By Paul T. Choate
June 7, 2012. RALEIGH — On Thursday, June 7, the State and Local Government Senate Standing Committee approved state Sen. Daniel Soucek’s (R-Boone) bill, NC Senate Bill 949 Town of Boone/ETJ, which is meant to strip Boone if its extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) powers, according to the North Carolina General Assembly website.
The bill will now move on to a vote in the full Senate next week. If it passes, there will be serious ramifications for the Town of Boone. Boone Town Council member Andy Ball said if it passes, Boone’s ETJ areas would not be under any zoning restrictions, such as commercial, industrial or noise restrictions. Several town officials have already spoken out against the bill.
“Once every eight to 10 days, I get a phone call from people about intense industrial development or a concrete plant going up next to their house,” said Bill Bailey, director of Boone’s Planning and Inspections Department, on June 4. “For the most part, residents want the zoning, so this is an interesting development.”
Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson was “very shocked,” “disappointed and extremely concerned” by the bill and the way it targets Boone.
The bill was narrowly approved Thursday with a vote of five who approved and four who did not approve.
If the state Senate passes the bill, it will become effective June 30, 2013 — text that was changed from the original bill. Edition one of the bill read that the act would become effective once it was signed into law.
The nearby towns of Blowing Rock and Banner Elk also have ETJ areas. Should the bill pass, it could potentially set a precedent and other towns may see their ETJ powers stripped in the future.
For more information about the bill, check out our article from Monday, June 4, by clicking here.
To view the bill listing on the North Carolina General Assembly website, click here.
To read the text of PCS35379, click here.
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