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The Board agreed to hear from the public and then reconvene at a later date for <br /> discussion. There will not be a recommendation from the Planning Board until the Board of <br /> County Commissioners has had a chance to discuss this matter. <br /> Bill Hutchins asked how they would know if the speakers are providing comments on the <br /> SUP or on the legislative portion of this. Geof Gledhill said that each person could state their <br /> intention. If they are providing comments on the legislative portion of this, then they will have to <br /> be sworn in. <br /> Chair Jacobs said that it would be easier to go ahead and swear in everyone that wants <br /> to speak. <br /> Bill Hutchins said that he would like to provide cross—examination of the witnesses on <br /> the legislative portion. <br /> Public Comment: <br /> Jack Adams: I have been sworn in. I am on the Board of Directors on the Efland Fire <br /> Department, and have been a volunteer firefighter for 24 years, and have served as Captain <br /> and Assistant Chief of the department. I am now the Safety Officer. While the growth of new <br /> business in the economic development zone in Efland balances out the County's tax load <br /> between residential and businesses, the Efland Fire Department would like to make the <br /> Commissioners aware of some of the ramifications of these decisions. In the past decade, the <br /> City of Mebane has annexed the majority of the businesses in the Efland Fire Tax District. The <br /> results of this are that the fire department is being funded primarily by the fire tax levied on the <br /> homeowners. So while these developments are benefiting the County's tax base, Efland <br /> residents will have to pay more taxes for fire protection. Since the businesses in the economic <br /> development zone are in the City of Mebane, the response that Efland provides to these areas <br /> is one engine and two volunteer firemen. We would like the County to be aware of this, and its <br /> impact on including business through this area. The Efland Fire Department has had a contract <br /> with the City of Mebane where we pay Mebane to respond to calls in our tax district. They <br /> respond in these areas where they would have a quicker response time. The cost of this <br /> contract has gone up every time it has been brought up for renewal. This puts a further strain <br /> on our budget. We would like the opportunity to work with the County and Mebane on an <br /> interlocal agreement that balances out local tax revenues and the County's need for economic <br /> development. Our new substation near Buckhorn Road changes our response time and would <br /> factor into these discussions. Efland has enjoyed a big surge in houses over the last decade <br /> because it is such an affordable area. Many firefighters who work in municipalities elsewhere in <br /> the County live in Efland. It is our hope that as the economic development zone grows, that the <br /> Efland Fire Department can be included in the process to avoid having the homeowners bear a <br /> disproportionate amount of the burden in this growth. <br /> Norman Umstead: I have been sworn in. I am the Pastor of Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist <br /> Church located on Buckhorn Road, and I also Chair the People for Progress. First, I'd like to <br /> say that we are happy to hear that the water and sewer project is gaining some attention again. <br /> It certainly has been a long process and we are happy to hear that something is being done. <br /> Secondly, I've heard from many citizens in our area who are happy about the idea of being able <br /> to shop close to home. But our churches, we have two churches located on Buckhorn Road, <br /> and we are not so happy or so thrilled about the idea of invading some of our churches' <br /> properties— maybe siphoned away in order to accommodate the traffic that this particular <br /> project is going to bring. One church in particular is situated very close to Buckhorn Road, and <br /> the traffic analysis says that they are going to widen Buckhorn, but he didn't say how far up <br /> Buckhorn, nor did he include Highway 70, or I didn't hear Highway 70 mentioned, which is also <br /> going to have an impact. Currently, we face some problems in our church on Sunday mornings <br /> with our members who live in the Graham area or Mebane area who travel Interstate 85 going in <br />