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Boone Requests Public Records From Watauga County Pertaining to UDO, Old WHS, Sales-Tax Redistribution

By Jesse Wood

July 12, 2013. Along with Mayor Loretta Clawson, the Boone Town Council is requesting Watauga County public records from the past three years that pertain to the old Watauga High School property, the sales-tax redistribution and the threat of lawsuits from the Watauga County Chair Nathan Miller regarding the “Supplementary Standards for Multi-Family Housing Development” section in the town’s Unified Development Ordinance.

All three issues are intertwined. Members of the Watauga County Board of Commissioners claim that the new multi-family housing regulations introduced in February hindered the $20-million sale of the old Watauga High School property to Templeton Properties. Templeton rescinded his offer for the 75-acre property, which is owned by the county and is located in the town, at the end of the due-diligence period in May.

Then, the Republican-majority commissioners used the threat of the sales-tax redistribution, which eventually did go into effect at the end of April and cost the town $1.8 million in revenue, for leverage. 

The Boone Town Council has met recently in closed session with the town attorney to “consider and give instructions concerning the handling or settlement of a claim or judicial action against Watauga County,” according to the past two months of Boone Town Council board packets and meeting minutes.

For more information about these issues, which includes many letters between the county and the town, click here.

Town Manager Greg Young notified Watauga County Manager Deron Geouque of the request in a letter dated June 17.

Read the two-page request below with more details on the requests for each of the issues.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Boone Letter 1

 

Boone Letter 2