterian Church lot, will be cut off from the public.

Those do not sound very business friendly.

There is an amazing lack of information about the downtown Pittsboro renovation. I have gone through the calendar year 2016 minutes (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0C58b8Uq5MTOTJhUFlOY0o5WVk) of the Pittsboro council and found only four references:

January 25: Commissioner Fiocco stated there were presentations to the property owners.
April 11: Manager Gruesbeck has a drawing from Kimley Horne (the design firm?).
May 09: Mayor Perry said Commissioner Farrell indicated they are still working on the circle and a couple other things.
May 23: Mr. Musarra (who is he?) gave a presentation. A link to the presentation is included in the commission minutes but the link does not work.

I did find a presentation dated June 16, 2014 called the Pittsboro Downtown Vision Plan. It states that consultants spent two whole days in Pittsboro, and then talked with about a dozen  citizens and elected officials. That report is on my blog at https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0C58b8Uq5MTU1ItNjB3MktSWTg. It indicates a goal for parallel parking despite drivers and shoppers disliking it but it apparently that provides more room for bike lanes. The four corners of around the Courthouse Circle should become parks. Also, the  presentation says that there are opportunities to relocate businesses. That alone would worry me if I owned a business in Pittsboro.

Do we really want Pittsboro to become another Chapel Hill? That same presentation calls for Pittsboro to be described as Artistic, Night Life, and Organic (whatever Organic means in this context).

There are many suggestions in this presentation that Pittsboro does need: improved sidewalks, buried power lines, better crosswalks. However, parallel parking, constricting traffic around the circle, and closing parking lots sounds like things Pittsboro does not need.

So, Pittsboro leadership, how about providing more information on the plans and the logic behind decisions? Also, a big question - where is the money coming from, and who are the special interests that will profit from these renovations?

Shout-out to Hickory Mountain

Two days ago the citizens of Chatham County celebrated our democracy and voted in elections. One may agree with some outcomes and not with others. What we should all agree on is that, at least in Hickory Mountain, neighbors came together and participated in a friendly manner to decide important issues. Here are a couple of the stories I was told from there.

Electric power went out sporadically across areas of the precinct on Tuesday morning. This impacted voting - the polling booths were dark inside and the authorizations to vote (ATV, a document which stands in for identification) could not be printed, but paper backup was used. Right after the power went out the County was notified and started to make arrangements for assistance.

One of the local residents brought a small generator, lights, and extension cords. Another local resident brought in five flashlights for use in the booths. Other voters used the flashlights on their cell phones. One voter brought in a flashlight as she knew power was out.

No one seemed anxious, or worried about the integrity of the vote, or complained about voter suppression. This was neighbors working with neighbors, despite one of the national parties doing some serious arm-twisting as voters went into the polling place.

Thanks to everyone who voted. I hope that each one of you voted in a thoughtful manner, unswayed by national political corporations and news media with their own agenda. Let us continue to act as neighbors in this beautiful county and wonderful country we call home.

Comprehensive Land Use Plan

Chatham County is moving forward with its comprehensive land use plan. This will impact ALL of us in Chatham County, for better or worse, for years to come. Sources tell me there have been some spirited discussions at the Comprehensive Planning meetings between those desiring more centralized control and those desiring more individual freedom.

If you have not seen the draft map of planned land use, showing areas for agriculture, towns, neighborhoods, parks and so on, it is available on my blog here.

Once you have studied the map, and looked at the plan for YOUR property, you may have more incentive to participate in the planning process. The county has posted more information and how to get involved at http://www.chathamnc.org/index.aspx?page=1860.

This is your future in Chatham County. Get involved.

Shout-out to the Pittsboro Street Fair

Yesterday was the Pittsboro Street Fair - a great opportunity to meet people, eat funnel cakes, and shop for crafts. And we could not have had a nicer day. Thanks to everyone who organized, participated, and attended.

And a thanks to Sheriff Roberson and his deputies. Our Sheriff seems to be very engaged with the community and always interested in meeting the county citizens and hearing their thoughts and ideas.

I also had a chance to meet two Commissioner candidates - Jay Stobbs and Peyton Holland. Both were walking among the crowd and listening to what we were thinking. Those who did not seem to be visible were Karen Howard or Mike Dasher.

Shout-out to Chatham Co Board of Elections

I voted this week.

