Agenda - 03-16-2021; 8-a - Minutes

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3 1 Commissioner Greene said there are individuals who might have wanted to speak at the 2 meeting, but did not sign up because the Board announced that the public hearing was over. 3 She said this where the fairness issue lies. 4 Chair Price said she cannot assume what a commenter will say until they begin 5 speaking, so she will have to call on each person. 6 7 Roll call ensued 8 9 VOTE: Ayes, 5 (Commissioner Bedford, Commissioner Dorosin, Commissioner Fowler, 10 Commissioner Greene, Chair Price); Nays, 2 (Commissioner Hamilton and Commissioner 11 McKee) 12 13 MOTION PASSES 14 15 Leo Allison thanked the Board for its past support for projects in Efland, such as the 16 Efland Cheeks park and the sewer system, and other projects that are important to the 17 community. 18 Benny Cecil said Orange County has a deficit of$3 million. He said Orange County has 19 given no raises to employees in several years, does not have money to hire new employees, is 20 unable to keep up equipment and vehicles, owes millions of dollars on buildings because of 21 mold damage, and may have to pay back impact fees due to a lawsuit that the County lost. He 22 asked if the County has a plan to make up revenue. He said he feels the County makes it 23 difficult for businesses to start and develop, which will improve residents' lives. He also 24 expressed concerns about lack of representation for Northern Orange County, and the residents 25 there who make minimum wage. He said Orange County is going downhill fast, and the 26 financial condition is getting worse. He said the County does not have time to look for other 27 businesses. 28 Janine Zanin read the following comments: 29 30 Hello Commissioners, 31 My name is Janine Zanin and I live in Efland, NC. I'm here to talk about the Buckhorn 32 Area Plan. I learned yesterday that although the Planning Board is going to hear about the 33 Buckhorn Area Plan tomorrow night and will be asked to "accept the study" and provide 34 comments to this Board on February 16th, public input will not be permitted at the Planning 35 Board meeting. Indeed, according to the proposed process in the Planning Board Agenda, 36 public input may not even be permitted until after the BOCC has met with the City of Mebane. 37 There's a narrative I've been hearing (it's even in the minutes from the January 6th 38 Planning Board Meeting) that I'd like to address. It goes something like this ... people who live 39 near Economic Development Districts need to be educated so they stop complaining when the 40 land around them gets developed. Let me be clear, that is not what's happening here. If the 41 Buckhorn Area Plan involved land that was already zoned for commercial development, there 42 would be no need for a study, no need for a Buckhorn Area Plan. The issue here is that the land 43 that is the subject of the Buckhorn Area Plan is NOT zoned for commercial development. On the 44 contrary, its currently zoned agricultural residential, and rural residential, some of it is critically 45 protected watershed and directly connected to the northern bank of Seven Mile Creek and its 46 tributaries. The problem is not that we don't understand the land use map, the issue is that we 47 HAVE studied it and we've RELIED on it in and now the rug is being pulled out from under us. 48 1 am a nerd who actually reads through the county's budgets each year. I've read the 49 Efland/Mebane Small Area Plan, the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the Parks and Rec yearly 50 reports, and I've witnessed the county's actions in my neighborhood in the 15 years I've lived 51 here. Throughout this time, the county has been sending a VERY CLEAR MESSAGE that the