By Jesse Wood
Nov. 7, 2013. The Town of Boone and Watauga County Board of Commissioners have scheduled a joint meeting to discuss extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) appointments for Wednesday, Nov. 20. The meeting, to be held in the Boone Town Council Chambers, starts at 6 p.m.
Watauga County’s ETJ appointments to Town of Boone boards have been a source of contention between the county and town recently.
The Watauga County Board of Commissioners requested an open meeting with the council after the Town of Boone denied two appointments while reconsidering the appointment of a third individual to the town’s Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment due to “procedural deficiencies.”
In September, the town said that it was declining the July 16 appointments of Bolick and Greene because a public hearing was not held in accordance to its Unified Development Ordinance, while County Attorney Four Eggers states that the town doesn’t have the “statutory authority” to require a public hearing. Town Manager Greg Young also noted recently that that the Boone Town Council was reconsidering the appointment of Jon Tate because of a lack of a public hearing.
In an effort to “extend an olive branch,” as Commissioner Perry Yates said, the commissioners voted 4-1 a month ago to schedule a public hearing and see which way the branch sways. While Boone Town Councilman Rennie Brantz noted in late September that a public hearing would go a long way in rectifying the situation, Chair Nathan Miller on the Watauga County Board of Commissioners said he would rather file a lawsuit and halt any meetings of the two town boards until the ETJ appointments are set.
In the middle of October, the commissioners held a public hearing that no one spoke at and again requested a meeting with the Town of Boone.
For more background, check out these prior articles on the matter:
Oct. 14, 2013: Commissioners Reappoints Three ETJ Members To Boone Boards After Public Hearing, Town Offers Meeting Date
Oct. 1, 2013: Commissioners Vote 4-1 To Hold Public Hearing on ETJ Appointments, Chair Miller Would Rather File Lawsuit
Sept. 25, 2013: Boone, Watauga Squabble Over ETJ Appointments To Town Boards Again, ‘Procedural Deficiencies’ Cited