Despite having to work my way past a group of partisans shouting at me to take a Blue Ballot, once inside the Pittsboro voting station I was met with pleasant and professional paid staff and volunteers. They quickly asked for my name and address (no ID, but that is another story) and within a couple minutes I had my paper ballot and had voted.

A big thanks to the staff and volunteers during what must be a difficult period, both due to partisanship in the County and the illness of the Elections Director. And a huge thanks to Chatham County for retaining paper ballots and not moving to electronic voting machines. Paper ballots give me confidence that my vote is counted. The electronics in a machine can go haywire for a variety of reasons. An ink mark on paper is reassuring.

Go vote - either vote early, or vote on Election Day. This is an important election.

If you say a lie often enough it becomes truth

In the Chatlist from Wednesday this week Mr. Markatos commented on the Commission Meeting discussing zoning and the comments by Karen Howard. His discussion is not correct regarding that Howard is addressing two hecklers from the crowd.

If you listen carefully (at about 1:22 into https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtpfpjRrRLs), this is the statement Howard makes: Even those voices that spoke did not give meaningful input on what was being discussed.

Howard is clearly showing her disdain for the Chatham County citizens who took time to speak for or against zoning, as the meeting was strictly for show anyway.

I would say this continues a trend at the County level, but since we have heard almost nothing from Howard in the past couple months that would not be true.

It does seem to be true at the national level, however. The ruling class of the media, politicians, entertainment figures, and university professors seem to consider most of those living outside their sphere, those of us who are bitter and cling to guns and religion, those of us who are a basket of deplorables, those of us loyal American NRA members who are enemies, as ignorant rubes that have to be enlightened. This spills over to the local politicians.

It is our responsibility to vote, but only if we make informed votes not dictated by one or the other of our national Political Corporations (I could have said Political Parties, but both parties really are corporations that exist solely for their own benefit, not for your benefit). One party wants you to vote the Blue Ballot, the other party wants you to vote whatever color ballot they are using. Do not vote how a Political Corporation tells you to vote. Think, research, and then vote your own ballot. You have a few days left of early voting. Make your vote count.

Matthew is gone but certainly not forgotten

Hurricane Matthew has come and gone. As I write this many of my fellow Chatham citizens remain without power, or have to boil their water, or remain in their homes because of high water, or a host of other issues.

So my question is - did we learn anything over the weekend?

A shout-out to the NC Department of Public Safety and the Chatham County Emergency Management department for keeping us informed. Also a shout-out to Duke Energy - their crews have been working hard to get the power turned back on. 

Also a shout-out to the Central Carolina SKYWARN folks. A ham radio friend advised me to listen to their broadcasts (you can hear them on the internet at http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/5620/?rl=rr) and that was about the most informative way to find out information around the area.

I was NOT impressed by the local FM radio stations, particularly one public radio station nearby who seemed much more interested in discussing a presidential candidates stupid comments than in reporting useful storm information. Until my power went out the local TV stations were the most useful.

What else? Were YOU prepared for the storm? Food, water, gas for a generator, flashlight batteries and so on? I recall a guy some weeks back talking on the Chatlist about a citizens emergency program. At the time I did not think much about it, but after the past few days that might be a really good idea. This was not the first nor will it be the last disaster to hit our area.

So, now for the cleanup, and then back to local politics!

It is time to THINK about voting.

The Chatham County Board of Elections website has posted the Sample Ballot for November at this site: http://www.chathamnc.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=28234. In addition to national and state races, we must elect two county commissioners, ten justices and judges, and other County positions.

Some positions have only one candidate running. Feel free to provide a write-in name if you want someone else.

County Democrat activists, and also maybe Republican activists if there are any, will be more than happy to provide you their particular flavors of sample ballots with their particular candidates marked as you should vote.

DO NOT USE EITHER ONE! You, and you alone as a voter are responsible for understanding the candidates and the issues.

Both local parties are providing ample opportunities to meet and greet particular candidates. Get off the couch, go to candidate events from both parties, listen and ask questions. Pay attention to local and national media; follow social media; but, be careful of how media will spin the truth for one candidate or another. Political ads, especially from national candidates are generally not worth hearing. Think, think again, sift through the accusations and false promises, and decide for yourself.

