The Davidson County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday night sending a local bill to Raleigh that if passed, will give the county some authority in responding to any future annexation attempts made by municipalities bordering the county.
Just 12 days after board vice-chairman Larry Potts shared his idea of a sending the bill to the General Assembly, commissioners showed their support, approving the resolution by a 6-0 vote. Commissioner Fred McClure was excused from the meeting.
Potts wants to see a law that would grant the county the right to ward off any annexation attempts by a majority vote from the board. The Legislature approved a similar bill from Chatham County officials last year that gave the county some power against annexation attempts from Cary and Apex.
Conversely, commissioners can approve an annexation if they feel it is beneficial. Potts said he has been in contact with local lawmakers, Reps. Rayne Brown and Jerry Dockham and that the two were receptive to the idea.
The submitted draft states: “No city, primarily located within the territory of Davidson County, may adopt an annexation ordinance under any of the provisions of Article 4A of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes that applies to any territory located within Davidson County unless the board of commissioners of Davidson County, has, prior to the adoption of the annexation ordinance, approved a resolution consenting to that annexation.”
Potts said his main goal with the bill is to protect the citizens of Davidson County who don’t want to be possibly annexed in the future by cities like High Point and Winston-Salem that border parts of Davidson County. Commissioners felt having a layer of protection with the ordinance was a smart move.
“It’s pretty simple,” Potts said. “The intent is to stop cross-county annexation without our approval. We’re elected by the citizens of our county to protect the dirt on our line.”
The resolution, along with letters of support from the towns of Wallburg and Midway, will be sent to the Legislature later this week, Potts noted.
In other news, the board;
• Passed a resolution requesting funds from the state to help with road improvement projects at the new middle school in northern Davidson County. The N.C. Department of Transportation recently said a roundabout at the intersection of Midway School and Hoy Long roads was needed to best manage anticipated increased traffic. Cost estimates for a roundabout are $500,000. Commissioners said they have been in contact with Dockham who has told the board he could shore up $150,000 in state funds to help with the project.
• Approved a small expansion at Davidson County Community College. The college matched a $125,000 state equipment grant with existing 2011-12 budget funds and will add a 6,350 square-foot building to store equipment and supplies. Because county dollars were involved — even though no additional funds were needed — commissioners had to approve the request. The expansion will free up space in the Sinclair Building shop that had been housing much of the equipment.
Published: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 12:30 a.m.
David Bodenheimer can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 227, or at david.bodenheimer@the-dispatch.com.