Early in-person voting begins on October 20 at several election sites throughout the county and at the Board of Elections. You can also vote absentee at http://www.chathamnc.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=22996, or vote on Election Day, November 8. Despite what some may claim, we have ample opportunities to vote. Make informed choices.

On August 24, Virginia posted to the Chatlist "And as for Raymond Gastwaite, broad and unimpeded access to the ballot box is what democracy demands and what my father fought to uphold in WWII as well as my uncle did later in Korea."

Huh?

Perhaps Virginia misread my post referring to the Chatham County Board of Elections meeting in August. In it I talked about hecklers being rude to the Elections Board members and to the rest of the meeting participants. I also mentioned that the Board of Elections was not able to rent space for election sites due to intimidating behavior by one of the political parties in the past. Intimidating behavior seems like one method of impeding access to the ballot box. 

So, two items. 

First item: here is the rule for electioneering at voting places (the complete list of NC voting law is at http://dl.ncsbe.gov/sboe/ElectionLawIndex.pdf). Nobody can hinder access, harass others, distribute campaign literature, place political advertising, solicit votes, or otherwise engage in election-related activity in the voting place or in a buffer zone of 50 feet from the front door of the place of voting.

Let us all pay close attention to make sure this law is enforced. Let us also hope that electioneering is conducted with respect to all political viewpoints.

Second item: I know a bit about what our soldiers do for the country. I took the soldiers oath (http://www.history.army.mil/html/faq/oaths.html), like millions of others since the beginning of our Republic, and that oath says we will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Oaths do not expire. If you really want to know what soldiers fight for, read the Constitution.

Board of Elections

I sat quietly listening in the back of the room at the August 16 Chatham County Board of Elections meeting. I hoped to observe a respectful, data driven discussion about how our County will efficiently and effectively conduct the November elections in a non-partisan manner.

Not so much. 

I was surprised that twenty one citizens signed up to speak in front of the board. Most speakers demanded that Chatham County open early voting sites in northeast Chatham County for 17 days of early voting, with extended hours, plus 3 more Sunday voting days. 

Some of the arguments for extended hours were that people just do not have time to vote; that more voting sites need to be opened because of voter lack of interest; that voters can only get to the polls if they are driven by their churches, and that people just do not have enough time, in 17 days, to vote. One person said we need to open more voting places to shorten long time-consuming lines because voters will no longer be able to vote a straight party ticket. Funny how the states to the north and south of North Carolina can get by with just absentee voting. 

A minority felt that individuals should take personal initiative to make it to the polls, and that those who wish to vote in the upcoming election could do so with the same early voting hours as in past elections, plus absentee ballots, plus the day of election itself. 

The county Board of Elections consists of three members; two from the sitting governors party, one from the opposition. Board decisions must be unanimous or the State will determine the County procedures. Our county board seems to be three reasonable and informed individuals who seek to do the right thing. The Board Chair should be commended for his position that to be fair, all early voting places across the county need to be open the same times. Some in the audience wanted the northeast polling location to be open for many more hours than those in Siler City or Goldston, or at the Board of Elections office itself.

After the public comment period ended, members of the audience heckled the Elections Board as they debated among themselves the merits of various early voting locations, whether funds were available for additional hours, or how to equitably distribute voting options across the county. The hecklers were, without exception, upset about not having greatly increased early voting hours over the previous elections. They were intrusive on the Board members deliberations and abusive to anyone who disagreed with them.

One of the problems with expanding voting locations in Chatham County is finding suitable and willing locations. The Board of Elections Director said owners of several potential early voting locations refused to rent space to the County because of the rude campaigning behavior of political activists in the past. One of the speakers complained about this happening in the March elections, and I have heard that Democrat activists have intimidated voters at polling sites in the County. Intimidating behavior seems entirely likely given that very behavior I witnessed Tuesday evening. 

How can the citizens of the county assist our voting process? Chatham County needs unbiased and honest volunteers to ensure fair and open elections. Please volunteer with the County Board of Elections. Contact the Board of Elections at http://www.chathamnc.org/Index.aspx?page=110.

Chatham County is now Zoned

Do you feel more protected from your neighbors and friends now that the entire county is zoned? County-wide residential zoning was implemented Monday at the Commissioners meeting. Did anyone really expect that the outcome would be different? Early in the process an interim solution was proposed by some of the more conservative county commissioners, but their approach was overruled by the more left-leaning commissioners. Recall that the Chatham Democrat Committee went so far as to actively campaign against a sitting Democrat Commissioner who was not sufficiently supportive of zoning. This was a done deal, regardless of any public input from the people being zoned.

At the Commissioners meeting fifteen citizens spoke about zoning; twelve stood against the zoning plan as presented, while three speakers were pro zoning. Just coincidentally all three are registered Democrats, and two of them live in areas that were already zoned, residing miles away from where the meeting was held in Bear Creek. One pro-zoning speaker who lives in northeast Chatham County spoke as if the County would not survive another day without zoning. By her way of thinking we all need protection and only the Commissioners can provide that protection. Another supporter has spoken at least nine times before the Commissioners in the past year regarding zoning or environmental issues. Both these folks are already zoned; why are they so insistent on zoning those who are not, and why the rush? In fact, Commissioner Petty questioned the other commissioners about why now, and received no answer.

Jason Sullivan, the County Planning Director, stated that 300 businesses will need to be looked at (but I am not quite sure exactly what that means) and that the process will take many months. Then County staff will return to the Commissioners with an offer to rezone those business at no fee to the property owners.

Brian Bock presented the minority report from the Planning Board against zoning. He stated that the Planning Board was given only one option to review - that of straight up all or nothing zoning, with no other options other than the one desired by the Commissioners.

George Lucier presented the Planning Board recommendation, which he called The Commissioners Initiative, and gave 10 reasons to zone the entire county. I could not follow the logic with some of his presentation. His point number 4 was that farming needs protection, yet his point number 5 was that bringing in business was critical. I fail to see how blanket residential zoning achieves either of those goals.

Commissioner Hales made the motion to zone the entire county, and Commissioner Howard seconded the motion. That those two sponsored the zoning motion is not surprising given their history getting to the present vote. Remember that Commissioner Howard is up for re-election this November.

Pen Name

Dr. Dykers, in a recent post, asked if Raymond Gastwaite was a nom de plume, or pen name.

I confess that Raymond is not this writers legal name as shown on my Chatham County voters registration. However, that really should not matter much for readers of the Chatlist or of my blog. Who I am is unimportant. I am trying to stimulate reasoned discussion around politics of interest in our wonderful County, and plan to continue researching, seeking out information, and summarizing my findings. I will post facts, and identify my personal opinions, to the Chatlist and to my blog when they are relevant to our citizens.

I thought about using the pen name Richard Saunders - but that pen name was already taken by one of our forefathers, Benjamin Franklin.

Chatham County Comprehensive Plan Survey

We should all know by now that Chatham County is in the midst of developing a Comprehensive Plan. Some of the plan inputs will come from a survey of residents to gather information about what we want for our county in the future.

I have a problem with the phrasing of survey questions. Almost all of the questions are How Do We Spend More Of Your Money questions, and seem to be implying that the only way to continue having this wonderful Chatham County is to have More Government Involvement in our lives.

I took the survey, and I strongly encourage the readers of the Chatlist to that also. Respond as you see fit, but read each of the questions carefully. You can add inputs to the questions that more closely meet your personal hopes for the county.

Take the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5FYXTWB before August 5.

County dollars for a hotel???

Take a look at the last three paragraphs on the last page of this weeks Chatham Record. That is where Chatham County very quietly gives notice of a plan to distribute county dollars to a private developer for a hotel somewhere in Chatham County.

According to the notice a public hearing for this cash giveaway will be held during the Commissioner's meeting on August 15 at 6:00 pm at the Historic Courthouse in Pittsboro.

Now, a hotel in the county might be nice. But is this something that you want your tax dollars going to support? I do not recall reading about expending public funds for this project in the latest county budget.

Is there an analysis that shows this is an investment and not a giveaway to some developer? If it is an investment, will our tax bills go down in the future? Is this another case of the open and transparent government our current county commissioners profess, or just a case of taxing and spending?

It is OUR money. Vote in November.

Who is running for County Commissioner?

We should all know by now that two county commissioner seats are on the ballot this fall. I was curious about what public information each of the candidates has provided about their positions on the issues. We should all watch for evolving positions over the next four months.

Seeking District 1 Commissioner

Karen Howard is the incumbent Democrat. Howard's mailing address is Chapel Hill and is a former attorney. She ran unopposed in 2014 to fill a position vacated by Sally Kost and is now running in an opposed election.

Ms Howard has published almost no information about her positions on Chatham County. Her Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/Howard-for-Commissioner-2016.

I cannot find a reelection website for her.

Emmett (Jay) Stobbs is the Republican challenging Karen Howard. Stobbs' mailing address is Durham. He is a West Point graduate and a retired Army officer and was a manager at Northrop Grumman. Stobbs has information on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/jay4chathamnc/, and he has a website at www.jay4chatham.com.

Seeking District 2 Commissioner

The incumbent commissioner for District 2 is Mike Cross. Cross was defeated by Mike Dasher in the Democrat primary. Cross lost the support of the Chatham Democrat Party leadership after voting against county-wide zoning which is supported by the other Democrat commissioners (Howard, Hales, and Crawford). Read about that at http://www.chathamforward.com or here.

Mike Dasher is the Democrat seeking the District 2 Commissioner position. He has degrees in political science and finance, and runs a business developing residential properties. Dasher  lives in Moncure. His Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/DasherForChatham/ and he has a website at http://www.mikedasher.org.

Peyton Holland is running as an Independent (placed on the ballot by petition of county voters after the Primaries). In the past Holland has voted as a Republican. Holland lives in Moncure and has a graduate degree in management from NC State. He works as the Executive Director of SkillsUSA North Carolina. His Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/OurChatham/ and his website is http://www.ourchathamnc.com.

Personal opinion follows
I chuckled when I saw a post on Dashers Facebook page stating that Howard and Dasher encourage citizen participation in a government that is thoughtful, deliberative, and transparent. I have not seen those qualities displayed yet by Commissioner Howard in the discussions about county-wide zoning.

Also interesting is that Mike Dasher runs a business developing residential properties. Will that be a conflict of interest for him during zoning discussions around residential development?

Anyway, (with the exception of Karen Howard who has seems to have no published political position) check out the political promises on each candidates Facebook page and website, and watch how those pledges evolve until the election. Remember to vote in November, and after the election try to hold your representatives to the commitments they make.

Zoning and the Ag Advisory Board

A few days ago Dr. Dykers mentioned on the Chatham Chatlist that the Ag Advisory Board had voted to recommend against county-wide zoning. Wanting to read the minutes for myself, I looked to the County website and found that the minutes for Ag Advisory Board meetings were not posted. 

After I submitted a formal records request, the County posted some of the Ag Advisory Board minutes at http://www.chathamnc.org/index.aspx?page=1795 (January 2016 not yet posted as of this writing). 

From the Ag Advisory Board minutes, this is the timeline of their zoning discussions in 2015:

March 10, 2015 - Ag Advisory Board notified that the Planning Board and Commissioners are looking at zoning restrictions and countywide zoning. George Lucier and Brian Bock from the Planning Board agreed to seek Ag Advisory Board input on County issues regarding agriculture.

April 14, 2015 - Ag Advisory Board was told that the Planning Board is considering four zoning options, and that the entire county does not need to be zoned at this time. Commissioner Hale said that the county needs zoning as another leg to the County comprehensive land use plan. The Ag Board requested more information about zoning and its impact on agriculture. Commissioner Petty supports an open zoning approach that names the industries that cannot be allowed in the County without due process.

June 9, 2015 - Ag Advisory Board told that that County Commissioners have charged the planning board to develop land use regulations. Commissioner Hales stated that zoning is a comprehensive process and can take a long time, and that a comprehensive plan is ideal but there are short-term needs that are immediate.

September 8, 2015 - A report to the Ag Advisory Board stated that the Planning Board votes on zoning were tied, and that nothing was passed; also that the Planning Board defeated a motion to define western Chatham County as that west of US 421.

November 11, 2015 - the Ag Board voted to support the Planning Board recommendation not to zone the entire County. Voting for that proposal: Dr. Dykers, Chip Price, Terrill Ellington, Ronnie Vaughn, Larry Hicks. Voting against the proposal: Cathy Jones, Sharon Day, Bobby Tucker, Esta Cohen. 

So what? 

Two items are worth noting. First is that the meeting minutes of the Ag Board were not available to the County citizens until I made a formal request to County staff. That begs the question of how much other County business has not been made widely available. The County has been forthcoming when directly asked about meeting minutes; if they are available, why not post them? The result of not posting is to wonder what the County does not want widely known.

Second, and more disturbing, is that again a County board of citizens voted against the blanket R1 and R5 zoning process and the County Commission appears to ignore that input. Are the County advisory boards merely window-dressing? If so, lets either get rid of them or change their charters.

Finally, thank you Dr. Dykers for bringing this to our attention!

And finally, if you are not registered to vote, do so. Study the candidates positions for local, state and national elections. Put a circle around November 8 on your calendar and vote for those who best represent your values.

Ag Council Advisory Minutes?

One week ago I submitted a formal records request to Chatham County requesting the Ag Council Advisory Minutes for 6/9/2015, 4/14/2015, 3/10/2015, and 2/10/2015. I have been told that in these minutes are a formal recommendation NOT to blanket zone Chatham County, and I want to read it for myself.

Thus far I have not received anything from the county, other than an electronic acknowledgement that my request has been received.

I sent the County an email this morning asking how long I should anticipate waiting. We'll see if these minutes ever appear.

Analyzing the Zoning Discussion

I was curious if there was any pattern to who spoke out for and against zoning or the zoning process at the June commissioner's meeting and the recent planning board meeting. Here is what I found:

Of about 49 total speakers - 

• 15 spoke in favor of zoning
• 32 spoke against zoning or the current zoning process.

Of those 15 speaking in favor of zoning - 

• 13 are registered Democrats, and
• 2 do not seem to be registered to vote in Chatham county. 

No registered Republicans or unaffiliated voters spoke in favor of zoning.

Of those 32 speaking against zoning or the current zoning process - 

• 4 are registered Republicans,
• 10 are registered Democrats,
• 10 are registered Unaffiliated, and
• 8 do not seem to be registered to vote in Chatham county. 

Also interesting is the make up of the Planning Board, and of the County's planning staff.

The Planning Board consists of 5 registered Democrats, 1 registered Republican, and 4 registered Unaffiliated.  

The County planning staff has 2 registered Democrats, 2 registered Unaffiliated, 1 registered Libertarian, and 2 that I could not find in the voter registration file. There are no registered Republicans on the County planning staff.

Overall party affiliation is about what I expected. Since the County has more registered Democrats than Republicans, it is not a big surprise that more Democrats expressed an opinion than Republicans. Neither is it surprising (at least, to me) that Democrats are much more in favor of zoning than are  Republicans. It is disappointing that there are no Republicans on the county planning staff. But more zoning regulations means more workload for county staff which means more government staffing which means - well, you can take it from there.

What IS MORE disappointing are the number of people who do not seem to be registered to vote. How else can you make your opinions heard in the election process? If you haven't registered to vote, please go to http://www.chathamnc.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=27281 RIGHT NOW and get it done.   

Then in November look at which candidates best support what you believe, regardless of your past party affiliation, and cast your vote accordingly.  

Note: want to look up party registration? Go to https://vt.ncsbe.gov/voter_search_public/.

Open Government in Chatham County - Ag Advisory Board

After Dr. Dykers posted on Tuesday’s Chatlist about his Ag Advisory Board recommendation that opposed county-wide zoning, I sought a copy of the meeting minutes in order to read it for myself.

For those of you not following the Chatlist, here is Dr. Dyker's posting:

Alas, the Ag Advisory Board meeting minutes are not posted online, even though the County website indicates they get posted after each meeting. See http://www.chathamnc.org/index.aspx?page=1795.

When asked, a County representative politely responded that the Ag Board is redoing the ordinance that covers this board, and are developing bylaws. They will let me know when minutes get posted. The website also shows that the Ag Board meets four times per year, but has not had a meeting in the last 13 months. One can wonder if last June was when the Ag Board opposed county-wide zoning.

In the meantime, I sent a formal records request to the County for the 2015 meeting minutes of the Ag Advisory Board. When I receive them I will post the information to my blog. 

But more importantly, any citizen can request County public records by submitting the on-line form at https://chathamnc.seamlessdocs.com/f/PublicRecords. I highly encourage everyone to do so when information is not posted in a timely manner. Records of the County belong to the county citizens, and public access to public information ensures that we will continue to have transparent government for the County.

Planning Board Subcommittee minutes ARE online

I previously posted that Chatham County has not posted meeting minutes of the Planning Board Subcommittee meetings.

Since then, Renee Paschal, our County Manager, has told me that these minutes are available electronically, despite my being told by two different county employees that they were not being posted. A big thanks to Ms Paschal for clearing this matter up for both county citizens and for county staff.

The minutes and other information are not found in the normal County Meetings section of the county website. They can be accessed at ftp://ftp.chathamnc.org/Zoning/.

There are several dozen files at this location, and they are not clearly labeled as to their contents. I plan to download them and I will try to write a summary once I have read them.

County Minutes not posted online

The Chatham County website is a wealth of information about our county government. At least, usually. The problem is that many county meetings have not been posted online.

First, though, what is the North Carolina law about open meetings?

Meetings of county public bodies must be conducted openly. North Carolina official policy is that government operations are the business of the people.

Next, what are county public bodies?

All government boards, commissions, committees, or councils are public if they have two or more members, if their members are elected or appointed, and if they exercise a legislative, policy-making, quasi-judicial, administrative, or advisory function. Of course this definition includes the commissioners meetings. It also applies to the planning commission and its subcommittees.

Finally, which public bodies have to keep minutes?

All of them: every public body is required to keep full, accurate minutes of all portions of all official meetings, including closed sessions.

So what?

Minutes of the Commissioner’s meetings, of the Planning Board, and the Planning Board subcommittees must be kept and must be made available to the citizens.

What is the problem?

Most of the Commissioner’s meeting minutes are on the county website. But as of the 5th of July, the minutes from April 2016 forward have not yet been posted.

More concerning is that none (Zero! Zip!) of two particular county public body meetings have been posted - the ‘Planning Board Subcommittee-Alternatives to open use zoning’, or the ‘Planning Board Subcommittee-Land Use’.

Planning board subcommittee meeting minutes would give us insight into the deliberations about zoning within the western portion of the county.

I asked county officials about why those minutes were not posted. One answer I received was that county staff have been so busy with new committees plus the Comprehensive Plan and rezoning they have not had time to post minutes of zoning meetings. Another, different answer was that they are not required to post those minutes online. The county did agree that these meeting minutes must be kept, and they told me that I could request specific pieces of information by filling out a Public Records Request. I asked to be emailed the minutes from 6 meetings related to zoning discussions. If I get that information I will post it to my blog.

Requesting information might work great if you can take time off to go to the county courthouse, if you know what to ask for, and if you can wait for county staff to provide the information. While that seems to comply with the letter of the law, it certainly does not provide easy access to information. This is a particular problem for those who cannot make it to the courthouse during business hours.

I am very disappointed by the response I received from the County Staff who are employees of the citizens of the County.

So, County Staff, how about helping citizens get access to information that belongs to the county citizens, particularly about such a divisive issue as county-wide zoning?

Zoning questions and answers

I was contacted by a local reporter with some questions about Chatham County zoning. Here are those questions and my answers.

What is your main issue with Karen Howard, Hales, Dasher, and others who seek to zone the county? What is your primary concern, and can you give an example of what you fear may happen?

I have several issues with the zoning approach by the Board of Commissioners. The current Board is using a one-size-fits-all zoning approach (R1 and R5 housing zoning) to impose a poorly-defined desire to limit uncontrolled growth in the agricultural portions of the county. They are doing this despite a contrary recommendation by the County Planning Board, doing this prior to the county comprehensive plan being completed, and they ignore concerns of those being zoned. This will lead to even more east-versus-west divisions within the county, and will prevent landowners in the rural western portion of the county from using their own land as they see fit.

What are some examples of the commissioners ignoring public input ("my way or the highway" approach you mention in your article on Chatham Journal)?

One example is Commissioner Howard’s ‘I’ve heard nothing’ comment at the county zoning meeting. Another is Commissioner Hale’s declaration that she will see zoning in the county even if it means she is a one term commissioner. These approaches encourage divisiveness within the county.

I've heard there is talk of suing the board of commissioners? Are you a part of that effort?

No

Who would be a couple of good people affected by zoning to contact about their concerns/their opposition to the zoning?

You could contact any of the several concerned citizens who spoke in opposition to zoning at the county zoning meeting at the Historic Courthouse.

What about the argument that zoning is necessary to prevent a firing range from going in next to a daycare or animal refuge, etc.?

The Planning Board and two of the commissioners believe that there are other less invasive means of controlling growth - through open-use zoning, through existing county regulations, through environmental regulations, or other means. Zoning may be the most appropriate method but zoning without county by-in or without a good plan is likely to create additional political divisions within the county. Is an animal refuge better than a firing range? Is a daycare better than a pottery studio, a tractor repair shop, or a solar energy farm? The current approach mandates that every new, expanded or modified business in the newly-zoned areas of the county is subject to the whims of the planning board and county commission.

What about the argument that development is coming in one way or another from Wake and Orange and the eastern part of the county, and thus zoning is necessary to preserve the rural parts of the county--to confine a manufacturing plant or housing subdivision to one part of the county and leave the rural parts untouched?

A well-thought out zoning approach may be the right solution for the county. This approach, of R1 and R5 zoning, merely means that the western half of the county is zoned to build housing. How will that preserve the rural parts? The R1 and R5 definitions define housing restrictions for the county, and do not address manufacturing. Zoning as currently directed by the Commissioners is imposing unnecessary government control over the legal uses of one’s own land.

R1 and R5 zoning rules

A lot has been said about the upcoming R1 and R5 zoning in Chatham County;  some have said it would not have a major impact on landowners but would protect the County from unconstrained development.

So I read through the 116 pages of zoning regulations on the county website.

First, let us consider the so-called Farming Exemption. To qualify, one must have one of the following: a farm sales tax exemption certificate; a farm property tax listing; a Schedule F from the federal income tax return; an approved forest management plan; or a Farm Identification Number.

Next, these are the definitions for R1 and R5 zoning:

R5 residential zoning is primarily for very low density residential developments along the County's rivers and streams which are compatible with protecting the water quality of the rivers and streams. New residences need a minimum lot size of two acres.

R1 residential zoning is primarily for low to moderate density residential development within the residential-agricultural areas of the County. Residences need a minimum lot size of one acre.

If a property owner wants to request a change in zoning, there is a five-step procedure to follow, all at the owner’s expense.

1 - A community meeting with all owners of abutting property to present the proposed zoning change

2 - A presentation to the County Appearance Commission

3 - Delivering a zoning change Application to the County Planning Department

4 - Presenting to a hearing of the Commissioners and the County Planning Board, but only after notices have been posted on the properties adjacent streets or highways, meeting notices mailed to adjoining property owners, and notice of the hearing published in the paper.

5 - After this the Commissioners may approve, deny, or direct changes to the application.

If you wish to erect a commercial building, you must follow the Chatham Commercial Design Guidelines.

Homes in R1 and R5 zoning also have a set of rules they must follow. Those rules include distance setbacks, open space requirements, requirements on deck design, and requiring connection to county water systems when available. Plantings should be selected from the Chatham County Design Guidelines, using xeriscaping for water conservation whenever possible. Lighting needs to follow the County Lighting Ordinance. The Planning Department may demand 'reasonable fees to cover the administration' of the program.

The regulation specifically lists what is allowed in R1 and R5 zoning other than housing:

 Guest houses

 Avocational farming

 B&Bs with less than 2 rooms

 Churches

 Day care centers with less than 15 children

 Manufactured dwellings

 Family care homes

 Fire stations

 Hunting and fishing clubs

 Public parks and recreation areas

 Public utility transmission lines

 Schools

 Solar farms with less than 2 acres

 Spray irrigation of reclaimed water

 Streets and railroad rights-of-way

Home occupations in R1 and R5 are permitted only after receiving a permit from the Zoning Administrator. They must follow rules on the total number of employees and family who may work in the home, restrictions on how much home space you can use, prohibiting outdoor displays of goods or materials, and creating no noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors, or electrical interference. There must be no additional vehicle traffic.

Penalties for noncompliance are served by the Zoning Administrator. Fines for a first violation are $50 per day. The County may seek destruction of non-conforming buildings, and may put a lien on your property.

These are a lot of restrictions on rural property. They may be exactly appropriate for the urban eastern areas of the County. They constitute a huge change to the existing rural areas west of Highway 87. I am sure that the western areas are mostly unaware of the R1 and R5 zoning impacts, and we might become even more concerned about this action than we are now one once the full implications are more widely known.

Vote in November.